Brentford Manager Uwe Rösler said he was thinking about taking match winner Sam Saunders off before he hit the only goal against Preston North End.
The midfield man won and scored a last gasp penalty as Brentford beat a well-drilled and stubborn Preston team 1-0.
The Bees dominated the match but couldn’t find a breakthrough until a penalty was awarded in the 93rd minute and converted by Sam Saunders.
Declan Rudd in the Preston goal made a series of save, Harlee Dean had a header cleared off the line and other chances flew narrowly wide.
Uwe, speaking to Bees Player after the match, said he could not have asked for more from his players, who executed their plan to perfection.
But he admitted he almost withdrew Sam Saunders and brought Harry Forrester on before deciding against it.
“Even if it had finished 0-0, I wouldn’t have been able to ask for anything more,” said Uwe.
“The lads stuck to the game plan.
“We changed our way of playing today because of the pitch and they did it brilliantly.
“We were on the front foot the entire game.
“We invested so much in the first half, in an attempt to get 1-0 up.
“We had so many chances, we had 23 attempts on goal, they had six.
“We were knocking on the door and knocking on the door and I felt eventually it had to open.
“It was a clear penalty.
“It was not a gift for the referee.
“Sam Saunders did not look fresh; he invested so much in the first half.
“I was thinking of bringing on Harry Forrester and taking Sam off but I thought it was a game for set pieces.
“I left him on and he won us the game.
“Well done Sam.”
Brentford played a direct style against Preston, due to the condition of the pitch.
The winter weather has caused the playing surface to cut up and make it more difficult to control and pass the ball.
Uwe said he did not want his team to play through midfield and out from defence as they had done in their 2-1 win over Swindon Town on Tuesday, a tactic that had caused problems.
Brentford used three central midfield players with Sam Saunders in behind the strikers and Uwe said Sam knew the role well.
He added Preston were a different proposition after the departure of Graham Westley as manager earlier this year.
“I have to give a compliment to Simon Grayson,” said Uwe, talking about Preston’s new boss.
“Since he has taken over at Preston it looks like a very different team than under the previous manager.
“They are a strong side, they showed that today, they were very resilient to our pressure and stood their ground.
“We did not want to make the same mistakes we did against Swindon on Tuesday, inviting pressure from them.
“We went a bit more direct today and played in their half.
“It was important for us to start Sam.
“He knows that role very well; he played it last season and at the beginning of this season.”
Uwe praised the way his players adapted to the new way of playing and said he was proud of them.
He said he brought on Jake Bidwell for Tony Craig to try and get more forward runs on the left side and Adam Forshaw to give his team more width.
He said the duo and Marcello Trotta, the third substitute, gave his team impetus at the end.
“We did not want to play from the back on a difficult surface,” said Uwe.
“Our pitch is not good, it does not make out life easy in terms of the way we want to play.
“We made the game more simple.
“The lads have been brilliant to work that way.
“I was proud of the way we played, the way we created chances, the way we kept the tempo and the way we never gave up.
“It’s testament to the players that they could adapt but I’m disappointed we had to change the way we want to play on our home ground.
“The substitutes came on and helped us to win the game.
“I am very, very happy.”
The win took Brentford up to second in npower League One but Uwe said he was only concerned with being there at the end of the season.
The Bees play third-placed Sheffield United away from home in their next game next Saturday.
United were beaten 4-0 by Stevenage yesterday to slip below The Bees, who are only two points behind Doncaster Rovers at the top of the table.
Brentford were beaten 2-0 in the same fixture last season but will go to the top of the table, albeit possibly only for a few hours, if they win next week.
“I said to the lads ‘what’s the good thing?’,” explained Uwe.
“They said ‘we won’.
“Then I said ‘what’s the bad thing?’ they said they did not know.
“I said it’s that we are second in the table, it’s too early.
“We have to be there on the last day.
“Sheffield United will be up for us.
“They will try to make up for their defeat.
“It will be a top-of-the-table clash, a difficult place to go.
“We were clearly second best there last year.
“I look forward to showing that we have improved over 12 months.”
Uwe Rösler’s full post-match video interview is available here for Bees Player subscribers.