Luke Wanadio’s late goal settled an enthralling pre-season friendly in favour of Staines Town as they beat a Brentford XI 3-2 at Wheatsheaf Park.
Jermaine Udumaga cancelled out Pat Cox’s earlier effort as he returned to Development Squad action after taking part in the Portugal Training Camp.
Erivaldo Felix put former Brentford player and manager Nicky Forster’s side back in front just before the break but Seika Jatta set up a tense final 20 minutes with his leveller.
Brentford had chances to win it late on but were denied on countless occasions by Jack Turner in the host’s goal and they were made to pay for those missed chances as Wanadio kept his composure to score with ten minutes to play.
On a lush pitch at Wheatsheaf Park both sides lined up with three attacking midfielders behind a lone striker.
It was Brentford who started the better passing the ball crisply and making the hosts do a lot of chasing early on.
Lee Carsley’s side could have been in front inside the opening eight minutes as Josh Laurent struck a post before the rebound from Aaron Greene was spectacularly kept out by the legs of Turner.
The home goalkeeper was called into action again a minute later to save at the feet of Courtney Senior before The Swans took the lead with their first foray into Brentford territory as Wanadio’s measured cross was diverted into the bottom corner by Cox from eight yards out.
The goal did little to change the overall flow of the game as Brentford continued to create but fail to take chances.
Darren Purse got a vital touch to turn a Senior shot behind and Jan Holldack pulled wide after Mitchal Gough had given the ball away to Tom Field.
Turner was by far the busier keeper and he was called into action to hold an Udumaga free-kick before Jatta failed to finish off some fine work by Senior, his shot tamely rolling through to the home stopper.
The Swans, and Cox, thought they had a second when the tall striker turned home from close range only to have his celebrations cut short by the offside flag.
Despite conceding, Mark Smith had little to do in the opening stages but he was alert to plunge on a long range effort from Wanadio and there was better to come as he got a vital touch to turn a low Cox effort around the post.
Things got a bit heated ten minutes before the break as Jeremy Boakye appeared to elbow Senior as he the pair tussled for the ball leading tempers to flare on both sides - once things had calmed down Holldack fired the original free-kick inches over the bar.
Brentford really started to take control as half-time loomed and created a number of chances before the interval.
Felix made an incredible goal-line block to deny Udumaga from close range, Greene struck the bar from the resulting corner and when the ball was played back in Senior flashed a shot just over from the edge of the box.
The inevitable did happen with five minutes of the half to go as Udumaga picked his spot from 18 yards and rolled home into the bottom corner for his second goal of pre-season.
Having worked so hard to get back on level terms all Brentford’s work was instantly undone as David Fallah squeezed a cross in from the by-line which Felix met and crashed home via the inside of the post.
Both sides made changes at the break and continued to do so during the early stages of the second period meaning there wasn’t as much in the way of goalmouth action.
The closest either side came in the opening 20 minutes of the half was a deflected Laurent effort which the back-peddling Turner did well to tip over the bar.
The Bees did get themselves level for a second time midway through the half as Montell Moore and Josh Clarke combined well from a quickly taken free-kick and although Holldack didn’t connect properly with his effort the ball rolled to the feet of Jatta who turned and fired home from eight yards out.
Darren Purse, a teammate of Nicky Forster’s from their Birmingham City days, was inches away from putting The Swans ahead for a third time but Smith produced a full-stretch save to deny him.
Wanadio smashed over from 20 yards and Turner made a brave save with his face from Bradley Clayton as the sides traded chances late on.
However, the decisive goal came with ten minutes to play as Wanadio beat the high Brentford line, rounded Smith and rolled home past the covering Field from close range.
The Bees could have salvaged a draw late on but Purse got his giant frame in the way of a Moore effort, Herson Rodrigues Alves saw a shot blocked and then Turner capped an impressive performance by brilliantly turning Kyjuon Marsh-Brown’s effort over the bar to consign Brentford to a first pre-season defeat.
Brentford DS: Mark Smith; Josh Clarke (sub Audrius Laucys 66 mins), Gradi Milenge, Daniel O'Shaughnessy, Aaron Greene (sub Herson Rodrigues Alves 66 mins); Jan Holldack (sub Kyjuon Marsh-Brown 84 mins), Josh Laurent (sub James Ferry 66 mins); Courtney Senior (sub Montell Moore 46 mins), Jermaine Udumaga (sub Zain Westbrooke 46 mins), Tom Field; Seika Jatta (sub Bradley Clayton 66 mins)
Subs not used: Amadou
Staines Town: Jack Turner; Erivaldo Felix, Darren Purse, Mitchal Gough, Jack Bennett; Luke Wanadio, Jeremy Boakye, Tommy Brewer (sub Ashley Lodge 51 mins), David Fallah (sub Jack Hutchinson 60 mins); Pat Cox (sub Aaron Okuleye 60 mins), Ahmed Abdullah
Subs not used: Phil Clarke