As I look back over the calendar year of 2023, I am reminded of what we have achieved in yet another remarkable 12 months for the club. 

Our second season in the Premier League yielded a ninth-place finish away wins at Chelsea and Spurs and a memorable final game of the season: a 1-0 victory over Manchester City. In doing so, we became the only team to beat the treble winners home and away in 2022/23. 

In their first season in the competition, our B team won the Premier League Cup, beating Blackburn Rovers in the final hosted at the Gtech in May, and continued their success with a 3-2 win over Manchester City EDS in the inaugural Robert Rowan Invitational game, also at the Gtech.

Our women’s teams had strong seasons, with the first-team narrowly missing out on promotion and the B team finishing second in their league, and both sides making the finals of the Capital Cup and Capital Cup Junior Section respectively.

In June, we welcomed Lydia Bedford to the club, who is in charge of our Under-18s based at Jersey Road. As part of our plan to upgrade our Academy in time for the start of season 2024/25, we’ve submitted a planning application to Hounslow Council requesting additional pitches and new facilities at the training ground.

The end of the 2022/23 season was also bittersweet as we said goodbye to our captain Pontus Jansson on a very emotional May afternoon at the Gtech.

The summer saw additions to our first-team squad as we continued to build on the success of our first two seasons in the Premier League, the most competitive league in world football. 

Brentford also participated in the Premier League Summer Series. The Bees headed stateside to play Premier League opposition in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Washington. It was brilliant to see fans from the USA, and those that travelled from the UK and elsewhere, attend the games. It was a pleasure to meet so many of you in the fan zones before the matches. Who would have thought we would be involved in such an event just 10 short years ago? 

Off the field, we proudly ranked number one in the Premier League’s matchday fan experience for the second year running. We have continued to invest in the off-field team and technology, which resulted in the implementation of a new ticketing system with Ticketmaster. 

The 2023/24 season kicked off in August with a 2-2 draw at home to Spurs. As I write this message, we are 12th in the league with the highlight to date being our third consecutive win at Stamford Bridge since promotion to the top flight. 

As the year draws to a close, I would like to thank everyone at the club for all their efforts over the last 12 months and to thank you, the fans, for your continued support. The atmosphere we have created together at the Gtech is brilliant and your vocal, loud and proud support away from home is greatly appreciated by the players. 

It only remains for me to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.