Clayton Donaldson said the feeling he got when scoring Brentford’s winner against Portsmouth was one dreams are made of.
The striker hit his 22nd of the season as The Bees came from 2-1 down to score twice in 90 seconds in the dying stages and win 3-2.
Bradley Wright-Phillips, who scored Brentford’s first two goals, played Clayton through and the striker said he tried to keep his head.
“I just wanted to be composed,” he said.
“You keep an eye on the keeper as well.
“Bradley slipped me through and I saw the keeper stop.
“That gave me more momentum and he tried to come when I got on the ball.
“He went down early and I thought a little dink would be the one.
“It came off.
“I try it all the time in training and it doesn’t always come off.
“Thankfully today it did.
“When it hit the back of the net it was a blur.
“I wondered if it really happened, had I scored the winner.
“It’s the sort of feeling you dream of as a kid.
“When he stopped and came, instinct took over.
“My instinct got it right.
“I’m chuffed.”
Brentford went ahead early on but Portsmouth equalised and then went ahead in the second half.
But Brentford scored twice in 90 seconds late on to take the win.
Clayton, speaking to Bees Player after the match, said The Bees deserved the win.
“I think, overall, we deserved it,” he said.
“We dominated the first 20 to 25 minutes, they couldn’t get out of their half.
“We deserved our goal and they got one out of the blue.
“That gave them confidence, they got in to game and caught us on the counter-attack.
“I think we edged it.
“Second half we ran out of ideas a bit, they got a goal out of nothing.
“We had to keep going.
“Brad popped up with the equaliser at a crucial time.
“That gave us momentum and the rest is history.”
Clayton said the ability to come from behind showed the resilience in the team.
Brentford have now scored 17 goals in the last ten minutes of matches this season, have come from behind to win six times and come from behind to draw six more matches.
“All through the season we have come from behind in games,” said Clayton.
“Even if we go behind we believe we can get a goal back and a result.
“We have done it a few times.
“It shows the resilience and belief in the team.
“That’s a great thing to have.
“Everyone was over the moon.
“There is so much emotion, it was hard to cope.
“It’s a great feeling.”
Clayton said he was not used to the pressure of a promotion race but was enjoying it.
The Bees are third in npower League One, two points behind AFC Bournemouth and four behind Doncaster Rovers.
They have three games left, one more than the two teams above them, and will be crowned League One Champions if they win them.
“I am not used to a promotion race but it’s great,” he said.
“There is pressure, but it is good pressure.
“We are playing for a big prize.
“It’s good to have something to play for.
“We are in a great position and it is in our hands.”
Brentford’s next match is against Sheffield United, who are also pushing for automatic promotion, on Tuesday.
Clayton said it was a big game and one every player loves to play in.
He said a large following of Brentford fans, backing the players as they did against Portsmouth, would really help the team.
“It’s a big game,” he said.
“Their home record hasn't been the best but neither has our away record.
“Two teams fighting for promotion, what a game that will be.
“A big away crowd is like an extra man.
“The crowd drove us on today, it was brilliant.
“There will be more than 20,000 Sheffield fans, everyone we can have will help us.
“These are the days you thrive on as a player.
“It will be a great day.
“Everyone at Brentford will rise to it.”
Clayton Donaldson’s full post-match video interview is available here for Bees Player subscribers.