What a game that was. Both sides were great, but it’s Middlesbrough who have taken command of this play-off semi-final thanks to Fernando Amorebieta’s dramatic winner. Brentford will feel aggrieved and they’ll have it all to do in the second leg at the Riverside next week. Middlesbrough aren’t going to let go of this 2-1 lead easily. Thanks for reading. Bye.
Full-time: Brentford 1-2 Middlesbrough
It’s over!
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GOAL!!! Brentford 1-2 Middlesbrough (Amorebieta, 90 min+3)
Not many people would have seen this coming! Middlesbrough have won it at the death! Leadbitter hung the corner high to the far post from the right. It was headed down and of all people, there was Fernando Amorebieta running on to the loose ball and cracking an unstoppable shot to Button’s right and into the net! He caught it so cleanly and although it took a deflection off Bidwell, that is a brilliant goal.
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90 min+3: And now Middlesbrough win a corner. The big lads are told to head forward. And...
90 min+1: There will be six minutes of added time. Brentford have a corner. They do not score.
90 min: Kike replaces Patrick Bamford. “You’ll never play for Chelsea,” chant the Brentford fans.
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89 min: Jake Bidwell is booked.
88 min: Tommy Smith, who has been around for ever, replaces Alan ‘The’ Judge.
86 min: Pritchard’s free-kick is deflected wide by the wall and Middlesbrough scramble the resulting corner away.
84 min: Adam Forshaw steams through Diagouraga. It’s a high challenge, reckless and dangerous, and he’s very lucky to only get a booking. He could easily have been sent off. The Brentford bench is furious. Meanwhile they have another free-kick in a promising position.
83 min: Jelle Vossen is replaced by the former Brentford player, Adam Forshaw, who’s given a hot reception by the home fans.
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82 min: Friend blasts one harmlessly wide from 25 yards.
80 min: Brentford want a winner. They’re pushing for one. They’re winning corner after corner.
79 min: Odebajo’s cross is deflected behind for a corner on the right. Dallas’s cross is headed down by Tarkowski and Dean turns and slashes a shot miles wide. A half-chance.
77 min: It’s Jota’s turn to hit the wall. And that’s his final contribution, Stuart Dallas on in his place.
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76 min: Pritchard drops his shoulder and skips away from Amorebieta, who pulls him back this far outside the area. He’s booked. And Jota fancies this.
75 min: Prtichard’s free-kick is tame. It hits the wall.
74 min: Gray turns and shoots from 18 yards. Blocked. But then Clayton fouls Pritchard 25 yards from goal, to the right of the D.
73 min: Middlesbrough bring on Fernando Amorbieta for Lee Tomlin. That could be Karanka locking the game down.
72 min: I wonder if there is going to be an acceptance from both sides that 1-1 is a pretty good result.
69 min: Lee Tomlin, already on a booking, fouls Odebajo. He needs to be careful.
68 min: A welcome lull.
65 min: A high ball forward reaches Bamford in the Brentford area. The ball is whipped off his toes just as he was about to shoot. Middlesbrough have a corner on the left. This is anyone’s game.
64 min: This is a great game.
63 min: It was a dreadful error from Konstantopoulos for the Brentford equaliser, but this is a cracking save! Odebajo chipped a cross to the far post from the right and Douglas’s header looked like it was looping into the far corner, only for Konstantopoulos to stretch every sinew in his body and claw the ball behind for a corner!
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60 min: These are nervy moments for Brentford. Middlesbrough’s response has been excellent. Leadbitter’s corner is headed down by Friend and a stretching Bamford volleys into the side-netting from a tight angle. There wasn’t much he could do with that. “Very much a neutral for this one, although I like the idea of Brentford going up based on what I have read,” says Ajit Kurup. “Is the Vietnamese term for “complicated” a loan word in English? I have often described many a situation as “phuc tap”, as in: “Man, that is REAL phuc tap.””
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59 min: Leadbitter’s corner from the right is an outswinger and Vossen, under pressure, loops a header straight at Button. Moments later, he has to make a better save. The ball sits up nicely for Vossen, who draws back his left foot and pulls the trigger from 20 yards. Button leaps to his right and turns the shot over.
