Smith defends team selection after defeat at QPR

Brentford boss Dean Smith, whose struggling team have lost six of their last seven matches, defended his decision to start without a recognised striker at QPR.

Smith restored the fit-again Alan McCormack to his midfield, dropped forward Marco Djuricin and played with Alan Judge on his own up front until bringing on Lasse Vibe in the second half.

“I thought it was the best way of getting Alan McCormack on the pitch,” Smith said after the 3-0 defeat.

“It’s a local derby and he understands what it’s all about. We’re a young team and he’s got that experience.

“If you play Alan Judge in wide areas then you probably lose some of his game. We felt he could cause them a problem if we got the ball to him.

“I don’t think Lasse and Marco are playing as well as they can do and I thought it was time for a change.

“Alan Judge is our main goalscoring threat at the moment, so it wasn’t a tough decision to take.”

Brentford felt Ryan Woods was fouled in the build up to Rangers’ second goal, scored by Sebastian Polter midway through the second half.

“I thought the game turned on the second goal. There should have been a free-kick and they scored,” he said.

“We lost confidence after that. With the results we’ve been having, confidence is low.

“Goals change games and the second goal changed it. We always believed we were in it.”