“We’ve got to fight…” – Licking wounds and praise for Thomas Frank as Neil Thompson prepares for Brentford test

The Owls go up against Thomas Frank’s side on Wednesday evening as both sides look to try and get back to winning ways, with the hosts having lost three games on the bounce and likely to face SWFC without their injured top scorer, Ivan Toney.

Things were looking better when ‘Thommo’ took over from Tony Pulis, pulling together a good run of form that saw the Owls get out of the relegation zone for a short period, however they were handed a gut-punch over the weekend after their 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham City.

Thompson knows that things won’t get any easier as they continue to play two games a week in one of the most cramped seasons ever, and he points out that they’ll need to be better this week if they’re going to get anything in West London.

He told the media post-Birmingham, “There’s still a long way to go, but we’ve got to fight because we’ve got a game on Wednesday against Brentford that’ll be very difficult, and then again on Saturday against Luton. You lick your wounds, but you’ve still got to out and play next week.

It’s a big challenge, they’ll be licking their wounds as well – they’ve had three defeats. We know very well that they’re a really good team who play very expansive. There’s a lot of rotation and Thomas Frank has done a brilliant job down there, but they’ll be looking over their shoulders as well because the pressure is on them to get automatic… We’ve got to be focused and positive about it.

And when asked about the Bees’ run of defeats lately? He was very matter of fact, saying, “Birmingham hadn’t won in how many? Stoke hadn’t won in how many? It’s football isn’t it.”

The Owls and Bees will face off at 7pm on Wednesday evening in another big night in the Championship, with the visitors knowing – as things stand - that a win could see them climb out of the league’s bottom three once again.

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