Bradley Clayton put in a five-star performance as he scored two and set up the other three as Brentford put five past Ipswich Town at Playford Road.

The Youth Team's top scorer set up the first for Makhosini Khanye after 18 minutes before playing in Zain Westbrooke to make it 2-0 eight minutes into the second-half.

Clayton pounced on a weak back-pass to make it 3-0 before the hour and he added a fourth with a bullet header after a slick Brentford move.

The gloss was added to the performance as trialist Decarey Sheriff smashed home with nine minutes remaining to complete a league double over The Tractor Boys.

Jon De Souza was able to welcome back Seth Owens, James Ferry, Audrius Laucys, and Kyjuon Marsh-Brown, who had all missed last week's defeat to Colchester United due to their involvement in the Development Squad's defeat at Bristol City on Monday.

Ferry partnered Reece Cole in the midfield while Westbrooke played behind Clayton with Khanye and Marsh-Brown on either flank.

Ipswich had taken Sunderland to extra-time in the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday but on a cold, wintery morning in Suffolk it was Brentford who started the fastest.

Marsh-Brown saw a shot deflected behind for a corner while Cole pulled a shot wide from long distance.

The hosts were being pressed back into their own-half as Owens and Chris Mepham dealt with everything being sent in the direction of Sam Ford up front.

Ronaldo Jones, whose pace and direct running proved to be Ipswich's biggest threat, shot wide on the quarter hour but two minutes later The Bees were ahead.

A ball in behind by Laucys was chased by Clayton and he forced home goalkeeper Nicholas Hayes to miss his kick, the Brentford striker got to byline and calmly pulled back for Khanye to slot home from eight yards.

Clayton nearly turned provider of a second goal three minutes later as Hayes made up for his error by turning away Ferry's low shot after another Clayton pull-back.

As the half went on conditions began to deteriorate with the wind picking up, temperatures dropping, and wintery showers sweeping across the pitch.

The change in conditions did nothing to cool Brentford's start to the game as they continued to dominate possession and territory without creating too much in the way of clear cut chance.

Ipswich for their part were finding it all-but impossible to keep hold of the ball in advanced positions as Mepham and Owens crowded out Ford and Ed Ellis, making sure The Tractor Boys couldn't get up the pitch.

Despite their dominance The Bees only held a one-goal lead as the half-time whistle signalled a hasty retreat to the warmth of the dressing rooms for both sides.

The break seemed to favour the hosts as they managed to establish more of a foothold in the second period.

Owens deflected an Ale Howell shot behind for a corner and Ford missed his kick from eight yards out with the goal at his mercy.

That miss proved to be crucial as two minutes later Clayton turned out of trouble and ran at the heart of the hosts defence - he timed his pass to Westbrooke perfectly and the midfielder swept home from 15 yards.

Six minutes later it was three as Clayton's pressing forced Kolade Salaudeen to underhit his backpass and the diminutive striker nipped in ahead of Hayes, rounded the keeper, and tapped into an empty net.

Whether or not at 3-0 The Bees thought it was game over, Ipswich realised they had nothing to lose or a combination of the both the hosts enjoyed their best spell of the game following Clayton's goal.

Cameron Greaves, who had little action to keep him warm in the opening hour, made a stunning flying save to turn a Jones shot behind before he made another good save from the resulting corner to deny Salaudeen.

Jones shot wide from just inside the penalty area and Daniel Muamba, brother of Fabrice, brought a good low save out of Greaves.

Any hope the hosts had of setting up a nervy finish were ended with a quarter of an hour to go as Brentford scored the pick of their goals.

Ferry spread the ball from left to right, Laucys beat his man and delivered a pin-point cross which Clayton powered home from eight yards to score his eighth Youth Team league goal in 12 games this season.

It was five a few minutes later as good battling from Jeremiah Kamanzi and an incisive Clayton pass freed the pacey Sheriff who smashed home from 15 yards.

The Bees were well on their way to their biggest ever Under-18 Professional Development League Two South win, beating the 4-1 win over Leeds United earlier this season, but hadn't managed to hit six in a game in the new league format.

That nearly changed in the dying seconds as Hayes got fingertips to Field's rasping drive before the home keeper made an even better save to turn behind Sheriff's low drive.

As it was that was the end of the goalscoring as Brentford picked up their first win in three league games to cement top spot in the league ahead of next Saturday's derby at home to QPR.

: Nicholas Hayes; Harry Daly, Luke Woolfenden, Kolade Salaudeen, Myles George-Kenlock; Ronaldo Jones, Dan Muamba (sub Flynn Downes 71 mins), Chris Smith, Aze Howell; Sam Ford, Ed Ellis (sub Ben Morris 56 mins)

: Callum Fullwood, Ross Meldrum, Tristan Nydam

: Cameron Greaves; Audrius Laucys, Chris Mepham, Seth Owens, Tom Field; James Ferry (sub Romayn Pennant 81 mins), Reece Cole; Makhosini Khanye (sub Jeremiah Kamanzi 71 mins), Zain Westbrooke, Kyjuon Marsh-Brown (sub Decarey Sheriff 56 mins); Bradley Clayton

: Dan Webster, Tony Guppy