'Manager of season contender' Andrews has Brentford dreaming of Europe

ByAdwaidh Rajan

BBC Sport journalist

Brentford and Burnley produced a Premier League classic, with the Bees coming out 4-3 winners in an edge-of-the-seat thriller.

They threw away a three-goal lead before midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard's 93rd-minute goal helped them edge past Burnley, but that was far from the end of the drama at Turf Moor.

Clarets striker Ashley Barnes thought he had equalised in the 98th minute, only for the goal to be ruled out by the video assistant referee (VAR) for a handball which needed four minutes and two different angles to be confirmed.

It was not the straightforward win that Brentford manager Keith Andrews would have hoped for to celebrate signing a new contract until 2032 this week.

"It had a bit of everything," Andrews told BBC Match of the Day. "The neutrals will be very pleased, but it's far too much drama for my liking."

Nonetheless, the gritty victory has Brentford sitting seventh in the table, trailing fifth-placed Liverpool by five points.

With only 10 games left of their season, it means Brentford are closer than ever to playing in Europe for the first time.

"Definitely they can start dreaming about European football," former England women's captain Steph Houghton told BBC Football Focus.

"They believe in who they are and there is a real humility about them."

Former Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown said: "It's the next step. Five points away from the top five is amazing. Who would have predicted that?"

The remarkable position Brentford find themselves is credit to Andrews, who - it is easy to forget - is in his debut season as a manager.

Many pundits and supporters questioned Andrews' appointment when he was thrust into the hot seat following Thomas Frank's exit for Tottenham last summer.

Appointing the club's set-piece coach to succeed Frank, who guided Brentford into the Premier League during his seven-year tenure, would not have looked a very reassuring move.

And many tipped Brentford as relegation candidates, let alone replicate their 10th-placed finish from 2024-25, following the departures of captain Christian Norgaard, star winger Bryan Mbeumo and the prolific Yoane Wissa.

But eight months on, Andrews is proving his detractors completely wrong.

"Andrews has been fantastic," former England goalkeeper Rob Green told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He's really taken that team and put his own twist on it without it being too drastic. He has managed everything around him very well."

Houghton said: "Andrews deserves all the plaudits. Frank is a tough act to follow, but I like how he has adapted this team."

Damsgaard, who scored twice against Burnley, said: "He is a really good guy, first of all.

"We learn so much from him and he cares so much for this team. He's the perfect fit.

"We have improved so much this season. It's been a pleasure working with him and this group in general.

"It says a lot about the way Brentford do things with him signing a long-term deal. He is why we as a club have been doing so well."

Andrews has built on Frank's work to maximise the quality of the squad, with 18-goal striker Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara stepping up in attack.

The result? Andrews has won 17 of his 34 games as manager, with 13 coming in the league.

Brentford have been impressive on the road, where they have won five of their past six league fixtures - and three in the row for the first time since March 2025.

It makes for impressive numbers, so much so that former Brighton striker Glenn Murray told Football Focus recently: "If the Premier League stopped right now, Andrews would be manager of the season."

Brentford made their Premier League debut in 2021-22 and have not played European football in their 134-year history.

But with England leading the Uefa coefficient table, finishing seventh could be enough for Brentford to claim Conference League football next season.

"We're taking it one game at a time, but hopefully we can dream a little bit," Damsgaard said.

Andrews said: "I haven't looked at the table. We just keep pushing and we've got another tough one on Tuesday against Bournemouth."

Andrews will know he has already done a brilliant job but, if he can successfully guide Brentford into Europe, his stock will only rise further.

Ruby: It's crazy that we thought that with Frank we reached our ceiling, but this season Andrews has taken us above and beyond anything we could have dreamed of when we arrived in the Premier League. Absolutely amazing job.

Gavin: Andrews' success has not gone unnoticed elsewhere. He has been exceptional, seemingly learning from his mistakes and hopefully taking the club to new heights. Congratulations, you've earned your stripes.

Graham: Love Andrews. He's done everything right and has a fantastically down-to-earth and relentless spirit. That said, the success is much more to do with the club than any one person.

Keith: It's been a fantastic first two-thirds of the season and Andrews has to take a lot of responsibility for that. I would have waited until the end of the season to give him a new contract.

Barry: Something tells me Andrews won't last as long as Frank. But, as ever, we trust in owner Matthew Benham and director of football Phil Giles. I suspect we will make money from this deal when Andrews moves on to another club in the future, rather than costing us from an early termination.