Brentford 0-1 Town - Half-Time Saturday, 8th Aug 2015 16:06 Kevin Bru’s goal just before half-time has given the Blues a 1-0 lead at Brentford at half-time. Josh Emmanuel, 17, was handed his senior debut at right-back, while summer additions Jonas Knudsen, Ryan Fraser and Ainsley Maitland-Niles - on loan from Bournemouth and Arsenal respectively - all made their Town bows. Dane Knudsen lined up at left-back with skipper Luke Chambers joining Tommy Smith in the centre of the defence with Christophe Berra banned for one game for his play-off red card at the end of last season. Jonny Parr missed out with a thigh injury and Luke Hyam is likely to remain sidelined for around three months having undergone knee surgery, while Teddy Bishop has also picked up a knock and wasn’t involved. Fraser started on the left of midfield and Maitland-Niles on the right with Bru joining Cole Skuse in the centre. Freddie Sears started up front alongside Daryl Murphy with David McGoldrick and Brett Pitman on the bench. Brentford started strongly and won a third-minute corner on the right from which Harlee Dean headed over. Town began to get more into the game with debutants Emmanuel and Fraser, twice, sending over crosses which the Bees’ backline just about defended. On seven one-time Blues target Alan Judge shot wide from distance. Sears came close to giving Town the lead in the ninth minute when he ran onto a Knudsen throw down the left, holding off a defender as he cut in and hit a shot which deflected across the face of goal and just wide. Jota struck an effort which deflected wide in the 13th minute, then on 17 Dean failed to deal with Knudsen’s ball over the top and Murphy - who scored twice in the Blues’ 4-2 win in this fixture last season - shot high and wide from a tight angle. Two minutes later, Maitland-Niles inadvertently diverted a Brentford freekick across his own area, Smith putting the ball behind. From the resultant corner, Philipp Hofmann headed over. On 23 Sears profited from some poor Brentford passing midway inside their half and fed Maitland-Niles to his right. The Arsenal youngster crossed and the ball deflected off Toumani Diagouraga straight to keeper David Button when it could well have flown either side of him. A minute later, Andy Gogia hit a 25-yard effort which Bartosz Bialkowski saved. However, Emmanuel had fouled the Georgian as he shot and Judge curled the freekick wide. Just before the half hour, Smith made an important challenge as Jota looked to break into the area after good work from Kerschbaumer. At the other end, Sears flicked the ball past Dean but Button was off his line quickly to claim ahead of the Town striker, then Skuse combined with Fraser but the central midfielder couldn’t find a team-mate with his cutback from the left. The Blues were starting to threaten more and in the 34th minute Fraser cleverly played in Bru on the left of the area but the Mauritian international’s low shot from a tight angle was saved by Button. A minute later only a superb reaction save from Bialkowski prevented the Bees from taking the lead. Judge crossed from the left and Jota seemed certain to head home but somehow the Blues’ Polish keeper managed to claw it away, Emmanuel clearing the loose ball. The chances were coming at both ends and within seconds Sears had got to the byline on the right and stood up a cross to Fraser, whose header was claimed by Button. Jota smashed over from distance, then Maitland-Niles did much the same at the other end. As what had been a frenetic first half moved into its final five minutes, Maitland-Niles curled a freekick into Button’s arms having been fouled by Diagouraga. Moments later, Murphy latched onto another long Knudsen throw down the left and cut the ball back to Sears, whose first touch let him down. Town again went close in the 43rd minute when Fraser dribbled the ball in from the left and cut the ball across the edge of the six-yard area. Murphy was prevented from getting a shot in, but the ball fell loose to Sears, whose effort was well saved by Button, reacting every bit as quickly as Bialkowski had at the other end. The Blues were finishing the half the stronger and in the 44th minute they went in front. Fraser hit a low 25-yard strike which hit the inside of Button’s right post before cannoning across the area to the right flank to Emmanuel, whose cross was acrobatically turned home by Kevin Bru from eight yards out. The half-time whistle followed soon after the Town celebrations, Emmanuel getting plenty of praise from his team-mates for his role in the goal as well as the goalscorer. Overall, it had been an evenly-contested, intense return to Championship football. Both sides had had chances prior to the goal - Town’s best falling to Sears, while Jota will feel he was unlucky for the Bees - but the Blues had looked increasingly threatening in the minutes before the break and the goal didn’t come as a surprise. While Emmanuel will have been delighted with his half having helped create the goal, fellow debutants Maitland-Niles and Fraser in particular had caused the Brentford defence plenty of problems, while Knudsen’s throws had created a number of openings. Brentford: Button, McCormack, Dean, Tarkowkski, Bidwell (c), Diagouraga, Kerschbaumer, Gogia, Jota, Judge, Hofmann. Subs: Bonham, Bjelland, Gray, Vibe, O'Connell, Yennaris, Barbet. Town: Bialkowski, Emmanuel, Chambers (c), Smith, Knudsen, Skuse, Bru, Fraser, Maitland-Niles, Sears, Murphy. Subs: Gerken, Yorwerth, Coke, Douglas, Touré, Pitman, McGoldrick. Referee: David Coote (Nottinghamshire).
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