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For a full review and analysis of Wolves’ season before Christmas, as well as details of past meetings, check out the preview for last week’s Premier League meeting here.

Friday will be the second time Brentford and Wolves have met in any cup competition.

The first was in the first round of the 1987/88 Sherpa Van Trophy. After both sides had come through the group stages, we met at Molineux in the first knockout stage – but it was not to be our night as Steve Bull hit a hat-trick, and Robbie Dennison was also on target, as Wolves cruised to a 4-0 victory.

They went on to win the trophy, beating Burnley 2-0 in the final.

BRENTFORD’S RECENT FA CUP HISTORY

In the past nine seasons since promotion to the Championship, when we have entered the FA Cup at the third round stage, we are yet to put together a decent run.

We have gone out at four times at both the first hurdle and in the fourth round, and only once got beyond that stage in 2018/19.

Then, after beating Oxford 1-0 and Barnet 3-1, following a 3-3 draw, we were drawn away to fellow Championship side Swansea, but despite taking a first-half lead through Ollie Watkins, we fell apart after the break and slumped to a 4-1 defeat.

Had we won, we would have equalled our best performance in the competition of reaching the quarter-finals, something we have achieved four times.

The last occasion was in 1988/89 when, as a Third Division (now League One) side, we overcame second tier Manchester City, at home, and Blackburn, away, to set up a dream tie against Liverpool at Anfield. With 7,000 fans, and our inflatable bees, roaring us on, we came close to taking the lead through Richard Cadette, but ultimately succumbed to the brilliance of John Barnes as we lost 4-0.

Allan Cockram, who now runs the Brentford Penguins team, was in our midfield that day.

WOLVES’ FA CUP HISTORY

Wolves have lifted the FA Cup four times in their history.

The first time was in 1893 when they beat Everton 1-0 in the final in Fallowfield, Manchester and they followed that up 15 years later by seeing off Newcastle 3-1 at Crystal Palace Park in front of nearly 75,000 fans.

Their other two triumphs were both at Wembley.

The first was in 1949 when they earned a 3-1 win over Leicester, who had knocked us out in the quarter-finals, and the most recent was in 1960 when they beat Blackburn 3-0.

Wolves’ best recent run was in 2018/19 when they reached the semi-finals, again at Wembley, but lost 3-2 to Watford after extra-time.

OPPOSITION VIEW

BBC WM commentator Mike Taylor, who analysed Wolves’ season before Christmas in last week’s preview.

However, he has now answered a couple of FA Cup-specific questions for this piece.

Q – How seriously do you expect Wolves to take the FA Cup?

Embed from Getty Images

A – In the club’s bones, the FA Cup remains a big deal. They have won it four times and there is a rightful pride in that history, but alas you’d have to be of retirement age now to remember seeing them do it.

On the eve of the match, manager Gary O’Neil said he will field the strongest available side.

However, Hee Chan Hwang has gone off to the Asian Cup and Rayan Ait-Nouri and Boubacar Traore are now at the African Cup of Nations, while Mario Lemina is still on compassionate leave.

Q – Based on this, can you give me a possible Wolves line-up and formation please?

A – This is highly speculative!

Bentley;

Kilman, S Bueno, Toti;

Doherty, Traore, Doyle, H Bueno;

Sarabia, Kalajdzic, Bellegarde.

IAN WESTBROOK

@ianwestbrook

HOW TO FOLLOW THE GAME IF YOU CAN’T BE THERE

If you can’t get to the Brentford Community Stadium for Friday’s 7.15pm kick-off and want Brentford commentary, audio coverage is available via Buzz Box for free.

Coverage starts half an hour before kick-off and is advert-free, with Mark Burridge and Carl Hutchings.

There is also live commentary on TalkSport2.

PUBS IN BRENTFORD AND TRAVEL NEWS

For Wolves fans coming to the Gtech Community Stadium, there are plenty of pub options pre and post-match and all are most welcoming and away-fan-friendly (as it should be).

The pub areas are split into two zones. There is the area around Brentford’s old Griffin Park stadium. The pubs there are still very busy on match day frequented by Bees locals before heading down the road to the stadium at Kew Bridge which is only 15 mins walk.

Then there is the area in and around the stadium in Kew Bridge.

It is possible, if you have a good early start, to savour a few pubs in and around Griffin Park and Brentford zone before heading off to the pubs in the Kew zone or even vice versa if you so fancy.

Pubs in Griffin Park/Brentford zone

When at Griffin Park, Brentford was well known for its four pubs – one on each corner of the ground. Three are still operating.

The Griffin is closest to the old away end and has always been very popular with both home and away fans and has its regulars who still make the journey down to the new stadium from there on matchday. The New Inn is on the other side which used to also be popular with away fans before the move. The Brook pub is the other option if you want to savour a pub in and around what is left of our old home. Worth a peep if you want to reminisce about old Brentford.

