Dean Smith’s time in charge of Brentford got off to the perfect start as Milton Keynes Dons were brushed aside at Griffin Park after a fine attacking performance. The Bees netted either side of half-time through Lasse Vibe and Alan Judge but they could have had more as The Dons goal led a charmed life. A week later and a linesman’s flag denied Jota a fairytale return to first-team action against local rivals Fulham. With the score at 2-2 approaching the final few minutes, Alan Judge and Jack O’Connell having earlier scored for The Bees, Jota rose to flick home a John Swift cross only for his, and the 5,000 travelling fans’ joy, to be cut short by an offside flag.
The Youth Team’s struggles continued as they fell to a third defeat in four matches, this time after a 3-1 reversal in South Wales against Cardiff City. The hosts had the game won before the break after they raced into a 3-0 first-half lead, Zach Birse’s late thunderbolt the only bright spot for Jon De Souza’s side. A single goal from Lee Martin was enough to settle matters at The Den as Millwall took the points in their clash with Kevin O’Connor’s Under-21s. There was some good news from the match however as Maxime Colin and Josh McEachran both came through 90 minutes.
Under-16 Ian Carlo Poveda and his England teammates proved too strong for Netherlands, USA, and Brazil as they won the Nike International Tournament in Florida. Ian Carlo featured in all three matches for Dan Micciche’s side as they remained unbeaten throughout their campaign. After completing his handover to new Head Coach Dean Smith, Lee Carsley departed Griffin Park after just over a year with the club. The former Republic of Ireland midfielder left after winning five of his ten matches in charge before Dean’s appointment.