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1998–99 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1998–99 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. The club finished the season as champions after victory over runners-up Cambridge United on the final day.

Season summary

Lloyd Owusu, a £25,000 buy from non-League football, finished the season as top scorer with 25 goals.

After relegation to the Third Division at the end of the previous season, the ownership of Brentford changed hands for the second time in two summers, when Ron Noades took over the club as owner and chairman during the 1998 off-season.[1] Noades installed himself as manager and appointed a three-man coaching team of Ray Lewington, Terry Bullivant and Brian Sparrow.[1] Nearly £1.5 million was spent to assemble almost an entirely new starting lineup, with goalkeeper Jason Pearcey, defenders Danny Boxall, Darren Powell, Rob Quinn and Hermann Hreiðarsson (the club's then-record £750,000 signing),[2] midfielders Martin Rowlands and Tony Folan and forwards Lloyd Owusu and Darren Freeman added to the ranks.[3]

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 captain Paul 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]

League table

Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Pre-season

Football League Third Division

FA Cup

Football League Cup

Football League Trophy

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1998–99 season.

Coaching staff

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Substitute appearances in brackets.

Goalscorers

Discipline

International caps

Management

Summary

Kit

Supplier: Super League
Sponsor(s): GMB

Source: Brentford F.C.

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ Match played behind closed doors.
  2. ^ 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

  1. ^ a b c d Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 270.
  2. ^ Brentford Football Club Official Matchday Magazine versus Hull City. 7 May 2005. pp. 46–47.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Latest Brentford Results, Fixtures & Betting Odds". Soccer Base. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 99. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  8. ^ a b Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Exeter City. Charlton, London: Morganprint. 1 May 1999. pp. 30–31.
  9. ^ "English Division Three Table on Saturday 1st May 1999". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Hermann Hreidarsson". 11v11.com. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  11. ^ "Powell becomes a Bee". This Is Local London. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  12. ^ Dirk Hebel at Soccerbase
  13. ^ Mohamed Berthé at Soccerbase
  14. ^ "Comeback Kenny is back in goal". Watford Observer. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  15. ^ Warren Aspinall at Soccerbase
  16. ^ a b Kevin Dennis at Soccerbase
  17. ^ a b Ryan Denys at Soccerbase
  18. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 294.
  19. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 293.
  20. ^ Kevin Dearden at Soccerbase
  21. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 295.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ Sewell, Albert, ed. (1999). News Of The World Football Annual 1999–2000. Hammersmith, London: Invincible Press. p. 346. ISBN 000218883X.
  24. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 291. ISBN 9781906796723.
  25. ^ Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Brighton & Hove Albion. Charlton, London: Morganprint. 22 August 1998. p. 3.