Brentford will have to take Notts County seriously if they want to progress to round four of the FA Cup, not that Dean Smith and his coaching staff will do anything else.

The likelihood is Dean Smith will use the game to give some minutes to the likes of Luke Daniels, Josh McEachran and Ilias Chatzitheodoridis among others but they still have the quality to claim victory over the Magpies.

However, Kevin Nolan's side appear to be on an upward trajectory under the ownership of Alan Hardy.

County, who have lost only three league games this season, are second in League Two on goal differenceand their bonus structure has been costing the club £40,000 a month.

Owner Hardy, though, believes it has helped motivate the players and has resulted in them claiming late winners when they could have taken a point.

"It's going the wrong way [financially] due to the fact the players are doing so well on the pitch," said Hardy.

"Each month we're paying out over £40,000 in bonuses to players and management because they are on great win bonuses."

He continued to BBC Radio Nottingham: "That's how you motivate people, by putting it out there.

"You get bonuses for being top of the league, bonuses for [being in the] top three, and that's why players are scoring in the 96th minute, because it all goes towards motivation."

There is no doubt then that Hardy will be viewing the upcoming FA Cup tie as a chance to recoup some of that money.

Third round winners receive £67,500 which would cover a month and a half's worth of bonuses not to mention the additional funds a round four tie can bring. That windfall is not to be sniffed at from a Brentford perspective either as it can cover part of the squad's weekly wage.

Notts County owner and chairman Alan Hardy with manager Kevin Nolan

Clearly, the dangerman as far as Notts are concerned, is Jorge Grant, who has 14 goals and five assists.

The 22-year-old is on loan from Nottingham Forest and there were rumours, reported by sister website Nottingham Post, that the Bees were looking at the forward.

Grant, though, signed a three year contract at The City Ground and the Tricky Trees are highly unlikely to allow him to join a fellow Championship club on a permanent transfer.

And Nolan knows that he has a special talent on his hands.

“We speak to Jorge about it, it just comes to him in the box. It’s not him being lucky, it’s having a nous to be able to do that,” he said.

“For me, that’s what he is. He’s a special kind of player because even if he’s not having a major impact on the game, he can pop up with something.”

If I was Nolan, I'd be looking at how Burton picked up a point at Griffin Park and sitting back, invite the Bees forward and crowd them out before hitting on the counter.

It's a frustrating tactic and has worked to silence the home fans and make things difficult for the Bees.

If both sides play to their capabilities, then Brentford should win, even if they make changes, but the Bees must be on their mettle.