Fourth and firing again after a five-star performance.
Ahead of Saturday’s 5-0 demolition of Sheffield Wednesday there had been every reason for Brentford fans to feel as insecure as a marriage to Boris Johnson.
French midfielder Bryan Mbeumo had taken to Instagram try and allay fears among fans that their promotion bid was falling apart after their 2-2 draw against Cardiff.
Thomas Frank’s men had gone 2-0 up after just 20 minutes – only to be pegged back for a point.
The thing is, it has always been about the big picture for Brentford. The recovery comes as no surprise.
It has never been all or nothing for the west London club that have developed the likes of Chris Mepham (now at Bournemouth) and Neal Maupay (Brighton) in recent years.
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The Bees continue to attract admiring glances because of the effectiveness of their operation, the blueprint for their style of play and the many promising youngsters that have found their wings under Franck.
Head of Recruitment Lee Dykes has overseen the recent signings of Pontus Jannson, Matthias Jensen, Ethan Pinnock, Joel Valencia, Mads Roerslev, Kristian Norgaard, David Raya and the impressive Mbeumo.
Experience has combined impressively with potential to leave the club dreaming of the Premier League.
Previously head of recruitment with Oldham, Notts County, Carlisle United and Crawley Town, Dykes has also held assistant manager and Sporting Director roles at the lower levels of English football. His knowledge and contacts have proven vital in beating rival clubs to so many exciting talents.
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As for the Bees’ emerging talents, there is a clear pathway to the first team courtesy of a B-team operation proving far more beneficial than your typical academy set-up.
Co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen has long used the analogy of David outmanoeuvring Goliath and a few so-called bigger clubs could learn from the Bees’ approach.
Unwilling to fall into the trap of, as he puts it, spending two per cent of their time recruiting and 75 per cent managing recruitment mistakes, Andersen relies on football analytics which have so far paid dividends.
Nineteen-year-old midfielder Jan Zamburek and 20-year-old right-back Mads Roerslev are among the next batch of talented prospects being nurtured at Griffin Park.
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Capped from Under-15 to Under-19 level for the Czech Republic, Zamburek is into double figures for Brentford appearances this season. He started his club’s FA Cup game against Stoke and Leicester in January and has already gone into a few notebooks as one destined for even bigger things.
Roerslev has enjoyed a fine season since his arrival last August. The Dane has also been capped by his country from Under-17 to Under-21 level.
While he may have appeared only ten times for Brentford this season, Frank and the club’s fans have seen enough to know they have another potential star on their hands.
Even Mbeumo has impressed since joining from Troyes last summer, with 13 goals and six assists in his 33 appearances so far.
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Fear of failure doesn’t exist at Griffin Park. Neither data-driven Ankersen nor owner Matthew Benham panicked when their Frank managed only eight wins from the club’s first ten games.
The glass for them is very much half full with one defeat in their last eight. That Sheffield Wednesday win was their chance to get their dip out of their system. To say that they took it is an understatement.
