Speaking to SKy Sports, Keith Andrews said he felt “immense pride” after Brentford’s 0-0 draw at Leeds United, with the head coach praising his side’s character, defensive discipline and willingness to adapt in difficult circumstances at Elland Road.
Keith Andrews said he felt “immense pride” after Brentford’s goalless draw away to Leeds United, with the head coach framing the result as one built on character, resilience and the willingness of his players to adapt under pressure.
Brentford were held 0-0 at Elland Road in a match short on quality, but Andrews’ reaction afterwards made clear he saw the evening through a different lens. With a light bench, a disrupted build-up and players forced to dig deep late in the game, the Brentford boss focused less on what his side lacked in attack and more on the mentality they showed to come through a difficult away test.
“My initial reaction and feeling is just immense pride really,” Andrews told Sky Sports. “We had to dig deep; we knew we would have to perform with a level of grit tonight"
Andrews explains defensive shift
One of the key tactical talking points was Brentford’s switch from a back three to a back five, a change Andrews said was driven by circumstance rather than design.
“I changed to a back 5 out of necessity,” he said.
That decision also brought Ethan Pinnock into sharper focus, and Andrews reserved particular praise for the defender after what he described as a major display against Leeds’ aerial threat.
“Ethan Pinnock coming into the team and what he could do for us. I thought he was outstanding tonight, his performance, defending the box, crosses, dealing with Calvert-Lewin’s aerial threat. It was a big night for him.”
While Brentford did not do enough going forward to win the game, their head coach clearly viewed the defensive side of the performance as the platform that earned the point.
Honest about attacking shortcomings
Andrews was not blind to Brentford’s limitations at the other end of the pitch. Asked about the balance between the team’s defensive resilience and lack of attacking edge, he accepted there were moments when Brentford could have been better in the final third.
“Two-fold,” he told Sky Sports. “I agree in some parts with the pass, the final execution, the decision making. I thought at times they (Thiago and Schade) could have done better, and the timing of their runs could have been better.”
That was the more critical part of his response, but it did not dominate his overall message. Instead, Andrews quickly returned to the wider context around the performance and the way his players had handled it.
“But the reality is we had a disrupted preparation for this game and with a couple of things going on that the players have just taken everything onboard amazingly well,” he said. “They’re a phenomenal bunch of players that I genuinely feel privileged to be the head coach of. So very little gripes from me tonight. I feel immense pride of what they’ve produced.”
European push still alive
The draw does little to transform Brentford’s position in the table, but Andrews suggested the bigger picture remains very much alive with seven games to go.
“Yeah I think we’ve worked hard to get into that position, that’s the reality. We’ve pushed really hard, we’ve given absolutely everything and we’ll continue to do so.”
It was a fitting way to sum up both the night and Brentford’s wider season. The performance at Leeds was not especially polished, and the attacking quality was not always there. But Andrews’ reaction made clear he saw the point as something earned rather than merely taken, and as another step in a campaign his side are still trying to drive towards Europe.