About five minutes’ walk away from the old ground are two pubs which are enormously popular. The Globe (Windmill Rd) is a “lively but comfortable” pub on matchday. Incredibly friendly and cosy, it has always been popular with a selection of away fans who fancied having a beer a few minutes further walk away from the ground without having to queue six persons deep. After the move to the new ground, The Globe has retained many of lot its regulars from the Griffin Park days and with screens throughout the pub and in its sheltered beer garden, it shows both Premier League and EFL football before and after each match.

Meanwhile around the corner, The Lord Nelson (Enfield Rd) is another incredibly friendly and cosy away-friendly pubs about one minute walk from The Globe. Again with a TV screen for live sports and a lovely beer garden, this is another pub frequented by “away fans in the know”.

The other pub worth checking out in the Griffin Park region is The Black Dog Beer House, formerly The Albany, on Albany Road, if you like your real ales.

There are plenty of other pubs in and around Brentford High Street including real ale pub Magpie and Crown (Brentford High Street) and the cosy Brewery Tap (Catherine Wheel Road) near the river.

For a Griffin Park area pub crawl before heading over to Kew we recommend the following: Take the Piccadilly line to Northfields station. Turn left and walk for 2 mins and you will come to The Plough (Northfields Ave). Then walk to The Lord Nelson (10 min walk from The Plough) & then The Globe (1 min walk from The Nelson) en-route before hitting The Griffin (8 min walk from The Globe) and then The Black Dog (2 mins from The Griffin). You can also try and do the other three pubs on the corner whilst down here if you fancy.

Then you can then either walk (15 minutes from The Globe/The Nelson and The Griffin/Black Dog ) or take a train from Brentford station (which is five minutes walk away from both The Globe/The Nelson and The Griffin/Black Dog) or a bus (237/267) to Kew Bridge.

Trains run at 24 and 54 minutes past the hour to Kew Bridge from Brentford and take 2 mins.

Pubs in the Kew Bridge zone

Right next to Kew Bridge station, you will find the Express Tavern – an ale pub with a retro feel. The pub has been refurbished in readiness for the new football season and needless to say, is popular before the match due to its close proximity to the stadium.

Across the road by the river is One Over the Ait – a spacious boozer right next to Kew Bridge. This pub is situated on the location of the now-demolished Oxford & Cambridge pub where Brentford Football Club was founded in 1889.

Across Kew Bridge and the River Thames, there are two pubs on Kew Green – the Cricketers and the Greyhound – very close to the pier where Brentford fans have embarked on their away journeys by water to F*lham, Orient, Charlton, West Ham and even Southend.

North of the river along hoity-toity Strand on the Green, you will find The Steam Packet, in an old Cafe Rouge, and The Bell. A bit further down are The City Barge and the Bulls Head – two pubs side-by-side in which you would often see Ant and Dec hanging out.

There is also The Pilot which you can get to coming out of the BACK entrance of Gunnersbury station and we believe the old John Bull pub at the front of the station has been refurbed as The Gunnersbury but we have never been there so can’t give it a or a

Transport to Brentford and Kew Bridge

The simplest on paper to get to Brentford FC from town is to get the tube to Waterloo (Northern, Jubilee lines) or Vauxhall (Victoria Line) and then take the Overground train to Kew Bridge, which is right by the stadium. Brentford is one stop further on if you are on an ‘Original Griffin Park Pub’ mission.

With trains from Waterloo being only twice an hour (22 and 52) and taking 28 minutes, we normally recommend people jump on the tube from Kings Cross or Euston and head to Northfields or South Ealing on the Piccadilly Line as it is quicker (including the time getting across London and waiting at Waterloo) and trains are more frequent.

It is only 40 mins max station by tube to station meaning you could be in a Brentford pub within an hour of embarking your train at Kings Cross, Euston or Liverpool Street.

The other station option is Gunnersbury. You can walk to the stadium from Gunnersbury tube station (District line) in 25 minutes or take a bus (H91, 237, 267, 110), but note that it is closed for entry for one hour after the match.

For the Brentford/Griffin Park pubs you can get the Piccadilly line tube to Northfields station from King’s Cross or Euston (35 minutes) then walk down to The Plough, The Globe, The Lord Nelson and The Griffin and other pubs from there.

The new stadium is around 25 minutes’ walk from South Ealing station – if you don’t fancy Gunnersbury – or you can get on the 65 bus from across the road which will drop you almost outside in 15 minutes.

You can also pick up the 65 bus from Ealing Broadway (district and central line) which will take you to the new stadium in 25 minutes.

You can check out Transport for London’s guide to travel on the Tube and Overground.