It’s been quite a season for our young Bees with many memorable results and performances. The side have played teams from across the UK and Europe and we’ve nailed down just some of the standouts!
Tuesday 13 September 2022
Brentford B 3 Blackburn Rovers Under-21s 2
The young Bees made a perfect start to their Premier League Cup journey beating Blackburn Rovers Under-21s 3-2 in a dramatic game at the Leyland County Ground. Captain Alex Gilbert opened the scoring for Brentford on 38 minutes only for Blackburn to equalise moments later, but a close-range strike from Nico Jones saw Neil MacFarlane’s side go into the break with the lead. The home team made a quick start to the second half and went level for the second time just eight minutes after the interval. Brentford then ramped up the pressure following the Rovers goal as they looked to claim their first win in Group D of the competition. The visitors were finally rewarded for their hard work just five minutes from full-time when Kyreece Lisbie showed great composure to take the ball round the goalkeeper before slotting home ensuring all three points for his side.
Saturday, 3 December 2022
Jong AZ Alkmaar 1 Brentford B 2
The B team’s trip to the Netherlands allowed the side the opportunity to test themselves against the youth teams of two of the top Eredivisie teams, PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar. Following a positive 1-1 draw with PSV the young Bees travelled to the AFAS Training Complex to round off their trip against Jong AZ. After a competitive opening half which saw Brentford’s Aaron Pressley have a goal ruled out after the referee pulled the game back for a foul, both teams went into the break level. It took MacFarlane’s side just eight minutes to find an opener after the break though when the last touch of a Val Adedokun corner kick came off an AZ Alkmaar player before finding its way into the net. Brentford remained ahead for the majority of the half only for AZ Alkmaar to find a late equaliser on 85 minutes. With the game looking like it was going to finish level, the visitors scored the winner two minutes from time when right-back Charlie Farr showed great composure to bend the ball home giving the Bees a deserved win overseas.
Wednesday 18 January 2023
AS Monaco Under-21s 1 Brentford B 4
MacFarlane’s team travelled abroad again in January, this time to face a Monaco Under-21 side who have produced world-class talent in recent years most notably, Kylian Mbappé. The hosts showed their quality early on as Roco Rees was called into action a few times in the Brentford net before the Bees began to take control of the game. Following large flurries of pressure, the away side were rewarded for their persistence when Yehor Yarmoliuk slotted home after an excellent solo run to give the visitors the lead. The opening half goals weren’t done there though as Michael Olakigbe put the Bees two ahead just before the interval. Unsurprisingly Monaco came out in the second half determined to find a way back in the match and managed to pull a goal back three minutes after the break. Any hopes of a comeback from the home team were crushed when Olakigbe grabbed his second late on before an incredible Ryan Trevitt goal saw Brentford B travel back to England with a 4-1 win after another strong performance abroad.
Thursday 9 February 2023
Brentford B 1 Halmstads BK 0
Brentford B’s trip to the Algarve at the beginning of February saw the young side compete in the Atlantic Cup as they challenged themselves against senior opposition. Their final game in Portugal saw the B team take on Swedish first division outfit Halmstads BK at the Estádio Algarve. An even first half saw both teams create a few chances with Brentford’s best opportunity coming five minutes before the break when Trevitt played through Max Dickov following a mazy run, but Dickov’s powerful effort was denied by the Halmstads goalkeeper. Chances proved hard to come by in the second period, but the young Bees snatched a late winner when a Lucias Vine cross from the left flank was nodded into the back of the net by 17-year-old Isaac Holland, ending the trip to the Algarve with a victory.
Thursday 23 March 2023
Brentford B 0 Ukraine national team 2
With the Ukraine national team training at the Robert Rowan Performance Centre in March ahead of their European Championship Qualifier clash against England, the opportunity transpired for a game against Brentford B as part of their preparations with the match taking place at AFC Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium. In what was another great experience for the B team the young side held their own for the majority of the match despite Ukraine expectingly seeing a lot of the ball. Premier League talent in Mykhailo Mudryk and Vitalii Mykolenko featured in the first half which saw Oleksandr Svatok put the national team in front. Ukraine made 10 changes at the break and made it 2-0 on 65 minutes when Shakhtar Donetsk’s Georgiy Sudakov unleashed a powerful shot into the bottom corner. Despite the result, the match was an remarkable opportunity for our young players to test themselves against an elite national team.
Tuesday 9 April 2023
Brentford B 2 Blackburn Under-21s 1
In their first ever Premier League Cup campaign Brentford B clinched the trophy on a stunning evening at the Gtech Community Stadium where 2,219 supporters watched on as the young Bees won silverware in their first appearance at the ground. Brentford ended their Premier League Cup journey with Blackburn Rovers Under-21s looking to spoil the party at the Gtech. After a strong start, MacFarlane’s side took the lead just after the half-hour mark when a quick corner from Gilbert found Trevitt who showed composure to tuck the ball into the bottom corner. The young Bees doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Nathan Young-Coombes ended what was a brilliant move as his close-range strike bounced off the bar before finding the net. The home side looked comfortable in the second half but a late Blackburn strike caused for a nervy ending, but Brentford did well to hold on and ensure the cup final victory.
Brentford B at the Gtech!
Get your tickets now to watch the young Bees in the first-ever Robert Rowan Invitational on Friday 19 May! The match kicks off at 7:30pm as Neil MacFarlane's side face Manchester City's Elite Development Squad.