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Over halfway through the season, The Bees find themselves in a dream scenario.

Following victories in their last five outings, and a Samba striker banging in the goals, suddenly supporters are envisioning thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

A comprehensive 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved their manager's side into the fifth spot in the top flight – a place that was sufficient to secure European football last term.

Only leaders Arsenal have collected more points over the past six games.

There is a long way to go yet but Brentford are squarely in the battle for European football.

No one was envisioning this last off-season.

Thomas Frank had left for Spurs after a seven-year stint in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club to the Premier League but also established them in the elite division.

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for the North London club and goal-scoring duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was promoted to succeed the Dane, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the off-season arrivals.

A season of difficulty, possibly even the drop, was widely predicted. Yet here we are in the new year with the club in the upper echelons.

So, how did they pull it off?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Season

The club's decision not to sign another striker was in part down to timing, with Wissa's move not going through until the final day of the window.

But they also were aware they had a £30m striker already chomping at the bit.

The 24-year-old joined from Club Brugge in the summer for a then club record fee, but was hindered by injury in his first campaign, going without a goal in his initial outings.

The 24-year-old has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the most by a Brazilian in a single English top-flight campaign.

Given the countrymen who have come before him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," pundit an analyst said. "He's physically intimidating, fast, strong, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score with both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are fantastic. He must be so pleased. That's a big compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of Europe's top five leagues to this point highlights the level he is operating at.

And it is not just the volume but the timing of the goals that have been so vital for his team.

His first goal against the Black Cats was his 7th opener of the season. Considering how often we are told the significance of the first goal in a game, having someone you can depend on to take that first big chance cannot be underestimated.

Before the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shot accuracy rate than the striker's 59.1%.

He hits the target. Do that consistently and the goals will – and have – come.

Considering the hardships he had earlier in life, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and personalities," the manager said. "This is really impressive. He is a really unique person who has adapted to life very well. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Wrong

Their star striker is the headline act but Brentford are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had key individuals – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under Frank, they were always seen as a team stronger than the sum of their parts.

The concern was that once the manager left, that may not be the case, and that the sum of Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to stay up.

As a result, appointing Andrews, with a blank managerial CV, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those external observers as a gamble.

A maiden role is a challenge for anyone, let alone when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the leap from set-piece coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative that Brentford looked at, they were clearly confident they had the right man.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at the club, it looks as if they were correct.

The new boss won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against United, the Reds and the Magpies have since occurred.

Wins that, following their excellent recent form, could prove all the more important in the race for Europe.

"We're in good form and playing really well. We are playing with bravery and belief in everything we do with and without the ball," he added. "We're happy with how we are going but we want to keep pushing."

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have no other option, because things could rapidly look very different.

But, for now, Brentford are beating the predictions. And the longer that lasts, the closer to fruition those aspirations of the continent will become.