Brentford 0, Stoke City 2 (May 11): Second Division play-off final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

BATTLING Bees lost their sting at the home of the Welsh dragon on Saturday as a fighting season came to an end at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, writes Alex Hill.

Two poorly defended set pieces consigned the Bees to the Second Division for another season, but with the top players and manager out of contract that is the least of the club's concerns.

Coppell refused to comment on whether he would be at Griffin Park next season. He said: "I haven't even thought about it. That is not an issue today. The club will see what they have got to do and go from there."

Asked if he would like to stay, he said: "I would like to be part of a club that is ambitious.

"But we need to know what level of investment there is going to be and what the future of the club is going to be."

One last attempt to trick Coppell into revealing his intentions by asking when the lads would be back for pre-season training was played with a straight bat: "The 27th," he said.

The day could have been so different if Ben Burgess's second minute half volley had not sailed over the bar.

Coppell said: "We had opportunities and if one had gone in it would have been a different game.

"We gave away two terrible goals. We live by our set pieces. They are a staple of our footballing success.

"To lose two goals to two set pieces knocked us out of our stride. We could not get into our rhythm until the second half."

The fact is too many of the top players did not perform. Martin Rowlands showed his usual endeavour, but captain Paul Evans was reduced to long range efforts and spurned numerous free kicks by trying to take them too quickly.

It was 20-year-old Ben Burgess that suffered most. The Blackburn marksman sealed the Bees' fate with an own-goal just before half-time, and was taken off with 20 minutes to go.

He looked to be struggling throughout the game, but Coppell said it was lack of experience that effected him, rather than a recurrence of a cruciate ligament injury.

Coppell said: "You look at the size of him and think he is a big lad, but he is really just a baby.

"He has gone through a barren spell and I stuck with him, but it wasn't to be.

"He has got to learn with time and experience."