Brentford progressed in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy after a hard-fought victory over League Two Stevenage.

The Bees came out on top in a tight contest thanks to Robbie Simpson's fourth goal of the season.

The hosts may feel they had enough of the game in the second half to take the tie to penalties at least but Brentford kept their first clean sheet of the season to reach the Souther Section Second Round.

The game started in a fairly even manner - with Stevenage having a little more of the ball, but creating few clear-cut chances.

Richard Lee saved well from a powerful Mark Roberts header and then a little more easily from a deflected Yemi Odubade effort.

Nicky Forster had a deflected shot saved at the other end before The Bees had a good shout for a penalty - when it appeared Michael Spillane was impeded when trying to reach a Nick Adams corner - turned down by referee Oliver Langford.

Adams had a low shot saved while John Mousinho forced Lee into a low save at the other end and Odubade missed the target with a header when he got on to a long ball and then shot straight at the Brentford goalkeeper soon after.

The Bees were slowly moving into the ascendency, were playing the more incisive football and when they got the ball wide were able to create openings.

Their goal, just past the half hour, summed their play up - Karleigh Osborne spread a brilliant ball from the centre of defence to Adams on the right hand side, the winger slipped past Scott Laird and picked out Simpson, who headed in from eight yards.

Mousinho shot wide and Joel Byrom blasted a couple of efforts over the bar but Brentford could have wrapped it up before half time.

Simpson almost latched on to a poor Laird back header and when he challenged Chris Day the ball ran loose, Adams skipped past the hapless Laird again and pulled it back to Forster who shot over on the stretch from close range.

Simpson shot wide in first half stoppage time and was just unable to reach a wicked Forster cross soon after the re-start but Stevenage started the second half brighter.

And by the hour mark the League Two team would have felt they should have been level.

Most of the chances were falling to Odubade - he shot over from 15 yards and then saw a shot well blocked by Osborne before forcing Lee into a low save.

The best chance fell to Byrom, who saw a low shot saved well by Lee after a Peter Winn knock down and the luckless Odubade lifted the loose ball over the bar.

Brentford came close to what would have been a match-sealing second goal when Forster reacted quickest to reach a blocked Craig Woodman free kick, his cut back found Simpson but the goal scorer could not get enough on it and Day saved.

But it was Stevenage with most of the play and most of the chances - Lee saved from Michael Bostwick and then from a looping Winn header.

The Bees were defending solidly, restricting Stevenage mainly to chances from set pieces and long range - Lee saved from a Jon Ashton header and Tim Sills curled a shot wide - and by the end the hosts were pumping aimless balls looking for an opening.

And it was Brentford who looked most like scoring a second goal, Day having to be alert to save at the feet of Weston.

Despite four minutes stoppage time Stevenage could not find a breakthrough and Brentford went through.

Stevenage: Day; Henry, Ashton, Roberts (sub Bridges 84 mins), Laird; Mousinho, Bostwick, Byrom (sub Sinclair 72 mins); Odubade, Beardsley (sub Sills 65 mins), Winn

Subs (not used): Bayes, Wilson

Brentford: Lee; Spillane, Osborne, Balkestein, Woodman; Adams (sub Cort 88 mins), O'Connor, Diagouraga, Weston; Forster (sub Wood 80 mins), Simpson

Subs (not used): Moore, Legge, Bean

Attendance: 1,916 (365 Bees fans)

By Chris Wickham