During the 2005–06 English football season, Brentford competed in Football League One. For the second season in succession, the club reached the FA Cup fifth round and the play-off semi-finals.

Season summary

After defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the 2005 League One play-off semi-finals, Brentford manager Martin Allen strengthened the squad with a number of acquisitions on free transfers. He raided his former club Reading (Ricky Newman, Paul Brooker and former Bees favourite Lloyd Owusu) and acquired youngsters Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, Sam Tillen and non-League forward DJ Campbell. Still heavily in debt to former chairman Ron Noades' company Altonwood, the club had ongoing budgetary concerns, with the departure of London Broncos as tenants of Griffin Park losing the club £100,000. By mid-August 2005, Supporters' Trust Bees United (which had taken operational control of the club in 2003) had raised £700,000 of the £1,000,000 needed to acquire a majority shareholding. Former Director-General of the BBC Greg Dyke, a lifelong supporter, loaned the club money in the autumn.

Brentford began the season as one of the top teams in League One, with five wins from the opening eight league matches putting the club at the top of the table. A 3–2 defeat to Huddersfield Town on 17 September led to a dip in form and a run of two wins in 9 matches in all competitions dropped the Bees dropped to 4th place. After first round exits of the League Cup and Football League Trophy, victory in the FA Cup first round over Rochdale on 5 November began a resurgence in form, with Brentford losing just twice in 20 matches and returning to the top of the table for the first time in over three months after victory over previous leaders Swansea City at Griffin Park on Boxing Day.

Brentford advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the second consecutive season, defeating Oldham Athletic and Stockport County in the second and third rounds before completing a giant-killing of Premier League strugglers Sunderland in the fourth round at Griffin Park. Brentford's form owed much to the goalscoring of Lloyd Owusu and DJ Campbell, with Campbell scoring eight goals in six matches in January 2006, which included both the Bees' goals in the victory over Sunderland. Campbell's performance versus the Black Cats won national attention and three days later, on transfer deadline day, he was sold to Premier League club Birmingham City for a £500,000 fee. Despite the sale of then-top scorer Campbell, January 2006 was a good month for the Bees, with Bees United acquiring the majority shareholding of the club and the appointment of Greg Dyke as non-executive chairman.

Three consecutive wins at the beginning of February 2006 put the club in 3rd position in advance of the visit to Charlton Athletic for the FA Cup fifth round match. A 3–1 defeat ended a memorable cup run and the Bees' form began to suffer, with four defeats in the next seven league matches, but two consecutive wins in early March elevated the club into 2nd place. DJ Campbell's replacement Calum Willock failed to materialise as a goal threat, a lean spell from Lloyd Owusu and injury to set-piece taker Kevin O'Connor led to the team's goals drying up. Beginning with a win over Milton Keynes Dons on 28 March, Brentford went unbeaten for the rest of the season, but six draws from the final seven matches dropped the club out of the automatic promotion places. The Bees' goalscoring problems were further compounded after Lloyd Owusu suffered a torn groin muscle while on international duty with Ghana on 26 April, which ruled him out for the rest of the season and put him out of contention for a place in Ghana's 2006 World Cup squad.

3rd-place Brentford met 6th-place Swansea City in the League One play-off semi-finals. Despite taking the lead at the Liberty Stadium and largely controlling the first leg, Swans defender Sam Ricketts salvaged a 1–1 draw with a deflected shot in the dying minutes. Two quick-fire goals from Swansea City forward Leon Knight in the first 15 minutes of the second leg at Griffin Park killed the tie and Brentford exited the play-offs 3–1 on aggregate.

League table

Results Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend WinDrawLoss

Pre-season DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorer(s)9 July 2005Staines TownA0–0n/a12 July 2005Bideford AFCA2–1n/aSkúlason, Brooker17 July 2005Dagenham & RedbridgeA3–1n/aRankin, Brooker, Campbell20 July 2005Leyton OrientH2–01,935Campbell, Osborne23 July 2005Charlton AthleticH0–0n/a25 July 2005YeadingA1–3n/aOwusu26 July 2005WeymouthA1–0780Peters30 July 2005WokingA0–19121 August 2005Hampton & Richmond BoroughA0–1n/a

