1999–2000 Brentford F.C. season


During the 1999–2000 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Second Division. After returning to the Second Division as Third Division champions, a forgettable season ended in a 17th-place finish.

Season summary

Brentford entered the 1999–2000 Second Division season with the bulk of the squad which finished the 1998–99 season as Third Division champions. Four fringe players were released and the trio of Darren Freeman, Charlie Oatway and Paul Watson were sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for a combined £30,000 fee. Just four players were brought in – three youngsters on free transfers and another youngster on a season-long loan, Southampton's Phil Warner.
The Bees enjoyed a 10-match unbeaten start to the season in the Second Division, hovering in the playoff places and setting a new club record of 26 league matches without a defeat, which stretched back into the previous season. The run came to an end with the team's first league defeat of the season at the hands of Gillingham on 19 October 1999. Days earlier, centre back Hermann Hreiðarsson had been sold for a club-record £2,500,000 fee to Wimbledon, which weakened the defence. The backline was shored up with two big-money signings, £250,000 Scott Marshall and £150,000 Ívar Ingimarsson.
The season began to drift away from Brentford in November 1999, with injuries causing a run of eight defeats in 10 games. The League Cup and FA Cup had been exited in the first rounds and the club were knocked out of the Football League Trophy at the semi-final stage in February 2000. £100,000 was spent on new forwards Julian Charles and Lorenzo Pinamonte either side of the Millennium, neither of whom made an impact. Brentford closed out the season with just one win in 17 matches in all competitions to finish in a disappointing 17th place.
One record was set during the season, that of the shortest Football League career with Brentford, when trainee Clement James made a substitute appearance of 8 minutes on his debut versus Stoke City on 8 April 2000.

Final league table

Results

Legend

Pre-season

Football League Second Division

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorer
R130 October 1999Plymouth ArgyleH2–24,287Owusu, Marshall
R1 9 November 1999Plymouth ArgyleA1–25,409Quinn

League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendance
R1 11 August 1999Ipswich TownH0–24,825
R1 24 August 1999Ipswich TownA0–2 9,748

Football League Trophy

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorer
SR211 January 2000Peterborough UnitedA1–02,430Owusu
SQF25 January 2000Oxford UnitedH2–02,942Bryan, Scott
SSF15 February 2000Exeter CityA2–32,392Powell, Evans

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Summary

Transfers & loans

Kit

Awards