Brentford Head Coach Dean Smith admits that The Bees head into Saturday’s match against Newcastle United as underdogs but believes that will suit the players just fine. The team heads to St James’ Park for a first league meeting since 1993 on the back of just one defeat in seven matches, sitting seventh in the Sky Bet Championship, four points behind The Magpies. After relegation last summer, Rafa Benitez’s side were the red-hot pre-season promotion favourites but Dean thinks The Bees will relish their trip to Tyneside.
“They are a big club who have come down from the Premier League and have a fantastic fanbase,” said Dean, speaking to Bees Player ahead of the match. “That will certainly whet the appetite of a lot of the players. They will want to go and show what they can do in front of that many people. They have got very good players and we have all seen them from afar. In Dwight Gayle they have a player who can score goals at Premier League level. They have signed Matt Ritchie and they also have Mo Diame, Yoan Gouffran, Jamaal Lascelles, and Ciaran Clark. It is a team that is littered with players who have graced the Premier League like Jonjo Shelvey. We know the task that we are coming up against and we respect it, but we are not in awe of it and we don’t fear it. Everyone will expect Newcastle to win except for those in our dressing room. The Newcastle supporters will expect them to win but when the odds are against us that is when we are usually very good.”
The international break last weekend gave Dean and the players a chance to recharge their batteries ahead of another intense run of matches this month. Dean has been really happy with training building up to Saturday’s match and has no doubt that the players will be ready for their trip to St James’ Park.
“The boys have been excellent in training all week,” said Dean. “The sessions have been really intense but really bright. They know what they are going to come up against on Saturday and they are looking forward to it to a man. We will play how we normally play, that is what I say to the players. We are a team that is organised, we are a team that has pace in there, and we are a team that has quality in there. We have to go and take that to St James’ Park. The boys did well at Brighton and Hove Albion and Aston Villa and this is as big a test again. They need to stand up again and they know that. I have no worries and no fears that they will do that because the mentality of the group is good, the attitude of the group is good, and application is good. They never rest on their laurels and they are ready for another battle.”
The best part of 3,000 Bees fans will also be heading up to the North East this weekend for the match with Saturday’s attendance set to be the biggest Bees league crowd since the 1940s. Dean is thankful that so many fans will be making the journey to support the team and hopes to send them on the long journey home with something to smile about.
“It is incredible support,” said Dean. “I remember after the last international break we came back and had two unbelievable followings at Brighton and at Aston Villa. We gave the supporters something to go home with a smile of their faces for and we need to do that again. It is another double header, Newcastle and Derby, but it is a lot longer in terms of journeys and we want to send them home with a smile on their face. How the team is doing has caught the imagination and we are thankful that we have got supporters who can take the time to travel that far.”