Lee Carsley felt that his Development Squad acquitted themselves well given the conditions in Tuesday’s Under-21 Professional Development League Two South draw with Millwall.
On a hard, bobbly pitch and with a strong wind blowing down the ground The Bees took a first-half lead as Emmanuel Oyeleke passed home from 12 yards after good work from Aaron Greene on the left.
That lead lasted until midway through the second-half when Jamie Philpot burst through unchallenged to roll the ball between Richard Lee’s legs and level matters.
That was how it finished to extend Brentford Under-21s run to just one defeat in six matches.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match Lee was pleased with how his side tried to play given the conditions and that it was a really good learning experience for his players.
“I thought that first-half when we were playing against the wind we controlled the game better than when we had the wind in the second-half,” said Lee.
“The second-half was a bit scrappy which suited them more than it suited us.
“Overall I am pretty pleased with the way that we tried to play in difficult conditions.
“The pitch was really dry and bobbly and it was blowing a gale across the pitch.
“With the way that we wanted to play it probably suited them more than it suited us.
“In the whole our lads tried to do the right things and make the right decisions.
“We just needed that little bit more quality around their box and we would have won the game comfortably.
“We needed to have the confidence to believe in the style of play that we have got and the way that we want to play.
“I thought the lads did that and we didn’t resort to hitting diagonals and hitting balls into the channels.
“We kept passing and kept trying to play through them.
“We got caught a couple of times but in the whole I thought we did well.
“The boys will have learnt today that sometimes you need to play the conditions.
“It is good for them because throughout their career they are going to play in blustery wind, on poor pitches and there are a lot of positives to come from the game today.”
Brentford started the game brightly and took control in the early stages, creating a number of chances.
Playing into the strong wind in the first-half The Bees were keen to try and impose their passing style on the game.
Lee was pleased with the tempo at which his side started the match and felt it was a much better performance than the one in the win over Ipswich Town last Tuesday.
“We spoke before the game about tempo and Jack Warburton’s tackle after a minute and Jermaine Udumaga’s pass and drive after five minutes set the tone for the game,” said Lee.
“That showed the way that we approached the game and I thought those two, especially in the first-half were outstanding.
“Last week I had a bit of a moan that although we won the game it wasn’t how I wanted but today was much more like how I want to see them play.”
The draw means The Bees have now picked up 13 points from their last six matches and Lee believes it is good for confidence that results are picking up.
Lee praised his side for the way they have trained in recent weeks and he is hopeful that hard work will start to be rewarded soon.
“The boys are good in training every day to be fair to them,” said Lee.
“On Monday we did a 45-50 minute session and the wind was such that we started off with 20 balls and ended up with one.
“The rest of the balls ended up a mile away from the pitch where we started.
“They are a really good group of players and I enjoy working with them.
“They are a hard working group and have got a good attitude.
“We just need a bit of success from them now.
“It is good for confidence that they are not rooted to the bottom of the table any more.
“It is not just winning that I want to get into them, I want them winning in a certain style.
“There is a certain style that we want to impose and if they are going to progress into the first-team then they need to be part of that.”
Two members of Lee’s squad have been rewarded in recent weeks with new one-year Development Squad contracts after impressing this season.
Left-back Aaron Greene, who has started all but one of the Under-21 league games this season, and top-scorer Jermaine Udumaga, who was an unused substitute for the Sky Bet Championship match at Charlton Athletic, both signed new deals at Griffin Park last week.
While Lee is delighted for the pair he is keen to impress that their new contracts are not an achievement on their own but rather a step towards their main achievement of becoming first-team regulars.
“The easiest thing is to get them a contract, the hardest thing is to get them into the first-team,” said Lee.
“They have to kick on now.
“Even though they have got one-year contracts they have probably got six months to force themselves into the first-team.
“The pressure is on them but they are both good players, they have got good attitudes and I am sure that they have a good chance.
“Once they have played 50 or 60 first-team matches I will hand them over but until they have done that they are still Development Squad players and part of my programme.
“The other players can see that if they do well in terms of their attitude and how they apply themselves they will be rewarded.
“There is a carrot there for everyone.”