Brentford Week in Review, Monday 26th October: Ouattara Rescues a Point at Hull as Rugby Ball Incident Sparks Police Probe
It was a draw against Hull City that dominated headlines this week. The Bees fell behind to an early Oli McBurnie penalty at the MKM Stadium before Dango Ouattara, found by Igor Thiago, levelled things up in the second half to make it 1-1 (The Sun) (Evening Standard) (Sky Sports) (BrentfordFC.com) (The Guardian). BBC Sport noted it was Hull's third successive home draw and extended their winless run to seven games, while the Tigers' unbeaten home record stayed intact (BBC Sport) (The Guardian) (BBC Sport). Keith Andrews and Michael Kayode both gave their reaction to the result on the club's official channels (BrentfordFC.com) (BrentfordFC.com), and a Brentford fan quoted by BBC Sport admitted the players were "far too casual" in the draw (BBC Sport).
Igor Thiago's form has become a talking point following the Hull game. Sky Sports pointed out that after scoring 22 Premier League goals last season, Thiago has managed just one in seven league games so far this campaign, prompting questions about whether Brentford should be concerned (Sky Sports). BBC Sport also carried the view of a Brentford fan who described the striker's form as "concerning" (BBC Sport).
Ahead of the Hull trip, there was the usual build-up on the official site, including a press conference with Keith Andrews (BrentfordFC.com), match previews (BrentfordFC.com) (BrentfordFC.com), team news updates covering Schuster, Jensen and Collins (BrentfordFC.com), and confirmation that Andrews made three changes to his starting line-up (BrentfordFC.com). Sports Mole and Football365 also published their own previews and head-to-head looks at the fixture (Sports Mole) (Sports Mole) (Football365).
Away from the pitch, the big off-field story concerned the previous match at home to Liverpool, when a rugby ball was kicked from height towards the pitch during the Premier League game. Brentford said they are working with the police over what was described as a "dangerous" incident, and the Met Police have since confirmed they are investigating (BBC Sport) (Evening Standard). In a lighter footnote to that same game, BBC comedian Lloyd Griffith, who went viral for heading the ball back onto the pitch, later revealed he has gone deaf in one ear, though this was linked to a separate incident at a wedding rather than the game itself (The Sun).
On the recruitment side, The Sun ran a lengthy feature on Brentford's scouting methods, reporting on the extraordinary lengths the club's recruitment team went to - including speaking to restaurant owners - as part of their research before signing Mamadou Sangare, underlining the club's reputation for unearthing hidden gems (The Sun).
In the women's game, Brentford Women booked their place in the next round of the Women's FA Cup with a convincing 3-0 win over tier-four side Dartford at home (BrentfordFC.com) (BrentfordFC.com). Ilana Harris-Walters reflected on her Gtech Community Stadium debut, calling it a "dream come true" (BrentfordFC.com), while the Women's first team now have an away trip to AFC Greenwich Borough pencilled in for 8 November (BrentfordFC.com).
There was plenty of good news in the academy too. The U19s continued their Middlesex Senior Cup run with a penalty shootout win over North Greenford United after a 1-1 draw (BrentfordFC.com), though the U18s were beaten 5-4 in a nine-goal thriller away at Fulham (BrentfordFC.com). The U16s qualified for a Premier League national tournament to be held in Spain (BrentfordFC.com), and the U21s preview their Premier League 2 clash with Bournemouth (BrentfordFC.com). Elsewhere, Brentford B captain Caelan Avenell spoke about overcoming ACL setbacks to reach his current role (BrentfordFC.com), and academy chief David Rainford discussed the club's Category One progress and plans for the future (BrentfordFC.com).
Finally, the club continued its strong community work this week. Josh Dasilva and Nathan Collins visited Lyon Park School as part of the No Room For Racism campaign (BrentfordFC.com), while the pair also discussed inclusion during a Primary Stars school visit (BrentfordFC.com). Karleigh Osborne spoke candidly about racism, representation and the road ahead (BrentfordFC.com), and the club's Football and Faith series featured Fábio Carvalho, Josh Dasilva and Igor Thiago (BrentfordFC.com).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.