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Beesotted’s Jim Levack shares his emotions as Brentford make history by beating Newcastle United to earn a place in the Semi Final of the League Cup… thats’s right the Semi Final!!

As the final whistle blew, I pumped the air with my fist where normally I’d have grabbed my mates, screamed into their faces and enjoyed that adrenalin rush we’re all missing so much.

Instead, I watched with my sons as a Brentford team built from a squad, made history… our first semi-final in a major cup tournament.

It’s been derided as a novelty competition, but on 94 minutes it didn’t seem like that as memories of defeats on rainy nights in Cambridge and Northampton played back on my mind’s VHS.

I raced out of the living room not quite sure what to do with myself, realised my wife had little interest and then returned to hear the Sky pundits waxing lyrical.

Then the tears came – not blubbing but tears of sadness and joy as I thought of my dad and grandad, who would both have loved to have seen this incredible squad and this historic moment.

They had Higginson and Brooks, but they were first teamers. This was a side that showed our strength in depth, our spirit, our ethos, our values.

Thomas Frank said he’d pick a team to make Brentford fans proud. He didn’t let us down.

Despite raised eyebrows over Toney’s omission and the absence of our full backs, Brentford underlined the importance of a system and kept key players fresh for an important trip to Cardiff in a few days.

That remains our priority but Frank, who incredibly had had stick from some less well informed sections of Bees “support” despite a 14-game unbeaten run, kept faith with his players in a game that had my mobile buzzing at the end.

This win puts us on the map and shows that we’re the “bottlers” no longer. As the clock ticked down, I had no doubt we’d do it this time. Perhaps the absence of 17,000 in my front room helped eased the tension.

We have steel now. No longer an easy touch. We brought a footballing giant to its knees and the fact you couldn’t tell the Premier League side would have delighted me regardless of the outcome.

I posted two words at the final whistle to anyone who knows me on Facebook or who would listen – “So proud”.

I can’t really think of anything else to say. It’s been a long time coming but they say the best things in life are worth waiting for.

I once read a French book called La Porte Etroite about a bloke who pursues a kiss from his sweetheart.

He eventually gets it, but then realises the thought of it was actually better than the reality. I’d always thought it a great read, but perhaps in football the analogy doesn’t quite work.

Because beating Newcastle with a side picked from our squad, not looking like we winged it, at times giving them a lesson in passing and teamwork and topping it off with a corker of a strike from a player we’ve developed beautifully… the reality was better than the thought.

Milk it because these moments don’t happen too often… in fact I’ve waited half a century for something like this to happen and I’m certain this is a watershed moment for our great club.

Happy Christmas to all Bees fans.

Jim Levack