Grabban’s instant impact

MATCH PREVIEW:

AN Athletic old boy will be out to sink his former club at Boundary Park tonight.

Lewis Grabban played 11 times for Athletic on loan from Crystal Palace under John Sheridan three-and-a-half years ago, without managing to find the net.

Now 22 and with Millwall, Grabban is on loan at Brentford and claimed the winning goal as his side saw off relegation-threatened Leyton Orient on Saturday, heading home from close range.

It was his debut for the Bees and the 1-0 victory helped his new team to a comfortable 12th spot in the League One table.

Brentford’s recent form has been good, with manager Andy Scott’s team only losing three of their 12 matches in 2010.

But while they have only been defeated twice at Griffin Park all season, Brentford have suffered defeat nine times on the road where they have scored only 13 goals in 18 matches — a record even a notoriously goal-shy Athletic side can top.

Three of those goals came in an exciting draw away at Colchester exactly a week ago.

Scott, though, felt that his side should have come away from the clash against the play-off chasing Us with all three points, having led three times in the game.

Nick Blackman’s superb curling strike put Athletic ahead in the corresponding fixture at Griffin Park in late August, with Kevin O’Connor equalising from the penalty spot after the break for a 1-1 draw.

It was a game Athletic had plenty of chances to win and they may well have done so but for the good form of goalkeeper Lewis Price, on a season-long loan from Derby County.

With Price not having started a game in goal in the league since late last year, Athletic will have to try to find a way past on-loan Arsenal stopper Wojciech Szczesny instead.

Dutch defender Pim Balkestein signed on loan for Brentford last week from Ipswich with a view to a permanent move and is likely to make his second appearance for the club tonight.