Frank Onyeka was on target for a Brentford XI on Tuesday afternoon in a behind-doors-friendly defeat to Southampton XI at Gtech Community Stadium.

The midfielder capitalised on an error to tap home from close range after half an hour.

Despite creating the lion’s share of chances over the 90 minutes, the Bees would end up with nothing to show for it as Southampton struck late in both halves to claim victory.

Brentford were nearly gifted a second-minute lead when Yehor Yarmoliuk charged down a clearance by the Southampton goalkeeper. The ball bounced off the Ukrainian midfielder on to the face of the post and then back into the keeper’s grateful arms.

Having watched a pair of shots from the edge of the box flash wide of his left-hand upright, Thomas Strakosha’s first action of the day was to tip another long-range effort over the bar.

Straokosha then made a more regulation stop before an error by his opposite number handed the Bees the lead on the half-hour mark; Yarmoliuk’s looping cross slipped through the goalkeeper’s grasp, with Onyeka the happy recipient as the ball landed at his feet four yards out for an easy tap in.

The away side wasted a good opportunity to level when a cut-back from the left was swept wide by the opposite winger from level with the penalty spot. Keane Lewis-Potter whipped narrowly over from the left-hand angle of the area as Brentford looked to see out the half in front.

However, Southampton would go in at the break level as an in-swinging cross from the right flashed across goal and snuck just inside Strakosha’s far post.

Brentford: Strakosha (Balcombe); Roerslev, Ajer, Zanka, Bech (Ji-soo); Onyeka (Owen), Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard (Dickov); Olakigbe, Lewis-Potter; Brierley

Subs not used: Farr, Adedokun

It was a lively start to the second half. Michael Olakigbe saw a shot deflected into the side netting from close range before substitute Max Dickov was twice thwarted by the Saints keeper at close range.

At the other end, Kristoffer Ajer made an important covering challenge on the edge of his own six-yard box and Strakosha plunged on a loose ball, but those were rare moments of alarm for the Brentford backline.

Olakigbe fired just wide following a weaving run, Lewis-Potter drove an effort into the arms of the Saints keeper, and Dickov swept wide from 12 yards. As the game wore on, the pressure on the Southampton goal only increased.

Lewis-Potter was denied a tap in by a fine sliding interception, Riley Owen shot over from 25 yards, Dickov was excellently denied by the Southampton stopper, and Brierley lashed wide from the edge of the D before the away side delivered the sucker-punch with 12 minutes remaining.

The Bees defence backed off allowing a Saints substitute to arrow a low drive across Ellery Balcombe and in from the edge of the box. The visitors would have put the game to bed inside the closing stages but for the post denying them from 20 yards.

The closest Brentford came to a leveller in the final minutes was a deflected Olakigbe shot which skipped up nicely into the hands of the goalkeeper.