Brentford 3, Rushden & Diamonds 2 NEW Brentford boss Martin Allen took a gamble by calling up young striker Matt Harrold and switching Jay Tabb to the right of midfield for the first time - and it paid off handsomely.

Allen said before the match he would have to be mad to pick rookie Harrold - then selected him in place of Tony Rougier, while Tabb took over from Somner.

Man-of-the-match Tabb's non-stop endeavour set the pattern for the team which Allen said was "mentally and physically drained" after battling for a vital win - their first in nine games.

The match kicked off 30 minutes late as the visitors, together with many Bees fans, had been held up in the surrounding traffic.

Rushden were then rocked by goals from Tabb and Steve Hunt in the 26th and 27th minutes. Tabb drove the ball home through a ruck of players and 60 seconds later Hunt pounced for his 13th goal of the season when Harrold's shot was only parried by keeper Turley.

And when Talbot made it 3-0 with a 20-yard drive on 36 minutes Brentford seemed to be coasting, but a gale force wind almost blew them off course in the second-half. Home keeper Alan Julian, having made a great save from Ritchie Hanlon earlier, was beaten by substitute Andy Burgess in the 76th minute.

Fellow sub Onandi Lowe also scored from close range in the 87th minute, but Brentford survived some intense late pressure.

Bees, who are away to Hartlepool this Saturday, are hoping this win will have a ripple effect (to use the title of the book which was promoted by it's writer Dominic Holland prior to kick off). The omens are good because when Brentford beat Rushden away in September it marked an unbeaten run of five games after they had lost six of their first seven matches.

Brentford: Julian; Dobson, Sonko, Fitzgerald, Bull; Tabb (Frampton, 90mins), Hutchinson, Talbot, Hunt (Evans, 66mins); May, Harrold (O'Connor, 72mins). Attendance: 4,616.