Brentford FC was formed in 1889 as a way for members of Brentford Rowing Club to keep fit and play a sport together in the winter months.

At those formative, early meetings the discussions raged over the name, the colours to be worn and even whether they should play rugby!

After making their footballing bow in November 1889, Brentford turned professional in 1900 after being fined and suspended for a month by the FA for paying some of their "amateur" players. They finally made their move to their current home, Griffin Park, in 1904.

Brentford set a Football League record – that still stands today – by winning every one of their 21 home games in the 1929-30 season, scoring 66 goals and conceding just 12.

That effort was not good enough to earn promotion, though, and Brentford had to wait until 1933 before climbing into Division Two.

The Bees reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1938, losing to eventual winners Preston North End and again in 1949, losing out to Leicester City. They won the London War Cup in 1942, beating Portsmouth 2-1 at Wembley.

A lengthy spell in the lower divisions almost ended with the complete demise of Brentford in 1967, when they survived a takeover bid from local rivals Queens Park Rangers thanks to a new board and a loan of £104,000, which kept them afloat in their own right.

Brentford made a one-season return – after a 45-year gap – to the League's second tier after a dramatic run of wins earned promotion as Division Three champions in 1992.

The Bees suffered more near-misses than most in the following 15 years under a variety of managers, including David Webb, Steve Coppell and Martin Allen.

Brentford lost out in the play-offs five times, suffering two relegations and gaining just one promotion as champions of Division Three in 1998-99 under Ron Noades, who was both chairman and manager.