Dean Smith was delighted with what his Brentford side learned in their 2-2 draw with Southampton.

The Bees led at half-time thanks to Lasse Vibe's strike before falling 2-1 down after a Charlie Austin brace.

However, Fraser Forster's howler as he punched Josh Clarke's cross into his own net saw the two sides share the spoils.

Smith said: “It was a great exercise. We played really well against them in the first half and there are a lot of pluses.

Lasse Vibe celebrates his goal

“We have to make sure we continue it as maybe the first 15-20 minutes of the second half where we weren't quite as good.”

The Bees were sloppy at the start of the second half and Romaine Sawyers and John Egan collided to gift Austin the equaliser. Smith brushed the error off and felt the substitutions changed the game.

He added: “For me that was a bit of confusion. Romaine has done well initially and then him and Egan got in each other's way and their lad had a tap in.

“It wasn't until we made the substitutions that we regained momentum. I thought Ryan Woods got on the ball and used it extremely wisely.”

Kamo Mokotjo

Bees fans got their first look at Kamo Mokotjo at Griffin Park and the South African impressed, especially with the way he got into the right place at the right time.

Smith added: “That's the way he plays. He doesn't just want to sit in there. If we want to get on the ball and play the way we do we have to have the rotation we had with Kamo, Josh and Romaine.

“One minute Kamo was propping up the midfield and then it's Romaine and then it's Josh. It'll be a big plus for us.”

Neal Maupay

Neal Maupay and Ollie Watkins both made their debuts against the Saints in the second half and Smith was pleased with what he saw.

The head coach said: “Neal and Ollie have had a couple of days with us so they're getting to know us and the players are getting to know them.

“He's a physical threat up there and he puts his body in there. You can see he's hungry for goals. It'd have been nice for him to get that goal.

“From what we've seen in training, we like what we've got. He's a good finisher but he's got a great attitude and that's one of the most important things.”

Ollie Watkins

Watkins played behind Maupay and Smith sees that role being his best for the moment, rather than as an out and out striker.

He explained: “It's a role he can play. I believe he'll end up being a number nine but I don't feel he's ready for that.

“He can carry the ball. His one or two touch play is excellent. You can see why he was voted the young player of the season.

“You can see his knowledge of the game and his understanding is very good. He can play in the wide area as well.”