CHARLIE MacDonald believes it will be the partnerships around the pitch that determine Brentford's fate this season.

The Bees may not have managed to prise open a stubborn Wycombe at Adams Park last weekend, but it was another encouraging afternoon for Andy Scott's men.

After Craig Pead passed a fitness test, Scott was able to field another unchanged side, as his newly assembled side continues to knit together.

And MacDonald says it is that developing understanding between players in different parts of the pitch that offers the greatest satisfaction so far.

"The more games you play together the more it helps," the striker told the Gazette.

"There are partnerships all over the pitch. Me and Nathan as a front two, Glenn Poole and Brett Johnson down the left and the two centre halves.

"Everywhere it is about partnerships and the more you play together the better we get to know our games and go on from that."

MacDonald continued: "I'm not taking anything for granted. At the moment I'm delighted to be playing and to have scored a couple of goals as well. I just want that to continue.

"That is the main reason I came here - to play games and be scoring goals in a successful team and so far so good.

"I don't have a target for the season. We just want to take every game as it comes and be up there or thereabouts.

"We've got a good enough squad that if we can keep everyone fit and stay on this run and keep going we'll definitely be in the mix at the end of the season."

An away point on a ground they haven't down too well on in the past was a huge lift for the Bees - who are now unbeaten in six games.

So was the distinction of knocking the leaders off the perch for the second week running. A week earlier, it had been Dagenham, this time it was Wycombe.

"Wycombe were very resilient and hadn't conceded in the last four games and I felt they showed us a lot of respect by putting five men in midfield and only one up front," MacDonald said.

"I thought it was a good game of football. There weren't many chances but I felt we had the better of them and certainly deserved a point."

Scott is often the hardest man to please, but the warm glow of another clean sheet - the fourth on six league games - was hard to suppress.

"We've still got improvements to make," he said. "We can still pass the ball better and sharper.

"But I'm really seeing a lot of improvement in us and the players we've brought into the club.

"That's our fourth clean sheet and we're creating chances but there is a lot more to come from us. We've got a few players who are coming back from injury. Nice to see Ryan Dickson come on toward the end.

"We're not conceding goals, we're playing well and creating chances and it is only a matter of time before they materialise into goals.

"It's a wide open league but if you can get a decent run going you have a better chance of being at the top.

"I think there are possibly 8 to 10 teams that could break away but we want to keep ourselves in the top six because we feel we are mentally strong enough to be shot at and cope with it."

Referring to a possible penalty the Bees might have had on Saturday, Scott added: "Maybe on another day we might have got a penalty from Nathan Elder's header where the lad might have blocked it with his arms.

"But I thought our general play, our passing, our movement, was excellent. But you need to score when you are on top."

Match Summary

WYCOMBE (0) BRENTFORD (0)0 Line-up: Hamer; Newton, Wilson, Bennett, Johnson; Williams, Bean, Pead, Poole (Dickson 79); Elder, MacDonald. Subs not used: Brown, Philips, Ochoa, Ademola Attendance: 5,799 MoM: Marcus Bean 

Next Up

LINCOLN CITY, Griffin Park Saturday 3pm League Two

Manager: Peter Jackson Position last season: 15th

Form Guide: After a run of playoff semi-final and final disappointments in recent seasons - through top seven finishes five years in a row - it must have been almost a relief not to go through it all again last year. But the drop in form has been maintained with four defeats in the first six league games. The only win to date was at home to a struggling Barnet (2-0).

On the road, Lincoln have lost at Rotherham (0-1),Wycombe (0-1) and Bury (1-3 on Saturday). Their interest in the Carling Cup ended in the first round with a 3-1 extra-time defeat at Derby.

Players to look out for: It's good to see that former Chelsea stalwart Frank Sinclair is still going strong at the age of 36. He played more than 200 times for the Blues between 1990 and 1998 before moving on to Leicester,Burnley and Huddersfield before a summer move to Sincil Bank. 

Most recent meetings: Lincoln City 3-1 Brentford (19 Apr 2008); Brentford 1-0 Lincoln City (27 Oct 2007) - Lg2.

Head-to-head record: BEES Wins: 18 LC Wins: 19 Draws: 8 [25a0] Match Facts: The Bees have won just once in the past seven clashes with Lincoln - last season's home win which came courtesy of a goal from Sammy Moore. On the plus side for the west Londoners, the Imps have won only once at Griffin Park in 14 visits spread over 40 years - a 1-0 triumph in an old Division Three fixture in 1986. Last year's meetings were the first between the clubs for 22 years.

Forecast: Looks like an easy afternoon for the Bees, who will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches. They should help themselves to three more welcome points.

Gazetteforecast success rate: 5 correct out of 7 (71%)