Youth Team defender Tom Field thinks Saturday’s win over Bristol City showed that Brentford’s Under-18s can win all types of football matches.
The Bees went into the match on the back of a run of seven wins in eight and secured an eighth success when Josh Bohui’s first-half cross looped over everyone and nestled in the back of the net.
It was far from Brentford’s most fluent performance in recent weeks as the hosts and a difficult pitch didn’t allow them to get into their passing rhythm.
However Jon De Souza’s side did enough to ensure they left the West Country with the three points.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match Tom said the result showed that this Brentford team can win all types of matches.
The 18-year-old said it showed a level of respect to Brentford that City didn’t try to take The Bees on in a footballing sense and looked to out-muscle them instead.
“It was quite a scrappy game,” said Tom.
“They left it in on us quite a bit and went quite direct.
“It was difficult for us to impose our style of play on them.
“The pitch was quite bobbly, that didn’t help us, but it is another win.
“Today shows that we can fight and win as well as play passes along the floor and win.
“We played Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic and passed them off the pitch.
“We weren’t expecting a physical battle today but they gave it to us and the win shows that we can deal with it.
“Bristol City today came out to win and put us on the floor.
“Other teams are a bit more brave and try to play a bit but Bristol knew that we are one of the best teams in the league so they showed us respect by sitting off.
“They couldn’t have beaten us by playing football today.
“They had to go long and even then we dealt with it and just shows that we can play either way.”
Saturday’s win also meant that The Bees kept their sixth clean sheet of the season.
The Bees have conceded just three goals in their last four matches and conceded more than once only twice since the middle of January.
Tom has been pleased with the defensive solidity the team has shown in recent weeks and is looking to cut out the errors that have led to the few goals that they have been conceding.
“It was a clean sheet but it was quite a lucky clean sheet to be fair,” said Tom.
“We can’t complain and it is a first one in a while so that is good.
“We haven’t been conceding more than the odd goal here are there and when it has gone in it has just been a penalty or an odd free-kick.
“The goals are rarely coming from open play that shows the back four are solid.
“It is frustrating to concede those goals because stopping open play goals is a lot harder than stopping set piece goals.
“Someone losing concentration and giving a foul away inside or just outside the box is so frustrating for a back four.”
With the run of form that the Youth Team are on Tom believes that confidence is understandably very high at the moment.
Tom feels that confidence also comes from the way that a number of the Youth Team have been performing for Lee Carsley’s Development Squad in recent weeks.
Six of the Under-18s were involved in Monday’s 7-2 win over Barnsley and Tom thinks that shows the quality that the Youth Team are producing at the moment.
“The dressing room is buzzing and so is training,” said Tom.
“Everything is such high intensity but with quality as well.
“Zain Westbrooke, Kyjuon Marsh-Brown and Gradi Milenge were all involved in the Under-21s today which is a great achievement.
“It is great that we have got people starting for the Under-21s and he is high on confidence.
“We are all high on confidence and you can see that in the way we play.
“Hopefully we can come top and then play whoever comes second in the Northern league.
“Hopefully we can get a stadium game which would be a nice way to end the season.”
With decisions on future contracts due any time soon Tom admits that it has been a nerve wracking period for the team.
However he feels that the way the boys have played in recent weeks and the way that they have dealt with the pressure of playing for a future has been really positive.
Tom believes that Brentford have consistently had the best individuals on the pitch this season and he hopes that is born out when it comes to the number of players getting Development Squad deals.
“Today we came with a side that isn’t our starting XI and last year we would have been beaten up and gone into our cages,” said Tom.
“Today we fought back and we played and we won.
“Individuals have come on so far recently.
“Using Zain as an example, last year he wasn’t getting in the starting line up and now he is, week in week out, one of our best players.
“Decisions are coming next week and it is quite a nerve wracking time.
“I think we are dealing with it well, we are still playing as a team, we are not playing as individuals.
“Jon wants us to have the best seven or eight players on the pitch and I think today we did.
“We have that week in week out to be fair and so we can’t complain.”