Leeds United 1 Brentford 1 (Strevens 60)
For the second time this season, Brentford proved more than a match for promotion-chasing Leeds United, after drawing at Elland Road on Saturday.
On their first league visit to the famous old ground for precisely 56 years (last visiting on March 6, 1954) Ben Strevens’s close-range effort put the Bees ahead in the second half, before Jermaine Beckford brought Leeds level 12 minutes later.
Manager Andy Scott was a satisfied man afterwards: “It was a good experience. You never know what to expect from your team and it was a new experience for them.
“I always had confidence that when we have played games at these places so far we have adapted very well and acquitted ourselves admirably and we did the same today.”
Scott made two changes, welcoming back Ryan Dickson at left-back, with Sam Wood coming into right midfield, Danny Foster and Sam Saunders dropping to the bench.
Leeds had the first chance of the game after only two minutes, when a Robert Snodgrass free-kick from the right was turned behind by Bees keeper Wojciech Sczcesny.
The opening exchanges proved a tight affair, with Leeds enjoying the bulk of possession but struggling to break down a well-organised Bees defence that saw Mark Phillips deployed at right-back.
Yet the best chance of the half fell to Brentford, when Toumani Diagouraga broke through the middle and, after beating a couple of defenders, played the ball wide to Wood on the right, but his shot was easily blocked by Leeds keeper Casper Ankergren.
Leeds replied at the other end, with Snodgrass crossing from the right and Beckford heading wide right from six yards out.
Leeds then broke quickly down the left, with Gary McSheffrey playing a low pass into the feet of Beckford, whose shot across the face of goal was held by Sczcesny.
The first real chance of the second half fell to Leeds, when a long ball over the top was controlled by Beckford, whose shot from 20 yards was comfortably held by Sczcesny.
Another good chance fell to Leeds soon after, when a McSheffrey cross from the left to the near post was headed behind by Beckford.
The Bees took the lead on the hour mark after the second of two corners from the left.
Kevin O’Connor’s out-swinger was headed on by Leon Legge, before Charlie MacDonald played it back across goal, where Strevens bundled the ball home. Leeds drew level after Snodgrass’s cross from the right to the back post was turned back across goal by McSheffrey and tapped home by Beckford.
MacDonald came close to restoring Brentford’s lead when he raced clear through the middle and after exchanging passes with Myles Weston, he shot wide of the right-hand post.
At the other end Snodgrass broke through the middle for Leeds but, after Dickson raced back to put him under pressure, the ball fell to Beckford, whose weak shot was easily saved by Sczcesny.
Leeds almost snatched all three points, when Michael Doyle’s cross was headed onto the near post by Lubomir Mickalik.
At the final whistle, Brentford were cheered off the pitch by the 2,200 fans who had made the long journey to see their side match one of the division’s more illustrious sides.
Brentford: Szczesny; Phillips (sub Foster 84), Legge, Smith, Dickson; Wood, Diagouraga, O’Connor, Weston (sub Bean 80); MacDonald, Strevens (sub Cort 76)
Subs (not used): Price, Saunders, Hunt, Ainsworth
Attendance: 25,445
Goals: Strevens 60
Man of the match: Kevin O’Connor
Match rating: 4/6
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