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Over halfway through the campaign, The Bees find themselves in dreamland.

Following four wins in five games, and a Brazilian striker banging in the goals, suddenly Bees fans are envisioning thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A convincing three-nil win over Sunderland moved their manager's side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was good enough to secure Champions League football last season.

Solely table-toppers the Gunners have gathered more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There's a long way to go yet but Brentford are squarely in the fight for European football.

Few was envisioning this last off-season.

The former head coach had departed for Spurs after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club to the Premier League but also established them in the top flight.

Skipper Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was elevated to succeed Frank, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the summer signings.

A year of difficulty, possibly even relegation, was forecast. Yet here we are in the new year with the club in the top five.

So, what is behind their success?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Season

The club's decision not to sign another striker was in part down to circumstance, with one forward's move not being finalized until the final day of the window.

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

Igor Thiago joined from Belgium in the summer for a then club record fee, but was plagued by injury in his first campaign, going goalless in his initial outings.

Thiago has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a player from Brazil in a single English top-flight campaign.

Considering the countrymen who have preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He's been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He is a physical specimen, fast, strong, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, 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 huge compliment to him."

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

And it is not just the volume but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so pivotal for Brentford.

His first goal against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Given how often we are told the significance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that early opportunity cannot be overstated.

Prior to the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shooting accuracy than the striker's 59.1%.

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

Given the struggles he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to provide for his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that pressure on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and personalities," Andrews said. "This is really impressive. He is a really unique person who has adapted to life very nicely. He has had to forge this path. He has worked for his journey and grafted. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Wrong

Their star striker is the man of the moment but the team are not and have never been a single-player team.

While they had star players – a host of talent – under Frank, they were always seen as a team stronger than the sum of their parts.

The fear was that once the manager left, that may not be the case, and that the collective quality of their parts alone might not be enough to stay up.

Consequently, appointing Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those outside the club 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 jump from specialist coach to the manager's office.

But given that Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna was the only other option that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the right man.

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

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

Results that, following their excellent recent form, could prove increasingly important in the pursuit for European qualification.

"We are in fine fettle and playing really good. 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 improving."

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just eight points, they have little choice, because things could quickly look very otherwise.

But, for now, Brentford are defying the odds. And the longer that lasts, the closer to reality those dreams of the continent will become.