Match report of this afternoon's home defeat in the clash against Stockport County
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Anthony Elding's hat-trick for Stockport accounted for Brentford, who lost for the second consecutive time at Griffin Park in a spicy game.
With five bookings, two spot-kicks and with the two managers sent to the stands after only 28 minutes for being confrontational, the game was not easy on the eye.
Yet with defensive stalwarts Jim Gannon and Terry Butcher as opposing managers, this was always going to be a physical affair.
It took only seven minutes before Bees skipper John Mackie - returning from a hamstring injury - wrestled County's tall forward Matty McNeil to the ground in the box.
His strike partner Elding's penalty into the bottom right of the goal sent keeper Simon Brown the wrong way.
County's second goal followed a similar formula with McNeil fouled after getting the wrong side of left-back Darius Charles a minute before the interval.
Elding went bottom right again and netted past the fingertips of Brown.
Referee Kevin Friend had to have a security escort to his dressing room at half-time after perhaps being a little rash with his decisions, but luckily the second half proved less problematic.
Butcher substituted Mackie for Craig Pead at the interval and puzzlingly moved striker Lee Thorpe, who scored against Chester the game previous, to centre-back.
The game opened up, but it was the travelling team who dealt the hammer blow.
As the Bees pushed forward, Elding found time and space on the left of the box to tuck away his finish inside the right-hand post.
Contented Stockport sat back and Brentford's Alan Connell snatched a goal with nine minutes to go, but it was merely a consolation effort. |
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