58 min: Middlesbrough want their lead back. Vossen slips a cute pass through to Bamford, who’s in the clear. But Harlee Dean times his sliding tackle perfectly and pokes the ball behind for a corner.
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57 min: Brentford have come alive! Gray wriggles into the area from the right, beats Gibson and rams a shot just over the bar. Griffin Park is rocking now.
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GOAL! Brentford 1-1 Middlesbrough (Gray, 54 min)
Andre Gray missed a sitter a few minutes ago, but no one cares about that now! But what a horrible moment this is for Dimitrios Konstantopoulos! The ball was knocked hopefully down the left-channel and it should have been dealt with comfortably by Middlesbrough. But Gray wasn’t willing to give it up. Konstantopoulos took too long to blast the ball away after coming out of his area and Gray charged his clearance down and then showed wonderful composure to turn quickly and roll a finish into the empty net from the left!
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54 min: Leadbitter’s corner is poor, headed away at the near post. And...
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53 min: Brentford are making some poor decisions in the final third. They need to calm down a bit. Another move breaks down and Middlesbrough counter, Tomlin winning a corner on the left. This is opening up nicely for Middlesbrough on the break.
51 min: Bamford tumbles in the Brentford area and looks plaintively at Jon Moss. He slipped.
50 min: What a miss from Andre Grasy! Judge sweeps a cross into the area from the right and although Jota can’t control the ball, it spins to Gray, eight yards out, and he slams his shot over the bar! He should have scored.
49 min: Pritchard’s cross is blocked by Gibson. The Brentford fans cry handball again. It hit his chest. “Bampot sounds good in Vietnamese, too late to ask anyone sane what it really means.,” says James Hardcastle. “But Brentford’s task is now very ‘phuc tap’ (complicated). Great word for Vietnamese commentators, and Bees fans right now.”
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47 min: Leadbitter’s free-kick is headed high and wide by Ayala. Bamford trots back on.
46 min: Middlesbrough begin the second half in textbook style: with a kick-off. It begins inauspiciously for Brentford. Bamford makes a mug out of James Tarkowski with a neat turn and the Brentford centre-back barges him over at the expense of a booking. Bamford is down and winded. He’ll need some treatment.
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Half-time: Brentford 0-1 Middlesbrough
It’s been an engrossing first half, but Jelle Vossen’s goal for Middlesbrough separates the two sides at the break.
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45 min+3: Vossen rattles one over from 25 yards.
45 min+1: Leadbitter’s corner is punched away by Button.
45 min: A free-flowing counterattack from Middlesbrough ends with Friend winning a corner on the left. They wouldn’t mind a second goal here.
44 min: Pritchard’s corner is a waste.
43 min: Brentford have found a second wind. Judge scampers into the area from the left and Ayala has to concede a corner. “That’s all well and good, but what’s the Vietnamese for bampot?” says Simon McMahon.
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42 min: This could have been the equaliser. Pritchard clipped the free-kick into the middle and Tarkowski flung himself at the ball, but his header skimmed the bar.
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41 min: Do Middlesbrough have something against Judge? He takes a raking pass from Tarkowksi down brilliantly and his gossamer touch fools Whitehead, who responds by booting him up into the air. That’s Middlesbrough’s fourth yellow card. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone gets sent off. They’ve been a bit dirty at times.
40 min: Adomah becomes the third Middlesbrough player to be booked after tripping Judge. “Bees fan following your live stream at 2.00am here in Hanoi,” says James Hardcastle. “Tried every trick to watch it, but not happening. Vietnam TV are showing Eibar vs Espanyol. Its also 0:1. Vietnamese for ‘bloody close’ is ‘rat nguy hiem’.”
39 min: Brentford have offered very little in the past 10 minutes. They could do with half-time.
37 min: Griffin Park is quiet, save for the chants from the Middlesbrough fans in the away end.
34 min: Brentford are wobbling. Vossen’s goal has knocked the stuffing out of them.
31 min: This is incredible! Middlesbrough cannot believe they haven’t doubled their lead! Tomlin hoicked the corner to the far post from the right and Gibson headed it down into the six-yard box to Vossen, who was two or three yards out. He looked certain to score and shovelled the ball goalwards, only for Vossen to make a stunning reaction save, before somehow scooping the ball away before all of it had crossed the line. There were mere inches in it. There’s no goal-line technology at this level, so the officials are relying on their eyesight alone, and the replays seem to suggest that they just about got it right.
