Smith has good Vibe at Bees
DEAN Smith was certainly entertained in his first game in charge of Brentford, as his new side put in a domineering performance to show their obvious potential against MK Dons.
Smith joined the West London club from Walsall last week and goals from Lasse Vibe and Alan Judge moved the Bees up to tenth in the league, a point shy of the play-offs.
It was as close as a complete team performance as can be expected from the hosts who also hit the crossbar three times.
“I thought the performance was excellent,” Smith beamed.
“The work rate was exceptional and if they keep that up, they have every chance of being successful as a team.
“They are a really good bunch of hardworking lads who want to get better.
“We worked really hard to win the ball back and put them under a lot of pressure.
“We rattled the woodwork an awful lot of times and their keeper’s made a lot of good saves, but we’re winners in the end which is pleasing.
Dean Bowditch forced an 11th minute save from David Button, but it was Brentford who were soon in the ascendency and setting up shop in the Dons half, Karl Robinson’s side unable to withstand the Bees’ quick, high-pressing tactics.
On 20 minutes, Judge made a superb touch on the halfway line to foil Anthony Kay, the Irishman running towards the goal before playing the ball out left to Jake Bidwell.
Bidwell’s cross was met by Vibe, the Dane’s header locating the right corner of the net for his sixth goal of the season. David Martin, the Dons stopper, saved two good chances in quick succession, first Judge’s close range shot and then a Vibe header.
A Judge free-kick cannoned off the crossbar on the half hour mark, Konstantin Kerschbaumer’s subsequent shot trickling beyond Martin and Anthony Kay having to retreat to hook the ball clear of the goal line.
The onslaught continued, Kerschbaumer rattling the bar, before Vibe sliced a shot well over the framework from just six yards.
Vibe and Maynard both had goals chalked off for offside just before the interval, and the former went close again to doubling his tally on 50 minutes with a rasping shot that repelled off the bar.
From a corner that initially evaded everyone, the ball fell to an unmarked Judge who spurned a chance from just three yards.
But after his teammate Kerschbaumer arrowed right of the goal from the edge of the box, Judge was eventually celebrating, scoring with a slipped shot from 25 yards, the ball somehow making its way through the entire box and nestling to the bottom left of Martin’s goal.
“It entertained me and the supporters. We want to play attacking football and we certainly had that today - it can only go downhill now!” Smith joked.
And Robinson was not impressed.
“I said to the players that we’ll get relegated if we perform like that,” he revealed.
“I thought for 20 minutes we were the better team. I thought their first goal came against the run of play but afterwards it was pure domination.We looked disjointed, like we had no energy. We were second-best, we couldn’t win a tackle or a header. We didn’t have the athleticism or the legs.
“They’ve got three weeks to fight for their place in the team and the club.”