Dean Ashton has labelled Gaetan Bong's second-half block against Brentford as "absolutely outstanding" after it helped Nottingham Forest earn a draw yesterday. 

The Reds came back from one goal down to draw 1-1 with the Bees in west London on Saturday, with Filip Krovinovic's equaliser ensuring they took a point back to the East Midlands.

It was a rollercoaster of a game for Bong, who struggled early on and conceded the penalty that allowed Brentford to take the lead but produced a vital block to deny Ivan Toney in the second half.

Speaking on EFL on Quest, Ashton highlighted that moment – heaping praise on the Reds defender but questioning the Bees' effectiveness in the final third.

He said: "I have to say, this (block) is absolutely outstanding defending from Bong. Just to anticipate and throw a leg at it and Mbuemo just thinks he is tapping that in.

"Now you think of the chances (Brentford) missed and now they've lost 18 points from winning positions.

"You expect this from a Chris Hughton side. That's the minimum he would expect for his Forest side to be really resolute and hard to beat."

Coming back against promotion-chasing Brentford is a good result for Forest and Hughton will likely have been pleased to see his side not just go toe-to-toe with Thomas Frank's but dominate them for periods.

Even so, the Reds' recent form is a concern and Saturday's draw means they've now gone seven games without a win in the Championship – a record they'll be hoping to put right after the international break.

The Verdict 

Ashton's not wrong here. While Bong conceded a really poor penalty early on, he deserves a huge amount of credit for producing a sensational block to stop a certain Brentford goal.

He's drawn a fair bit of criticism in recent weeks but the left-back seems to be a player Hughton trusts, which is no huge surprise given their history.

Forest fans will be hoping they can see more of the form Bong showed in the second half moving forward.