Dan Bentley may only be 24 but he sees himself as one of the senior pros in the Brentford dressing room.

The goalkeeper has made over 200 senior appearances already in his career having started out at Southend before moving to Griffin Park last summer.

This time last year, he made his first appearance in the Championship and understands the learning curve those making the same step, such as Kamo Mokotjo, Henrik Dalsgaard, Ollie Watkins and Neal Maupay face this season.

He said: “Every game is a learning curve, whether it's win lose or draw. For those that have less experience in the Championship and the younger lads and I say that at 24 but I feel like a veteran.

“The less experienced players are going to be on a learning curve all season. It's up to the senior lads and I'd consider myself that and help develop the younger players and make sure the learning curve is a smooth one.”

It's strange to see a 24-year-old as a senior pro but Brentford's average age was in the region of 22 last season so Bentley is happy to have a more senior role.

He added: “I've played a great deal of games and one of my attributes is being a leader.

“I'm confident in going to help people on and off the pitch and be one of those to drag the team out of certain situations and make sure they're doing the right things.”

Despite the opening day loss, Bentley believes that there is still a strong chance of success over the course of the Championship season.

He explained: “We have young, hungry players who want to achieve and the squad echoes that. We've got very good lads. We all drive each other on.

“You'll never see a player downing tools and we all believe in each other and the manager believes in us as well.

“We've got the blessings of the manager and the directors of football. The owner has brought us in for certain reasons so they believe in us. It speaks volumes so we have to deliver the goods on the pitch.”

The opening day defeat will keep Brentford under the radar as far as the promotion race is concerned and that is just fine for Bentley.

He said: “It's a difficult league with excellent teams and better individuals who have played at a high level.

“There's been a lot of money spent. It'll be a difficult season but the squad we have and the belief we have in each other.

“If you look at the whole package, we've got a great chance to stamp our authority on the division.

“The press are going to be interested in Middlesbrough, Hull City and that's fine with us and we'll see where it takes us at the end of the year.”