Football Season Review

Brentford are finally up to the Premier League after years of hard work getting there. They arguably had a better season last time around than this one but managed to win promotion this time largely due to the outstanding form of Ivan Toney. Toney arrived as replacement for Ollie Watkins in the summer and managed to score 33 goals in a superb campaign as Brentford finished top scorers in the division. They got over the line in the play-offs this season, putting a defeat from Fulham at that stage last term behind them, with a commanding display in the final. Brentford also left Griffin Park last summer to move into the Brentford Community Stadium. They actually coped better than a lot of other teams moving venues and may have even been helped by playing without fans. At one stage it looked like they would canter towards automatic promotion. The season had started slowly when they went on a 21-game unbeaten run. But they lost their way with injuries to key defensive players Rico Henry, Pontus Jansson and Christian Norgaard hitting them hard. They regained their composure though to finish the season strongly and there is no doubting they were the best team in the play-offs even though they lost the semi-final first leg to Bournemouth. They will surely need to keep hold of Toney to have a chance in the Premier League and new signings are necessary. But Brentford's quality has been apparent for a number of years and they deserve a crack at the big time.

Player of the Season: Ivan Toney