Brentford boss Mark Warburton is getting a bit tired of being treated like the underdogs.

Derby County are the latest former Premier League  visitors to Griffin Park this Saturday following the likes of Leeds United, Charlton Athletic, Birmingham City and Norwich City since the start of the season.

The Bees have made a more than solid start to life in the second tier of English football, with 19 points from their opening 14 games.

Manager Warburton, without a win in three games, reckons that means his men should feel more than part of the Championship furniture and deserve to be considered with a little more respect.  

“We have big games all the time,” he said.

“We worked hard last year to earn the right to play teams like Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday.

“But we do not look forward to them like a kids look forward to Christmas.

“We are not here for one season of enjoyment.

“I get tired of people telling us to make the most of it and enjoy it while it lasts.

“That is absolute baloney.

“Our players have shown real quality. I’m fed up with people saying we have good commitment and good energy, because they are not mentioning the quality we have here.

“People have to recognise that there are some very big clubs in this league, with big budgets and some very expensive individuals and well- paid players.

“We have to find a a way to counter that, but our players have already shown they have the ability and quality to play at this level.”

Back-to-back 0-0 draws with Wigan Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday, plus Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers has realised concerns over Brentford’s prowess in front of goal.

Warburton insists he is always looking for players to add value to the current squad and has backed Andre Gray, below, to deliver the goods up top this term.

“Andre has been outstanding,” he said.

“We have always said power and pace are more effective at this level than speed of thought and movement.

“Andre has probably played more minutes than he expected and that has been partly down to injuries, but we have been delighted with the way he has risen to the challenge.”

Defender Alan McCormack is expected to miss tomorrow’s visit from the Rams with an ankle injury sustained  at Bolton.

The club’s medical team are waiting for the swelling to disperse to assess the extent of the damage.

Meanwhile, midfielder Sam Saunders played his first 45 minutes of football in close to 11 months for the development team at Crystal Palace this week.