Ivan Toney return inspires Brentford to victory over Forest

Ivan Toney marked his return from an eight-month exile with a goal to help Brentford to a thrilling 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.

The striker, banned from football since May for breaching betting rules, was back on the scoresheet for the first time in 267 days.

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Named captain for the day, Toney struck with an audacious free-kick to cancel out Danilo's opener for Forest and thrust himself back into the spotlight for the right reasons.

Ben Mee headed Brentford in front but Chris Wood equalised before Toney's strike partner Neal Maupay found the net as Brentford celebrated their talisman's comeback with a much-needed win after five successive Premier League defeats.

Not that this was ever likely to be a low-key return - there was even a digital billboard over the road from the Gtech Stadium flashing up a picture of Toney and the words, 'he's back'.

Yet Forest threatened to ruin the party when they went ahead with less than three minutes gone.

Vitaly Janelt made a mess of a clearance, twice, and when Mee attempted to tidy up his header flew straight to Brazilian Danilo, who took a touch with his thigh before volleying past Bees keeper Mark Flekken.

But Toney, whose ban officially ended on Wednesday, hauled Brentford level in the 19th minute after Orel Mangala gave away a free-kick by pulling down Mikkel Damsgaard on the edge of the area.

Only one player was going to take it, and just as Toney had when he scored in the corresponding fixture last season - his last goal before the ban - the 27-year-old nonchalantly stroked the free-kick around the wall and inside Matt Turner's left-hand post.

Forest captain Ryan Yates was furious with Turner for not spotting the gap that Toney found, although no one noticed the