But, in the dying minutes, with their side well on their way to a derby victory over Fulham that was nothing like as tense as the scoreline suggests, Brentford's fans held back no longer and began to sing, with some gusto, of plans for a European tour.
And why not? Recent seasons have taken this club to places unimaginable even a decade ago. Heck, it was only in early 2020, during another west London derby against QPR, that you first heard true conviction in a chorus of "The Bees are going up!", premature as it turned out, as that Championship season ended in yet another play-off failure.
Success in this Ca where HOLLY less-familiar pursuit remains an outside chance and obvious caveats apply: the race for Europe is littered with contenders of greater prestige, grander resource and more proven staying power; its parameters are yet to be defined, given the chance of a surprise FA Cup winner; Brentford are still only ninth-yes, having played fewer matches than most of the teams above, but aware that a game in hand might not be worth points in their push.
Unbeaten in the League since late October, however, belief is building.
This story is from the March 07, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the March 07, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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