Town 1-3 Brentford - Match Report Saturday, 9th Apr 2016 17:24 Ten-man Town fell to a 3-1 home defeat to Brentford as their now all but faded play-off hopes suffered a further setback. After Bees winger Alan Judge had been stretchered off early on with a broken leg, the visitors went ahead through Sam Saunders before the Blues were reduced to 10 men when Luke Hyam - whose challenge had led to Judge's injury - was shown his second yellow card for a clash with Ryan Woods just before-half-time. After the break Lasse Vibe sealed the win for the West Londoners with two quick-fire goals with Liam Feeney netting late consolation for the Blues. Boss Mick McCarthy made four changes with Feeney, Tommy Smith, Jonathan Douglas and Brett Pitman dropping to the bench and with Hyam, Kevin Foley, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Luke Varney all starting. The Blues started in a 4-4-2 system with Foley at right-back and skipper Chambers at the centre of the defence alongside Christophe Berra. Ben Pringle and Maitland-Niles were out wide in midfield with Cole Skuse and Hyam in the centre and Varney and Freddie Sears up front. David McGoldrick was again on the bench but there was no place in the 18 for Teddy Bishop, who made his return as a sub against Charlton on Tuesday. The game started in steady rain and was quickly brought to a halt when Hyam made a strong challenge on Judge, who was close to joining Town in the summer of 2013, leaving the former Blackburn man clearly in a lot of pain and requiring very lengthy treatment on the pitch for a broken leg. The Blues midfielder looked to have made a genuine challenge and to have won the ball, but his momentum had taken him through the winger. Hyam was booked with the Brentford players calling for a red, while Judge - who looked to be in the running for a place in the Irish squad for the Euros - was eventually stretchered off to applause from all sections of the ground. Konstantin Kerschbaumer took over in the Bees’ midfield. Following a freekick after Varney had been somewhat cynically caught by Woods as he broke forward midway inside the Brentford half - far from the only niggly challenge from the visitors - Sears was played in down the right by Foley but Harlee Dean turned the ball behind for a corner. On the quarter hour, with the game still to settle after the long stoppage, Brentford broke through three on one after Town had surrendered possession on halfway. Vibe found Kerschbaumer but his shot deflected off Berra and into Bartosz Bialkowski’s arms. The visitors began to get on top but were unable to create an opening until the 29th minute when they scored a controversial opener. Cole Skuse turned away from Kerschbaumer midway inside the Town half and was tripped by the Austrian. However, referee Phil Gibbs waved away the Blues’ protests and Kerschbaumer brought the ball forward into the right of the area before cutting it back to Sam Saunders, who smashed the it past Bialkowski from 15 yards. While the Bees may have had the benefit of a poor refereeing decision, they had got themselves on top and had been looking the more likely scorers. The Blues continued to struggle to make an impact on the game and in the 39th minute the visitors weren’t too far away from a second on the counter-attack, but Sergei Canos, having run from his own half, scuffed his shot wide. Referee Gibbs inexplicably awarded a corner, adding to the frustration of the home support. On 42 Town created their first significant chance, Sears threading in Maitland-Niles on the left of the area, but the on-loan Arsenal youngster’s shot was too close to Bees’ keeper Button, who saved. Judge’s treatment led to nine minutes of injury time in which the afternoon got worse for the Blues. Woods caught Hyam on halfway and the Blues midfielder reacted by shoving the former Shrewsbury man, who pushed him back. Referee Gibbs booked both players and, having yellow-carded Hyam for the challenge on Judge, had no alternative but the show the Town midfielder his red card. The Brentford players, clearly angered by the challenge which had led to the red card, had continued to bait Hyam throughout the half and it was probably only a matter of time before the midfielder reacted. Having been reduced to 10 men, Town had their best spell of the game with Knudsen making a couple of strong runs down the left. Following a corner, the Dane saw a shot blocked, Maitland-Niles crossed