Brentford 3-1 Forest Green Rovers

Brentford 3-1 Forest Green Rovers
Carabao Cup Second Round
Tuesday 24th August 2021

At half-time in this game, a shock appeared to be on the cards with Forest Green Rovers leading 1-0 and performing particularly well against a second-string Brentford team desperately lacking bite.

There was to be no upset in the end, however, as the Bees turned to reinforcements for inspiration and booked their place in Round Three thanks to a determined fightback which saw goals from Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and Marcus Forss.

The early season League Two leaders (and surely a good bet to finally win promotion this year?) put up a valiant effort - playing some attractive football at times, keeping possession well, and moving the ball purposefully to create a number of decent openings. Along with two or three good chances that they couldn't convert in the first half, had Josh March's shot also not clipped the outside of the post and had instead found the net just shy of the hour mark to make it 0-2, it might have been a different story.

Within moments of March having been denied by the woodwork, Brentford went down the other end and equalised and from that point onwards it only ever looked as if there would be one winner. Mbeumo's finish made it 2-1 before Ebou Adams' straight red card hindered the visitors' hopes of a comeback, and Forss' late goal proved to be the icing on the cake of an ultimately positive night for the favourites.

With Thomas Frank's team having just begun their maiden Premier League campaign, it's no surprise that tickets are expected to be hard to come by for games at their new 'Community Stadium' this season so when Forest Green were drawn out as their opponents for this tie, it was always top of my agenda to get a ticket and tick off a visit to another ground.

It was surprising just how many tickets made it all the way to general sale with a number being available up to the day of the game whilst one stand was even closed entirely! Anyone who is considering going to their Third Round tie (at home to Oldham Athletic) shouldn't have any problems in that regard. Good luck if you're a neutral trying for a top flight game though!

Sadly, easy and straightforward access doesn't appear to have been amongst the club's priorities when the stadium was designed and constructed. Along with several 'bottleneck' points along Lionel Road - many of which are close to the two footways from where you access the stadium perimeter, anyone with seats in the North Stand will be required to walk to the far end of the complex to reach their turnstile.

Concourses are 'tight' to say the least - lacking spaciousness and feeling similarly claustrophobic to those found at Rotherham United's New York Stadium.

Once inside the ground, it's impressive, clean, comfortable and modern enough and visually one of the better 'new build' venues to have emerged over the past few decades. The two giant screens (centrally perched on the roof of the North and South stands) are a decent addition, there are some pleasant backdrops viewable from seats - including the standpipe tower from the nearby London Museum of Steam & Water, whilst the PA system is amongst the loudest I've experienced anywhere.

Kew Bridge Railway Station is situated just a stonesthrow behind the West Stand and, unsurprisingly, it attracted lengthy queues afterwards. Brentford station is (just about!) within walking distance towards where Griffin Park once stood, but to throw another spanner in the works then Transport for London have decided in their wisdom to close the nearest tube station (Gunnersbury) for an hour after games based on 'safety reasons'.

Quite why it can't cope with crowds from a relatively low capacity stadium is anyone's guess - especially when you consider there are numerous tube stations located close to several bigger stadiums in Greater London which seem to cope absolutely fine on matchdays. It's hardly convenient for anyone - whether that be local residents to Gunnersbury or travelling fans, nor can it be a long-term solution. Anyone planning to use the tube for their visit should be prepared for a 20-25-minute walk up a dual carriageway and then through a dimly-lit housing estate to Acton Town afterwards.

Overall, better local infrastructure and easier access around the ground would have made for a more pleasant experience but it's good to have ticked another ground off the list - meaning I've just got Colchester United to go until I've completed 'The 92'.

Now where can I get cheap rail tickets to Essex...