Brentford boss Thomas Frank insists he is fit and firing ahead of his side’s first Championship clash since December, at home to “underrated” Luton Town on Wednesday night. 

Positive Covid-19 tests from within the Bees camp - including from Dane Frank - have restricted the promotion-chasers to just two matches since the turn of the new year, a 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spurs in the Carabao Cup before their 2-1 win over Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. 

Having seen scheduled league clashes against Bristol City and Reading postponed since, Frank indicated that his team are chomping at the bit to kick on in their pursuit of second-placed Swansea, who currently sit two spots and five points clear of Brentford having played two games more. 

But while Luton reside in mid-table Frank is well aware of their threats, with Nathan Jones’ Hatters having stunned third-placed Bournemouth 1-0 on their own turf last time out. 

“I’m ready to go,” said Frank, 47. “I feel fit and fresh. I was blessed with relatively mild symptoms and after that I was fine. 

“The last three rounds of testing have all been negative which shows the right thing has been done and it hasn’t spread any further. 

“The players followed simple programmes to keep relatively good fitness. Training has been sharp, intense and has had good quality, so hopefully we can push forward against Luton. 

“I know we will be there performance-wise tomorrow night, but I am more worried about Luton because I know they are a very underrated team in this division. 

“On their day they can make it difficult for any team because of their style of play. They work hard throughout the team and are very good at set pieces. They want to play, and can play, because they have some quality players.”

Having spent so much time away from the match arena Brentford now face a congested fixture list going into the business end of the season, and Frank explained his team must continue to adapt to the nature of the ongoing pandemic. 

Elsewhere, the former Denmark youth international coach issued his support to Ivan Toney, after Brentford earlier revealed that the club would report an individual to the police and other relevant authorities after allegedly racially abusing the 24-year-old striker on Instagram. 

Frank added: “We’ve handled fixture congestion very well in the past. We don’t know how the accumulation of load, mentally and physically, will affect the players and staff but we’ll adapt on a daily basis. 

“As a club we back Ivan, and we say no to racism and embrace diversity. In a democracy you want people to share different opinions but for some things there is no tolerance.”