Brentford Under-18s lost their first away trip of the 2025/26 Professional Development League 7-3 to Fleetwood Town Under-18s on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the score being level at the break, a strong second-half showing from Fleetwood overwhelmed Gary McDermott’s side.
The game sprang into action quickly, as Jensen Stansfield scored for Fleetwood after two minutes, latching on to a wayward pass across the box and firing into the bottom corner.
In the tenth minute, Brentford had a deserved leveller through Domeiro Bobb-Semple. Naeem Giscombe did superbly to cross to his opposite winger, who thumped home his header as he attacked the back post brilliantly.
The same combination worked again for the Bees on 22 minutes when Giscombe slid an irresistible cross to the back post, where Bobb-Semple simply had to tap home into an empty net for the lead and his brace.
The final result may have been different if the west Londoners had got to the break ahead but, on 38 minutes, Ellis Dunne scored from the spot after Aidan Golding mistimed his challenge in the box, and it was 2-2 at half-time.
It was a bad start to the second period for McDermott’s side, as Stansfield scored to put the home side ahead within three minutes of the restart.
Three minutes later, the young Bees were behind by two goals when Fawaz Junaid headed home from close range.
Fleetwood then added a fifth and sixth through David Animasaun and Calum Warbrick to put the game beyond reach.
Michel Boni scored his second goal of the season for Brentford after winning and converting a penalty, clawing one back on 80 minutes to make it 6-3, but Fleetwood added a late seventh goal to compile the misery.
A day to forget for the Under-18s, who will look to bounce back at home to Sheffield Wednesday Under-18s next weekend at Wheatsheaf Park.
Fleetwood U18s: Ashcroft, Ruocco, Thompson, Buckley, Dunne, Bamba, Junaid (Quinn 77), English, Animasaun, Warbrick (Taylor 77), Stansfield
Unused subs: Minipoli, Hughes, Scrivens
Brentford U18s: Nicholls, Zetter-Plummer (Fanoiki 80), Lawal (Oladapo-Gamu 61), Ogungbemi, Golding, Cohalan, Giscombe, Ouattara, Boni (Bansoodeb 80), Hanson, Bobb-Semple (Kasujja 45)
Unused subs: Lyon
Booked: Golding 36, Kasujja 86