Monday 27 October 2014 14:58, UK
Neil Lennon toasted a "magnificent" second-half spell which helped Bolton record a victory in the Northern Irishman's first home game in charge.
Wanderers defeated Brentford 3-1 to edge closer to safety in the Sky Bet Championship as Lennon continued to have an uplifting effect on the club with his second win from his first three games.
Following an opening 45 minutes in which some all-too-familiar gripes reared their head, Neil Danns' stunning 61st-minute strike from range broke the deadlock before substitute Mark Davies added a second with some coolness in front of goal.
Jon Toral's goal seven minutes from time put the home crowd on edge but euphoria swept down from the stands in the sixth minute of stoppage-time as Craig Davies rolled a third Bolton goal into an empty net when goalkeeper David Button went up for a corner.
"I have to pay Mark (Warburton, Brentford manager) a compliment - he set his team out not to sit back but to counter-attack well, but for 30 minutes of the second half we were magnificent," said Lennon.
"At 2-0 it's always a funny scoreline and we were the architects of our downfall with the (second) goal. But then we had a one-on-one with Joe (Mason) to put the game to bed again and when you don't take it there's always that little bit of anxiety.
"Then we got the third goal on the breakaway and it was a fairly deserved win. We should have been clear-cut winners long before we got the third.
"Our quality of football (in the) second half, our will to win, our intensity to play, our pace was very, very pleasing. It's been a good day."
Lennon, who was appointed as Dougie Freedman's successor just 13 days earlier, had stressed the need to prioritise points above everything when he assumed the reins of a club bottom of the Championship table.
But in his first fixture in front of the Wanderers faithful, the Northern Irishman got both points and an impressive performance.
"I got a great performance on Tuesday (at Charlton) but not the points - I got both today and the win at home," Lennon stated.
"I gave the crowd something to be happy about, for the weekend anyway. That's all I can ask really."
The Bees travelled back to the capital empty-handed yet refused to throw in the towel after falling 2-0 down with 14 minutes to go.
"We're pleased in some aspects but obviously disappointed we lost the game and ultimately that's the key thing," said Brentford assistant manager David Weir.
"The response to going 2-0 down - it would have been easy to just take that as the result. But the lads pushed on and got back into the game and were brave in that respect; the substitutes helped and we looked dangerous.
"That's a positive for us in that we didn't just accept it, we got back on the front foot and that's what we'll always try to promote. We'll always try to win the game."
Weir's Rangers connection means he has come across Lennon on plenty of occasions north of the border, and the former defender believes one of his old Celtic foes is primed to propel Wanderers up the table.
He added: "He's got a great pedigree in Scotland, he was successful at Celtic and it's an opportunity for him to manage in England, which I'm sure is one he's looking forward to.
"Bolton are in a difficult position at the minute but I'm sure he'll quickly enough get them out of that position."
