WITH everything else happening off the pitch on Saturday it was easy to miss the fact there was a match going on, and a rather good one at that.

Anyone doubting Neil Lennon’s eagerness to keep Wanderers pushing hard to the last kick of a ball this season need only review the last few days at the club.

Clamping down heavily, publically, on indiscipline by two key players – Barry Bannan and Neil Danns – to the degree he axed them from his squad altogether at Griffin Park was a bold and demonstrative move.

More impressive, however, was that he got a performance of this quality from the players he had left given both Matt Mills (ankle) and Josh Vela (groin) had also stepped aside through injury.

Brentford deserve massive credit for what they have done this season and along with last weekend’s opponents Norwich City and next week’s foes Bournemouth are the most attractive side to watch in the whole division.

In fact you feared for Wanderers once you realised just how many key players were out of commission.

But Lennon’s side not only held their own, they might have stolen all three points, and if that isn’t reason for optimism in what has been an uncertain few days, then nothing is.

Youngster Oscar Threlkeld was called back into the team for the first time since a Halloween horror show at Norwich City but nailed his performance at right-back, faring better than anyone else in the back four.

Likewise, midfielder Giles Coke had found it tough to get into Lennon’s first team since arriving on loan from Sheffield Wednesday but produced an economical, unfussy performance which was bound to win over a few of his doubters.

Tom Walker came under fire for a couple of indifferent performances at the Macron and it’s clear we still need to be patient with the 19-year-old as he gets up to speed with football at this level. But there was a lot to admire here from the teenage midfielder and the fans appreciated his fearless approach.

But the highlight of the day was to see Mark Davies come off the bench just before half time looking like the classiest midfielder on the pitch. His goal earned a point – poached from an dreadful error from goalkeeper David Button – but his mere presence had more than 1,000 Whites fans keeping their fingers crossed that this time injury won’t strike again.

It was a far from faultless performance, certainly some of the first-half defending bordered on the powder-puff, but given the extenuating circumstances it must have been a pleasing 90 minutes for Lennon, who could have done without the distractions the last few days have offered him.

Having made a statement by leaving Bannan and Danns out of the squad, the Wanderers boss has now got a big call on his hands as he prepares to try and wreck Bournemouth’s promotion party in a week’s time.

He will have drawn massive encouragement, though, from what he got from a handful of so-called fringe players, only four of which are certain to be playing for the club next season.

One, Emile Heskey, is the very epitome of an unsung hero at the moment.

The former England man should have opened the scoring 17 minutes in when he raced through on to Walker’s pass, only to see his shot miss the post by six inches. But even at 37 the big man has a magnetic presence when it comes to defenders – if Lennon could just invent a time machine over the summer, his problems would be solved.

The Whites boss had elected to use his target man wherever possible and the message to “go direct” went out early on to try and get behind a home defence always looking to play offside.

But it looked like Wanderers would live to regret Heskey’s miss when Lee Pritchard opened the scoring on 35 minutes.

Dorian Dervite went temporarily missing at the back as the excellent Alan Judge raced into the area on a counter attack, sliding the ball for Pritchard to slam home his 11th of the season.

Just four minutes later Adam Le Fondre had equalised, producing an ice-cool finish from the angle after running on to Heskey’s pass.

That was his eighth of the season, his promise to take home Bolton’s Golden Boot now fulfilled. This reporter would love to see him get a whole season to do exactly the same next time around.

Almost immediately, Brentford grabbed the advantage again. Wanderers were trying to get Davies on to the pitch after Dean Moxey succumbed to a knee problem but the home side made their numbers count, switching the ball effortlessly down the right to present a far post header to Jonathan Douglas. Bogdan was unlucky not to keep the ball from dribbling over the line but nevertheless it looked like a big task for Wanderers to get back into the game from there.

Coke led the charge, bringing a great fingertip save out of Button, then after the break Le Fondre had a scrambled effort hooked off the line.

Wanderers had a good shout for a penalty turned down when Threlkeld’s cross bounced off Jake Bidwell’s arm for a corner.

Davies was becoming gradually more influential in midfield and it was his persistence which got his side level. James Tarkowski’s back-pass put Button into trouble but when the keeper tried to dribble around the on-rushing midfielder, he nicked the ball and rolled it into the open net in front of 1,000 screaming Whites fans.

Eidur Gudjohnsen joined in front the bench but from there on in it became a defensive effort.

Adam Bogdan made one marvellous sprawling save at the base of his post to prevent sub Stuart Dallas from putting Brentford ahead but even in injury time – never a settled period for Wanderers of late – you sensed a resolve to see the game out.

So why not concentrate, for now, on the players who got the job done rather than those left behind?

Regardless of how meaningless the next two fixtures now look, it’s clear Lennon won’t tolerate a drop in standards on and off the pitch.