Nico Yennaris thinks that Brentford’s fans will have a key role to play in the 2014/15 Sky Bet Championship campaign.
The Bees take to the road in the second tier for the first time in 21 years on Saturday when they travel to the South Coast to face AFC Bournemouth.
Travelling with Brentford to The Goldsands Stadium will be a capacity away following of over 1,300.
Mark Warburton’s side lost only five league games away from home in the League One promotion winning season of 2013/14 backed by an average away following of nearly 1,100, the third highest proportion of away fans to home fans in the entire football league.
Speaking ahead of the trip to Bournemouth Nico said that the support Brentford’s fans can give the team away from home could prove crucial in achieving the team’s aims this season.
With three away games in their next four Nico thinks it is important that the team can get off to a good start.
“We had great support from the away fans last year,” said Nico.
“They travelled in good numbers everywhere we went.
“This season if we get those good numbers travelling then it will be great for us having that backing from the supporters.
“Bournemouth will be another good game.
“We know they are a good team and they like to play football as do we so it should be a really good game.
“It is important for any team to get a good start in The Championship.
“We want to build up momentum and get a good run of games and results.
“That gives you that confidence going into the next game.”
Nico made his season’s debut in Tuesday’s extraordinary Capital One Cup victory over Dagenham & Redbridge.
After sharing 12 goals in normal time The Bees finally progressed 4-2 on penalties to set up a Second-round tie with near neighbours Fulham.
Nico was forced off in the first-half due of the game due to injury and thinks that tomorrow’s game at Bournemouth may come too early for him to have recovered.
After such an extraordinary game Nico thinks The Bees need to try and learn from the match and switch their focus onto the upcoming trip to AFC Bournemouth.
“Tuesday night won’t impact on how we prepare for Bournemouth,” said Nico.
“It is a different game and now our focus is on that.
“We learn from Tuesday night and we move on.
“My back is a bit sore.
“I got a knee in the lower back and I was struggling to move in the game after that.
“Hopefully in a few more days I will be alright.”
The Bees reward for overcoming Dagenham in the First Round of the Capital One Cup is a home tie against local rivals Fulham.
It will be the first of three meetings this season between the two fierce rivals, who haven’t met since 1997.
Nico said it was a great draw for the fans and for the players but added that it is important that the players prepare for the game as normal and treat it like a normal game.
“The draw is the draw so we get who we are given but it just so happens that we have been given a West London derby,” said Nico.
“It will be a great atmosphere and we know the rivalry between the clubs so it should be a great game.
“We will take each game as it comes and we will focus just on that game.
“We do what we have to do to win the game and prepare right and we will do that.
“It is an advantage playing them at home but if we play them away we still have to play them.
“Obviously having the fans behind us at home will be an advantage for us.”