Middlesbrough 0-1 Brentford: Jonathan Woodgate calls for VAR after defeat

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Brentford forward Ollie WatkinsImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Ollie Watkins scored his 24th goal for Brentford

Middlesbrough head coach Jonathan Woodgate called for VAR to be introduced in the Championship after seeing his side have two goals ruled out in a 1-0 defeat by Brentford.

Twice Ashley Fletcher had the ball in the net for Boro before half-time only for the assistant referee to rule both out - first for handball then offside.

Woodgate's side then conceded the winner shortly after half-time as Ollie Watkins celebrated signing a new four-year contract with the Bees by turning in Sergi Canos' cross.

"We've got VAR in the Premier League - why not in the Championship?" Woodgate told BBC Radio Tees. "Are these games less important? I don't think they are.

"We had two goals ruled out - one is onside and the other isn't handball. People can't be making these mistakes, this is big business."

Boro also saw Britt Assombalonga strike the base of a post in a dominant first half but they slipped to defeat in their opening home game of the season for the first time since 2013.

It was further frustration for Woodgate, whose side were denied by an 85th-minute equaliser at Luton in his first game in charge.

"The first half performance, I thought we were excellent," said Woodgate. "We dominated and should have been two or three up at half-time, and I thought we deserved the victory."

Brentford responded to an opening weekend defeat by Birmingham with a second-half rally.

Mathias Jensen tested Boro goalkeeper Darren Randolph before Watkins broke the deadlock with his 24th Brentford goal.

Canos then had a chance to double the lead but shot wide from 15 yards out.

But the Bees saw the game out for their second win on Teesside in five months - having previously waited 81 years for victory at Middlesbrough.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank: "I have big belief in Ollie - he scored a classic number nine goal.

"We had to sell the best number nine in the league when Neal [Maupay] left, but now the new number nine has scored, so it is a case of job done.

"I was disappointed with us in the first half because we gave the ball away too much, and I was impressed with Middlesbrough.

"We kept throwing the ball away and making bad decisions. At half-time, I said we needed to be much more aware, that we were too soft, and that we had to make better decisions."

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