Brentford boss Mark Warbuton heaped praise on his side after their vibrant display in the 3-2 win over Brighton.
Goals from Moses Odubajo and Andre Gray in the first half, and Jonathan Douglas in the second, allied to a gutsy defensive display late in the game, earned the Bees their first home league win since promotion.
Warburton said: “From 15 minutes through to 40 minutes, that was as good as we’ve been this season.
“We could have been two down after 10 minutes, we could have been four up after 40. It was that type of game.
“An open game is great for the neutral but we didn’t want to get drawn into a see-saw, too stretched game.
“At the end, it was tighter than I wanted it to be but what a fantastic performance from the players.”
Warburton pinpointed last month’s trip to Bournemouth, where despite losing 1-0 they dominated the last half hour, as the catalyst for the self-belief now running through the squad.
And he believes his new-look team, who sit sixth in the Championship, can only get better as they gel.
He said: “You look at last year’s team – you’ve got the back four [still] there, Dougie [Jonathan Douglas] and Judgie [Alan Judge], and then the other half of the team is brand new.
“It takes time to learn about each other and gel but I’m really impressed with their work ethic. I can’t speak highly enough of the players.”
Deadline day signing Betinho was unable to make his debut against Brighton.
The paperwork to complete his loan move from Sporting Lisbon has been held up but Warburton expects him to be available for the game against Norwich on Tuesday.
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This post was last modified on 13/09/2014