After a week of speculation the club confirmed that Mark Warburton and David Weir would be leaving when their contracts ran out in the summer. Frank McParland would also not be offered a new contract and the Sporting Director was placed on immediate gardening leave as changes to the club’s management structure were put in place.
Despite the planned changes it was business as usual until the end of the season. That business started as Jonathan Douglas committed his future to Brentford for at least a further 12 months by signing a contract extension. The midfielder, who had made more than 150 appearances for The Bees, had been in fine form in the Sky Bet Championship so far during the season.
The Irish-midfielder would have even more cause for celebration 24 hours later as his goal set Brentford on their way to a 3-1 win at home to second-placed AFC Bournemouth. Alex Pritchard was the star of the show as he set up Douglas’s opener, scored the second and then set up Chris Long for the third late on.
Brentford then made it two wins from two with one of the most one-sided victories of the season. Jon Toral scored twice in the early stages to set The Bees on their way to the win over relegation certainties Blackpool. In a match that saw Brentford have a league record 42 efforts of goal Charles Dunne was sent off for the visitors before the break while Andre Gray added a third with Toral completing his hat-trick late on. A third win in a week would elude The Bees however as Birmingham City took all three points at St Andrews. Mark Warburton’s side never got going against their mid-table opponents and lost courtesy of a James Tarkowski own-goal.
With the loan window coming to a close there was plenty of player movement throughout the month of February. Having scored his first goal for the club in the win over AFC Bournemouth Chris Long extended his loan deal with The Bees for a further month. England Under-21 defender Liam Moore joined on loan until the end of the season from Leicester City while Striker Nick Proschwitz left the club to join Coventry City on loan until the end of the season. The German forward had managed just two goals in 20 appearances for The Bees since joining from Hull City in the summer. Also heading out on loan were the duo of Sam Saunders and Nico Yennaris who joined Sky Bet League Two side Wycombe Wanderers on loan for a month.
There was more Development Squad player movement with midfield player Tyrell Miller-Rodney returning from Boreham Wood as defender Kieran Morris joined Maidenhead United. Tyrell would join Kieran at York Road later in the month. Under-21 regulars Jermaine Udumaga and Aaron Greene signed new one-year deals with the club. Both players had impressed in their first full seasons with The Bees and agreed new contracts to work with Lee Carsley until the summer of 2016.
On the pitch for Lee Carsley’s side they picked up a fourth win in five with a scrappy 1-0 win over Ipswich Town at Jersey Road. Jermaine Udumaga’s smart finish just before the hour settled an otherwise forgettable match in West London. While Brentford’s Under-18 secured a creditable draw away at Hampton and Richmond Borough in a mid-season friendly. James Ferry’s stunning first-half strike was cancelled out just before the break as Frantz Tchongang slammed home from a half-cleared corner kick.
The following Saturday Jeremiah Kamanzi scored midway through the first-half as the Youth Team stretched their lead at the top of the table to eight points with just five matches remaining following a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in South London. A week later it was six wins in seven as Bradley Clayton’s double helped to see of Millwall at Calmont Road. Bradley scored either side of a Herson Rodrigues Alves goal as The Lions were tamed following a 3-1 win.
A good month for the Academy was finished off as the Under-11s picked up a trophy as they hosted a prestigious Anglo-Germany Youth Tournament that included Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Arsenal.