Booth draws a blank as Brentford ride their luck

Huddersfield Town 0 Brentford

Brentford bounced back from the disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion to earn a goalless draw in the first leg of their Second Division play-off semi-final at the McAlpine Stadium.

However, the Bees, who were 15 minutes away from the First Division last week, rode their luck at times with Lou Macari's side having two goals disallowed and hitting the bar.

With top scorer Leon Knight suspended, most of Huddersfield's best attacks involved Andy Booth, but it was to prove a frustrating afternoon for the powerful centre-forward.

In the 20th minute, a Kenny Irons cross was turned goalwards by Booth and, with Paul Smith beaten in the visitors' goal, the ball struck the bar. He did find the back of the net 10 minutes later but saw his effort disallowed for hand ball.

It was a similar story after the break, Delroy Facey having a well-struck shot tipped round the post by Smith and, seconds later, Booth seeing an effort ruled out for offside.

Yet in the end it could have been Brentford who won late on, the midfielder Steven Sidwell bursting into the area only to be denied by a fine save from Martyn Margetson.

Huddersfield Town (4-4-2): Margetson; Moses, Ifil, Gray, G Evans; Thorrington, Irons, Heary (Hay, 79), Holland; Facey, Booth. Substitutes not used: P Evans (gk), Beech, Mattis, Delaney.

Brentford (4-4-2): Smith; Dobson, Ingimarsson, Powell Anderson; Rowlands, Sidwell, Evans, Hunt; Owusu, Burgess. Substitutes not used: Gottskalksson (gk), Boxall, Williams, O'Connor, Theobald.

Referee: G Laws (Whitley Bay).

Bookings: Huddersfield: Thorrington. Brentford: Sidwell.

Man of the match: Smith.

Attendance: 16,523.