Smith hails players after crucial Brentford win

Brentford boss Dean Smith was full of praise for his players after they beat Bolton 3-1 at Griffin Park to move 12 points clear of the relegation zone.

Following an alarming recent slump, the Bees have responded with crucial back-to-back wins, following up Saturday’s 3-0 victory at Nottingham Forest with another resounding display.

They were 3-0 up at half-time after Nico Yennaris’ opener and two goals from Lasse Vibe.

Smith said: “It’s great to get the two wins and it’s something we needed to do. I had great belief in the players that they could.

“If someone had offered me three weeks ago two wins in four days and three goals in each game, I would have taken it.

“We started with intent, looked really bright and as a contest it was over by half-time.”

The result moved Smith’s side up to 14th in the Championship table, with 49 points.