Nathan Collins: We know how much Fulham game means | OneFootball

Brentford captain Nathan Collins has previewed Saturday’s west London derby against Fulham at Gtech Community Stadium (12.30pm kick-off BST, live on TNT Sports).

Keith Andrews’ side sit seventh in the Premier League table, five places but only three points ahead of their near neighbours going into the final six games of the season.

The centre-back spoke about the anticipation in the group as they seek to defeat the Cottagers for the first time since August 2023 and boost their chances of qualifying for European football.

“I think I’ve played four or five now, and you feel the week leading up to it that there’s a bit more to it,” said Collins.

“You talk to Peter Gilham and he has so many stories about previous rivalries and previous matches. I think you can tell in the week leading up to the match how much it means to him, and how much it means to a Brentford fan.

“The fact that we’re competing for something big and have something to push towards creates such a better feeling in training and going into the end of the season when you have so much on the line.

“You want to play in big games like this. This is why we do it.”

Fulham have come from behind to win the last three meetings, with the latest seeing Marco Silva’s side bounce back from a Mikkel Damsgaard strike to beat the Bees 3-1 at Craven Cottage back in September.

“I think the frustrating thing is being in those winning positions and then losing,” Collins, who is the feature interview in Saturday’s matchday programme, continued.

“It’s tough losing those bragging rights, it’s tough losing for the fans because you really feel it, and it affects you for the next week.

“We want to do good and have that bit of edge to us to get the fans behind you and to carry that momentum from both players and fans to create an environment where it’s not nice for the opposition.

“We know how to create that. It’s just up to us to be able to do the right things on the day to create an atmosphere that can really help us and frustrate them.”

As well as Saturday’s Fulham clash, Collins also discusses the lessons learnt and setbacks he’s had to overcome during his first year as club captain, heartbreak for the Republic of Ireland and his ambitions for the remainder of the campaign.

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