5 Moments that defined February

We're into February with our review of the 2018/19 Sky Bet Championship as Aston Villa and Hull City are among those dispatched at Griffin Park.

Neal leaves it late

📺 @nealmaupay18 breaking ankles #BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/A7b4DEKHvC
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) February 14, 2019

Our home Sky Bet Championship game against Aston Villa carried significance for many reasons, most notably the return of Dean Smith and the fact it came off the back of our first defeat in 11 in all competitions. The Villains were on a run of just two wins in 11 while we were starting to forge our identity with three at the back. We carried the greater threat over the course of the game, registering 23 shots to Villa’s sixth but it took until the 23^rd and final of those shots to make it count; Neal Maupay’s goal sending Griffin Park wild and ensuring Thomas took the spoils against our former boss.

Cup dream ends

It’d been 30 years since we last reached the Quarter Final of the Emirates FA Cup but at half-time in South Wales against Swansea City all signs looked good for a repeat. We led thanks to Ollie Watkins composed finish and, given our play, probably deserved to be further ahead. However, everything unravelled after the break. Graham Potter’s side struck four unanswered goals, Ezri Konsa’s red card compounding matters, as The Swans progressed to set up a home Last Eight tie against eventual winners Manchester City.

Sublime Saïd

📺 This just gets better and better@Benrahma2's first yesterday from every angle#BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/9EVKquQQQD
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) February 24, 2019

2019 saw the emergence of Saïd Benrahma as a standout Championship performer and our home game against Hull City was the day the rest of the division sat up and took notice. The Algerian was unplayable as he netted a first career hat-trick. His first, a stunning solo effort, would go on to be crowned our Goal of the Season and the Championship Goal of the Month while his third put the seal on a 5-1 victory. The victory was also our sixth straight on home soil.

Double dream lives on for Brentford B

The B Team made giant strides towards silverware in February, seeing off Dulwich Hamlet and Barnet on their way to both the London Senior Cup and Middlesex Senior Cup finals. No Brentford side had got their hands on either trophy since the 19^th century but Lars Friis’ side now went into the final months of the season on the verge of making history.

And then there were four

Almost a year since ground was broken on the site of our new home, the last of the four stands, the North Stand, began to take shape. The steel frame and concrete floors had been in place on three sides of the ground since before Christmas. However, with the North Stand underway, the move to a new home got that bit closer.