Andrews: Small steps are making Brentford grow as a group

Keith Andrews believes his Brentford side are “growing as a group” following their EFL Cup win over Aston Villa.

After Harvey Elliott opened the scoring at Gtech Community Stadium, Aaron Hickey’s second-half equaliser forced penalties between the two Premier League sides.

And the returning Mikkel Damsgaard struck the decisive spot-kick to seal a 4-2 victory in the shootout, sealing their spot in the fourth round of the competition.

The result came after they salvaged a point in their last Premier League encounter against Chelsea, with Fabio Carvalho striking in second-half stoppage time for the Bees.

Brentford find themselves 12th in the top-flight with four points from their first four games, one place below Fulham, who they face this Saturday.

Quick take: Big picture: the update fits broader trends across the league with schedule pressure and tight tables. Supporters will watch for clarity from training ground reports and official briefings. We’ll keep an eye on confirmed details as the story develops from official sources.

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Andrews: Small steps are making Brentford grow as a group