Brentford 1-3 Derby: Darren Wassall relieved with win
Sunday 21 February 2016 12:57, UK
Derby manager Darren Wassall urged his team to step up their promotion push after victory at Brentford halted an eight-match winless run in the Sky Bet Championship.
Brentford were booed off at the end after Derby hit them with three goals in the final 15 minutes to turn the game on its head and earn a 3-1 win.
Alan Judge's superb 52nd-minute opener gave hosts Brentford the lead, but Jeff Hendrick equalised and that opened the floodgates for the visitors.
Cyrus Christie and Chris Martin gave the scoreline a more realistic look after Derby's first-half domination that might have seen them go in four goals ahead but for David Button's reflex saves.
Wassall, in interim charge since Paul Clement was sacked on February 8, said: "We were excellent and I thought we created enough to win two or three games.
"We started on the front foot, were aggressive and full of determination and desire, but their keeper was inspired.
"Undeservedly we went behind and it would have been easy to feel sorry for ourselves but it's a testament to the character in that dressing room that they rolled their sleeves up and continued to dominate the game and control it, but also got the equaliser and another two goals."
Wassall insisted the fightback would count for nothing unless his fifth-placed side can follow it up on Wednesday against Blackburn.
He said: "The players have been criticised for not getting results but without getting carried away we have something to build on now.
"One swallow does not make a summer and this result will mean nothing if we don't get a result on Wednesday. We were always in the promotion race. We had not won for eight league games but we have won today and we are still firmly in the promotion race."
Brentford boss Dean Smith admitted his side, now 14th in the table, were overpowered by a more physical Derby outfit.
He conceded it might not be until the summer that he is able to properly strengthen a Bees side that, on this performance, is struggling to cope physically with life in the Championship after failing to replace some quality departures.
Smith, who has seen many of the club's best players sold since joining the club, was left to seek positives from the situation but played a straight bat to suggestions the squad was not competitive.
"We are still looking at the loan system but it has to improve on what you have already got," said Smith, who missed out on two permanent signings during the January window.
"Everybody talks about the recruitment policy but people forget that when I came in I was nominated for manager of the month with the same group of players. We've lost James Tarkowski, Toumani Diagouraga and Jota but they were players who wanted to go for one reason or another."
Brentford, who have now lost three successive games, looked lightweight and lacking in attacking threat when compared to Derby.
"They were more powerful and more aggressive than us and David kept us in it," said Smith. "The game is decided on fine margins and it could have been 2-2, but they got the third, which for me is academic.
"They got the equaliser, we lost half a yard and they gained half a yard, but we still showed enough character to create a couple of chances after that."
