Nico Yennaris said he was glad to have been able to contribute after establishing himself in the centre of The Bees midfield in his breakthrough season at Griffin Park. After finding appearances hard to come by in his first 18 months with The Bees, Nico, who turns 23 on Tuesday, made 33 appearances last campaign, scoring his first goal in Brentford colours in the win over Nottingham Forest in early April.

Nico was an almost ever present under Dean Smith in 2016 and, looking back on the season speaking to Bees Player, the former Arsenal midfielder said: “I have been delighted with the last couple of months. When I was at right back I felt that I was performing well but now that I am in the centre of midfield everyone is seeing what I can bring to the team. I do what I can for the team and I think, this year, everyone can see that I am happy to just contribute in any way for the team.”

The midfielder played eight of Brentford’s last nine games as a stunning run of form saw The Bees burst into the top ten to end the season in ninth place. That run of form co-incided with the return from injury of Scott Hogan, who netted seven goals in four games during April and May, and Nico believes that having someone of Scott’s ability in front of him makes life easy for him and the other midfielders.

“We all know that Scott Hogan is a natural goalscorer,” said Nico. “The runs that he makes on the shoulder of defenders are unbelievable. It is so easy to play with people who are willing to run in behind and make the runs for you. As a midfielder we know that, as soon as we get the ball, he is going so you can play the ball early. He has been on fire since he has been back and I am delighted for him because he has had a tough time.”

After a long nine-month league campaign, Nico is looking forward to getting away from football and recharging the batteries in the summer break but with the knowledge that the return to pre-season training is never too far away.

“Towards the end of the break we have always got to pick it up and get ready for pre-season again but it is always nice in the first few weeks to relax, to do nothing, and to be away from football,” said Nico. “It is a long season and the Championship is a demanding league with games every few days. It will be nice to put my feet up for a few weeks, rest and recover, and get ready for the new season.”