Dean Smith felt Brentford's 2-1 defeat at Cardiff had the markings of a pre-season game due to the pace of play.

The Bees were breathtaking against Bristol City and Leeds last week but, on Saturday, there was none of the pace, verve and je ne sais quoi that hallmarked those two victories.

And Smith acknowledged that fact as the slow pace of the game in the Welsh capital did not make for an entertaining affair.

He said: “It looked at times a bit of a pre-season game. There was no atmosphere. The pitch was slow and it was a slow game.”

Romaine Sawyers

Smith, though, was pleased with the performance of Romaine Sawyers at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The former Walsall man was excellent against Leeds on Tuesday night, unlocking the Yorkshire side's defence on a number of occasions.

But, with Cardiff sitting deeper, the midfielder's influence was not as great, although he continued to probe the Bluebirds' defence.

He added: “I thought his link-up play was very good. They sat very deep and didn't want to allow us to get in behind them at all costs so we passed the ball in front of them and tried to work angles to get around them.”