Brentford B will face Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad (EDS) at 7:30pm on Friday 19 May at the Gtech Community Stadium. The game will be the first ever Robert Rowan Invitational, raising money for Heart of West London.
The fixture will commemorate the life and legacy of former Brentford FC technical director, Robert Rowan, who sadly passed away in November 2018 due to an undiagnosed heart condition at the age of just 28.
The club will donate all proceeds from the game to fund ground-breaking sports cardiology research at the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity, as part of Heart of West London partnership.
Ticket news
General admission tickets for the fixture are priced at £1 for juniors and £3 for adults. Premium tickets will include a pie and an alcoholic or soft drink and are priced at £20.
Tickets can be purchased online here. Tickets will also be available on the day of the game from the box office.
Remembering Robert
As well as managing the day-to-day football operations at the club’s training ground, Robert oversaw the strategic direction of Brentford B.
Having been influential in setting up the B team, the Robert Rowan Invitational will see Neil MacFarlane - who has stated that "the work Rob put in all those years ago is something that drives us every single day" - and his side take on Manchester City EDS.
Take a look at our documentary which details the life and legacy of Robert Rowan.
Last time out
Our young Bees were in action at the Gtech just last week having become winners of the Premier League Cup. MacFarlane’s side worked their way to the final where they met Blackburn Rovers Under-21s and they claimed a 2-1 win in the final with goals from Ryan Trevitt and Nathan Young-Coombes.
In opposition
Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad will be the last side that the young Bees will face in the 2022/23 season, and they will potentially be one of the hardest tasks. City’s EDS have had another successful season having claimed the Premier League 2 Division One title recently. After 26 games the side claimed 59 points as they won the league by 13 points over second place Liverpool. Their final league match of the season saw them claim a 3-0 win away at Arsenal at Meadow Park. More recently, the side played their first of two post-season friendly fixtures (the second of which is against the Bees) where they faced Lommel SK. Dire Mebude put City ahead in the first half before the Belgian side claimed the win with goals from Silu Meinho and Kolbeinn Thordarson.
Match coverage
We will have updates of the match across our digital channels. There will also be a free postergramme available for supporters on the night.