Brentford head coach Dean Smith said his team are “itching to put things right” against west London rivals Queens Park Rangers after a string of disappointing performances.

The Bees dropped to 17th in the Championship table despite not playing midweek, following 2-1 defeats to relegation-threatened Charlton Athletic and Rotherham United.

But despite not winning at Loftus Road since October 1964, when Roy Orbison was top of the charts with ‘Oh Pretty Woman’, Smith is confident Brentford can do the double over QPR after October’s 1-0 home victory.

He said: “The lads are itching to put things right – we are well aware that we’ve not played Tuesday night and have dropped three places in the league table.

“I went to watch QPR and they got a good result with a good performance so I’ve told the platers how tough the game is going to be.

“But I know it’s one we are fully capable of winning.”

For a generation of Bees supporters, Saturday will be the first time they make the short trip to Shepherds Bush but it could have been so different.

Brentford’s fans should not forget that, in 1967, the Rs launched a takeover bid which would have seen them move into Griffin Park and the Bees extinct.

Smith said the players are well aware of the significance of the fixture for the 2,800 traveling fans and said experiencing Fulham away in December ensured the squad is fully prepared for Saturday.

He said: “I experienced going to Fulham quite early in the job and you know the following we had there so I’m looking forward to it now.

“To go to our neighbours and get a good result would be extra special, we know how much it means to the supporters.

“I’ve been speaking to Lee Carsley about the home game when we won 1-0 and how much that meant to everybody then, so to go and get the double over them would be one to savour.”

Smith said admitted his substitutions against Charlton on Saturday were a mistake and told the players as much.

He added: “It ended up unbalanced because of the change and you have to hold your hands up too – I said that to the players after the game.

“We learn by our mistakes and we have to move on.”