Brentford Manager Uwe Rösler said this afternoon’s Sky Bet League One match against Shrewsbury Town was the chance for the First Team group to give something back to the supporters.
The Bees entertain Shrewsbury at Griffin Park today looking for their third straight win.
A win over Bristol City in midweek followed last Saturday’s victory against Colchester United and The Bees can move in to the top four in League One if they win.
Brentford offered supporters the opportunity to pay whatever they were able to get a ticket for the match.
Under the ‘Pay What You Can’ initiative advance match tickets for Brentford fans were sold at the best price the supporter can pay.
The minimum price for a ticket was £1 and the Club raised money for charity at the same time as when more than £5 was paid for a ticket, 50 per cent of the excess, excluding VAT, was collected and will be donated to the charity Sport Relief.
Uwe hailed the idea as “fantastic” and praised Chief Executive Mark Devlin as the crowd is set to be around 10,000 for the match.
The Brentford Manager said his team need to build momentum as they did in autumn last year when they climbed from mid-table to the promotion spots.
“’Pay What You Can’ is a great idea from Mark Devlin and was very well received,” said Uwe, speaking to Bees Player yesterday.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for us to give something back to the supporters.
“Last season we gave them a lot, we had the best home record in the division.
“We need to build the momentum again.
“Our fans deserve it.
“We want it and it is a great opportunity for us to give something back.”
Uwe said Shrewsbury were a well-organised team that were likely to come to Griffin Park and play on the counter-attack.
He said he expected his players to deal with it.
“They are very well-organised,” said Uwe.
“They get everybody behind the ball and try to counter.
“They caused us problems last year and we drew both games.
“We have to cope with that.
“I think we will.
“The boys are in a good mood, confidence is increasing, smiles are back on everybody’s faces.
“Everyone realises tomorrow is a golden opportunity for us.
“We can make the next step and build momentum.
“We want to build momentum like we did at this time last year.”
The Brentford Manager said his team needed to move the ball at high tempo and force mistakes.
“We know how they play,” said Uwe.
“It is up to us how we play.
“We have to move the ball quickly, we can’t hold on to the ball too long.
“We have to play through the gaps with accuracy and quality.
“They defend very well.
“We need movement in front of the ball to give the man on the ball options.
“We need to highlight how good we can be.
“We need to play at a high tempo, wear them out, put them on the back foot and force mistakes.
“We have to build pressure, play in their half.”
Uwe said it was important for The Bees to pick up their second consecutive victory on Tuesday night.
Bristol City dominated the first half playing with a strong wind but Uwe praised the way his team defended and then controlled the game in the second half.
“It was important to win,” said Uwe.
“Bristol City are a team that got relegated from The Championship and are struggling to adapt to League One.
“They tested us and, all credit to the team, we stood up.
“We came under pressure in the first half; we played against the wind and didn’t come out of our half.
“We were strong defensively and resisted their attempts.
“We limited them and when we had the wind we controlled the game.
“I was happy with the way the lads played away from home.
“We were strong and overall we were the better side.
“The only thing that changed from first half to second was the wind.”
Kadeem Harris, who signed on loan from Cardiff City last week, started the game against Bristol City after scoring as a substitute against Colchester.
He was replaced with 15 minutes to go by Sam Saunders, who scored Brentford’s first goal and then set up the second for Clayton Donaldson.
“Kadeem gives us something we have been after for a long time,” said Uwe.
“But I do not think he is ready to play three games of 90 minutes in a week.
“We have to guide him to do that.
“For me it is better he plays 60, 70, 80 minutes at a high level than tries to hold himself back for 90 minutes.
“Sam is a different type of player.
“It was a good situation for him to come on.
“He did very well.
“I am happy for him, he is buzzing and full of confidence.”
David Button missed Tuesday’s game with an injury but Uwe said he did not have a major problem.
Richard Lee stepped up and helped The Bees to the away win.
Uwe said both goalkeepers had a chance of playing against Shrewsbury and he will make the decision this morning.
He praised David for the way he responded to a mistake that cost a goal against Stevenage earlier this month and said Richard had trained well to earn his chance.
“David Button did not train on Monday and that is why he did not play on Tuesday,” said Uwe.
“It was not a major problem.
“I have two equal goalkeepers and if I feel one is not 100 per cent ready I will put the other in.
“Both come on the back of a win.
“David did nothing wrong against Colchester and Richard did nothing wrong against Bristol City.
“David made a massive mistake against Stevenage and he realised that.
“Richard put pressure on him in training, IU have to reward players that train well.
“I have made the door more open, the players have to adjust to the situation.
“That will make us better, it will make both players better, both have a fair chance.
“I will make my decision about who will play.
“It is not a problem; it is a situation I relish.”
Bees Player subscribers can see an interview with Uwe Rösler here.