Brentford Manager Uwe Rösler has hailed Bees fans for their fantastic support at Crawley Town on Tuesday night and called on them to repeat it at Griffin Park.
More than 1,100 Brentford supporters travelled to Sussex on Tuesday night and made up almost a third of the attendance.
The Bees won the game 2-1, roared on by the large travelling contingent, and Uwe said the supporters made a difference.
He said his side needed that sort of support at home games and said at times when the tempo drops the crowd can help the players raise their levels.
“Our away support is fantastic,” said Uwe, speaking to Bees Player yesterday.
“The players really appreciate it.
“I wish it was more like that at home games.
“I am always honest and when we had the game against Walsall, the tempo of our play dropped at the start of the second half.
“That is when we need the crowd to lift us, particularly as we had played so well and created so many chances in the first half.
“Our away support is fantastic.
“I hope they come in big numbers for the rest of the season and I hope the atmosphere will pick up again at home games.”
Brentford climbed to fifth in npower League One with the incident-packed win at Crawley.
The home side had a man sent off inside 50 seconds but Brentford missed the early penalty.
Sam Saunders and Clayton Donaldson, who was fouled for the penalty and then missed it, scored first half goals but Adam Forshaw was sent off and Crawley pulled a goal back.
The Bees were below their best in the second half but got the win and Uwe said after the match he wanted to put it behind him, take the points and move on to the next match, against Scunthorpe United and Griffin Park this afternoon.
“It was a nice one to forget about, we got three points,” he said yesterday.
“Since then we have only focussed on Scunthorpe.
“Scunthorpe are a team that are compact and strong on set pieces.
“They have players who are good on the counter-attack and have a good work ethic.
“Coming to Griffin Park now, players from the opposition want to measure themselves and get our scalp.
“That shows how far we have come.
“We have to cope with teams being more negative against us.
“We have to cope with teams playing on the counter.
“Living with the expectation and pressure we have created by being so good is the test of a top team.”
Bradley Wright-Phillips made his second Brentford appearance in the win at Crawley while Liam Moore made his debut.
Both arrived last week on loan and Uwe said they had a decent start to their Brentford careers.
“We got both players in to strengthen us as a squad,” said the Brentford Manager.
“We got them in to play but that does not mean they will start every game.
“I felt both players have had a decent start.
“Bradley’s movement at Crawley in the first 30 minutes was very good; they had real problems handling him and Clayton Donaldson up front.
“Liam was a rock solid defender.
“Both players will make us better.
“Competition has gone up in the squad, training has been better.
“Farid El Alagui and Kevin O’Connor will come back now from their long-term injuries and we will have strong training sessions with a lot of players and competition for places.”
The Bees are two games in to the 15-game run-in to the end of the npower League One season – a run of games that will take place in just nine weeks.
Uwe said he would rotate some players through that run to make sure he could have the strongest side available every week.
The Bees will be without Adam Forshaw against Scunthorpe due to suspension and Uwe said he had ideas how to deal with that loss.
“My philosophy is always to rest and rotate,” said the Brentford boss.
“This year we have shown consistency in the way we have played, in the players we have selected and the formations we have selected.
“My principle is that when you want to press and play high tempo you need fresh legs at times, players to come in keen to play.
“That is what we will practice.
“We have a number of solutions to the loss of Adam Forshaw.
“I haven’t selected the team yet; I have to think about one or two positions.
“We will miss Adam; he is an influential player, especially for our forward play.
“It gives a chance to someone else who has not played as much.”
The game against Scunthorpe is the first of seven The Bees will play in March, as well as one on April 1, and Uwe said it would be a crucial month.
“We said last year March would be a crucial month where our fitness and back room staff would come in to play,” he said.
“Again, this year, March will be a crucial month.
“Our injury stats showed we had availability of more than 90 per cent for training and games in February.
“That is an outstanding achievement from Neil Grieg, our Head of Medical, and Chris Haslam, our Head of Conditioning.
“That is the quality we need to put out the strongest team in every match.”
After Tuesday’s win, Clayton Donaldson told Bees Player that he dedicated his goal to his Mother, who had died nine days before.
Clayton praised the support he had received from Brentford’s players and staff.
“We have a very good character in the dressing room,” said Uwe.
“The players like each other and like to play with each other.
“They support each other through difficulties.
“What has happened with Clayton is another testament to a squad that is very ambitious but also shows a lot of humility to one another.”
Bees Player subscribers can click here to see a full video interview with Uwe Rösler.