SAINTS will hope to take advantage of Brentford’s stuttering home form as their promotion push continues at Griffin Park this weekend.

The Bees are safely tucked away in mid-table and meandering towards the end of the season with little left to play for.

That will hopefully play into Saints’ hands on Saturday, along with Brentford’s dip in results at home.

Over the last six matches on their own turf, Nicky Forster’s team have won two, drawn one and lost three.

Only four teams in the division have been poorer on home soil over the same period.

One of the defeats was a 1-0 loss to Swindon, on April 9, which ended a run of 18 league games without a win for the Robins.

Wary But Saints must also be a little wary of Brentford, who have given them trouble in recent times.

Since dropping down to League One, the teams have met on three occasions – and Saints haven’t won any.

The matches have generally been tight, cagey affairs, with physically strong Brentford teams trying to impose themselves on a more talented Saints side.

That will likely be the scenario Nigel Adkins’ men will face again this weekend.

The Bees don’t score many – just 51 all season – but they don’t concede a lot either, shipping just 55.

That is the sixth best defensive record in League One.

And Saints have come unstuck against similar sides this season.

The likes of Rochdale and Carlisle all fall into the same sort of category as player-manager Forster’s team.

They both pressed Saints well in the victories they achieved over them earlier in the campaign.

And Adkins’ side will have to work hard to see off what promises to be a resolute Brentford outfit – as they did so impressively in fixtures like Oldham away.

With the momentum they have built over the last three games – all victories – and the quality they have in the team, Saints should be confident of claiming a crucial win in their promotion battle.

As an added incentive, Saints know that three points on Saturday will mean that, at the very worst, they will have a chance to effectively seal promotion at Plymouth on Monday.

Wrap things up And any slip-up from third-placed Huddersfield at Brighton this weekend will mean they could mathematically wrap things up against the Pilgrims.

It is a long time since Saints have won an away league game against Brentford, though.

The last time was a 3-0 victory in December 1954, although there have only been six Griffin Park meetings since then.

And Saints do have fairly recent history of success at the London ground. They won an FA Cup replay 3-1 in March 2005, and a League Cup second leg encounter 2-0 in September 1997.

The most recent meeting between the teams was at St Mary’s last December, when the Bees won 2-0.

That was the only defeat that Saints have suffered on home soil in the league since Nigel Adkins took charge.

Last season, both contests ended in 1-1 draws.