Kevin O’Connor felt two defensive lapses cost his side dear as they drew 2-2 in their Under-21 Professional Development League Two fixture against Nottingham Forest.
Forest took the lead inside a minute as Joe Worrell headed home unmarked from inside the six-yard box.
Sam Saunders levelled just after the hour only for, a minute later, The Bees defence to allow a long-throw to bounce and James Thorne thumped home.
Zain Westbrooke’s fine curling effort 11 minutes from time secured a share of the points which Kevin felt was no less than Brentford deserved.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match Kevin said: “I am slightly disappointed because I thought we could have got the win there. We played really well but conceded two really disappointing goals. We conceded 30 seconds in and then conceded straight after we scored so it was a little bit disappointing in that respect. The first goal was a drop in concentration. They took a quick corner and the lad put a great ball in but it was a free header in the six yard box. We needed people to see that and organise but they will learn from that and hopefully it won’t happen again.
“The reaction of the lads and the way we played overall was very good. In the first-half we had a goal that came off the stanchion and wasn’t given. We could have had a third goal but overall it was really positive and we are happy with that.”
Last season Brentford were on the end of a 3-0 defeat against Forest at Griffin Park and Kevin is pleased with the strides that The Bees have made in recent months.
With Forest coming top of the Northern Section of the Under-21 league last season Kevin feels they are a very good benchmark to judge where the side is.
“When we played Nottingham Forest last season they were much better than us,” said Kevin. “They beat us 3-0 at Griffin Park and we mentioned that to the boys. We wanted to see where we are and we are really happy with that. They are quite direct and physical so it was a good test for us and we have come out of it well.”
Josh Laurent, Courtney Senior and Jermaine Udumaga all made their Brentford debuts in last week’s Capital One Cup defeat to Oxford United.
While Kevin admitted it was a disappointing night for the team, the former Brentford captain said that despite the defeat it was a great learning experience for all the young players involved.
“It was a good experience for the boys to play at the stadium in front of a big crowd and under lights,” said Kevin. “It was a tough game, there is no getting away from that. Things didn’t go how we wanted them to go but they will learn from that. Next time hopefully they won’t be as nervous and will play a bit better. At this level it is all about learning. We want to win games but it is about developing them and see how they are getting on. From what I am seeing I am very happy and long may that continue.”
Bees Player subscribers can listen to the full interview below