Football League One No.DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorer(s)16 August 2005Scunthorpe UnitedH2–05,952Tabb, Campbell (pen)210 August 2005ChesterfieldA3–14,121Sodje, Rankin (2)315 August 2005Port ValeA0–14,275420 August 2005Tranmere RoversH2–05,438Tabb, Hutchinson527 August 2005BarnsleyA1–17,462Owusu629 August 2005GillinghamH1–16,969Peters73 September 2005Nottingham ForestA2–117,234Frampton, Pratley810 September 2005Milton Keynes DonsH1–05,862O'Connor (pen)917 September 2005Huddersfield TownA2–311,622Rankin, Campbell1024 September 2005Bristol CityH2–36,413Brooker, Sodje1127 September 2005WalsallA0–04,873121 October 2005Rotherham UnitedH2–15,901O'Connor (pen), Rankin139 October 2005Oldham AthleticA1–05,089S.P. Fitzgerald1415 October 2005Swindon TownH0–06,9691522 October 2005BlackpoolA0–05,0411629 October 2005BournemouthH0–26,6251712 November 2005Hartlepool UnitedA2–14,811Campbell, Owusu1819 November 2005Oldham AthleticH3–35,450Pratley, Campbell, Owusu1926 November 2005Scunthorpe UnitedA3–14,322Pratley (2), Booker206 December 2005Yeovil TownH3–25,131Jones (og), Tabb, Turner2110 December 2005ChesterfieldH1–15,828O'Connor2217 December 2005Tranmere RoversA4–16,210Newman, Tabb, O'Connor (pen), Owusu2326 December 2005Swansea CityH2–19,903O'Connor, Hutchinson2431 December 2005Colchester UnitedH0–26,397252 January 2006Bradford CityA3–37,588Campbell (2, 1 pen), Sodje2614 January 2006Southend UnitedA1–410,046Campbell2717 January 2006Nottingham ForestH1–17,859Campbell2821 January 2006Huddersfield TownH2–07,636Owusu, Campbell294 February 2006WalsallH5–05,645Rankin, Newman, Brooker, Sodje, O'Connor (pen)3011 February 2006Bristol CityA1–010,854Owusu3114 February 2006Southend UnitedH2–07,022Jupp (og), Gayle3225 February 2006Port ValeH0–17,5423328 February 2006Doncaster RoversA0–05,250347 March 2006Yeovil TownA2–15,137Rankin, Rhodes3511 March 2006BarnsleyH3–17,352Newman, Owusu (2, 1 pen)3617 March 2006Swansea CityA1–213,508Frampton3721 March 2006GillinghamA2–35,745Turner, Tabb3825 March 2006Doncaster RoversH0–17,3233928 March 2006Milton Keynes DonsA1–05,592Owusu401 April 2006Colchester UnitedA1–15,635Tabb418 April 2006Bradford CityH1–16,533Owusu4215 April 2006Rotherham UnitedA2–25,242Owusu, Rankin4317 April 2006BlackpoolH1–17,339Owusu (pen)4422 April 2006Swindon TownA3–16,845Brooker, Gayle, Willock4529 April 2006Hartlepool UnitedH1–18,725O'Connor466 May 2006BournemouthA2–29,359Sodje, Frampton

Football League play-offs

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorer(s)SF (1st leg)11 May 2006Swansea CityA1–119,060TabbSF (2nd leg)14 May 2006Swansea CityH0–2 (lost 3–1 on aggregate)10,652

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorer(s)R15 November 2005RochdaleA1–02,928O'Connor (pen)R23 December 2005Oldham AthleticA1–14,365SodjeR2 (replay)13 December 2005Oldham AthleticH1–03,146OwusuR37 January 2006Stockport CountyA3–24,078Owusu, Campbell, RankinR428 January 2006SunderlandH2–111,698Campbell (2)R518 February 2006Charlton AthleticA1–322,098Rankin

Football League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceR123 August 2005Cheltenham TownA0–52,113

Football League Trophy

RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorer(s)SR118 October 2005Oxford UnitedH1–1 , lost 4–3 on pens)1,785S.P. Fitzgerald Sources: Soccerbase, 11v11

