Brentford 1 Shrewsbury Town 0

Shrewsbury Town were beaten for the first time in six visits to Griffin Park with Marcello Trotta's first-half strike the difference for League One promotion-chasers Brentford.

Trotta's early goal left Town chasing the game and they couldn't quite sting the Bees, who themselves spurned further opportunities to add to their lead.

Gaps in the Shrewsbury defence were forming from the off, first when Kadeem Harris' corner from the right fell into a defender-free box. Fortunately for them, Aaron Wildig had tracked back to clear.

On 13 minutes, the hosts came forward again as Adam Forshaw, often the architect of great balls in from the right, found Trotta in the box who fired wide, under pressure from Dave Winfield.

Three minutes later, the goal the home side had been threatening came when Harris, on loan from Premier League side Cardiff City, took a touch and used his pace to go past left-back Joe Jacobson.

Harris' cross into the box was put on a plate to Trotta, who really couldn't miss at point blank range as he slotted the ball past Shrewsbury goalkeeper Chris Weale.

It took Shrewsbury 37 minutes to register their first shot on target but Jon Taylor's effort was easy for goalkeeper David Button to gather. Button again denied Taylor on the stroke on half-time.

But a back-pedalling Button had to be alert to push over Taylor's header on 52 minutes, after a spot of head tennis in the Brentford box.

After that, Shrewsbury tried in vain to force an equaliser and Paul Parry's effort wide was about as close as they came.

Brentford could have even added a second in stoppage time when Donaldson steered himself in the box to blaze wide of the far post, while substitute Sam Saunders' low shot fizzed past the woodwork.