9 wins in the opening 13 league matches put the Bees firmly in control at the top of the table, though three successive defeats in the midst of the run temporarily dropped the club back to 7th place.[4] There was some early-season excitement in the League Cup, with a 4–2 aggregate victory over First Division club West Bromwich Albion in the first round setting up a two-legged tie with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.[4] 3–2 defeats in each of the two legs (with Brentford taking the lead in both matches) ended the cup run, with memorable goals being scored by Andy Scott, Darren Freeman and Lloyd Owusu.[5]
Three league defeats in a four-match spell in November and injuries and suspensions to Andy Scott, Darren Powell, Danny Boxall, Jamie Bates and Martin Rowlands led Noades to further strengthen the squad with forward Leo Fortune-West and midfielder Gavin Mahon.[3][4] Though Fortune-West would be sold on a matter of months later, Mahon replaced Warren Aspinall in midfield and remained an ever-present until the end of the season.[6][7] Five wins in the following six league matches saw the club begin 1999 firmly placed in the automatic promotion places.[4] A spell of just one win from a spell of seven league matches in January and February saw Noades reach for the chequebook again and sign forward Scott Partridge from Torquay United for £100,000.[3][4]
With the purchase of new captainPaul Evans and buoyed by the goalscoring of Partridge and Owusu,[3][8] the Bees went undefeated from late February through to early May.[4] The club secured automatic promotion back to the Second Division with two matches to spare after a 3–0 victory over Exeter City on 1 May.[4][9] A resounding 4–1 win over Swansea City in the following match returned Brentford to the top of the table for the first time since 20 October 1998.[4] The victory set up a "winner takes all" match for the title on the final day at the Abbey Stadium versus nearest challengers Cambridge United.[1][4] Lloyd Owusu's 25th goal of the season was enough for victory and for Brentford to win the Third Division championship.[1]
^Despite the match taking place at Griffin Park, Brentford wore their away strip, due to competition rules stating "where the colours (shirts, shorts or stockings) of the two competing clubs are similar, both clubs must change, unless arrangements are mutually agreed by the competing clubs".
References
^ a b c dCroxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 270.
^Brentford Football Club Official Matchday Magazine versus Hull City. 7 May 2005. pp. 46–47.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u"Premier and Football League transfers". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
^ a b c d e f g h i"Brentford results for the 1998–1999 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m"Premier and Football League transfers". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
^Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 99. ISBN 978-0955294914.
^ a bBrentford Matchday Magazine versus Exeter City. Charlton, London: Morganprint. 1 May 1999. pp. 30–31.
^"English Division Three Table on Saturday 1st May 1999". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
^"Hermann Hreidarsson". 11v11.com. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
^"Powell becomes a Bee". This Is Local London. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
^Dirk Hebel at Soccerbase
^Mohamed Berthé at Soccerbase
^"Comeback Kenny is back in goal". Watford Observer. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^Warren Aspinall at Soccerbase
^ a bKevin Dennis at Soccerbase
^ a bRyan Denys at Soccerbase
^Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 294.
^Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 293.
^Kevin Dearden at Soccerbase
^ a bCroxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 295.
^"Four players have received Free Transfers from the Club, Kevin Dennis, Ryan Denys, Dirk Hebel and Andy Walker, whilst Kevin Dearden who made a total of 254 appearances for the Club since signing from Tottenham in September 1993, has been released from his contract by mutual consent". brentfordfc.co.uk. 4 June 1999.
^Sewell, Albert, ed. (1999). News Of The World Football Annual 1999–2000. Hammersmith, London: Invincible Press. p. 346. ISBN 000218883X.
^Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 291. ISBN 9781906796723.
^Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Brighton & Hove Albion. Charlton, London: Morganprint. 22 August 1998. p. 3.