Brentford extended their unbeaten run to nine with a goalless draw in the west country against Bristol Rovers.

The Bees hit both the post and the bar - in the space of two first half minutes - but were also indebted to Wojciech Szczesny for a couple of saves, one of which would have graced any stadium in the world.

A draw was probably the right result as neither team utilised their possession as they would have liked but both will be wondering how they did not score at least one.

Brentford had a lot of early possession without creating much and it was Rovers who had the first sight of goal.

Danny Foster made a good block from a Jo Kuffour shot and Charlie Reece lofted an effort over the bar before Andy Williams toe poked wide after a nice turn inside the box.

Szczesny bailed out Leon Legge when he raced out to meet a weak back header narrowly before Williams, his clearance fell to Chris Lines, but the midfield man's shot missed the target.

Carl Cort almost created an opening at the other end but Rovers' goalkeeper Mikkel Andersen beat Lewis Grabban to his clever pass and when the striker went himself moments later his shot was straight at the stopper.

Reece shot over and Ben Swallow lashed into the side netting before Kuffour saw another effort blocked by the impressive Karleigh Osborne.

Charlie MacDonald almost created an opening for Brentford as the visitors started to get a grip on things - his reverse pass sent Grabban in behind, Jeff Hughes made half a tackle but the wide man got in a shot that Andersen turned wide.

From the resulting corner, Osborne headed wide and Brentford went even closer soon after when, from a Cort lay-off, MacDonald's shot beat Andersen but clipped the outside of the post.

Legge hit the bar soon after with a looping header from a Sam Wood free kick and with the influential Kuffour injured and then withdrawn Brentford were on top.

But the introduction of Darryl Duffy for Kuffour seemed to boost the home side.

His first touch sent Williams in behind a Brentford defence that got their offside trap wrong but the striker went wide and Szczesny saved with his legs.

Reece lashed a shot across the face of goal and blazed an effort well wide before Lines slotted an effort narrowly over as Rovers ended the half well.

The home side also began the second on top - Osborne was forced to clear a Duffy effort off the line and Wood had to do the same when Cort almost headed a Swallow corner into his own net.

Szczesny saved from Williams, and was forced to make an important tackle when the striker almost reached another weak Legge header, and Lines headed over while Grabban blazed over for The Bees at the other end.

But after a slow start to the second half, Brentford started to come into the game, and created openings of their own.

MacDonald shot straight at Andersen after turning cleverly in the box and Toumani Diagouraga had a shot blocked.

The Bees thought they had the killer goal when a Foster cross was nodded back to MacDonald by Cort, he waited for it to drop and looked set to place it past Andersen but Daniel Jones blocked superbly.

The moment of the match, however, came at the other end - substitute Eliot Richards managed to, for once, beat Osborne, his cut back found Lines six yards out who ran on to the ball and placed it back across Szczesny, somehow the Polish goalkeeper managed to stretch out an arm when diving the wrong way and divert it round the post.

The Bees' keeper saved at the feet of Duffy and then saw Hughes shoot wide but was almost beaten in the cruellest manner in stoppage time.

A Swallow shot deflected wickedly off Legge to leave Szczesny stranded but it flew past the post and ensured the game ended scoreless.

Bristol Rovers: Andersen; Regan, Coles, Jones, Hughes; Reece (sub Richards 77 mins), Lines, Campbell, Swallow; Kuffour (sub Duffy 38 mins), Williams

Subs (not used): Evans, Wright, Clough, Cooper, Clarke

Brentford: Szczesny; Foster, Legge, Osborne, Wood; Grabban, O'Connor, Diagouraga, Weston (sub Ainsworth 64 mins); Cort, MacDonald

Subs (not used): Bull, Blake, Hunt, Saunders, Strevens

Attendance: 6,048 (445 Bees fans)

By Chris Wickham