Relive it all once more, in style.

What more can you say? Well let’s start by saying that Brentford are Premier League. And yes, it HAS been said many, many times over the last few days but it just fits so well. Sounds so sweet. Finally, finally finally this stage of our journey is over. Finally we’ve got a notch in the ‘W’ column for a game at Wembley. It’ll be Chelsea rather than Craven Cottage for the West London derby. Brighton rather than Blackpool for our trip to the seaside. Manchester City and Aston Villa as the teams to discuss with two of my closest non-Bees supporting friends. There is nothing but excitement ahead and, as much as anything else, perhaps a summer now able to be spent enjoying the Euros rather than vast tracts of the squad being snapped up by top flight clubs. If you support Brentford, life is good. 

This time last week, the anticipation was building. As was an element of angst. On paper, we all knew that Brentford were the better team than Swansea City. Yet in our hearts, we all knew this was a one-off game at what for us had been the most jinx-laden of venues. Anything could happen in 90 minutes. In a one-off game of football. 

Thankfully, as revealed in Kitman Bob’s exclusive insight to the build up this week, those were not feelings shared by the squad. The togetherness and spirit we had seen all season combining once more to get us over the line during the week and on the day itself. You can read Bob’s diary here and, even if you have already, do it again. Just because these moments deserve to be relived.

Yet if Bob has done his thing, last night was the turn of Stu Wakeford, Marcus Gayle and Karleigh Osborne. The Warm Up was back on our screens for another look at the game, the beautiful, beautiful afters aswell as, of course, their thoughts and hopes for the coming Premier League season. 

They have the goals. The celebrations. Fan footage. The additional key moments of which, for me Clive, ‘that’ Ivan Toney blockbuster gets nearer and nearer to making it 3-0 every time I watch it. Obviously the result is the important thing, and we got it, but just imagine the noise had that dropped a few inches kinder to clear the line. What an absolutely stunning goal that would have been. One to rival Dallas at Fulham. 

There’s even the revelation that Karleigh ‘did a JJ’ (and if you know, you know). Quite possibly the real reason we won the game. There’s a lot of love for Thomas and our own, grounded approach to football. Marcus, in particular, absolutely nailing what it means to be a Brentford fan and what your club is all about. I’ve watched it once. I’ll do it again. Being quite honest, I can’t get enough of last weekend. It has been SUCH a long time coming. Even last night, with Gibraltar 4-0 down at half time in Slovenia (thankful there would be no brackets involved at the end of the game) , we flicked off the red button and there were the highlights on Sky again. Don’t mind if I do. Perhaps this time, the crossbar will give Ivan a slightly kinder bounce .

The Warm Up is on now. You can catch it below. Find out who wants Chelsea next season. Who is getting excited about Old Trafford. What Pep might say when Manchester City come to visit. Most of all, just enjoy the sheer, unadulterated happiness of what we have achieved.

Nick Bruzon

Brentford clean up Staines with ‘massive’ win

What do you say about that?

It was less cup ‘romance’ and more  ‘sexy football’ of the sort not seen at Griffin Park for some time. Listening to Billy Reeves last week, he had praised the footballing ability of this team as ‘the best in the division’ when up against opponents who also tried to play rather than park the proverbial bus. And that’s what both sides did yesterday as Brentford ended up putting five goals past Marcus Gayle’s Staines Town in the FA Cup first round.

It was a cracking cup-tie played in a great atmosphere but the socreline only tells half the story. Before the game had even kicked off, chants of “Marcus, Marcus give us a wave” echoed around the Ealing Road terrace. “Just not with that”, quipped one terrace wag.

To read the rest of this article, season 2013/14 is now available to download onto Kindle, in full. Containing previously unseen content, you can do so here for less than the cost of one matchday programme.

 Thanks for reading over the course of the campaign. For now I need to make space on this page for any follow up.  The ‘close season’ / World Cup columns continue in full, further on in this site.

Marcus Gayle – “It’s like going home to see your Auntie and Uncle”

I love the early rounds of the FA Cup.

As Brentford prepare for this Saturday’s game with Staines Town  – the battle of Middlesex as some have dubbed it – everyone is getting excited. Primarily because winning at the weekend takes us that bit closer to a potential tie with the Premiership ‘big boys’ in the third round.

Youngsters all over the country (and me) are raiding the kitchen cupboard for the roll of tin-foil to make that FA Cup staple – the Heath-Robinson style home made replica trophy.

The home made FA Cup – Bacofoil share process are sure to surge in January

TV producers are already preparing their lists of the non-league player’s ‘day time jobs’ – A bonus point for every time you hear, ‘In the day he’s a ….plumber, milkman, postman, electrician.

And local journalists are looking for those tenuous connections between former professionals now plying their trade in the lower leagues as players or, equally, those with a link to the club they are now playing against.

It won’t take Sherlock Holmes to figure out the man of the moment on Saturday. You’d have to be living on the moon not to realise that the Staines Town manager is none other than former Bee Marcus Gayle. Over the course of his two spells in the Bee’s first team, spanning the eighteen years from 1988 to 2006, Marcus represented the club in three separate play off semi finals and has a 91/92 Champion’s medal in his collection.

To read the rest of this article, season 2013/14 is now available to download onto Kindle, in full. Containing previously unseen content, you can do so here for less than the cost of one matchday programme.

 Thanks for reading over the course of the campaign. For now I need to make space on this page for any follow up.  The ‘close season’ / World Cup columns continue in full, further on in this site.