Hull City U21s 1 Brentford B 1: Fredrick features and Holland scores in PL Cup draw | OneFootball

Benjamin Fredrick featured as Brentford B drew 1-1 with Hull City Under-21s in Group J of the Premier League Cup.

The young Bees went behind for the first time this season as Edward Devine put Hull ahead, but Isaac Holland's first-half leveller ensured that both sides left MKM Stadium with a point.

Joseph Wheeler-Henry caused trouble from the start on the right wing, winning a corner with his electric pace and delivery on seven minutes. Kiefer Gorman whipped the set-piece in, and Fredrick rose well but headed wide under pressure.

Gorman, making his debut for the Bees after signing on deadline day from Watford, put another dangerous in-swinging corner in on 10 minutes, which Andre Grey met but fired his half-volley just over.

A mix-up at the back for Brentford offered Hull their first good sight of goal three minutes later, when Ekemini Umoren looked to lift the ball over the back-pedalling Aidan Stokes but put his chipped strike wide.

It was the Tigers who did take the lead on 21 minutes when Devine flicked on a corner at the near post and nestled his effort into the net to make it 1-0.

Sam Saunders' side found themselves behind for the first time this season and reacted well; Wheeler-Henry found space again with a clever flick over his full-back's head and squared to Michel Boni, who turned his effort the wrong side of the post.

Ollie Shield did superbly to feint past Bobby Moore on the half-hour mark, leaving the defender in the dust and flashing a ball across the six-yard box. Ben Wilson met the ball with a clever improvised finish, and the whole stadium was left stunned as to how the ball didn't end up in the back of the net and was miraculously cleared off the line from a yard out.

Boni had a good chance after a clever set-piece routine from the resulting corner, but skewed his volley wide.

Holland got a vital equaliser for Brentford on 35 minutes when Riley Owen timed his over-the-top ball perfectly as the west Londoners broke, giving Holland time and space to roll his strike into the bottom-right corner to level the game at 1-1.

The Bees stepped it up a gear but were perhaps guilty of overplaying inside the Hull box, with Wheeler-Henry and Owen having chances to cross early but delaying enough to allow those in amber and black to recover, and the sides went in level at half-time.

Saunders' side were fast out of the traps and Boni almost had a goal out of nothing, pressing Hull keeper Khiani Shombe's kick and deflecting the ball narrowly over the crossbar seven minutes after the restart.

Fredrick moved into right centre-back at the break and was imperious both in the air and in his one-v-one duels.

Gorman came close to registering an assist on his debut, breaking down the left and crossing a tantalising ball into Wilson, who made contact sliding in, but the Hull defender did enough to ensure his effort went inches too high.

Another teasing cross into the back post came in from Gorman as Brentford began to turn the screw. Shield met it but mistimed his jump and headed onto the roof of the net.

Owen drove at the heart of the Hull defence on 66 minutes and fired an effort from the edge of the box narrowly wide of the top right corner.

It was all red and white pressure as the game reached its climax, half-time substitute Luca Picotto bending an effort toward the far corner that was well headed away by Trialist A for Hull.

Wilson had a great chance with five to play as he met an in-swinging free-kick but didn't get the right contact and his effort flicked wide.

Jacob Hanson and Jai Nwosu (making his B-team debut up from the Under-18s alongside Micaiah Fanoiki) both had headed chances comfortably held by Shombe in injury time, but it ended in a draw.

The Bees now host Everton at Wheatsheaf Park on Sunday 13 September in Premier League 2, and play their final Group J game in the PL Cup at home to Derby County Under-21s on Saturday 10 October.

Hull: Shombe, Moore, Walker, Trialist A, Goodman, Devine, Daley, Ocaya, Edey, Wilson (Matique 60), Umoren (Bray 83)

Subs: Reynolds, Robinson, Cawte, Sarpong, Russell

Booked: Moore 27, Ocaya 80, Goodman 82, Walker 85, Bray 89

Brentford: Stokes, Fredrick (Fanoiki 74), Shield (Hanson 74), Grey, Klimas (Picotto HT), Gorman (Nowsu 79), Wheeler-Henry, Owen, Boni, Wilson, Holland (Giscombe 60)

Subs: Nicholls, Kasujja

Saunders: There's more to come

Brentford B head coach Sam Saunders said his side were unfortunate not to win their PL cup clash with Hull after dominating large parts of the game.

"We were the better team and the side that was pressing for the win." he said.

"I had a bit of a pop at the boys at half time because I felt that they could do more and that we were a bit loose in possesion.

"They changed from their usual back four to a back five which shows the respect they had for us, and they frustrated us.

"We responded to going behind well, I'm very pleased for Isaac Holland getting his goal. In the second half we just fell a little bit short on that bit of quality or timing of the pass against a low block, but it was wave after wave of attack from us."