Intense training sessions are the key to Brentford being able to cope with the physicality of teams like Preston, according to Dean Smith.
The Bees were exposed to some roughhouse tactics at Deepdale on Saturday , with Joe Garner especially lucky not to see red for swinging an arm in Sam Saunders' face.
But Smith's men, who have often been criticised for having a soft underbelly this season, stood tall and let their football do the talking as they ended a four-match losing streak with a 3-1 win .
The Bees boss said: “I think the players have been in the Championship for a long time now, or at least some of them, and some of them are just starting to know it.
“They can look after themselves. They know what the Championship is about. There are some physical challenges you have to meet. The lads met them today and held their own.
“Speaking with Lee Carsley before I came here, the intensity in training is very important, and if you can get that then you get competitive training session all the time. It matches what you're going to do on a Saturday, and you get that week in week out.”
Of the incident with Garner, he added: “It was right in front of us. I thought he swung his arm and caught Sam, and if they see that it's a red card.
“I find it strange that it becomes a yellow card given the incident that happened, but the referee made a decision and you just get on with it.”
Smith was also pleased with the way his side approached a difficult week, following the James Tarkowski strike saga and a first half drubbing by Burnley last Friday.
He said: “From half time on the Friday evening against Burnley, when they came in with a bit of despair, being 3-0 down and playing poorly – since then they have been outstanding.
“The week has been very good in training, and in the behind closed doors friendly against Brighton they followed it up, and backed it up today too, which was really pleasing.
“It was crucial to stop the losing run. We'd lost four on the spin, and in my opinion didn't deserve to. I can only concentrate on performances, and hopefully results come with that. The players have always shown that.
“It's very easy to feel sorry for yourself 3-0 down at half time against Burnley live on television, but the players showed their character, won the second half, carried it on through the week, and came here and put in a good performance as well.”
