After 259 days away from competitive football, Ivan Toney scored on his return to football and was the player of the match as Brentford beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The England International was banned from football for eight months in July after breaching 232 of the FA’s betting rules.
Toney was made captain by Thomas Frank as he made his long-awaited return to the Brentford side against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and despite being absent for so long, he looked unfazed and picked up where he left off.
The atmosphere inside the Gtech Community Stadium when the tannoy announced Toney’s name set the tone for the game. Brentford had their main man back at last, but the party was momentarily subdued when Danilo’s fierce volley after three minutes put Forest ahead.
Embed from Getty ImagesToney, spurred on by his role as captain and the emotion surrounding his return, quickly went about hauling his team level. His hold-up play- an attribute Toney excels in- was on point as he linked up with Neil Maupay and Mikel Damsgaard in attack.
Maupay and Damsgaard aren’t the personnel Toney is accustomed to playing alongside, with Bryan Mbuemo and Yoanne Wissa more familiar options.
Both are unavailable, but had they featured alongside Toney tonight Forest could have been on the end of a battering with how well Toney was leading the line.
Toney’s return then had its fairytale moment as Brentford won a free kick on the edge of the Forest area after some lovely build-up play from Damsgaard.
Toney, of course, stepped up and arrowed the ball around the wall and past a static Matt Turner who could only stand and stare. Any lingering concerns about Toney’s match sharpness were eviscerated in an instance.
Embed from Getty ImagesToney then almost turned provider for Keane Lewis-Potter when he somehow pulled the ball back into the box from the byline only to see the youngster clatter an effort off the crossbar.
Those two key moments in the game caused a momentum shift for Brentford who controlled the majority of the first half, with Toney playing a leading role and proving a constant nuisance to the Forest backline with his hold-up play and movement.
In the second half, Toney showed no signs of letting up as he continued to combine with Maupay in attack.
Brentford then took the lead for the first time in the match through Ben Mee before being quickly pegged back by Chris Wood’s deft header. The home side soon restored their lead soon after in what was a turbulent spell in the game after Maupay’s sensational volley made it 3-2.
Toney wasn’t subbed off and therefore did not receive any standing ovation that his performance warranted but playing a full 90 minutes is testament to how much hard work he put in whilst he was away for eight months.
Brentford finally have their marquee man back and firing again, with his return a timely one given the club’s precarious position in the Premier League standings.
