Brentford went into the end of January still very much in the hunt for a top six finish but they would need to be at their best as the month ended with a tricky run of fixtures as Brighton and Hove Albion, Norwich City and Middlesbrough lay in store. As it would prove they would be more than a match for those three big names in the division.
An Andre Gray goal on the half-hour gave Brentford victory on their first ever trip to the AMEX Stadium in front of nearly 3,000 travelling Bees fans. The striker’s deflected effort looped over David Stockdale in the home goal as Brentford completed the double over Brighton and Hove Albion and moved to within four points of second-placed Ipswich Town.
A third straight league win duly followed a week later and it was accompanied by one of the performances of the season as Norwich City were beaten 2-1 at Carrow Road. Jota put The Bees ahead in the first-half only for Nathan Redmond’s deflected effort to level thing up before half-time. Alex Pritchard’s made it 2-1 before David Button produced a world class double save to secure all three points.
January ended as Brentford missed the chance to go top, albeit temporarily, of the Sky Bet Championship after a 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough at Griffin Park. The Bees dominated the game but were hit by a sucker-punch as Grant Leadbitter’s first-half penalty took all three points back up to the North East.
It wasn’t just the first-team who were in good form in January as the Youth Team notched up another three wins to end the month well clear at the top of the Under-18 Professional Development League Two South. After defeat to Colchester United they got back to winning ways in fine style with a 5-0 win over Play-Off chasing Ipswich Town. Bradley Clayton was the star for The Bees as he scored two and set up the other three in the comfortable win in Suffolk that ended a run of three straight defeats.
A week later Jon De Souza’s side gathered a measure of revenge on local rivals QPR after a 2-0 win at Jersey Road. Rangers had won the previous encounter 1-0 back in August but goals from James Ferry and Seika Jatta meant it was The Bees who took all three points. A perfect end to January was concluded with a dramatic win over title challengers Charlton Athletic at Sparrows Lane. Jeremiah Kamanzi put The Bees ahead after 18 second only for George Lapslie to level almost immediately. However the real drama was saved until the end as Bradley Clayton scored in injury time, just after Kyjuon Marsh-Brown and Brandon Hanlan had traded goals, to wrap up a third straight win.
Brentford secured all three points at home to Crystal Palace in their latest Development Squad match thanks to Keshi Anderson’s perfect six minute hat-trick. The substitute scored all three goals late on as Lee Carsley’s side secured a first win in three matches.
There was more player movement in January as the transfer window continued at pace. Emmanuel Oyeleke returned to Brentford after his loan deal at Aldershot Town came to an end. The midfielder had made 11 appearances for the Hampshire since joining in October. Montell Moore joined Danish Superliga leaders FC Midtjylland on loan until the end of the season and Tyrell Miller-Rodney joined Conference South side Boreham Wood on a two-month Youth Loan. Everton striker Chris Long was added to the club’s attacking options as he joined on a one-month Youth Loan.
In club news Minister for Sport Helen Grant paid tribute to the work of the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust as she visited during the Kinder +Sport Football League Kids Cup. Nila, who provide a high quality food service to the catering industry, became Official Website Sponsors and Club Partners. Former Brentford striker Lloyd Owusu announced his decision to retire after a 17-year playing career. The striker first joined The Bees in 1998 and is seventh on the club’s all-time goalscoring list with 87 goals in two spells at Griffin Park. Development Squad goalkeeper Mark Smith was named Hampton and Richmond Borough's Player of the Month for December. Club Ambassador Andy Lapthorne picked up a Fourth Australian Open Quad Doubles title.
The Soccer AM cameras were down at Jersey Road as The Bees took on the famous Crossbar Challenge. There was one dead-eyed Bee who hit the bar from the half-way line. Find out who by watching below.