Tonight, Brentford B get their London FA Senior Cup campaign underway with a trip to Beckenham Town. Last term, The Bees went all the way to the Final before losing 1-0 to Welling United. This season, they enter the competition at an earlier stage, Round One, and have to contend one more game if they wish to repeat last year's feat.
The Match
Neil MacFarlane can select only 16 players for the squad, and is able to use three of five subs throughout the contest. Last season, The Bees' top scorer in this cup was Joe Hardy. Jonny Mitchell, Marcus Forss, Jan Zamburek, Kolbeinn Finnsson and David Titov added strikes also.
In the event of a draw at Eden Park Avenue, Extra Time will not be played, instead the tie goes straight to penalties. An extra half an hour is only added to the Semi-Final and beyond if the scores are tied.
One tie in the opening round has already made it all the way to spot-kicks. Hendon FC and Cockfosters drew 1-1 in normal time, the home side winning just 2-0 on penalties.
The Opposition
Beckenham Town play their football in the Southern Counties East League (SCEFL) Premier Division, level 9 on the English pyramid. Until 2013, it was known as the Kent League, serving part of London and the South East of England.
The original Beckenham Town was formed in 1887, two years before Brentford. They bounced around between the top two divisions of the London League, with a short spell in the Kent County Amateur League, until 1961. Merging with the Aetolian League to former the Greater London League, Beckenham lasted just eight more seasons before a lack of funding forced them to fold in 1969.
In 1971, Stanhope Rovers Junior side graduated into a Senior team that became the new Beckenham Town. Originally part of the South East London Amateur League, it took them only a few years to return to the top division in Greater London. In 1982, they transferred to the Kent League, where they have remained ever since.
Their most recent honours came in the 2013/14 season, under current Manager Jason Huntley, when they won a double of the Kent Senior Trophy and Southern Counties League Cup. A year later, they were Roy Vinter Shield winners after a 3-0 win over Whyteleafe.
Ticket News
Tickets for the match are priced as follows:
The stadium address is: Beckenham Town FC, Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, BR3 3JL
First Round
2019 Champions Welling were given a bye, alongside Balham, Harrow Borough, Wingate & Finchley and Corinthian Casuals. The Bees played three of those sides in cup action last season. The rest of the First Round is as follows: