Brentford FC had particular Steven Fletcher problem in the EFL: View | OneFootball

‘He scores them with his left foot, he scores them with his right, and when he faces Brentford, he’s scoring goals all night.’

That may or may not be a song from the terraces of any of the clubs Steven Fletcher has represented over the years, but the words don’t lie with the Scottish striker revelling in games against the Bees in the EFL.

Five goals in his eight games against the West London side made him a considerably sized thorn in their side during their attempts to make it to the Premier League around the turn of the last decade, with the striker never finishing on the losing side after hitting the back of the net.

Both Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City fans will have had the joy of seeing the hitman get on the scoresheet at the Bees’ expense, with no other side feeling the current Wrexham man’s wrath more during his time in the EFL.

Steven Fletcher EFL goalscoring record vs Brentford FC

Fletcher was a well-established name in English football before he ever came head-to-head with Brentford; having established himself as a regular Premier League campaigner before dropping down to the second tier.

After moving from Hibernian to Burnley in the summer of 2009, the striker made multi-million pound moves to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sunderland over the next three years as he continued to cause top flight defenders all manner of problems.

With 53 Premier League goals to his name, the Scot took to life in the Championship like a duck to water in the summer of 2016, as he made the move to Sheffield Wednesday after departing the Stadium of Light.

His 12 goals in the following campaign contributed to the Owls reaching the playoff final; only to lose out to Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town, meaning he got another chance to face the Bees of Brentford after two goalless appearances against them in his initial meetings.

In fact, it would take the striker until his fifth time facing the West Londoners to finally get on the scoresheet, and once he did the floodgates opened and the goals came raining down.

Insert your own pun here about London buses if you so wish - although the 65 from Ealing Broadway Station to Richmond via Kew Gardens is always a dependable trip - while Fletcher’s goal glut in fits and starts.

His first goal against the Bees starts in quite a familiar way for Wednesday fans, with Barry Bannan’s ball over the top unlocking the opposition defence, before Fletcher’s effort put his side one goal to the good, before going on to double the advantage after the break.

Fernando Foriestieri, Adam Reach, Steven Fletcher, goal: that’s how the second panned out, with the Scottish international burying a chance with his head to wrap up the points.

This was a time when Hillsborough was rocking with some quality stars on show, but despite Fletcher’s best efforts, mid table finishes beckoned in each of his final three seasons in Owlerton.

Brentford meanwhile were a side on the up, with Thomas Frank masterminding a charge towards the promised land, but despite their lofty ambitions to reach the top flight, time and time again they came up short in their clashes with the Yorkshire side.

Much of that was down to the the rumbustious Scot leading the line; with Fletcher once again proving the difference the next time the two squared up at Hillsborough, with another brace turning the game on its head in a 2-1 victory.

The playoff-chasers had taken the lead on the half-hour mark thanks to Bryan Mbeumo, but Fletcher’s penalty with 20 minutes to play levelled matters, before firing in a shot on the turn to take all three points for his side just minutes later.

Those flashes of Premier League quality were something Wednesday would get used to over his four-year association with the club; with his final two seeing him finish as top scorer for the blue and white side in league competition.

A move to Stoke City would follow, where Fletcher would find the net in his only league meeting with Brentford for the Potters; the opener in a 3-2 victory at the bet365 Stadium.

That one was as simple as you like; with the experience of the forward showing as he peeled away at the far post to tuck in Tyrese Campbell’s cross to claim his fifth goal in his last four matches against the Bees.

Not that it would stop Frank and his troops from finally achieving promotion to the Premier League that season, while Fletcher continued to plug away in Staffordshire before a stint back in his homeland with Dundee, as well as a foray into League Two with Wrexham.

Players who regular score against Brentford

Fletcher sits among a wealth of EFL talent for players that have regularly found the back of the net against Brentford, with Jamie Cureton topping the list with nine goals against the Bees over the course of his storied career.

Current Bristol Rovers striker Chris Martin

Huddersfield Town’s Danny Ward matches Fletcher with six strikes against the Bees during their respective spells in League One and the Championship, alongside the likes of current EFL managers Grant McCann and Neil Harris.

There is some esteemed company to hold on that list, and Fletcher has proven time and time again to be a striker capable of producing the goods for clubs right across the Football League, just as Brentford found out all too well during their time in the second tier.