Frank hails ‘brave’ Bees after derby triumph

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Thomas Frank hailed his Brentford team after they pulled off a dramatic 2-1 victory at West Ham.

Yoane Wissa’s goal in the final seconds gave the Bees the points – and left them seventh in the Premier League table.

Jarrod Bowen appeared to have rescued a point for the Hammers with a late equaliser to cancel out Bryan Mbeumo’s first-half opener.


Head coach Frank declared: “We were brave, aggressive and took control of the game.

“West Ham were better than us in the second half but we put bodies on the line and got through the storm. The mentality to go again for the win was fantastic.

“It’s very important we show we can play. But to get some top results you need to defend and put bodies on the line.”

Brentford got the win despite being without centre-back Kristoffer Ajer and midfielder Vitaly Janelt.

And they were dealt another blow when Shandon Baptiste went off in the first half at the London Stadium.

Baptiste suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder and Frank said Janelt has a “minor” thigh problem, while a hamstring injury will prevent Ajer going on international duty with Norway but he could be available for Brentford’s derby against Chelsea on 16 October.

Frank said: “It’s maybe an even bigger result because of the changes forced on us by injuries.

“We were missing three key players. Because of that I was so pleased with the mentality.”