Dean Smith was very happy with the result, if not the performance, as his side picked up a fifth win in six matches after a 4-1 victory over Milton Keynes Dons at Stadium:MK this afternoon. MK, who had to win the match to stand any chance of avoiding relegation, went ahead through Nicky Maynard early on but Sergi Canos replied instantly with a stunning 25 yard effort. Lasse Vibe put Brentford ahead early on in the second-half before late goals from Ryan Woods and Jake Bidwell wrapped up the points.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match Dean said: “It was a really pleasing result but we have definitely played better. I thought the game was too open. In the first-half it had the feeling of an end of season match. MK Dons were fighting for their lives but we looked lacking in energy. In the second-half getting the second goal changed it for us and gave us a little lift. Defensively we needed to be a lot better in terms of the opportunities that we afforded them and they probably should have had a penalty at the end. It was pleasing that we got four goals to cut our goal difference down to zero and go into tenth place. It has been a big turnaround over the last month and we have had a really good April.”
The victory, which means The Bees have now picked up 16 points from a possible 18 this month, catapulted Dean Smith’s side above West London rivals Queens Park Rangers and into the top ten of the Sky Bet Championship. Ahead of a tough trip to Play-Off bound Hull City on Tuesday night, Dean said there is a real desire within his squad to keep this run going and finish as high as possible this season.
“The players want to keep climbing and remain there,” said Dean. “It is a big thing for the players to make the top ten and it is something that the players want to do. We all know what happened last season, making the Play-Offs, and what an achievement that was. Hopefully we can finish the season well. We have three games to go but it will be a tough game coming up at Hull City. You only have to look at their squad of players to know how tough it is going to be but we have to maintain our performance levels. There will be a few tired legs there bearing in mind there have been a few games in April. We are in a good run of form and it has come at a good time for us.”
The Bees have now scored 16 goals in their last six matches, after a barren run in February and March. Dean feels that the goals and wins now are a reward to his players for the way that they stuck to their beliefs during the tough spell.
“Goals are coming freely now,” said Dean. “You have to remain constant in your beliefs. We haven’t done too much different to what we had been doing before because we have a great belief in the players that we have here and in what we want to do. That has resulted in some good performances and results. I am the Head Coach here and it is my job to make sure that the players are ready and to pick a team that I think can win a game of football. When the players go out there what they do is down to them, individually and collectively, and they have done that really well.”
Bees Player subscribers can watch the full interview with Dean below