Stockport County 0 Brentford 1

Playing on pitch severely lacking in grass, the Bees did just enough to take all three points after Charlie MacDonald put them ahead at the start of the second half.

Bees’ boss Andy Scott was pleased with his side’s performance: “There was a determination about the boys today to put right the wrongs of Tuesday and we certainly did that.

It was a big win. A really tough place to come with the pitch being as it is. I thought we moved the ball better than we have done for a few games.”

Despite the disappointing loss at Brighton on Tuesday night, Scott elected to give the same players a chance to redeem themselves, with the only change seeing Karleigh Osborne coming in at centre half in place of the suspended Alan Bennett and injured Mark Phillips.

The Bees almost took the lead in the opening minutes when Ben Strevens and Toumani Diagouraga combined through the middle to find Myles Weston on the left wing. Weston’s cross into the six yard box was met by Strevens’ forehead, only to see County keeper Owain Fon Williams block superbly.

Stockport’s first chance came soon after when David Williams skipped past several Bees defenders on the left side of the box and crossed to Jabo Ibehre, who scooped the ball over the bar from ten yards out.

Ibehre again had a chance to put his side ahead when he headed a David Poole cross from the left wing wide of the left hand post.

In an open game Stockport had a great chance to take the lead after George Donnelly gave Osborne the slip on the right and raced clear from the half way line into the Bees box, where Wojciech Szczesny did well to block his shot.

Szczesny then did well to put off Ibehre after the striker evaded the Bees defence and from the corner of the six yard box sent a low shot inches wide of the right hand post.

The Bees took the lead within a minute of the start of the second half after Weston floated a deep cross from the left to the back post where Charlie MacDonald tapped in from close range.

Ibehre should have equalised almost immediately when he broke through the middle and after evading Szczesny – who raced five yards out of his box to tackle the striker – he pushed the ball too wide before failing to hit the target with his shot.

Brentford were then denied a penalty claim when MacDonald was bundled over inside County’s box.

Tansey wasted another good chance for Stockport when he hit a free kick from the edge of the penalty box high over the bar.

With ten minutes left, Sam Wood created a good chance for the Bees when he broke down the right and delivered an early pass to Weston, whose curling shot into the top right corner was grabbed by Fon Williams.

Stockport almost levelled when George Donnelly got the better of Danny Foster on the left hand touchline and then saw his shot from the edge of the box graze the top of the crossbar.

Strevens wasted a golden chance to seal the victory when he was played through the middle yet took too long when faced with a one-on-one with Williams and after his initial shot was saved, his follow up overhead kick was wide of the post.

Brentford: Szczesny; Foster, Legge, Osborne, Dickson (sub Hunt 85); Wood, Diagouraga (sub Bean 58), O’Connor, Weston; MacDonald, Strevens Subs (not used): Price, Saunders, Ainsworth, Blake, Cort