Brentford B will face Crystal Place Under-23 on Friday in a behind closed doors fixture at Jersey Road with kick-off at 12noon.

The young Bees will be looking to build on their impressive from recently following their 1-0 victory over Hampton and Richmond Borough which saw them progress to the Final of the Middlesex Senior Cup. Since then, the side lost 4-0 against Wake Forest University and will be looking to make amends when they return to the field against Crystal Palace this Friday. Prior to defeat to Wake Forest, Brentford B had won three in a row.

LAST TIME OUT

Brentford B last faced Crystal Palace in August when they drew 1-1.

THE OPPOSITION

Crystal Palace Under-23s moved up to the Premier League Two Division One this summer after securing promotion in a penalty shoot-out against Sunderland in the division’s play-off final. The team have now stepped into the highest level of development football and are currently fifth in the 14-team league. They have gained ten wins and three draws from 22 games so far this season, including a 2-0 win at home to Brighton and Hove Albion and a 4-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur in the last month.

In charge of the side is Head Coach Paddy McCarthy who stepped up into the role this summer after managing the Under-18s team. McCarthy spent the pre-season with the first team before taking on the Under-23s. He has been a familiar face at the Eagles since he joined the club in 2008. He went on to play for the club until 2016 when he moved into management with the Academy.

VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM

Although Brentford were on the losing side in their last outing the score line wasn’t quite reflective of the entire match as Wake Forest University were clinical in front of goal. Brentford created some positive moments with Paris Maghoma going very close to getting on the scoresheet in the second half. Birthday boy and substitute Ryan Trevitt also hit an effort against the cross bar. The match also afforded the chance for the staff to take a look at some Trialists as well as give minutes to players who have not been involved too frequently of late. Roco Rees, Wraynel Hercules and Deji Sotona all earned good minutes during the game. This will have helped The Bees prepare for what is likely to be another strong opponent in Crystal Palace.

MATCH COVERAGE

We will not be able to provide a live stream of this fixture but we will provide a full report, post-match interviews and highlights of the game.