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.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Mbappe VS Liverpool Path confirmed… Kylian Mbappe after Virgil van Dijk took him down. 0.6% chance. 99.4% faith. lol I can't unsee this … League titles won "since 2009" Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss, PL__OOC)...
The Egyptian is locked in contract negotiations with the club, who do not want to commit to a multi-year, high wage deal.Salah is in the form of his life, but is 32, which is giving the Reds pause for giving him a two or three-year extension.Per Sky Sports, clubs in the Saudi Pro League are not actively pursuing Salah at present.While he is a target and one they would love to sign, they are not go...
The Blues have made an effort to sign the best and youngest talent from around the world since the takeover by Clearlake.Chelsea are in talks to sign the son of Emmanuel EboueChelsea will have to pay compensation for Mathis EboueThe club are now in talks to sign Mathis Eboue from the Watford academy.The 15-year-old is, of course, the son of Arsenal cult hero Emmanuel Eboue.The Daily Mail have clai...
Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez signed a one-year contract extension, meaning he will continue to play in Major League Soccer next season.Suarez, who joined the Herons on a one-year contract in December, tied for second place in the MLS Golden Boot race and earned a nomination to the 2024 MLS newcomer of the year award."I'm very happy, very excited to continue for another year and to be able to en...
United target Napoli's KvaratskheliaManchester United are reportedly showing strong interest in Napoli forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, according to SportMediaset. The 23-year-old Georgian star, under contract with Napoli until 2027, has yet to reach an agreement on an extension with the Serie A leaders. The Red Devils are prepared to table a lucrative five-year deal worth at least €8 million ...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Big GabrielSporting 1-5 Arsenal Who will win this month's Manager of the Month award? What happens when you come up against Saliba and Gabriel... Wayne Rooney, a true legend on and off the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo in the iconic white and gold jersey brings back so many unforgettable memories! Throwback to THIS Beautiful Moment when Lionel Messi scored his 50th ca...
Bellingham admits 'vibrations' were key to Liverpool snubJude Bellingham has revealed how close he came to joining Liverpool, and the "vibrations" he felt when Real Madrid came calling."It wasn't as close as it was said," Bellingham said ahead of Real's Champions League clash with Liverpool. "There were conversations. There was Dortmund and I did it with several clubs. When Real Madrid call you, t...
Manchester City's Champions League match on Tuesday night was marred by crowd trouble, with Feyenoord fans causing chaos at the Etihad Stadium. The Dutch supporters, escorted by police from the city centre to the stadium, filled all three tiers of the South Stand.After City scored three goals, Feyenoord managed to net one with about 15 minutes left, leading to riot police stepping in to prevent cl...
Liverpool boss Arne Slot insists Mohamed Salah isn't unsettled over his contract situation.After scoring twice in victory at Southampton on Sunday, Salah revealed he had not heard from management about a new deal. His current contract expires in June."The only thing I can say is, if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out," said Slot."I don't think he's distracted at all. I haven't seen that...
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said he doesn't fully understand how the new Champions League format worked after his team earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stage.Bayern needed a first-half goal from defender Kim Min-Jae to battle past 10-man PSG and claim a third win in five matches."I don't look at the table...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Chelsea make Nkunku sale call amid ManUtd interest
- 3 Ex-Prem ace asked Liverpool star for his sister's phone number
- 4 €60-70m could bring star to Liverpool or Man Utd
- 5 Mascherano nears Miami; Martino exits
- 6 Chloe Kelly sends fans wild in daring outfit at GQ Men of the Year
- 7 Former Premier League star saved his wife and baby from house fire
- 8 Ruben Amorim ‘could move to Ten Hag or Pogba’s old homes’
- 9 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 10 The secret and very normal jobs of England’s WAGs