Brentford manager Dean Smith pleased with 'emphatic' first half
Saturday 19 December 2015 21:15, UK
Brentford manager Dean Smith said his side's first half performance was enough to beat Huddersfield at Griffin Park.
The Bees moved to within two points of the Championship play-off places with the victory at Griffin Park after goals from Sergi Canos, Lasse Vibe and a double from Alan Judge.
But after being 3-0 up at half-time, Brenford went on to concede two and Smith said his side must improve. "It was an excellent first half but we started the second sloppy, they regained the initiative straight after the break and it changed the look of the game," Smith admitted.
"It can be difficult after such an emphatic first half to regain that same level, but in the end you can only get three points and we were good value for them."
Despite the win Brentford shipped another two goals to make it seven in three games and Smith added: "It's something we want to improve on and we've talked about it, but if we score more than we concede that's the most important thing.
"We were excellent in the first half and that's the standard set. If we continue to dominate games like that at home then we won't go far wrong."
Huddersfield manager David Wagner said the opening 45 minutes was the worst his side had played this season. He also pointed to Ben Chilwell's foul on Judge in the box for a penalty as the turning point in the contest.
"That was a turning point in the game. I was a long way away but the reaction of players on both sides and fans suggested it was not a penalty," the Terriers boss said.
"In the first half we didn't pass, lost possession of the ball too easily and had no movement. It was the worst display I've seen from us. If you play like that you don't deserve the points."
