GOALKEEPER Paul Rachubka went from villain to hero as Town dug deep to disrupt Brentford's play-off push.

Striker Pawel Abbott clinched a sixth win in seven games for Peter Jackson's battling side with what former Match of the Day commentator Barry Davies would surely have described as a "peach of a goal" 26 minutes into a tense contest at Griffin Park.

But it needed an impressively determined defensive effort to keep the Bees at bay, especially during a one-sided second half.

All 12 outfield players who featured made a contribution to the clean sheet, but underpinning it all was Rachubka.

At fault for the last-ditch leveller which allowed Colchester to wreck Town's late play-off bid the week before, the former Charlton stopper bounced back to produce a fine display.

Seven times he confidently collected or blocked the ball, remaining a figure of calm as Brentford's players, and fans, grew more and more agitated.

The final whistle sounded soon after Rachubka appeared through a mass of players - including Brentford keeper Stuart Nelson, who was pushed up front for the final frantic onslaught - to coolly pluck John Salako's inswinging corner from the air.

And the frustration proved too much for home skipper Stewart Talbot, who had to be restrained by teammates as he lunged towards one particularly critical London supporter.

"A fan who has paid his entrance money has the right to criticise," accepted Brentford boss Martin Allen.

"But the supporters should know that Stewart shouldn't really have played. He had to because I had no other fit central midfielders, and he commendably took responsibility."

It was an ugly end to a gritty game played in a partisan atmosphere.

The second half was punctuated by chants of "Cheats, cheats" by the home fans, but Town boss Jackson bristled at suggestions his players had gone down too easily in a bid to use up time.

"They're too young to know how to feign injury," he said, pointing to the fact that the combined age of David Mirfin, Tom Clarke and John McCombe, his three central defenders in a 5-3-2 line-up, is just 56.

"I've got two players who needed stitches, Andy Booth in his head and Tom Clarke in his shin after a horrendous tackle by (Sam) Sodje, and a lot carrying knocks."

If most players were feeling pain on the journey back up the M1, there must also have been pleasure at this win.

The first half hour was even, with Andy Booth looping a header over after a minute and Talbot firing wide after 17 before Rachubka made his first contribution, grasping the ball under pressure from Deon Burton as busy midfielder Darren Pratley crossed low.

Home keeper Nelson almost turned an innocuous Booth header into a 24th-minute goal, allowing the ball to bounce against his chest, then having to scramble it around the post.

Two minutes later, he was picking it from the back of the net as Abbott celebrated his 25th goal of the season, a deft chip from the edge of the penalty area after Lee Fowler dispossessed Pratley and Adnan Ahmed caught out the home defence with a lovely through ball from halfway.

The goal sparked Brentford into life, and centre-back Sodje, brother of former Town duo Efe and Akpo, headed narrowly over from a free-kick delivered by midfielder Jay Tabb, who was denied by Rachubka's brave dive as he raced on to Marcus Gayle's pass in the 31st minute.

Left-back Danny Adams blocked a close-range header from ex-Bradford and Barnsley striker Isaiah Rankin, then Rachubka produced a fine one-handed save to thwart Sodje, whose header from Kevin O'Connor's cross looked every inch a goal.

Gayle bent a free-kick wide while Talbot's 20-yard shot was well held as Town somehow reached the interval with their goal intact.

The pressure continued after the break, with Ahmed clearing Michael Turner's header off the line before Rachubka spread himself well to deny Tabb, who had both time and space.

The keeper showed good reactions to block as Andy Frampton's fierce shot took a deflection off Pratley, then McCombe recovered well to rob Burton as he bore down on goal.

Sodje and Burton both put chances wide before, after 88 minutes, Danny Schofield came agonisingly close to doubling Town's lead in their only real attack of the second half, breaking clear to shoot across the face of goal.