Swindon Town 1–0 Brentford
Adam Forshaw saw red as Brentford lost for only the third time under Mark Warburton at Swindon Town this afternoon.
The Bees' wins over Notts County and Crawley, coupled with Rotherham being held to a goalless draw by Bradford last night, saw fans make their way down the M4 talking of wrapping up a place in the Championship with just two more wins.
However, it will have to wait for another day after a needlessly conceded goal saw the hosts take all three points.
The Bees made two changes from the side that beat Crawley midweek, with Marcello Trotta restored up front ahead of Stuart Dallas and Toumani Diagouraga replacing George Saville in the middle.
The opening exchanges saw Trotta, at full stretch, just miss an inviting Clayton Donaldson cross following a sublime cross field ball from Tony Craig, while at the other end, Alan McCormack made a superb covering tackle to deny former Bee Nathan Byrne on the break.
Donaldson's cross was then deflected onto the roof of the net with Trotta waiting to pounce, but there was a let off for the Bees on 12 minutes when McCormack brought down Alex Pritchard, but David Button dived to his right to brilliantly keep out the penalty from Michael Smith.
At the other end, Forshaw was denied an equally plausible penalty, then came within inches of taking the lead when Jonathan Douglas crashed a header against the angle of the bar and post from a Jake Bidwell free kick.
Trotta then went close three times in succession – firing into the side netting before being denied by Jack Stephens' superb recovery tackle following Diagouraga's through ball, and putting a first time volley from McCormack's cross just wide.
However, the hosts were gifted the lead on the stroke of half time when Button, looking to play it off from the back, inexplicably passed the ball to Douglas as two red shirts bore down on him, and after the Bees midfielder was inevitably relieved of the ball, Nathan Thompson was left with a simple finish.
Swindon could have doubled their lead minutes into the second half when Byrne only found the side netting after Button rushed out into no man's land, but Brentford should have been level soon after when sub Saville smashed in a seemingly unstoppable effort from outside the area, but home keeper Wes Foderingham dived to his right to make a brilliant save.
The Bees' efforts were hampered on 65 minutes, however, when Forshaw, having been booked a minute earlier, made another rash challenge and was sent for an early bath.
Ten-man Brentford took the bull by the horns though and twice came close to equalising, Bidwell pulling his shot just wide of the far post from Donaldson's pull back, before an unmarked James Tarwoksi missed a sitter at the far post from a corner.
But in the end, it was not enough and the Bees' quest for the six points which will seal automatic promotion goes to their Easter double header against Preston and MK Dons.
BEES: Button, McCormack, Tarkowski, Craig, Bidwell (Grigg 86), Douglas, Forshaw, Diagouraga (Saville 58), Judge, Trotta (Dallas 64), Donaldson. Sube not used: Lee, Dean, Reeves, Yennaris.
