Brentford head coach Keith Andrews feels the players have come a long way since a "tough day" when his first match in the Premier League ended with defeat at Nottingham Forest.
The Bees were brushed aside 3-1 at the City Ground in August, but otherwise it has largely been a positive first campaign for Andrews since he replaced long-serving boss Thomas Frank.
An unbeaten six-game run in the league ended in defeat at Chelsea last weekend, but Andrews' side still find themselves very much in the shake up for the European places.
Brentford host Forest - now with Sean Dyche as the club's third manager of the season - in the return fixture on Sunday and Andrews is focused on his side continuing their upward trajectory.
"It was certainly a tough day for us all, but it is pretty obvious to see the development that we have made in the months since that, and I am delighted with the progress we have made," Andrews said at a press conference.
"We have gone day-to-day, week-to-week, and game-to-game to build a team, a squad, a way of playing and a way of working.
"From that, we have obviously got results and have managed to grow and develop as a group, which has been nice to see.
"It is nice to see players flourish and grow in confidence. The way we are playing recently is really pleasing."
Brentford are looking to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend and Andrews is hoping to be able to call on the services of Jordan Henderson, who has recovered from an ankle injury.
"Everyone has come through the Chelsea game pretty well," said Andrews. "It's been a few days since then - we've trained well and we're pretty good on that front.
"Jordan [Henderson] has been back on the grass, and hopefully he'll be involved."
Josh Dasilva (knee ligament) remains sidelined.
