Just last month, Brentford had leapfrogged Norwich City into the top spot of the Championship and the Bees were the favourites to win the division, according to the Championship odds from Betfair Exchange.
However, four weeks is a very long time in football, and Brentford’s form has left much to be desired in that time.
It was a 3-1 victory over Reading at the Madejski Stadium that propelled Brentford to the top of the table in early February. It was a result that also extended Thomas Frank’s side’s unbeaten streak to 20 games.
Yet, whilst things were looking good for the Bees in their pursuit to win a place back in the top flight of English football for the first time since the 1940s, it is now a very different scenario for the west London side. They have won just twice in their six league games since that victory over Reading and they are now some 13 points adrift of Norwich City, who are on an impressive seven-game win streak.
The good news for the Bees’ fans is that they are just three points shy of second-place Watford, which would still guarantee them automatic promotion. However, Frank’s side will need to turn their results around and fast if they want to stay in the hunt for a direct place in next season’s Premier League.
One thing that Brentford will certainly want to avoid is a repeat of last season. It seemed like it was going to be a fairy-tale ending to the 2019/20 campaign for the Bees, as they buzzed around the automatic promotion places ahead of a move to their new stadium.
However, they were quickly swatted and ended up conceding second place to West Bromwich Albion in the last couple of gameweeks, before later agonisingly losing to local rivals Fulham in a tense play-off final at Wembley.
The club’s fans would have hoped that the players and manager had learnt from that bitter blow. However, there is a real sense of history repeating itself as Brentford slip away back into the play-off spots.
What the Bees must do now is look for a way to reinstate their promotion challenge. After all, not all is lost and they boast a game in hand over Watford, which they must take advantage of.
Up next for Brentford is two away fixtures against Blackburn Rovers and Derby County, and whilst both of those sides are in the bottom half of the table, it is on the road that the Bees have struggled the most.
Frank’s side have lost their last three away fixtures against Queens Park Rangers, Coventry City and Norwich, and now will be a real test of their mettle, especially as they haven’t won away at Blackburn’s Ewood Park since 2015. Luckily, their record against Derby is a little better and with Wayne Rooney’s side struggling for results, now could be the perfect time to play the Rams.
Games after that against the likes of Birmingham City, Preston North End and Millwall should also present Frank’s side with a great chance to pick up more points and they will certainly be fancied to do just that in the Championship betting tips.
There is still plenty of time for Brentford to turn things around and the fixtures are largely in their favour, so Frank and his players must take it into their own hands and make sure that they gain promotion this season.