Bees to 'give it a shot' in promotion battle - Frank

Brentford could be promoted to the Premier League next week - and Thomas Frank says they are ready to “give it a shot” in pursuit of the top two.

Ollie Watkins’ early goal gave the Bees 1-0 victory at home to Preston - their eighth consecutive win.

It closed the gap on second-placed West Brom to one point and on Championship leaders Leeds to three points.

Brentford have a better goal difference than both of them.

They face an away match against Stoke this weekend before taking on Barnsley at home in the final game of the regular season.

Watkins scored his 25th goal of the season

Boss Frank said: “We’re in the play-offs (at least). That’s a fact. So why not give it a go for direct promotion?

“Two games to go and we’re one point off West Brom. We’re on a high.

“The only thing we can do is focus on the next game.

“I’m looking at Stoke and seeing if we can win nine in a row, which would be even more remarkable than eight.

“Give it a shot. But we can only give it a shot if we win on Saturday.”

While the likes of Watkins and Said Benrahma have grabbed the headlines, Brentford’s improved defending has played a huge part in their promotion challenge.

They held out for a clean sheet against Preston, who needed a win to keep a realistic chance of making the play-offs.

“The one single area we’ve improved most is the defensive side of the game and I’m extremely proud,” Frank said.