Thomas Frank refused to be drawn on the future of Ivan Toney after Brentford progressed into the Carabao Cup third round with a controversial 1-0 win at Colchester.
With Toney again absent following more speculation over his future this week, Frank watched Keane Lewis-Potter put the visitors ahead in contentious fashion on the stroke of half-time.
Sky Bet League Two club Colchester wanted a foul for Kevin Schade’s push on Aaron Donnelly, but nothing was given by referee Paul Howard and it allowed Lewis-Potter to walk in the opener.
Further controversy followed in the second half when fans in the South Stand at the JobServe Community Stadium were told in an announcement over the PA system to stop “racist, homophobic and sexist chanting” in the 77th minute.
Four minutes later and Colchester were given a penalty but Jack Payne’s low effort was saved by debutant Hakon Valdimarsson’s feet to send the Premier League club through.
“Similar stand to yesterday. I am not speaking about Ivan,” Frank insisted.
“I want to speak about the 21 lads in the dressing room who did well to get through to the next round of the Carabao Cup against a Colchester team who deserve a lot of praise and made it difficult for us.
“What an experience (for Valdimarsson), we can speak about that.
“Actually nothing better when you get out on top and you had a big scare with the physical duals on the first throw.
“Then he adjusted well and dominated his box in the second half on the long-throws, on the set-pieces and he made a winning save from the penalty. A fantastic debut I would say.”
Frank also handed first starts to big-money summer recruits Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho, who both impressed after a tough opening in Essex.
He added: “I thought Fabio got better and better throughout the game, he got more and more on the ball and started creating. Pleased with his full debut.
“Sepp, also like the rest of the team, for the first 10 minutes had to adjust a bit but after that he stepped up and then he ended at right-back in the last 20 minutes. I liked what I saw as well.”
During a white-hot atmosphere in the second half, chants of “the referee’s a racist” could be heard from Colchester’s noisy South Stand after Howard failed to award a free-kick to Bradley Ihionvien after he tangled with Ben Mee.
Soon after supporters in that section were told to stop “racist, homophobic and sexist chanting” after a police officer spoke with fourth official Ruebyn Ricardo.
“Nope, I haven’t heard anything, no,” Bees boss Frank revealed.
Colchester manager Danny Cowley was angry about the refusal to penalise Schade’s shove on Donnelly.
He said: “I am proud of the players. I am proud of the football club because I thought our supporters were equally as brilliant as the players.
“I am disappointed with the way we have lost because we didn’t deserve that.
“I’ve managed 900 games and that’s always a foul, that always gets given as a foul. The defender is shepherding the ball back, he gets pushed and their player actually tramples over him.
“Our referees have to be given some help. They need to be full-time.”
[(Manchester City F.C.) Strength]: 1. Manchester City F.C. started with a 4-0 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. in the first game of the new season. New signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki both made their debuts and scored, while Erling Haaland scored a brace, showcasing his excellent form. Returning to the Etihad Stadium for this round, they face old rivals Tottenham Hotspur F.C....
[(Mallorca) Strength]: 1. Mallorca made a poor start in the new season. They are motivated to bounce back with a win as they continue to play at home this time.[(Mallorca) Weakness]: 1. Manu Morlanes and Vedat Muriqi were sent off by red cards respectively in the last game, thus being suspended.2. Mallorca lost to the defending champions FC Barcelona 0-3 at home in the last league game.3. Mallorca...
[(Bayer 04 Leverkusen) Strength]: 1. Bayer 04 Leverkusen finished second in the Bundesliga standings last season with a record of 19 wins, 12 draws and 3 losses. The team scored 72 goals and conceded 43 in 34 games. Unfortunately, they failed to defend their league title. As they make their season debut at home in this game, the team are full of determination to perform well.2. Bayer 04 Leverkusen...
[(Arsenal) Strength]: 1. Arsenal secured a 1-0 away victory over Manchester United in their opening Premier League game, getting their season off to a winning start. As last season's Premier League runners-up, the team's goal for the new season is to remain in the title race, so every win is crucial. Hosting this game, they hope to continue their winning momentum and consolidate their position in ...
[(SC Freiburg) Strength]: 1. SC Freiburg are undoubtedly motivated to start the new season with a win in this home game.2. SC Freiburg's head coach Julian Schuster was elected Germany's Coach of the Year 2025. Kicker revealed the voting details, with Julian Schuster receiving 97 votes to claim the top spot, followed by Horst Steffen and Hansi Flick in second and third place respectively.3. During ...
[(Levante) Strength]: 1. Levante full-back Jeremy Toljan scored a goal in the last league game, once helping the team tie the game.2. Levante conceded 4 goals in the last 5 games and kept 3 clean sheets, revealing commendable defense.3. Levante received 13 wins, 7 draws, and 1 loss in 21 home games of the Segunda Division last season, with a high win rate of 62%, indicating reliable home strength....
[(Yunnan Yukun) Strength]: 1. Yunnan Yukun have been strong in offense at home, scoring a total of 14 goals in their last 5 home games. Their scoring ability should not be underestimated.2. Yunnan Yukun have achieved 7 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in their last 10 home games, with a win rate of 70%. The team have been strong at home.3. Yunnan Yukun won all of their last 7 home games in AH.[(Yunnan Yuk...
[(Club Tijuana) Strength]: 1. Club Tijuana are currently ranked 7th in the Liga MX standings with 8 points. Hosting this match against C.D. Guadalajara, who have been in poor form recently, the team have a clear intention to fight. They hope to take advantage of their home ground to continue their winning momentum and further consolidate and improve their league ranking.2. Club Tijuana defeated C....
[(Brentford) Strength]: 1. Brentford's new manager, Keith Andrews, has officially taken over the team from the former manager. This match will be his first Premier League home game in charge, and the new manager is determined to lead the team to a victorious start at home.2. Brentford have shown a stable performance in attack. The team have scored a total of 5 goals in the last 4 matches, and have...
[(Cerezo Osaka) Strength]: 1. Cerezo Osaka recorded 8 wins and 1 loss in the last 9 home games, showing strong home performances. They won 3-1 over Albirex Niigata in the last home game.[(Cerezo Osaka) Weakness]: 1. Cerezo Osaka are 9th in the league table. Facing 2nd-placed Vissel Kobe, they find it hard to win this game, indicating doubtful motivation.2. Cerezo Osaka forward Rafael Ratao will mi...
- 1 TIPS - Cerezo Osaka VS Vissel Kobe
- 2 BVB, Monaco and Ajax go for unwanted West Ham midfielder Alvarez
- 3 ngland cricket legend’s granddaughter stuns in bikini
- 4 Lamela explains retirement decision: It started 11 years ago...
- 5 Estevao Willian set for 'key' Chelsea role after debut vs Palace
- 6 TIPS - Gwangju FC VS Daejeon Hana Citizen
- 7 Sevilla Set Price for Man United Target as Club Seek Baleba Alternatives
- 8 Man United Make Goalkeeper Decision Amid Onana and Bayindir Uncertainty
- 9 Nantes vs PSG Prediction for 18 August 2025 - Football
- 10 Daily Laugh - Sunderland top of the table