A 2-2 draw for QPR last Saturday against Middlesbrough dropped the West Londoners down to 10th, which saw their neighbours Brentford jump them into 9th.

It has been a contrasting period for fans of both sides since the two teams met at Loftus Road on 28 October, a 3-1 win for The Bees in a heated encounter, that saw a dubious penalty awarded to the visitors.

Going into that clash, QPR were establishing themselves as an unlikely play-off contender, while Brentford's form was inconsistent. However, it is clear that the West London derby victory for the TW8 side has given a lift to players and fans alike.

It may have been disheartening for Bees fans to see QPR doing well early on, as the R's won seven of their opening twelve games, despite being tipped for mid-table obscurity under Mark Warburton this season. That prediction in part was down to the lack of money spent during the summer transfer window.

Brentford meanwhile won just four of their first twelve Championship games, which was poor by their standards.

With the Bees pending a sum of £28.5 million on summer transfers, there was pressure on the Griffin Park club to deliver, despite losing key players such as Neal Maupay, Ezri Konsa and Romaine Sawyers respectively.

They might at last be getting their wish, as the convincing 3-0 win against Wigan last weekend was Brentford's fourth victory in five games. The run has been getting Bees fans thinking that their team can now kick on towards the top-six.

It helps that other key players apart from Ollie Watkins have been stepping up for Brentford at the right time, such as Josh DaSilva, Bryan Mbeumo and Kamohelo Mokotjo, as all three were excellent at the DW Stadium.

Fans will now have a certain level of expectation going into the next run of fixtures, against Reading at home, then Blackburn Rovers away, as they'll be targeting six points.

Thomas Frank and his players have to trust the process, and continue playing their attacking brand of football, whilst simultaneously being hard to beat - that will be the tough test.

With early season grumblings from Bees fans that the Dane wasn't up to the job, the Brentford fans have kept reserved since the good run of form, acknowledging that Frank is getting his side to play excellent football that is overpowering teams.

Leapfrogging QPR it is a milestone that Brentford fans will revel in, but they will also want to focus on their own team's performances and continue to take that forward.