Brentford head coach Dean Smith feels his side are up for the cup but warned against complacency after their 4-2 win over Southend United. 

The Bees booked their place the second round of the Carabao Cup with a 4-2 win over League One side Southend on Tuesday night. 

Smith pointed out that although it was an impressive performance from an attacking point-of-view, more defensive work needs to be done.

“I was really pleased with how we played. We controlled the ball and the tempo,” he said.  

“Our attacking play was really good and I’m thrilled Marcus Forss got a goal on his debut.” 

“We took our foot of the gas a little bit after we scored the third goal which allowed them back in it.

“We will look back at the goals and be disappointed that we conceded them.” 

The deadlock was broken just before half-time when teenager Marcus Forss latched on to a through ball to put the Bees ahead with his debut goal for the club.  

Southend equalised at the beginning of the second half, but Jeanvier gave his side the lead back just two minutes later.  

Despite constant pressure from the home side, the Bees got the win thanks to further goals from Saïd Benrahma and Kahmohelo Mokotjo.  

Smith was full of praise for his squad for gelling as a team so quickly despite making several changes. 

“We’ve changed the team and brought players in but that hasn’t disrupted the flow and the balance of the team, which is really pleasing for me," he said.

“We kept our shape and organisation. We had a good structure about us and we played how we normally play.” 

The 47-year-old coach also praised midfielder Ryan Woods for handling the transfer window professionally, amid interest from several other clubs.  

“He’s had a very stop-start period. We had a couple of bids and the valuation wasn’t met for him," explained the Griffin Park chief.

"His head was all over the place for a few days, but he’s been very professional to get around that."

Smith explained how his side’s performance has given him the headache of picking a starting eleven for upcoming league fixtures against Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa, but remains optimistic that the Bees can emulate recent performances. 

He said: “We’ve done very well in our first couple of games. We’re unbeaten now for three games.” 

“Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa are big clubs to play against, but we are looking forward to them.”