Brentford looking to make themselves at home ahead of first league game at new ground

There’s always difficulties when moving into a new home. Perhaps the electrics aren’t working, or you’ve forgotten to pack the television remote.

Not being able to move in altogether is a problem that not many people tend to come across, but that’s the reality facing Brentford fans this weekend as their team prepare to play their first league game at their new ground without them.

Although their supporters weren’t there to see the final game at Griffin Park last season either, they bid farewell in the best way possible as they defeated Swansea 3-2 on aggregate to reach the Championship play-off final.

The less said about the final and Joe Bryan’s long-range free-kick in extra time the better, but now is the time to create more history just a mile from the stadium they occupied for over a century.

The club say that the new 17,250-seater Brentford Community Stadium is “Premier League-ready” and, although it obviously won’t be the same without Bees fans in attendance, there’s no doubt that their new ground is just that.

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Brentford owner, Matthew Benham: “I am absolutely confident that the unique nature of the site will result in a stadium that is still different to the majority of new stadiums, is small enough to create a fantastic atmosphere yet big enough to enable the continued growth of our supporter base and offers a brilliant matchday experience for all fans.”

There is also a nod to Griffin Park, with some of the bricks used from the old Stable Block now in the new North Stand. That all felt far too Location, Location, Location.

Huddersfield aim to spoil house warming

Huddersfield will be the first team to face the Bees in the Championship at their new home, with Carlos Corberan – Marcelo Bielsa’s former Leeds assistant – set to take charge of just his second game in charge of the Terriers. His first game ended in a 1-0 defeat to Norwich thanks to a late Adam Idah goal in Yorkshire.

Just like Saturday’s opposition, Brentford come into this game off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham – something which would have given them a strong sense of deja vu, after the Blues beat them by the exact same scoreline on the first game of last season.

Jeremie Bela’s near post header was the difference in the West Midlands on Saturday lunchtime, with Thomas Frank’s side lacking the cutting edge they had so often last season.

Toney intends to get feet under the table

Frank was without two key components of his incredibly successful BMW strike force from last season, after Ollie Watkins’ move to Aston Villa and Said Benrahma likely to follow him out of the exit door.

Bryan Mbeumo, or M to acronym fans, was partnered by Sergio Canos and new boy Ivan Toney – who failed to make much of an impact on his league debut. However, the former Peterborough striker is relishing the chance to play at the new ground, insisting it already feels like home.

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Toney said: “All of the lads were in the dressing room and we were thinking it’s like a Premier League ground, and if you’re in a Premier League ground then you need to play like a Premier League team even though we’re in the Championship.

“It’s a great stadium. We played against Oxford in a friendly and straight away we felt it was like home.”

There has, understandably, been some negativity ahead of the move to the new ground from some Brentford fans. Is it Griffin Park? No. Are the multi-coloured seats really cool? Well, no, but that’s beside the point.

Nobody likes change. But if that change is Championship to Premier League football come May, perhaps Brentford fans could get used to it.

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