Dean Smith said The Bees’ gameplan went out the window as they fell behind inside 20 seconds of the London derby against Charlton Athletic this afternoon. Callum Harriott slotted home to give The Addicks a first-minute lead before Yoann Barbet levelled midway through the half. Harriott had the final say as he lashed home with 20 minutes to play. Speaking to Bees Player after the match Dean couldn’t hide his frustration at his side’s slow start and was disappointed with the lack of chances created in the second-half.
“It is really weird because this has been the best week’s training that we have had,” said Dean. “There was lots of intensity and lots of quality about it. They took the kick-off, we won the first-ball, they won the second ball, crossed it and it was a goal. The gameplan is forgot about and it is about getting back in the game. For ten minutes they were better than us: crisper on the ball and crisper into the tackle.
“After that initial ten minutes we got back into the game and controlled it. We got the goal through Yoann Barbet and Marco Djuricin had a good chance, one on one with the keeper which he should have taken. I felt there was only one team going to win it. Sergi Canos has a great chance in the second-half but for all our possession we didn't create enough.”
Next up for The Bees is the West London derby against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road next Saturday. Dean said his team need to get over this afternoon’s defeat quickly and thinks that having such a big game on the horizon will help to focus the player’s minds.
“They are a young group and they are very honest,” said Dean. “There are only a few older guys like David Button and Alan Judge in the group. They all know that they need to be better individually and collectively. Having a game like Queens Park Rangers this week is going to be very good for them because they will need to be at their best there. You have to rub yourself down and get on with it because you can’t change what has happened.”
The loan window closes at the end of the window and Dean revealed that he would like to add extra firepower to squad. The Bees’ Head Coach also said it would be a boost for the whole squad to get some fresh faces in.
“We have been looking at the loan window for the last few weeks and trying to strengthen,” said Dean. “We are not scoring enough goals at the moment. Our front three haven’t scored as many as we would have wanted from them and that is an area we are looking to strengthen. It would give everyone a boost. We have lost some big players and haven’t replaced them as of yet so it would give everyone a boost to get someone in.”
Bees Player subscribers can watch the full interview with Dean below