Brentford Manager Uwe Rösler said he thought his side’s 0-0 draw against Shrewsbury Town was a fair result but he admitted they were “very lucky” not to concede a late penalty.
The Bees played out a goalless draw with the Shropshire side at a wet Griffin Park but both teams could have won it.
Shrewsbury hit the crossbar and thought they had been awarded a penalty, only for referee Tim Robinson to change his decision after discussion with assistant Barry Holderness.
Brentford had a goal ruled out when Paul Hayes turned in an Adam Forshaw shot but was adjudged to be offside.
Uwe, speaking after the match, said Shrewsbury should have been awarded a penalty but his team had chances to win.
“We had a good willingness to press and we tried very hard,” said the Brentford Manager.
“They were very good when they came at us, they switched the play well and that caused us problems.
“We had to re-group in deep areas.
“We still had chances, big chances.
“Clayton Donaldson had the biggest chance at the beginning and he has to test the goalkeeper.
“I do not mind missing the chance but when he misses the target when he is running alone on the goalkeeper, he has to do better.
“At the end of the first half they had one of two opportunities.
“Overall I thought we were slightly the better team in the first half.
“I tried to build up the players; I thought we had done alright.
“There was room for improvement.
“The game opened up in the second half, both sides could have nicked it.
“There was the penalty and our disallowed goal.
“They hit the bar as well and we had two big chances with Farid [El Alagui] and Clayton Donaldson.
“I think a draw was a fair result.”
Uwe said his initial reaction when Shrewsbury striker Marvin Morgan fired a shot against the arm of Tony Craig is that a penalty should not be awarded.
However, having seen it again, he admitted he now thought differently.
Referee Robinson initially pointed to the spot but changed his mind after discussion with his assistant.
“It was a clear penalty,” said Uwe.
“At first, I saw Tony Craig’s hands against his body and the ball hit against him from close distance – what can the defender do?
“I thought he had been smashed on the hand and the hand was against the body.
“After seeing the video, I have to change my opinion.
“His hands were raised and it was a clear penalty.
“We have to be honest, in that situation, we were very lucky.”
Brentford looked to have won the game a few minutes later but Paul Hayes’ strike was disallowed.
“I have not seen the disallowed goal again,” said Uwe.
“Some people have told me it was offside, others have said it was not.
“I felt it was a goal but it was difficult to see from my position.”
Uwe selected Leon Legge to play alongside Tony Craig at the centre of Brentford’s defence.
The Brentford boss said he did it to ensure Harlee would remain fresh for challenges to come.
“Harlee Dean was not dropped, he has been one of our best performers this season,” he explained.
“We sometimes forget that he is only 21-years-old and it is his first full season from the start.
“I thought he looked a bit mentally tired last week.
“Leon Legge looked good in training.
“We have to keep him match fit and I thought today was a good game for him.
“He won a lot of headers when they played long balls.
“In the second half, it was a challenge for all our defenders.
“I made the change in the best interests of Harlee; I did not drop him because of a mistake.
“I felt he had played well this season, he has got us out of jail a number of times but it has taken its toll on him and I wanted to refresh him for Saturday.”
Uwe said he would move on from the draw and look ahead to welcoming Crawley Town to Griffin Park on Saturday.
“A lot of times this season I have come in to the dressing room and said we have dropped points but were the better team,” he said.
“Today we were fortunate at times.
“But we move on, we have one point.
“We can build ourselves up for Saturday against Crawley.
“Crawley are a good side, they have a good physicality.
“It will be a challenge for us.”
Click here to see a full video interview with Uwe Rösler on Bees Player.