Half A Decade Confirmed

When I started this blog in September 2021, with the aim of keeping it going as long as my beloved Brentford remained in the Premier League, I didn’t dare hope that I would be continuing it for half a decade but with the Bees now busy preparing for their 5th season in the top tier I spose I’ll have to make it through till at least May 2026.

I’ve rarely been happier to be wrong.

I doubt many of us would have expected back then that we would be preparing for that season without a manager currently at the helm and in danger of losing our two most influential attackers to ‘bigger’ clubs.

Today though we found out the order in which our new leader will face the challenges of his new role and, spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, our starting run of home games is terrifying.

Our first 6 home games are as follows: Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle United which takes us all the way to November 29th and our first home game against a team we should beat in Burnley (Red Devils excepted). The next few home games are easier, before we end 2025 by welcoming Thomas Frank back to the Gtech.

That will be our second meeting with Spurs in December though as we tick off our trips to North London in the space of 3 days at the start of the month. We will round off our journey around our London rivals with a trip to Stamford Bridge on January 17th 2026 after opening that journey with a trip down to the local cottage on September 20th 2025, with the return derby at the Gtech kicking off our run-in on April 18th 2026.

That the first in a run of 3 London derbies at home to sign off what we hope will be another successful season at the top table for the Bees.

If we need points come that run-in our fortress will be the place to pick them up as our awful run at home to start the season is mirrored by a similarly terrible run of trips at the end of it all. Old Trafford is our destination on April 25th, then we pop across town to the Etihad on May 9th before ending our season at Anfield on May 24th.

That’s a legendary trio of stadiums to visit in just 4 weeks, but we are now 5 visits deep and have hope to head to them next season safe in the knowledge that we will be back again in the 2026/27 season.

For anyone looking to visit the Stadium of Light whilst it’s at the top table with us, mark down August 30th in your diaries. Sunderland’s stadium is historic and glorious and whilst I am unlikely to make it there myself I can’t help but envy though among our incredible fanbase who make the 574 mile round trip.

Whilst for those among us who wish to visit the new Everton stadium in Bramley Moor Dock, it’s how we start off our 2026 on January 3rd.

That long rip to Merseyside comes off the back of a relaxing Christmas at home, with Bournemouth coming up from their beachside home to visit (and lose) before we end 2025 with the aforementioned return of our prodigal son, the man who took us into the promised land and in whose huge footsteps our new manager must soon tread.

For the health of the club I hope Matthew Benham and his team continue their immaculate recruitment record, that stretches back years before our promotion, and find the right person to fill the gargantuan boots left behind.

Now we know when we will face each enemy next season I’m impatient for it to start.

A full fixture list for Brentford FC can be found here

Bring on 2025/26!!