Brentford 6 Bournemouth 0
Mike Grella scored four as Brentford rampaged towards a return to Wembley.
Sam Saunders and Shaleum Logan also found the net in a totally one-sided Johnstone’s Paint Trophy southern area quarter-final at Griffin Park, where last season’s beaten finalists produced a brilliant display.
Brentford were also boosted by the return to action of Leon Legge. The centre-back, sidelined since August with a hamstring injury, came on as a second-half substitute.
Jonathan Douglas and Clayton Donaldson combined to set up Saunders for the opener, and Grella doubled the lead by heading in Saunders’ left-wing corner.
Shortly after half-time Grella scored again, drifting into the box to collect Toumani Diagouraga’s lay-off and steering the ball under goalkeeper Shwan Jalal.
Logan bundled in the fourth after dispossessing Scott Malone on the right, before Grella completed his hat-trick by heading in Diagouraga’s 84th-minute cross, and headed yet another goal two minutes later, this time from a cross by Niall McGinn.
Malone had almost given Bournemouth an early lead with a header from Marc Pugh’s cross which struck both posts.
Had that gone in it might have been a very different story but Brentford never looked back after taking the lead with a well worked goal on five minutes.
Douglas played the ball in to Donaldson on the edge of the six-yard box and, with his back to goal, the striker surprised Bournemouth’s defence with a clever lay-off to Saunders, who fired into the far corner.
Saunders then turner provider, delivering an excellent corner from which Grella netted his first Brentford goal.
And his second followed only two minutes after the interval. Another good move – not too dissimilar to the one which led to Saunders’ goal – ended with Diagouraga nudging the ball into the path of the American, who made no mistake.
Legge’s 72nd-minute introduction brought a big cheer from the home fans. And he almost scored with his first touch, heading Craig Woodman’s lofted free-kick wide of the far post.
Logan also picked up an injury in August and was missed before his recent return.
The right-back underlined his attacking influence with an impressive performance going forward, which he capped by scoring after embarrassing Malone near the edge of the penalty area.
More good work on the right led to Brentford’s fifth goal – an excellent Grella finish from Diagouraga’s delivery – before McGinn whipped the ball in from the opposite flank for Grella to complete the rout.
Incredibly, Grella could have grabbed a fifth after finding himself through on goal in injury time, but his delicate lob bounced off the post.
This post was last modified on 12/11/2011