Yesterday, after making a couple of calls to re-arrange a business meeting scheduled for Tuesday afternoon so I could possibly make it back to London in time to see the Brentford under-18 youth team play-off match (7pm kick-off and free admission), it hit me… Did we see our last competitive match at Griffin Park last Friday night?
Brentford may face an uphill task in the play-off second leg at Middlesbrough later this week, but Sheffield United’s rousing, never say die, performance at Swindon during Monday’s 5-5 draw at the County Ground, shows a 1-0 deficit can easily be reeled in with the right spirit… and we’ve got spirit by the bucket load. If we can win at Boro, and repeat the feat at Wembley against Ipswich or Norwich, then Premier League football will be our prize. Crazy I know, but as true as I’m a Bee.
Although there have been a few noises made about Brentford wanting to stay at Griffin Park if, and yes it is still a rather large if, we reach the top flight this campaign, in all reality, that may be a decision that is taken out of our hands by the powers that be when push comes to shove. We so often see clubs’ best intentions being shoved to one side once a governing body makes its demands… If the PL dictate that Griffin Park cannot be brought up to scratch, or meet its criteria, ground sharing will become inevitable. Whatever the hellish consequences of that may mean.
With the new stadium at Lionel Road on the horizon, I’d always thought that there would be a moving farewell; an inevitable but planned goodbye; a poetic last match that we had all prepared ourself for …. maybe even a brass band! If Brentford win two more games this season, those thoughts may have to be shelved.
Of course, if we do get promoted, and we do have to ground share, Griffin Park won’t simply be locked up and closed down over night, I’m sure that a fitting and suitably respectful series of matches could be arranged, but they wouldn’t be competitive, blood-and-thunder nights under the floodlights with the ground roaring the boys in red and white on to victory…
Nights, as all Bees fans will tell you, when Griffin Park, with all its quirks and inadequacies, really is the best football ground in the world.
Dave Lane
Splendidly put David