Bristol Rovers 4
Carayol (26, 30) & 60 (pen), McLaggon (45)
Brentford 4
Wood (40, 62 & 74), Grella (55)
Rovers and Brentford played out an open and entertaining 4-4 draw at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon.
Mustapha Carayol scored a hat trick for Rovers, while Sam Wood did the same for the visitors.
It was an excellent team performance, and although four goals were conceded many of the youngsters on show put in good performances.
It took a while for both sides to settle before Rovers created the first opening.
Mustapha Carayol cut in from the left and hit an angled drive over the bar and, almost immediately, the visitors went close at the other end when a shot from Harry Forrester was blocked at the expense of a corner.
Brentford then hit the woodwork twice, the first effort, from Mike Grella, coming back into play off the post. The second, a long range shot from Forrester, struck the crossbar and also rebounded into play off the crossbar.
The game then swung Rovers way with two goals from Carayol inside four minutes. The first came after the Brentford defence failed to deal with Wayne Brown's corner from the left. The ball dropped at Carayol's feet, allowing him an easy finish from close range.
If his first had been a shade fortuitous, his second was a sublime as he slalomed into the area and hit a low shot past goalkeeper Simon Moore.
Sam Wood hit a shot wide of goal at the other end, and the same player pulled a goal back for the visitors on 40 minutes.
Keeper Lance Cronin did well to touch a fierce drive from Jake Reeves on to the upright, but the rebound fell kindly to Wood who knocked the ball home from the edge of the six yard box.
However Rovers restored their two goal advantage on the stroke of half time. Carayol was the victim of a poor challenge as he burst into the area and from the short free kick, taken by Brown, Eliot Richards tried a shot that struck Kayne McLaggon and beat Moore.
Richards and Brown both saw shots blocked at the start of the second half, and Richards tried a shot on the turn that was well wide of the target.
The visitors pulled another goal back on 55 minutes when Rovers gave away possession on the halfway line and the ball was played up to Grella. As Cronin came off his line to clear the danger, the striker chipped the ball over him and into the net.
Carayol, though, completed his hat trick on the hour mark when he converted from the penalty spot after he had been brought down by substitute Shannon Taylor.
Two minutes later Brentford scored again when Wood hit a stunning volley past Cronin from 25 yards.
Central defender Krisztian Timar saw his header, from Jordan Goddard's corner, cleared off the line by Moore and the visitors went straight up the other end where they scored an equaliser.
The ball was played out to Grella on the left and his low cross was met by the unmarked Wood who had the simple chance of scoring from close range.
Mitch Harding went close to grabbing a winner for Rovers, but his powerful shot from outside the area was straight at Moore who was able to parry his effort.
The keeper then did well to keep out a low shot from Michael Boateng just before the final whistle.
Rovers: Lance Cronin, Michael Smith (Michael Boateng, 46), Adam Virgo, Krisztian Timar, Gary Sawyer (Sam Kamara, 69), Oliver Norburn, Wayne Brown (Jordan Goddard, 58), Darren Jefferies (Sam Gilroy 57), Mustapha Carayol (Lamar Powell, 69), Eliot Richards (Mitch Harding, 52), Kayne McLaggon (Shaquille Hunter, 58)
Brentford: Simon Moore, Michael Spillane, Ryan Blake, Jake Reeves (Shannon Taylor, 46), Sam Griffiths, Aaron Pierre (Josh Ekim, 62), Sam Wood, Toumani Diagarra, Mike Grella, Sam Saunders, Harry Forrester
