Tommy Smith is bullish about his chances of earning a deal at Brentford and insists he can still do a job in the Championship.

The 34-year-old is on trial with the Bees after he was released by Cardiff City at the end of the season following a frustrating season in South Wales where he featured just three times.

However, Smith, who has won promotion to the Premier League with QPR and the Bluebirds in recent years, feels he can still compete in the second tier as he tries to impress Brentford boss Mark Warburton.

Familiar face: Smith knows Mark Warburton from their time at Watford

He said: “We crossed paths at Watford when Warbs was the academy director. He invited me down to train for the time being to see if we like eachother. It’s gone really well and we are talking every day about things, so we will see what happens.

“I feel I have got another season in my legs because I’ve had 12 months where I’ve not had a lot of game time. I suppose that’s the positive that came from last season. I feel as fit as ever. I’m not injury-prone, so that stands me in good stead.

“I’ve played a lot of my career in the Championship and have a fair bit of experience at that level that I could add to the squad. You’ve got to have a good blend.

Where it all started: Smith in action for Watford in his early years

“There’s a young squad with a lot of talent. The tempo in training has been really good and the manager has them firing after promotion last season.”

Smith found himself frozen out at Cardiff last campaign as they failed to avoid relegation back to the Championship after just 12 months in the top flight.

But the former Watford, Sunderland, Derby and Portsmouth forward insists he’s champing at the bit to get playing again.

Frustrating: Smith was restricted to just three appearances last season

He added: “It was a great first season for me when we won promotion from the Championship. I played a huge part in that. However, it was a different story last year. New players came in and I found myself out of the team.

“There was a change in manager and then more players were brought in. I tried to get out on loan in January because I just wanted to play football, but unfortunately nothing materialised.

“I’m excited about what’s happening at Brentford, so hopefully I can be a part of that.”

Experienced: Smith has passed the 500-games mark

Tonight’s friendly at Boreham Wood comes too soon for Smith but he could play at part in next week’s games against Barnet and Nice.

He added: "I've only been training a few days, so it's come a bit too soon for me. The rest of the lads have been back in for a few weeks. Hopefully I can play in one of the games next week."

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