Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis is among the growing admirers of the work Dean Smith has done during his time at Brentford.

The Bees were the better side as they played out a 1-1 draw at Griffin Park on Saturday afternoon; Lewis Macleod cancelled out Adama Traore's fine opener.

And Pulis admitted that Brentford would have won on points if it was a boxing contest as he conceded that they were the superior team on the day.

Dean Smith

“I thought they were the better team but we have worked really hard defensively and did a smashing job in restricting them to shots from outside the box,” he said.

“They are a decent side and Dean Smith has done a smashing job here. He keeps producing good players, sells them and producing new ones.”

He added: “I’m disappointed in some ways because we can play much better than that, but this is an old-fashioned ground with fans tight to a pitch which looks small… but they made it look very big for us.”

Pulis insisted he was not surprised by the Londoners, but felt that Traore could do with more protection.

He explained: “Every time Adama picks the ball up he gets fouled before he gets into motion. In the last few games the opposition have been quite content to bring him down, but to my mind he needs some protection.

“You have to turn up in this league because the opposition will always give you a game, but to be honest today I can’t criticise our effort or commitment.”

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