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But Frank is understandably circumspect. He points to last season, when Brentford were on 19 points after 15 matches and comfortably 11th in the table. But a run of 11 defeats in their next 14 games plunged them into relegation danger.
That dire run saw Frank recalibrate his side’s attack, with evident results.
“We started well last season for 11 or 12 games, then injuries hit us hard,” Frank said.
Both teams are dealing with life without their biggest goal threats of recent seasons, with Brentford having sold Ivan Toney and Bournemouth losing Dominic Solanke.
However, Brentford have had little trouble replacing Toney’s goals.
Coming into Saturday’s game, only three teams had scored more in the Premier League than the Bees (17), with both Bryan Mbeumo and Wissa among the league’s top 11 scorers.
Brentford appear to have undergone a
England striker Toney’s Brentford departure was confirmed on the eve of this game, with Brentford collecting a fee in the region of £40m.
His natural replacement, Igor Thiago, has been ruled out for several months with a knee injury, so the scoring pressure has fallen on Mbeumo and Wissa.
They stepped up on Saturday to show what they can offer as Brentford look to a future without the prolific Toney.
Even with a loss in their final home game, Bournemouth have had a brilliant season.
Despite a nine-match winless start, the Cherries have recorded their highest ever points total and are 10th in the Premier League table with one game to play.
There was a jubilant mood inside the Vitality when Solanke appeared to open the scoring in the 27th minute with a driven finish.
Indeed, the England striker was