Kevin O'Connor: 'Mark Warburton saga helped Brentford'

Brentford club captain Kevin O'Connor has said that the saga surrounding manager Mark Warburton's departure has helped motivate the team this season.

The Bees qualified for the Championship playoffs after a final-day victory over Wigan Athletic, but Warburton and assistant manager David Weir will be leaving the club at the end of the season.

"I don't think it caused problems. It's a strange situation. If anything it has helped the players because we wanted to do it for Mark and David as well as ourselves. It hasn't done us any harm," O'Connor told the club's official website.

Brentford will play Middlesbrough in the semi-finals of the playoffs.