Alan McCormack said he was “ecstatic” after picking up a medal to mark Brentford’s promotion from Sky Bet League One.
Alan spoke to Bees Player after Brentford ended their season with a 2-0 win over Stevenage on Saturday.
Following the match the squad were presented with medals and a trophy to mark promotion to The Championship – sealed with a Good Friday win over Preston North End – and Alan said it brought the curtain down on a “fantastic year”.
The right back said he remembered the previous meeting with Stevenage when The Bees lost 2-1, sat in the middle of the table and Alan said he thought Uwe Rösler, then Brentford Manager, was under pressure.
Brentford had a lengthy debrief and then went on a run of four defeats in their next 36 games to win promotion, even coping with Uwe Rösler leaving and Mark Warburton taking over as boss.
Alan said the celebrations on Saturday were reward for the hard work put in.
“I am ecstatic,” he said.
“On Good Friday, against Preston, it was the best feeling of the season.
“Today, knowing we were up, it was a matter of getting three points and enjoying the ceremony.
“It is hard to sum up the feeling and emotions.
“I remember thinking back to Stevenage away, losing 2-1 and the big meeting after the game.
“We had lost a few on the bounce and all of a sudden there was talk about the manager losing his job and a hangover from the season before.
“To go on the run we went on.
“We broke Club Records, got 20 clean sheets.
“It has been a fantastic year.
“A lot of the hard work that goes in will never be seen.
“The players and staff see how early we come in, how hard we work and how late we go home.
“We get our just rewards at the end of the season.”
Promotion came at the end of Alan’s first season at Griffin Park.
He said he knew when he left Swindon Town to join The Bees he had made the right decision.
He added the players and staff deserved credit for dealing with a mid-season managerial change to keep on the road to promotion.
“I said at the time I made the right decision,” said Alan.
“I knew where the Club was going and had full belief in the manager at the time.
“Even when he left the Club wanted to stay on the same path.
“No-one came in who was on a different path in terms of coaching.
“Mark has done a tremendous job to keep it going.
“It is difficult to do.
“Credit to the players for sticking to what had been done and to Mark.”
Brentford ended their season with a victory over already relegated Stevenage.
Alan admitted The Bees were better in the second half than the first and could have had a bigger win.
Stuart Dallas scored the first inside the last 15 minutes and Alan Judge sealed it at the death.
“It is difficult to play in these games,” said Stuart.
“There is not a lot to play for in terms of promotion and relegation.
“Stevenage tried to stop us playing, credit to them, and we didn’t move the ball as quickly as we normally do.
“That is typical for this time of year.
“We were quicker and better in the second half and we opened them up.
“We could have scored more.”
Alan said he was looking forward to a break before moving on to 2014/15.
He added The Bees would not be resting on their laurels and were looking for further success.
“The body is tired,” said Alan.
“The legs are sore and the joints are hurting.
“I have been struggling with my ankle for a few weeks.
“We have a great medical staff that help and make sure you are 100 per cent.
“It will be a nice break but we will be fighting for top half or Play-Offs next year with the squad we have got, the players that will come in and the quality we have.”
Full post-match reaction from Alan McCormack is available here for Bees Player subscribers.