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30 min: Brentford are living dangerously. This could get away from if they aren’t careful. Possession is gifted to Tomlin, who drills the ball towards the bottom-right corner from 20 yards. It looks like it’s going in, only for Button to brilliantly tip it wide for a corner. That could be a crucial save.
29 min: Judge bends the free-kick over the wall with his right foot but the ball doesn’t come down quickly enough, Konstantopoulos happily watching it drift a few yards over the bar.
28 min: Brentford set off looking for an instant riposte and immediately win a free-kick just outside the area, Pritchard brought down. It’s made for a right-footer. Judge fancies it. He’s already hit the post.
GOAL! Brentford 0-1 Middlesbrough (Vossen, 26 min)
This is so simple. Adam Clayton is given time on the right flank to size up his options, ponder the results of the election, have a quick cry, contemplate emigrating somewhere nice, like Canada, or Denmark, and once he’s finished doing that, he curls a fine cross into the Brentford area. The marking is non-existent in the middle. Vossen is left in acres of space and his header is judged to perfection, the ball placed carefully into the bottom-left corner. Middlesbrough lead! It’s against the run of play, but they won’t care a jot. That’s ruthless.
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23 min: Vossen receives the ball just in front of the Brentford defence and slides a pass through to Adomah on the right. He hasn’t timed his run well enough, though, the Brentford back four stepping up in perfect unison to catch him offside. The flag goes up.
21 min: Jota charges down the right, but overruns the ball and Gibson boots it away. Middlesbrough are gasping a little bit here. “I can’t see the name Bamford without always thinking about a ‘bam’, or ‘bampot’, a tremendous Scots colloquialism for someone who has an inflated opinion of themself, a big head,” says Simon McMahon. “‘He’s just a big bampot’ would often be used as a dismissive put down of mouthy, prima donna types on the football field and elsewhere. Lots of great words begin with ‘b’. Brouhaha and braggadocio are two others.”
19 min: Brentford hit the post! Allan Judge drives inside from the left flank, on to his right foot, and decides he might as well have a shot from 20 yards. Why not? He can be deadly from that range. And only a wonderful flying save from Konstantopoulos, who pushes the ball on to the outside of the right post and behind for a corner, denies Judge a stunning opener! That was so unlucky. The corner comes to nothing.
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17 min: A long, straight ball is played into the Middlesbrough area from the left. Gray darts in between the Middlesbrough players and tries to guide it goalwards with a clever flick, but he can’t get enough purchase on his effort and the diving Konstantopoulos makes gathers the ball with the minimum fuss. But it’s a sign that Brentford are growing in stature and moments later, Odebajo is sent flying by a rather desperate flail from George Friend, who becomes the second player to go into Jon Moss’s little black book.
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16 min: Judge whips the free-kick into the area. It’s flicked on by a Brentford player and the ball hits Whitehead, who was standing a few yards away. Handball! That’s the cry! Jon Moss ignores the appeals for a penalty, though.
15 min: Lee Tomlin clips Jota’s heels on the right and is booked for persistent fouling.
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14 min: Bamford beats Brentford’s offside trap on the left and saunters towards the area. This could be problematic for Brentford. But it’s not, Bamford’s chipped cross to Vossen easily headed away. A scrappy period of play ensues and it ends with Bamford barging Odebajo over and conceding a free-kick, much to the delight of the Brentford fans. Bamford, of course, is on loan from Chelsea.
12 min: Bamford cuts in from the right and curls a cross to the far post. Tomlin is stretching and can only head the ball over the bar. It’s very tight at the moment, both sides well-drilled at the back and struggling for ideas in the final third.
10 min: Jose Mourinho is in the crowd. Karanka, of course, was his assistant manager at Real Madrid.
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9 min: Brentford attempt some jiggery-pokery down the right. It’s patient football, but they eventually locate a dead end. Middlesbrough tend to be very hard to break down and they’re looking as tough as ever at the back this evening.
8 min: Nope. Leadbitter plays it short to Tomlin, whose cross is headed away.
