Josh Dasilva revealed that a training session with Brentford head of coaching Justin Cochrane on Friday afternoon provided him with the perfect preparation to seize his opportunity against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Four minutes into second-half stoppage-time, with the game level at 1-1, the midfielder received the ball on the right and jinked past Renan Lodi on his way into the box. Rather than shooting across goal as he so often does, Dasilva took aim for the near corner and beat Forest keeper Keilor Navas with a well-struck effort.
“I was just saying to Justin that we were working on that yesterday,” Dasilva smiled. “The way the mannequin was set meant I couldn’t go far post. That’s what we strive for and thankfully it’s paid off today. I almost always go far post.
“I had a one-v-one situation with my man and got a yard on him. I saw a gap, hit it and with a bit of luck it went in. It’s always a great feeling to score a last-minute winner.”
"I had a one-v-one situation with my man and got a yard on him. I saw a gap, hit it and with a bit of luck it went in. It’s always a great feeling to score a last-minute winner”
The former Arsenal man, who replaced Mikkel Damsgaard on the hour mark, admitted it was a nervous wait for his goal to be confirmed as VAR checked for a possible offside.
“I wasn’t sure why [the goal was reviewed],” he continued. “I was pretty confident I was onside, but speaking to the guys on the bench, they were saying that [Yoane] Wissa might have been offside. They gave it, so happy days.
“When they start checking it, you always think they’re not going to give it, so when they do give it, it’s an extra bit of energy. It wasn’t our best game, but we pulled through and got the win.
“The fans give us so much energy. We’ve made it a fortress – we’ve only lost two games here which is amazing – and the fans give us so much. When you score a last-minute winner, it’s always electric. I was buzzing.”