Brentford manager Dean Smith bemoaned his side’s profligacy after their 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town, but also argued the Bees should have had a foul in the lead-up to the Blues’ second goal.

Brentford were the better side in the first half at Portman Road, Bartosz Bialkowski pulling off a fine save to deny Ollie Watkins, Nico Yennaris hitting the bar with a 30-yard thunderbolt and Kamohelo Mokotjo seeing an early shot from range go inches wide of the post.

Town striker Martyn Waghorn punished the visitors with the opening goal in the 35th minute, before Joe Garner added the clincher in the second period, with a header from a Grant Ward corner that was awarded after the intervention of goalline technology.

After the game, Smith said: “We make one mistake in the first half, they get a ricochet and it lands to their lad and it goes in.

“We should have been out of sight first half, we were excellent, we controlled the game, created a number of chances but didn’t take them and that’s what we have to do – score when we are on top and I think we will go and win the game comfortably.

“Unfortunately we didn’t do that and in the second half Harlee (Dean) gets fouled, they break and get the corner (that led to the goal), and we don’t defend the corner well enough.

“After that I thought we were sloppy in possession and allowed Ipswich to get 11 men behind the ball in their half and break up play. We weren’t quite cute enough with the ball.”

Town have now had 12 shots on target in the league this season, scoring from nine of them – a ratio of 75 per cent.

“This is another game where we have had 22 attempts on goal and the opposition have had six and scored two,” explained Smith

“We have to make sure defensively we are hard to beat and convert the chances we are creating.”