Clayton Donaldson said he knew he was going to score Brentford’s winning goal against Peterborough United last night as soon as he got the ball on his right foot.
The game was level at 2-2 with three minutes remaining when Clayton picked up a Farid El Alagui header.
Defender Kgosi Ntlhe showed him on to his right side – a “crazy” decision according to the striker – and Clayton smashed the winner across Robert Olejnik and in to the far corner.
It gave The Bees a 3-2 win against one of their promotion rivals.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match, Clayton described the goal.
“I saw the ball bounce and I knew Farid would win the header,” he explained.
“I gambled on it but it wouldn’t quite come in to my stride.
“It stuck behind me but I turned and the defender showed me outside, which is my strongest side.
“It was a bit crazy from him.
“I don’t know what he was thinking.
“I took it and as soon as I got the couple of yards I knew it would hit the back of the net.
“I am confident and I know that angle on my right foot, I don’t miss too many from there.
“It was weird.
“As I got the space I knew it was a goal.
“I have been in that position plenty of times.
“On my right foot, if I get a clean contact it is in.
“That is an improvement in me from last season, my finishing is better.
“Everyone went crazy and it turned out to be the winning goal.
“It was an amazing feeling.
“The way we did it, shows the character in the squad.
“The fitness is there to be seen.”
Brentford had been 2-1 down with ten minutes to go despite taking a first half lead.
The Bees went ahead when Gabriel Zakuani headed in to his own bet but Peterborough scored two goals around the hour mark to get their noses in front.
Brentford levelled with a goal credited to George Saville but claimed by Will Grigg before Clayton hit the winner.
The win was Brentford’s fifth at home in a row and extended their uneaten run to eight.
They have won seven of those and drew the eighth against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
It meant The Bees have taken four points off two promotion rivals in four days.
“We are a team on the up and a team in form,” said Clayton.
“We would have taken four points from these two games before we started.
“You always want to beat teams above you.
“We are chasing them and to overtake them is amazing.
“Following the 0-0 at Wolves with a win here is an amazing feeling.
“We showed character to come back and win.
“It feels better than winning the game 1-0.
“We never gave up and with our fitness we kept going.”
Clayton said he had no doubt Brentford would find a way back in to the game as Peterborough noticeably changed once they got ahead.
“There were no concerns that we were behind,” he said.
“You could see in the game that we stepped it up when we went behind.
“A goal was coming and it came at the right time.
“They didn’t have a lot to offer after that.”
Clayton now has ten for the season, the same numbers as at this time last season, when he ended the campaign with 24.
“Any strike wants to get double figures,” said Clayton.
“To do that before December, I am pleased with that.
“The quality in the team has helped me get there.
“Hopefully I can get more.
“We have plenty of players who can start.
“We have quality on the bench.
“If we keep everyone fit, teams will be afraid of us.”
Brentford end this key week with a trip to Notts County on Saturday.
Clayton said a win would set them up well before they travel to Carlisle United for an FA Cup with Budweiser Second Round tie and then hit the Christmas programme.
Clayton scored the winner at Meadow Lane for The Bees in December last year.
“A win at Notts County would round the week off,” he said.
“To end this month with a win would set us up nicely in to December.
“It won’t be easy.
“We got a late winner last year but we are a team in form and will go there with confidence.”
Clayton Donaldson’s full post-match interview is available here for Bees Player subscribers.