As I sat down to write this, my 10th Christmas message as chair of our great football club, I took the opportunity to pinch myself to reflect at what we have achieved and how far we have come over the last decade.

We started 2022 in the middle of our first-ever season in the Premier League, in midtable and hoping that we would build on a good start to maintain our position in the toughest league in world football.

There were some testing times but the introduction of Christian Eriksen alongside the return of several injured players was the catalyst to enhance our performances.

After a run of seven defeats in eight we finished the season strongly with seven wins in our last 11 games, which included a day never to be forgotten at Stamford Bridge when we went to the home of the European and Club World Cup champions and came away with a 4-1 victory.

Signing Christian, after what he had been through the previous summer, was a prime example of us seizing an opportunity, not without risk, to enhance the squad and it most certainly paid dividends.

Ultimately, we finished a very creditable 13th in the Premier League, the fourth-highest finish in the top flight in our entire history.

Our B team continued to flourish and in May won the London Senior Cup on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the final.

Our Women’s first team finished fourth in Division One North of the London and South East Regional Women’s League and our B team finished fourth in their league and won the Greater London Women’s Football League Anniversary Trophy.

The summer of 2022 saw more new arrivals to the men’s first team and for the second season in a row we did not see any of our best players depart, thereby enhancing the quality and depth of the squad.

We were also honoured to host four games in the UEFA Women’s EURO at the Gtech Community Stadium, a tournament that we believe will be the catalyst to inspire the next generation to enhance the growth in women’s football.

Off the field there were some notable achievements. We ranked number one in the Premier League’s matchday fan experience for the 2021/22 season and we were voted Sport Organisation of the Year in the prestigious Sport Industry Awards for 2022.

We also achieved the preliminary level of the Premier League Equality Diversity and Inclusion Standard in our first season in the Premier League.

We installed barriered areas to enable safe standing at the Gtech in both the west stand and the away fans’ section. This not only enhances stadium safety but adds to what is already a terrific atmosphere.

The new season kicked off early in the knowledge that there would be an enforced break in the six weeks leading up to Christmas to accommodate the World Cup in Qatar.

This period of 15 league matches provided yet more remarkable highlights: an astonishing 4-0 victory at home to Manchester United when we led 4-0 at half-time and in our last game before the break an emphatic 2-1 win at Manchester City in a game that we deserved to win by a much bigger margin and what many believe was our finest performance in the 133-year history of the club.

As we approached the end of the year there were three more highlights. In chronological order there was our first-ever Brentford Women’s game at the Gtech Community stadium where more than 5,000 fans (the largest attendance for a women’s game in our history) witnessed a memorable 4-2 win over Watford Development in a wonderfully joyous occasion.

The second was the release of the Impact Report, Changing Horizons, delivered by Brentford FC Community Sports Trust in an event hosted at the stadium that highlighted the continuing remarkable work that the Trust does in the local community.

Finally, just nine days ago, the official opening of the Rob Rowan Performance Centre at Jersey Road. After an intense period of design and build, which only started in February 2022, we celebrated the opening of the new building in memory of Rob Rowan who had made such a positive impact on the club in the four years he was with us before so tragically being taken from us at the age of 28. The centre is a fitting tribute to all that Rob achieved.

As we approach the much-awaited return of Premier League football, it only remains for me to thank everyone at the club for all their efforts over the last 12 months and to thank you, the fans, for your continued support, both home and away which the players and the staff all heartily appreciate.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.

Cliff Crown