Brentford B head coach Sam Saunders has looked ahead to Tuesday night’s London Senior Cup final against Hanwell Town at Hanwell Town Football Club (7.45pm kick-off).
It’s been four months since the young Bees defeated Barking in a semi-final at Wheatsheaf Park; however, due to a backlogged 2024/25 fixture list, the game was forced into August.
Saunders spoke about the chance to play for trophies against first-team opposition as a strong way to develop his squad ahead of the game.
“You can develop football players in a number of ways, and learning how to win silverware is one of those,” he explained.
“Last week’s clash with Hull City was actually quite a good primer when you look at the way that they tried to play and we’ll probably encounter that again.
“We’re going to have to be solid, win first contacts, second contacts, deal with the directness and then, after we deal with that, can we play? Can we keep cool heads?
“We have to get into a good structure and show our individual quality within that.”
The west Londoners come into the game in good form, having drawn with Hull to kick off their Under-21 Professional Development League season last week.
Ethan Laidlaw scored a late equaliser in the clash and said he was excited for the challenge of Tuesday night.
“It’s another good opportunity. If we can go there and we can win, it’ll obviously give us a massive boost going into the next PDL game on Sunday,” he said.
“It might not be the prettiest game of all time, but if we go there and we get the win, then everyone’s happy.”
Last time out
Previously in the LSC, last season, the Bees secured a 3-2 win over Barking at home to secure their place in the final.
Emeka Peters scored a brace on the night, with Max Dickov adding a penalty to ensure the victory.
Saunders’ side defeated Welling United 3-2 in the quarter-final away from home, while also enjoying wins over Athletic Newham (5-1) and Redbridge (2-0) in the earlier rounds.
About Hanwell Town
Hanwell Town compete in Southern Premier Division South and sit fourth in the table after three games following a 3-0 win over Yate Town at the weekend.
The Geordies enjoyed a dominant run to the final, starting with a 4-2 win over Glebe in the second round.
They backed that up with a 2-0 win over Cockfosters in the third round, before a 1-0 victory over Tooting & Mitcham United in the quarter-final.
The semi-final clash was Hanwell’s tightest game; however, they prevailed 3-2 over Dulwich Hamlet to book their ticket to the final.
Jordan Edwards led the way last season with 18 goals, while Alfie Pendlebury has started this campaign well with two goals.
Ticket information
Tickets are available to purchase here. There will also be tickets to purchase on the gate, cash and card accepted.
General admission: £12
Student/U18/OAP: £5
Match coverage
The club will have updates of the game against Hanwell Town on social media, as well as a match report and highlights on the club's official website and app.