THE GROUND
Goldsands Stadium
Dean Court
King’s Park
Bournemouth
Dorset
BH7 7AF
The new Dean Court was opened in 2001 and currently holds 12,000 spectators.
The site has held football since 1910 when The Cherries – then called Boscombe FC – moved in but the old Dean Court was knocked down at the start of the new Millennium and the pitch turned 90 degrees.
Since Brentford last played at Dean Court a new stand has been built behind one goal to increase the capacity.
Away supporters are housed in a section of the East Stand, opposite the dug outs and changing rooms, and the allocation is usually 1,500.
THE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
It is approximately 99 miles from Griffin Park to Dean Court by road.
Dean Court is just off the A338 and from London supporters will usually take the M27 and A31 to meet the A338.
Parking is available at a pay and display car park next to the ground.
The nearest station is Pokesdown, which is less than a mile from the ground.
Bournemouth station is slightly further away but is more frequently served.
Pokesdown can only be reached by using South West Trains, which usually originate at Waterloo, but you can get to Bournemouth by using either SWT or Cross Country, which also stop at Reading and Basingstoke.
The Supporters’ Association will be running coaches to every game this season – details of times and prices will be announced in due course.
THE FIXTURES
Brentford will play away to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday August 16, their first scheduled away game.
The Bees then welcome The Cherries to Griffin Park on Saturday February 21.
THE RECENT HISTORY
AFC Bournemouth will be going in to 2014/15 on the back of their best ever season.
The Cherries finishes tenth in The Championship last season, higher than they had done in their 90 years as a Football League club.
They almost put together a challenge for a second promotion in consecutive years.
A run of five wins in a row in March and April took them to the edge of the Play-Off race.
However, The Cherries only won one of their last five games and finished with a total of 66 points, six behind Brighton and Hove Albion, who took the last Play-Off place.
It has been a memorable few years for AFC Bournemouth, who are a club on the up after a troubled few years.
They were promoted from League Two in 2010 and went up again three years later.
The Cherries were placed into administration in 2008, ten years after narrowly avoiding liquidation, and relegated from League One.
The following year they were handed a 17 point deduction but managed to avoid relegation under the guidance of Eddie Howe.
A year later they went even better and clinched promotion back to the third tier.
In 2010/11 they reached the League One Play-Offs, losing to Huddersfield Town, and then finished 11th a year later.
They started the 2012/13 season as one of the favourites for promotion but had a disastrous opening to the campaign.
They won just one of their first 11 games and Paul Groves was replaced as manager by Eddie Howe, returning from Burnley, on October 12.
Bournemouth then lost one of their next 21 games, winning 15 of them to climb in to the promotion race.
Five straight defeats in February and March 2013 set them back but they ended with nine wins in their final ten games, drawing on the final day of the season, and finished second in the table.
They continued that good form last season and will look to keep it going this time around.
THE MANAGER
Eddie Howe has established himself as an AFC Bournemouth legend during two spells as manager, on the back of a successful playing career.
The 36-year-old came through the ranks at Bournemouth and spent the first eight years of his playing career with The Cherries, earning England Under-21 recognition in the process.
He moved to Portsmouth but returned to Bournemouth two years later and moved in to coaching when his career was ended early by injury when he was just 29.
Howe was appointed Caretaker Manager in December 2008 before getting the job permanently soon after and managed to keep Bournemouth up at the end of the season despite the 17 point deduction.
He then took them up before leaving for Burnley in January 2011.
He spent around 18 months in Lancashire before being enticed back to the South Coast and overseeing Bournemouth’s rise in to the second tier.
THE TOP SCORER
Lewis Grabban scored 22 goals in 44 Sky Bet Championship appearances for Bournemouth last season.
However, it was his last season with The Cherries as he has been sold to Norwich City during the close season.
The 26-year-old signed for Brentford in 2011 after two successful loan spells.
He scored a total of seven goals in 32 games for The Bees, seven in 29 League One matches, before he was released and joined Rotherham United.
Grabban started his career at Crystal Palace and was with Millwall before heading to TW8.
He scored 21 goals in his one season at Rotherham before Bournemouth paid a six-figure fee for him.
He scored 13 goals in his first season at Bournemouth before hitting 22 last term.
THE KEY MEN
Bournemouth’s fine form last season was built upon scoring a large number of goals.
Their total of 67 was better than Queens Park Rangers, who were promoted, and only six teams scored more.
As well as the departing Lewis Grabban, who scored 22 goals, striker Yann Kermorgant, who joined from Charlton Athletic, in January, was prolific – hitting nine in 16 games.
Matt Ritchie scored nine goals in 30 games from an attacking midfield role while Marc Pugh hit five in 42 games, often playing on the opposite flank.
Tokelo Rantie, who signed for a fee reported to be a Bournemouth Club Record, only managed three goals in his 29 Championship appearances.
In midfield Andrew Surman made 35 appearances during a season-long loan deal from Norwich City while Eunan O’Kane played 37 games, Harry Arter featured 31 times and Scotland Under-21 international Ryan Fraser played 37 Championship games, scoring four goals.
Bournemouth brought goalkeeper Lee Camp in on loan from West Bromwich Albion before signing him permanently and he spent the season as first-choice goalkeeper.
In his 33 Championship appearances Bournemouth conceded 39 goals, against a total of 66 in 46 games across the season.
Right back Simon Francis played in all 46 Championship games, one as a substitute, while captain Tommy Elphick made 38 appearances.
Steve Cook also played 38 games in defence while left back Charlie Daniels featured 23 times, missing a lot of the season through injury, and Ian Harte played 24 games.
With Grabban departing and Surman returning to Norwich, Bournemouth have brought in midfield player Dan Gosling from Newcastle United and will be looking to add a striker to their ranks but, apart from that, The Cherries have a consistent squad to start the new season.
THE FIRST MEETING
December 5 1914, FA Cup Fifth Qualifying Round – Boscombe 0 Brentford 0
Brentford line-up: Price; Rhodes, Spratt; Barclay, McGovern, Amos; Sangster, G. Curtis, Stonley, Symes, J. Curtis
Boscombe won the replay 1-0 at Griffin Park.
THE LAST MEETING
January 1 2013, npower League One – Brentford 0 AFC Bournemouth 0
Brentford line-up: Moore; Logan (sub Hodson), Dean, Craig, Bidwell; Douglas, Adeyemi; Donaldson, Forshaw (sub Diagouraga), Forrester; Trotta (sub Hayes)
Subs (not used): Lee, Kiernan, Reeves, Saunders
The division’s in-form teams played out a 0-0 New Year’s Day draw at Griffin Park.
THE MEMORABLE DAY
April 13 2009, Coca-Cola League Two – AFC Bournemouth 0 Brentford 1
Brentford line-up: Hamer; Osborne, Powell, Bennett, Dickson; Newton (sub Phillips), Hunt, Bean, Wood; S. Williams (sub Smith), Clarke (sub M. Williams)
Subs (not used): Brown, Poole
Brentford goal scorer: Clarke
Ten-man Brentford take giant step towards League Two title with win at Bournemouth.
THE ODDS
Sky Bet is offering 20/1 on AFC Bournemouth winning The Championship next season.
Those who back The Cherries can get ¼ of the odds if they finish in the top three.
Every bet you make with Sky Bet benefits Brentford FC – click here to see the Championship market.