By Jerome Coombe
Thomas Frank believes Brentford target man Ivan Toney should be recalled to the England squad after scoring his third goal in four games to secure a deserved 2-0 win at Wolves.
The Bees posed a significant threat in the early stages of the contest and pressure finally told when Christian Norgaard broke free to nod Sergio Reguilon’s corner home from close range in the 35th minute.
Wolves went in search of a response but Mark Flekken got down well to deny Pedro Neto on two occasions, following on from his stellar first half performance against Manchester City in the week.
Toney sealed all three points in the 77th minute with a neat finish from Vitaly Janelt’s pinpoint cross, sealing Brentford’s first points on the road since late October.
"I know what Ivan can bring and I think it's something different England don't have," Frank said to Sky Sports of his forward, who registered his last cap at Wembley in March.
“He is a top player and a top striker, and he was top today. He played with illness, but managed to get through the game and was still a threat.
"It shows everything about his mentality. He is unique. He has always been committed for the team, for the club and his team-mates.
"Who knows what is going to happen in the summer? What Ivan is very good at is being in the moment, right now, here, ready. That's what he is focusing on.”
After the win at Molineux, Toney told the BBC's Match of the Day: "I can't make clubs come and get me. I've just got to keep doing what I do and that's score goals and like I said, what will be will be."
The boss was delighted with the clean sheet, a first for the Bees since the win at Chelsea in October, coinciding with the source of their last points away from home.
“I am so pleased and proud of the players, especially their defensive urgency,” Frank added.
“We know when we are on it, we are one of the good defensive sides in the league and we lack that level of consistency and urgency in too many games.
“It feels like it’s been three years since we had a clean sheet.
“I said in the meeting ‘clean sheet, win the game’, because we know we always score goals - always.”
Praise was heaped on specific players in the defensive unit, which was the driving force behind the much-needed win for Brentford.
“We have a very good keeper. I think the way he [Flekken] dominated his box was fantastic, and on the ball, just top,” Frank added.
“He [Nathan Collins] stepped and he was aggressive, and he won balls in situations where we really needed it.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here