Hi NYC Bees, not a bad showing for Brentford as the club finished in the top 10 of the Premier League for the second time in the past three seasons! Thanks for joining us throughout the campaign at The Red Lion; hopefully the next couple months breeze by so we can start things up again for 2025-26! In the meantime, a bunch going on with us this past month, and I've got a couple group ideas/tweaks to look forward to. Here's the rundown of everything happening!
Brentford's first four-game winning streak in the Premier League ultimately proved to be the difference maker in securing a top-half finish in the club's fourth PL campaign. Brentford did briefly hold an eighth-place position, but one point in the final two games pushed us down a couple spots to 10th. Nevertheless, the top half of the table and ahead of Fulham ... we'll take it! Bryan Mbeumo finished the season with 20 goals (tied for fourth-most in the PL), goalkeeper Mark Flekken led the league with 153 saves, and defender Nathan Collins was the only field player in the PL to play all 3,420 minutes this season. As a team, Brentford's 66 goals tied for fifth in the league, with Yoane Wissa (19) and Kevin Schade (11) supplying a heavy dose in the attack alongside Mbeumo. Mikkel Damsgaard tied for fourth in the PL with 10 assists. All these guys are signed through next season or later, but naturally the rumor mill is in full swing right now. Have we seen Mbeumo for the last time?
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On May 4, the Brentford Women became champions in the London & South East Regional Women's Football League Division One North! With a 4-2 victory against Clapton Community, Brentford earned promotion into the fifth tier of women's football! One week earlier, Brentford defeated Farnham Town FC in a shootout to win a second straight Capital Cup Final. At the conclusion of the season, manager Karleigh Osborne decided to step down from his role, so we will see someone else new at the helm as Brentford continues to work its way way up the footballing pyramid. Also, a quick shoutout to midfielder Mollie Holmes who announced her retirement. Congratulations everyone, it's been a memorable campaign!
If you've been following the #PLinUSA social media channels, then you must have spotted the NYC Bees along the way! Among the content over the past month, Alison Roberts and Lev Riley both named Mikkel Damsgaard as Brentford's top player this season in one segment. We're also thrilled that Alison has been a go-to for all of these videos, from her take on Mark Flekken for the "biggest surprise" piece, to the nearly unanimous take on Mo Salah being the league's most valuable player. All of these clips were filmed with the NYC Bees just outside The Red Lion. The PLinUSA Instagram channel has more than 1 million followers and the X (formerly Twitter) channel has 300,000-plus, so we appreciate our inclusion on these heavy-traffic platforms!
Thanks to Brentford's success and keeping the slim European hopes alive, that meant a couple other media opportunities for us down the stretch. I had the privilege of joining BBC Radio's Sportsworld for a second time this season, prior to the Bees' season finale against Wolves on May 25. I was part of a BBC panel show for Liverpool-Brentford near the start of the season, as well. If next season's schedule aligns more heavily with their Sunday schedule, we could see an increase of opportunities with the Sportsworld program, which has an audience of 188 million globally!
Earlier in the month, I joined the Across the Seas But Forever Bees folks after Brentford's victory against Manchester United. We made five appearances on Forever Bees this past season, and they are always looking for potential interviewees. It's a very laid-back environment, with Tim Searls hosting from Maine and Greville Waterman from London. If you'd like to participate, please let me know and I'd be happy to help you connect!
Damsgaard, Player of the Year: During Brentford's 2024-25 end-of-season awards, there was one very clear-cut accolade: Mikkel Damsgaard was named the Player of the Year by both the supporters and players! Among some of the other noteworthy awards, Bryan Mbeumo garnered Goal of the Season for his opening tally against Tottenham, when the club had the knack for finding a string of first-minute goals. Maddie Phillips was the Brentford Players' Women's Player of the Year and Chloe Logie earned Supporters' Player of the Year for a second straight campaign.
Kayode joins Brentford on permanent deal: Brentford activated the €17.5 million clause for defender Michael Kayode on May 28 to join the club on a permanent deal, and he is now signed through the 2029-2030 season. Kayode joined the team on loan from Fiorentina back in late January, and he provided a huge upswing at right back. It is a no-brainer move for Brentford, which has been heavily injured at outside back for the better part of a couple seasons.
Quick hits: It has been known for quite some time, but Brentford finally made it official that it is partnering with Spanish brand Joma Sport to serve as the official kit partner starting in July. ... Prior to the club's home finale, defender Ben Mee announced he would be leaving Brentford. Mee was an absolutely crucial piece for the Bees in securing their ninth-place finish in the Premier League table a couple seasons ago. ... The Brentford FC social media channels included the NYC Bees in their April 30 Fan Spotlight series. ... Mark your calendar, the Premier League will be announcing next season's schedule on June 18!
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If you have any thoughts, feel free to email (brentfordnyc@gmail.com) or chat with me anytime! #COYB!
Charlie
