Jack O'Connell is out to capitalise on Harlee Dean's suspension and keep his spot in the Brentford team under new head coach Dean Smith.
The former Blackburn man made his first start since the end of September in the 1-1 draw against Bolton after his team-mate's red card against Nottingham Forest and would have impressed the former Walsall boss, who was watching from the stands.
And he has the chance to impress in Saturday's game against MK Dons and the following week's west London derby at Fulham before Dean is available again meaning O'Connell is keen to make a strong first impression.
He said: “I get on with Harlee but I want to keep the shirt. We're team mates but we train every day.
“We both train hard. We're competing and I think it's a healthy competition. We're a good, well-knit team and we'll push each other. It's a friendly rivalry.”
He added: “All I can do is impress and try my best and hopefully it'll get me a start when the manager comes in.
The squad found out about Smith's appointment ahead of the game but won't meet the new boss in person until Thursday when they return to training after two days off.
O'Connell explained: “We found out about it from Lee Carsley before the game. We haven't had a chance to speak to him yet but we'll do that on Thursday.”
