Saturday should have been a dreadful day for me.
My alarm didn’t go off which left me sprinting for a train that was then delayed on it’s 2 and a half hour journey south. Then problems on the tube had me rushing to get in before kick-off.
After the game I was already cutting it close to get back to Euston for my train north. Then the EIGHT minutes of injury time and a closure of Kew Bridge station threw a spanner in my plans and left me watching the train leave the station as I ran down the platform.
Twenty minutes and £50 worse off I was grinning from ear to ear as I headed back north, with joy surging through my veins having just witnessed the wonderful.
For the first time in 10 games and more than 2 months I saw my beloved Bees win again!!!
Vastly improved performances recently had seen Brentford secure decent draws in our last 3 matches in a row, all against teams on the edge of Europe, and today we would finally get the 3 points our performance deserved.
Our last 3 point haul came from this game in the midlands, https://the-football-tourist.com/2024/02/20/witnessing-a-miracle/, and on paper this was the perfect opportunity to grab our next.
As the teams trudged down the tunnel after an uninspiring half there was no sign of what was to come after the break. Both teams had struggled to create clear cut chances and with the exception Neil Maupay firing the ball past the post from 12 yards with the goal at his mercy, having sprung the visitors’ offside trap after 35 minutes neither keeper had been nearly busy enough.
This was especially worrying for the home faithful as the hosts had barely troubled a back line that had leaked like a tsunami all season, conceding a ridiculous 82 goals so far.
The second half would change all that.
Whatever the words of wisdom Thomas Frank imparted to his team during the break were they worked wonders as the bees came swarming out of the traps in the second half and 20 minutes later they scored a hat-trick of goals, just a shame only one of them counted.
Within seconds of the restart Yoane Wissa had sliced through the blades defence like it was made of butter and only a poor final touch prevented him opening the bees account.
Perhaps this is why he used his head to bundle home Mathis Jensen’s tantalising cross from point blank range in the 55th minute only for the outpouring of relief and joy to be stuffed back into the bottle by a late offside flag.
Nothing was coming to the Blades rescue in the 62nd minute though when Mikkel Damsgaard picked up the ball just inside the United half and drove forward through a half free of opponents. He looked to cut the ball across to either Wissa or Bryan Mbuemo only for the ball to ricochet off the legs of the luckless Oliver Arblaster and nestle in the net.
It was the luckiest of breaks for the hosts and they would follow it up by finding the net again less than 120 seconds later.
This time Damsgaard needed no deflection to rifle a gorgeous finish into the bottom left corner from 18 yards out, having been picked out perfectly by Mbuemo’s freekick, only to see the goal chalked off by VAR, which spotted a foul by Nathan Collins in the build up.
Having watched the replays it feels generous to suggest that Ollie McBurnie would have closed down the chance if he hadn’t been blocked off but no matter, it would just take us a while longer to double our account and secure the victory.
It took two of the three 89th minute home subs just 3 minutes from entering the fray to combine for that long overdue second.
On their return from long term injuries Kevin Shade got a deft flick on a long throw from the left to knock the ball into the stride Frank Onyeka, who celebrated his return by stroking the ball underneath the Grbic’s desperate dive.
As the final whistle blew the noise inside the Gtech deafened me as my soul soared high above me drinking in this feeling. The euphoria of seeing my team win again after so long and launch themselves 7 points clear of the drop in the process, I’m holding back tears of joy as I write this.
Coming into this weekend there was a scenario where we ended it just 1 point above the dotted line, instead we won convincingly and jump 7 points clear with just 15 left to play for.
With the run-in ahead, starting with crucial back to back away games against those around us, there will be nervous moments when doubts creep in about our ability to stay safe. When those doubts rear their ugly heads remember how you felt last night, remember the unbridled joy of victory, remember this feeling and smile safe in the knowledge that WE WILL BE STAYING UP
The Football tourist 