7 min: This is a perky start from Middlesbrough. They’re causing problems on the left. Tomlin wins another corner. Can they do anything of note with this one?
5 min: Leadbitter swings the corner to the far post, but his delivery is overhit and the ball sails behind for a goal-kick to Brentford. The home fans jeer Leadbitter’s set-piece offering.
4 min: Bamford uses his strength to hold off Odubajo and force the Brentford right-back to concede a corner on the left.
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3 min: Alex Pritchard decides the free-kick isn’t too far out for a shot. He takes a Ronaldo-esque run-up, puffs out his cheeks and bounces it past the wall, but straight at Konstantopoulos, who deals with it comfortably.
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2 min: Tomlin brings Douglas down in the middle of the Middlesbrough half. A chance for Brentford. “Evening Jacob,” says Simon McMahon. “As unpredictable as the play-offs may be, what is the Guardian poll of polls saying about this game? Or are you going to wait to produce your exit poll at full time?”
How very topical of you, Simon. I’m predicting all four of the play-off teams to go up. That’s how it works, right?
And we’re off! Brentford, kicking from left to right in the first and wearing their red and white stripes, get us underway. Middlesbrough are all in white, presumably in homage to their manager’s Real Madrid roots.
Here come the players. Griffin Park is buzzing for The Bees. Soon there will be football.
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Team news
Brentford: Button; Odubajo, Dean, Tarkowski, Bidwell; Judge, Douglas, Diagouraga, Pritchard, Jota; Gray. Subs: MacLeod, Craig, McCormack, Dallas, Bonham, Toral, Smith.
Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos; Whitehead, Ayala, Gibson, Friend; Adomah, Clayton, Leadbitter, Tomlin; Bamford, Vossen. Subs: Ripley, Forshaw, Amorebietta, Nsue, Omeruo, Reach, Kike.
Referee: Jon Moss.
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Preamble
Hello. Bournemouth have undoubtedly been the story of the Championship season, their staggering rise from League Two ignominy to the promised land of the Premier League capturing hearts and minds, but there is the potential for another rags-to-riches tale to develop in the next few weeks. Six years ago, Brentford were west London’s whipping boys. Not any more.
In 2009, they were promoted from League Two as champions. In 2013, managed by Uwe Rosler, they should have gone up automatically from League One, but made a spectacular dog’s dinner of it against Doncaster Rovers on the last day of the season and then lost to Yeovil in the play-off final. It could have been a huge psychological blow. They recovered and when Rosler left for Wigan midway through last season, it was the cue for Mark Warburton, previously the club’s director of football, to step into the dug-out and take to management like a duck to water, leading Brentford into the Championship. Now, after Derby County’s car-crash collapse let them into the top six last Saturday, Brentford are three games from the Premier League. Brentford!
What a job Warburton has done. He has managed astutely and crafted a fine team. Brentford have been good to watch and have adjusted brilliantly to the Championship in their first season. They have been tested and there have been rocky moments, but they held their nerve during the run-in and for a club of their size to finish fifth was a magnificent achievement.
Yet no matter what happens in the next 180 minutes and hopefully beyond, this will be Warburton’s final match at Griffin Park. He will leave Brentford at the end of the season after disagreeing with the direction their owner, Matthew Benham, wants to take the club in the future. It is an odd situation and one that prompted plenty of criticism when it emerged in February, although perhaps Benham should be trusted. He has been a wonderful owner of Brentford and as someone very wise wrote here, there is nothing wrong planning for the future
Still, there is a job to do and it’s not going to be easy. I can hear Middlesbrough fans wondering when their team is going to get a mention – and with good reason. Aitor Karanka has been excellent at The Riverside and although they had a bit of an implosion against Fulham as they chased automatic promotion, they will be confident of getting the job done and ending their six-year absence from the top flight. They are not free-scoring, but they are hard to beat and anything is possible for them if Patrick Bamford is firing. Middlesbrough have already beaten Brentford 4-0 at home and 1-0 away this season. Assuming that they are not weighed down by the disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion, Middlesbrough are strong favourites. Although when it comes to predicting the outcome of play-off semi-finals, my guess is as good as yours.
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST.
