Scott Hogan receives round of applause after ending injury hell

The former Rochdale striker nodded home an injury time equaliser to banish almost 18 months of injury misery since joining the Bees.

The 24-year-old tore his cruciate in only his second game for the west Londoners and then suffered a re-rupture near the end of his rehabilitation.

So when he stepped up to take a penalty that he had won with six minutes to go, his side trailing to a first-half Lee Tomlin strike, it looked like a fairytale return.

But City goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell had not read the script and pulled off a superb save to leave the unfortunate target man still looking for his opening goal.

He only had to wait another seven minutes when he found himself in the right place at the right time to divert Jake Bidwell's header back across goal into the net from close range.

Bees head coach Dean Smith had hoped the penalty would open Hogan's account for the club and joked: "I spoke to my guys on the bench and said as he stepped up that at least the keeper wouldn't have seen him take one, but it was a great save.

"Scott is a natural striker and they know where to be when it matters. He's had a round of applause from the boys after the game because he's worked so hard for that, and has come back even stronger."

He added: "A re-rupture isn't nice at all so that goal was for him, his family and the medical team. He's a lot stronger player than I saw at Rochdale, he's a natural finisher and that's why the club went and got him. I certainly couldn't have afforded him at Walsall."

Hogan's injury time header cancelled out Tomlin's goal just before the break when he silenced the Griffin Park boo-boys with a crisp strike from the edge of the area that gave Bees keeper David Button no chance.

Smith admitted he would have been disappointed to lose an evenly matched game and it was a view shared by his opposite number Lee Johnson, who bemoaned what he insisted was a "definite" foul in the box on his 16-goal striker Jonathan Kodjia.

He said: "It was a definite penalty and the linesman more than the referee should have seen that the defender was committed to the last-ditch tackle. Jonathan shows great skill, cuts inside and the defender sweeps both legs. He doesn't give it but such is life.

"I thought maybe Brentford could have had a penalty in the first half. Brentford had a couple, we had a couple but I've got no complaints with the one given against us."

The draw doesn't mathematically guarantee the Robins Championship football next term, but Johnson added: "I would say its advantage Bristol City in that fight, but we want to try to catch Brentford because that's important for our mindset going forward. If we can win on Tuesday we are pretty much safe.

"This was a good game for the neutrals with quite a few opportunities at both ends, major decisions that both teams feel didn't go their way, but it was a fair result in the end."

He hailed Lee Tomlin's presence, adding: "Lee is a top player and one of those who you don't see for 89 minutes until he sticks one in top corner. He's a Premier League talent like Alan Judge for Brentford and we're lucky to have him."