Chris Mepham scored his first goal for Brentford as they ran out 1-0 winners at home to Crewe Alexandra this afternoon to move to the top of the U18 Professional Development League Two South.
The right-back cut inside Matthew Neal and rolled home to put The Bees ahead 20 minutes into a first-half which Brentford dominated.
The hosts should have been out of sight after an hour but were left hanging on as Crewe threw everything at them in the closing stages.
Jordan Carey produced two fantastic saves to deny The Railwaymen who also hit the post twice and had a goal disallowed but Brentford managed to see out the game and climb to the league summit.
Jeremy Steele made three changes to the side that drew 2-2 away at Coventry last Saturday as Carey returned in goal with Kyjuon Marsh-Brown and Bradley Clayton also replacing George Harmes and Joshua Bohui.
Brentford started very brightly against a Crewe side who had only two points to show from their opening five games.
Reece Cole tested Liam Matthews straight from the kick-off and an early corner saw Zain Westbrooke pull a shot wide from the edge of the box.
At the other end Carey had to adjust quickly to prevent Liam O'Neil's cross looping over him before Toby Mullarkey headed wide unmarked from six yards.
Crewe were playing with a front four at times trying to press high up the pitch and force The Bees into an error in possession.
However, with Westbrooke dropping deep to receive and Seth Owens and Gradi Milenge comfortable on the ball, The Bees were finding joy playing through the press and exploiting the extra space this caused in midfield.
Danny Parish shot over from 10 yards but The Bees didn't have to wait much longer to take the lead.
Again the move began with Brentford playing through Crewe's high press and when Clayton got the ball on the edge of the edge of the box he laid in Mepham who cut back onto his left-foot and rolled home from 8 yards.
The right-back's first goal had clearly given him a taste for going forward and he was inches away from making it 2-0 two minutes later but this time his left-footed effort from 25 yards drifted just wide.
The Bees were well in control of the game by now and Cole shot over from distance, Matthews produced an incredible fingertip save to turn Clayton's shot round the post and with the last action of the half the Crewe keeper made a more routine save to deny Westbrooke.
The game really came to life in the opening quarter of an hour of the second-half as both sides could, and perhaps should, have found the back of the net.
Crewe's high press was beginning to pay off and having forced the error Joe Howell brought a good save out of Carey before Matthews in the Crewe goal had a five minute spell he won't forget in a hurry.
The Railwaymen's custodian first produced a fine reaction save to deny Jeremiah Kamanzi from close range before pulling off an even better stop to turn away Cole's effort from the edge of the box.
Clayton was the next to be denied by Matthews when he threw out a paw to tip Clayton's low drive around the post and from the resulting corner Owens headed straight at the Crewe keeper.
When Brentford did finally get the ball past him Tom Quinn was on hand to help his goalkeeper out by clearing Parish's shot off the line.
Matthews needed no help from his defenders seconds later as Clayton again saw a low effort brilliantly turned away.
Having come so close to a second The Bees were nearly punished as a long ball was flicked on by Andre Brown and Chris Speed raced in but Carey was out quickly and bravely to make the block save.
That chance marked a shift in the dynamic of the game as Crewe's pressing became more and more effective and Brentford struggled to play out.
Carey was at full stretch to tip Speed's flick header onto the post before Owens was the right man in the right place to clear O'Neill's shot off the line.
If that clearance was good his next was outstanding as Charlie Kirk was left with his head in his hands as Owens somehow kept his shot out.
Kirk thought he had redeemed himself but, with only Carey to beat, the tall goalkeeper reached out a plucked the ball off his toe as he looked to roll into the net.
Brentford were living on the break as the game entered the closing stages but they thought they had grabbed a second after Noah Amissah showed great strength, pace and technique to hold off two defenders on the halfway line, sprint into the box and finish into the top corner only for the linesman to harshly flag against him for pulling the shirt of the Crewe defender.
Brown headed over unmarked from six yards before he passed up a glorious chance to level things as the game entered stoppage time as his one-on-one effort from 18 yards beat Carey but not the inside of the post.
There was still time for Carey to get a vital fingertip onto Tom Lowery's shot and for Kirk to complete his luckless afternoon by having a goal chalked out for offside in the dying seconds.
As it was Brentford held on to secure their first clean sheet of the season and the win which sees them go top of the table for at least 24 hours.
: Jordan Carey; Chris Mepham, Gradi Milenge (sub Audrius Laucys 65 mins), Seth Owens, Tom Field; Kyjuon Marsh-Brown (sub Makhosini Khanye 46 mins), Zain Westbrooke, Reece Cole, Jeremiah Kamanzi; Bradley Clayton (sub Noah Amissah 65 mins), Danny Parish
: Tom Roberts, Tony Guppy
: Tom Field 88
: Chris Mepham 20
: Liam Matthews; Tom Quinn, Joe Kearns, Aaron Dowsett, Matthew Neal; Liam O'Neill, Joe Howell, Toby Mullarkey, Callum Ainley (sub Tom Lowery 59 mins); Andre Brown, Chris Speed (sub Charlie Kirk 62 mins)
: Oliver Finney, Johnny Higham, Jamie Morgan
: Tom Quinn 75