Playing squad Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 2005–06 season. No Position Name Nationality Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in NotesGoalkeepers1GKStuart NelsonHucknall Town200421GKClark MastersYouth2005Loaned to Redbridge and Slough Town31 GKAdemola Bankole Maidenhead United2005Goalkeeping coachDefenders2DFKevin O'ConnorYouth20003DFAndy FramptonCrystal Palace20024DFSam SodjeMargate20045DFMichael TurnerCharlton Athletic200412DF Michael Dobson Youth1999Loaned to Reading18DFSam TillenChelsea200523DFJamie SmithBristol City2006On loan from Bristol City32DFScott B. Fitzgerald Colchester United2004Youth team manager33DFDarius CharlesYouth2004Loaned to Thurrock and Yeading36DFKarleigh OsborneYouth2004Loaned to Hayes37DFRyan WattsYouth2005Midfielders6MFRicky Newman (c) Reading20057MFPaul Brooker Reading2005 8MFÓlafur Ingi Skúlason Arsenal200511MFJay Tabb Crystal Palace200014MFEddie HutchinsonSutton United200017MFAlex RhodesNewmarket Town200320MFRyan PetersYouth200422MFJohn MousinhoUnattached2005Loaned to Woking, Slough Town and Yeading24MFJunior Lewis Edgware Town200529MFDarren PratleyFulham2005On loan from FulhamForwards9FWLloyd OwusuReading200510 FWScott P. Fitzgerald Watford2005Loaned to Oxford United and Walsall15FWIsaiah RankinGrimsby Town200416FWMarcus Gayle Watford2005 19FWCalum Willock Peterborough United2006 39FWCharlie IdeYouth2005Loaned to Slough TownPlayers who left the club mid-season19FWDJ CampbellYeading2005Transferred to Birmingham City22MFJoe KeenanChelsea2005Returned to Chelsea after loan expired35MFAaron SteeleYouth2004Loaned to Slough Town, released40MFGeorge MoleskiYouth2005Loaned to Slough Town, released Source: Soccerbase

Coaching staff NameRole Martin AllenManager Adrian WhitbreadFirst Team Coach Ademola BankoleGoalkeeping Coach Damien DoyleSports Therapist John GriffinChief Scout

Statistics

Appearances and goals Substitute appearances in brackets. NoPosNatNameLeagueFA CupLeague CupFL TrophyPlay-offsTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals1GKStuart Nelson44 (1)06010002053 (1)02DFKevin O'Connor307511000203883DFAndy Frampton3634 (1)000002042 (1)34DFSam Sodje435610000105065DFMichael Turner462601000205526MFRicky Newman29 (1)35 (1)000102037 (2)37MFPaul Brooker32 (4)44 (2)010000 (2)037 (8)48MFÓlafur Ingi Skúlason2000000000209FWLloyd Owusu39 (3)126200000045 (3)1410FWScott P. Fitzgerald3 (8)1001011005 (8)211MFJay Tabb426500 (1)0002149 (1)712DFMichael Dobson3 (3)00 (1)00010004 (4)014MFEddie Hutchinson17 (10)21 (2)000100019 (12)215FWIsaiah Rankin31 (6)72 (3)200002035 (9)916FWMarcus Gayle16 (8)22010101021 (8)217MFAlex Rhodes5 (12)1000000106 (12)118DFSam Tillen20 (13)04 (2)010101 (1)027 (16)019FWDJ Campbell13 (10)9431000—18 (10)1219FWCalum Willock5 (8)1———0 (1)05 (9)120MFRyan Peters1 (9)10 (2)01010002 (11)122MFJohn Mousinho3 (4)010—10005 (4)024MFJunior Lewis11 (3)010—000012 (3)031GKAdemola Bankole200000100 (1)03 (1)033DFDarius Charles0 (2)0000010001 (2)035DFAaron Steele00000 (1)000—0 (1)036DFKarleigh Osborne10001010003037DFRyan Watts00000 (1)00 (1)0000 (2)039FWCharlie Ide0000000 (1)0000 (1)040MFGeorge Moleski0000000 (1)0—0 (1)0Players loaned in during the season22MFJoe Keenan0 (3)0—10——1 (3)023DFJamie Smith70———209029MFDarren Pratley25 (7)450—002032 (7)4 Players listed in italics left the club mid-season. Source: Soccerbase

Goalscorers NoPosNatPlayerFL1FACFLCFLTFLPTotal9FWLloyd Owusu1220001419FWDJ Campbell9300—1215FWIsaiah Rankin7200092DFKevin O'Connor71000811MFJay Tabb6000174DFSam Sodje51000629MFDarren Pratley40—0047MFPaul Brooker4000043DFAndy Frampton3000036MFRicky Newman30000316FWMarcus Gayle20000214MFEddie Hutchinson2000025DFMichael Turner20000210FWScott P. Fitzgerald10010219FWCalum Willock1———0120MFRyan Peters10000117MFAlex Rhodes100001Opponents200002Total72901183 Players listed in italics left the club mid-season. Source: Soccerbase

Discipline