The international break is over! We resume our Premier League campaign this afternoon with Brighton & Hove Albion the visitors to Brentford Community Stadium.
Featuring an exclusive interview with Bryan Mbeumo, today’s Match Programme is available for £4. It’ll be cash transactions only from our sellers around the stadium, while programmes can also be purchased using card from The Bees Merchandise Kiosk on Lionel Road South. For those of you unable to make it to the game, this issue is also now available online from our supplier, ACA Creative. We plan to be up and running with cashless payments only from the Liverpool game onwards.
Now you’ve seen the cover, take a look at what’s inside!
“The pressure and the defensive side has been bang on. We had more spells with the ball against Aston Villa, but I’d love us to keep it a little bit more in the final third. We’re adding layers to how we want to play; we’re in a fine place but we need to constantly improve because this is a relentless league.”
From the Dugout: Thomas Frank
“Unfortunately for Brighton last year, their expected points total was 61 and that would have put them fifth in the table. The differential was 20 points and obviously no one expected Brighton to finish fifth, but it does go to show that if they’d been a bit more clinical in front of goal, they could have got close to the top ten rather than worrying about a relegation fight.”
Hot off the Press: With Richie Mills of Sussex Live @RichieMills2
“A realistic target for this year would be a challenge for the top half. Our squad depth is exceptional, Graham Potter has us playing fast-flowing football, and we’re finally putting the ball in the back of the net. I’m feeling optimistic to say the least.”
The Away End: With Brighton fan, Charlie Haffenden
A Strip Down Memory Lane: “A gift from the fashion gods.” Kit enthusiast Nick Bruzon takes a look at Brighton’s threads from over the years – it’s fair to say he’s a fan!
“I play FIFA Ultimate Team. I bought myself but I’m not good enough in the game so I’m on the bench!”
Big Game Player: From his new role in Brentford’s frontline to facing off against Bees fans on FIFA, we sat down with Bryan Mbeumo to reflect on his two years in West London and our start to the Premier League season
“Yoann Barbet’s cross is helped on by Florian Jozefzoon and in the right place at the right time is our leading scorer. Neal connects perfectly, sending his downward header past Marcus Bettinelli. If the timing and the quality of the goal wasn’t good enough, the fact it was scored directly in front of a packed away end in the 20,000-plus crowd made it even more special.”
Peter Gilham’s Great Brentford Goals
“It was as incredible and dreamlike an opening league performance as one could have hoped for.”
View from the North Stand: Bees fan and North Stand Season Ticket Holder Nick Bruzon takes stock after an eventful few weeks in the footballing world
From the Archive: Bees Historian Rob Jex turns back to October 1903 for a Southern League First Division clash against Brighton & Hove Albion. Brentford “elected to play down the slope” during the first half and made their advantage count with the only goal of the game on 33 minutes!
“To come back to Brentford and even play a very small part, it’s part of my history to say that I got promotion with that Club. That was my aim, to come back to Brentford as a First Division player and get a promotion. I'm very proud to have achieved that.”
History Boys: To celebrate the 30-year anniversary of our Third Division title triumph, in each issue this season Dan Long will be speaking to players, staff and supporters about their memories of the iconic ‘91/92 campaign. This week is the turn of fan favourite Bob Booker, who made his second debut for The Bees in November 1991
BeeTeam: Fun and games to keep your young Bees occupied!
Coach Karleigh: Train like a pro! This week Karleigh Osborne sets a fun drill that will help improve your agility
“We’ll keep pushing the boys every day to get the consistency there. We’re really hopeful for this group. Neil and I believe in the boys and fingers crossed their chance comes. If it does, then it’s up to them to take it.”
Brentford B: Consistency is key. Ben Strange speaks with B Team Assistant Coach Sam Saunders
“Everybody watching the opener against Arsenal on TV could not believe how good the atmosphere was. Sat on my sofa at home, the ‘Hey Jude’ rendition gave me goosebumps. Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville were like school children at their first game.”
The Last Word: Having seen The Bees’ first-hand while on commentary duties with Mark Burridge at Villa Park last month, Ben Burgess uses today’s column to reflect on our positive start to life in the Premier League
Packed full of exclusive content, never miss an edition of our Match Programme by reserving your copy of the official publication for every Premier League fixture with a seasonal subscription. This full-season package to the UK and Ireland covers our home fixtures, including all cup matches at Brentford Community Stadium, but does not include any pre-season friendlies which must be purchased separately.
All the B5-size 84-page issues will be produced to a schedule that allows for a second-class mail out on a Friday before a weekend fixture, so subscribers should allow four working days to receive their orders via Royal Mail. The price for this seasonal subscription package is £99, inclusive of postage to a United Kingdom or Ireland address. Find out more here. Programmes can also be purchased on an individual basis if you’re unable to make a game this season and need to fill a gap in your collection!
Please note that this package is not for supporters based overseas. Please contact ACA if you are an overseas supporter and wish to sign up for a seasonal subscription