BRENTFORD have the League Two title at their mercy after eking out another slender clean-sheet victory on Tuesday night - while nearest challengers Wycombe slipped up at Lincoln.

They now enjoy a seven point lead at the top of the table and are nine points above the play-offs.

But they can still expect a tight and tense war of attrition against Peter Taylor's Chairboys, in this weekend's top-ofthee-table clash, according to defender John Halls.

The sides drew a drab encounter 0-0 earlier this season at Adams Park and we could be in for the same fare, he believes.

"Wycombe have dropped some points tonight so they will be raring to get back on it especially, against us as it is the top two," Halls told the Gazette.

"It's going to be a tight game it's not going to be end-to-end. It will be two teams who are not looking to give anything away. But we will do our utmost to go forwards and score goals.

"I wouldn't expect too many goals, but a clean sheet for us would be lovely and if we nick one at the other end it would be a bonus."

Halls added: "They have got a good couple of strikers and some good players in midfield. They also keep a lot of clean sheets so they have got a good defence as well.

"Hopefully we can keep them quiet and if we can nick a goal or two, that's what we will be aiming to do."

The Brentford defender insists that even if Brentford win at the weekend, no-one will get ahead of themselves but will remain focused on gaining the points needed to secure promotion before thinking about being crowned champions of League Two.

"We have still got a lot of teams around in the chasing pack; Rochdale, Bury, Exeter.

"They are all climbing and are all still in touching distance.

"We just want to make sure we keep getting the points on the board and just keep trying to get as far away from the others as we can.

"We will see where we are in five to seven games time and if we're up, we can look at the title then."

The Bees' promotion ambitions took a massive boost after with their 1-0 victory over Barnet at Griffin Park in midweek.

Marcus Bean has been in the habit of popping up with important goals this season and his eight minute header from a Kevin O'Connor corner proved decisive.

"It was a hard game. I thought Barnet did really well to be fair," Halls said of opponents who have only four teams below them in the table and who cannot yet be certain of avoiding a return to the Conference.

"We were a little bit backsto-the-wall and I don't think we performed anywhere near what we are capable of, but we still defended well and got a bit of luck.

"There was also a great save from Ben Hamer in the first half and in the end we came away with the three points, that's the main thing.

"We'll now get our heads down in training and focus on the game on Saturday."

Boss Andy Scott said: "We were bombarded for the last 15 to 20 minutes. Sometimes you have to win like that in League Two.You can't play great every week. You have to grind out results sometimes."

Brentford's latest shut-out was their fourth in a row and their 17th of the season. They are also unbeaten in eight games - a crucial statistic at a key moment in the season.

The Barnet win capped another excellent week for Scott - although there was one downside in the realisation that Nathan Elder will be out of action for the rest of the season.

Elder suffered a double cheekbone fracture after coming on as sub at Rotherham on Saturday. The club are furious with Rotherham's Pablo Mills, accusing him of using an elbow that damaged Elder's eye socket and cheek and has left him with impaired vision.

Scott wasted no time in taking another striker on loan in Sam Williams, who came off the bench for the final 20 minutes on Tuesday night. The 21-year-old from Aston Villa has been signed for a month. Match Details BEES (0) 1 BARNET (0) 0 Line-up: Hamer; Halls, Phillips, Bennett, Dickson; Smith (M Williams 73), O'Connor (Hunt 89), Bean, Wood; MacDonald, Rhodes (S Williams 70). Subs not used: Brown, Osborne. Attendance: 4,742 GOAL: Bean (8).

MoM: Alan Bennett 

Next Up: WYCOMBE WS

Griffin Park Saturday 3pm League Two Manager: Peter Taylor Position last season: 7th Form Guide: A last minute equaliser at home to Chesterfield on Saturday kept the Chairboys in second place, four points behind the Bees with a game in hand but they lost ground with an 1-0 defeat at Lincoln in midweek. Wycombe have lost only five games this season - with the only other away defeats coming at Aldershot (2-3),Bournemouth (1-3) and Bradford (0-1), while there have been seven victories on the road. They have built their success this season on clean sheets - having only conceded 22 goals in 35 games. That's three fewer than the Bees.

Players to look out for: Former Bees players John Mousinho and Matt Harrold will be eager to show what Griffin Park has been missing. [25a0] Most recent meetings: Wycombe Ws 0-0 Brentford (13 Sep 2008); Brentford 1-3 Wycombe Ws (26 Dec 2007); Wycombe Ws 1-0 Brentford (9 Sep 2007) - League Two.

Head-to-head record: BEES Wins: 7 WW Wins: 8 Draws: 9

Match Facts: The clubs have only met 24 times, with Wycombe holding a slight win advantage. But they only gained their first win at Griffin Park last season - a 3-1 success coming in their 10th visit to west London since the first clash in March 1995. Wycombe scored only twice in nine games before their Boxing Day visit in 2007. [25a0] Forecast: The drama of the occasion - top versus second - might stifle adventure. A draw seems likely.

In Midweek: CHESTERFIELD

Griffin Park Tuesday, 7.45pm League Two Manager: Lee Richardson Position last season: 8th Form Guide: In spite of decent away form, which has brought seven wins and only six defeats, the Spireites are stuck in mid-table and well off the pace in terms of the play-offs because of a modest home record. They need to cash in on several games in hand to change their fate. They are unbeaten in five after a 2-1 win over Grimsby in midweek and they travel to Dagenham this coming weekend before their visit to Griffin Park.

Players to look out for: Striker Jack Lester has been prolific - notching 17 goals so far. But he's also collected seven yellow cards and a red in an eventful season. [25a0] Most recent meetings: Chesterfield 0-1 Brentford (27 Sep 2008); Chesterfield 1-0 Brentford (23 Feb 2008); Brentford 2-1 Chesterfield (12 Jan 2008) - Lge Two.

Head-to-head record: BEES Wins: 29 CFC Wins: 19 Draws: 19 [

Match Facts: Marcus Bean netted a seventh-minute winner when the sides met at Chesterfield in September and the Bees will be scenting a double. Chesterfield are without a win in their last 10 visits. You have to go back to September 1995 to find their last success in west London (2-1). [25a0] Forecast: After the weekend summit clash, the Bees should enjoy a breadand-butter clash - and three points.

Gazette forecast success rate: 26 out of 40 (65 per cent)