Smith praises Jeanvier after Bees cup win

Brentford boss Dean Smith hailed Julian Jeanvier after the French defender booked the Bees’ place in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

The hosts were in total control and should have won by a greater scoreline but spurned several good openings and visiting goalkeeper Scott Flinders was in fine form.

Nico Yennaris, Said Benrahma, Lewis Macleod and Alan Judge all had great chances to break the deadlock before Jeanvier added to his first-round goal to send Brentford into round three with the only goal of the game.

“He’s a top player and that’s why we went in for him. He’s a lovely lad and very humble. He understands Ezri Konsa and Chris Mepham have grabbed the shirt. He’s working hard to win it back and they’ll have to be on their toes,” Smith said.

“I thought a lot of players stepped up tonight. Cheltenham were very game and we had to play at our usual standards. Their keeper and our finishing probably kept the scoreline down.

“It was as comfortable a 1-0 as you could possibly have. We’ll be looking to take our chances more on Saturday.

“You’ve got 11 opposition players looking to stop you. It’s the hardest thing in football and you have to pay big money to score goals. I believe that with the chances we’re creating we’ll score a lot this season. So far, we’ve been okay.”