back into the box and the ball fell to Pringle, who also saw an effort stopped. Soon after the referee’s whistle ended a half to forget for the Blues. Brentford had settled better after the early stoppage and were on top when they scored, even if the goal owed much to poor refereeing. Hyam’s red card was foreseeable and the Town management may well have been planning to take him off at half-time. As it was, the Blues switched Maitland-Niles and Pringle for Jonathan Douglas and David McGoldrick ahead of the second half. McGoldrick looped an early overhead kick wide, then on 57, as Portman Road found its voice, Sears was sent away on the right but his excellent cross failed to find a team-mate. A minute later, Varney was booked for a mistimed tackle on Woods. The Blues were getting on top, despite their numerical disadvantage and on the hour Sears sent over another ball from the right, but Maxime Colin cleared ahead of McGoldrick at the far post. On 62 Varney cut inside past Youann Barbet into the right of the area but lost his footing as he did so, the striker indicating that he hadn’t been fouled. Play immediately moved to the other end and Canos hit a shot which took a deflection and looped on to the bar, VIbe following up headed on to the roof of the net. However, the visitors didn’t have to wait too long for a second goal. In the 64th minute Colin crossed from the right and Vibe, ahead of both centre-halves, stooped to head past Bialkowski with Foley appearing to playing him onside. Four minutes later, it was 3-0. Vibe caught Berra in possession on the right following a Town throw and brought the ball into the area before beating Bialkowski. Sears saw an effort blocked as the Blues went about trying to get back into a game which was by now realistically out of reach, then at the other end Bialkowski blocked Woods’s long distance effort, then got up to get in the way of Vibe’s follow-up. On 75 Feeney replaced Varney, while Andy Gogia took over from Canos for the Bees. A minute later, Sears sent over a corner from the left and Chambers’s glancing header bounced across the face and McGoldrick was unable to get an a touch. Kerschbaumer forced Bialkowski into a save down to his left on 78 having cut into the area. Town continued to toil and in the 84th minute McGoldrick shot over following a Blues freekick, then a minute later Sears was played in on goal by Knudsen but somehow shot wide when he seemed certain to score. Feeney shot wide on 87 with the Blues still looking for their first goal since the Blackburn game. And a minute later it came. Skuse won the ball midway inside the Brentford half and found McGoldrick, who played it to Feeney to his left and the on-loan Bolton man struck a low shot under Button and into the net to claim his first goal for the Blues. That proved to be the last significant action and boos once again greeted the final whistle at Portman Road, the Blues now having won just once in their last seven games. After the long early stoppage for Judge’s injury, Brentford settled better and were on top when they scored their first goal which owed much to a poor refereeing decision, although was well taken. Following Hyam’s red card, which was predictable given the attention paid to him by the Brentford players following the injury to Judge, the Blues were always up against it to get back into the game but made a bright start to the second half, however, the game was killed by Vibe’s two goals. The win is Brentford’s first ever victory at Portman Road and it’s their first over the Blues anywhere since 1955. Town, still eighth with five games left to play, would seem to have little hope of making the top six with the gap eight points plus goal difference, although both Sheffield Wednesday, who the Blues travel to face at Hillsborough next Saturday, and Cardiff lost today, while Derby and Birmingham, who are now only a point behind the Blues with a game in hand, both won. Town: Bialkowski, Foley, Chambers (c), Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Hyam, Pringle (McGoldrick 46), Maitland-Niles (Douglas 46), Sears, Varney (Feeney 75). Subs: Gerken, Smith, Pitman. Brentford: Button, Colin, Bidwell, Dean, Saunders (Hogan 82), McCormack, Woods, Judge (Kerschbaumer 8), Vibe, Barbet, Canos (Gogia 75). Subs: Bonham, O’Connell, Clarke, Ferry. Referee: Phil Gibbs (West Midlands). Att:18,845 (Brentford: 559).
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