Sam Saunders: My reflection on historic Brentford B season

“It was pleasing to get it done back at the Gtech in front of their friends and family, who have sacrificed so much throughout their careers.”

Saunders’ side is the first to claim the PDL title in consecutive years, after getting the job done in the play-offs last year, having finished second in the South table. This season, they claimed the title after finishing top of the 20-team league in a revamped format.

It didn’t come without its challenges, however, as squad changes saw a new-look group take to the pitch across the season.

Ethan Brierley (Exeter City), Ben Krauhaus (Bromley), Tony Yogane (Dundee) and Benjamin Fredrick (FCV Dender) went out on loan at the start of the season, while Iwan Morgan (Shrewsbury Town) and Michael Olakigbe (Swindon Town) went on loan in January.

Ashley Hay joined Dundee on a permanent deal in pre-season, while Chanse Headman made the permanent move to Harrogate Town in January.

The Bees welcomed Theo Mawene and Kyrie Pierre at the start of the campaign, while Luca Picotto, Maxwell McKnight and Joseph Wheeler-Henry joined the side throughout the campaign.

Saunders also welcomed Chris Burke into the coaching ranks as his assistant coach in January.

“On the pitch, the boys know their jobs,” explained Saunders. "We’ve coached them in a manner where, instead of just giving them the fish, we’ve given them the net so that they can go and fish themselves.

“On the pitch, the boys know their jobs. We’ve coached them in a manner where, instead of just giving them the fish, we’ve given them the net so that they can go and fish themselves'

“The principles and the structure are there, the players know what is expected and they’re given fluidity within themselves to play within the structure and express themselves.

“That’s with and without the ball. No matter who comes in and who goes out, they can just fit into that.”

As the season has progressed, Josh Stephenson, Ollie Shield, Riley Owen and Luka Bentt have trained with the first team, while also being part of matchday squads. The latter made his first-team debut in the FA Cup against Macclesfield.

While the player movement has meant some key players have missed U21s games, Saunders highlighted the development that comes from these experiences.

“It’s brilliant and that’s what we’re here for, the boys get so much exposure within that,” he said.

“This year has been the most minutes B-team players have had out on loan, so that shows where the academy is going as well.

“Not everyone’s going to break through to the first team at Brentford, it’s impossible, so how we get these lads 15-year careers playing full-time football is our main aim.

“Whether it’s lads going on loan and having the success that they’ve had this year, like Ben getting promoted or Ethan playing nearly every minute of every game with Exeter, or Morgs going in January.

“Also, the ones that have gone permanently like Chanse, when two years ago he was in the community scheme. We look at that as really good success.”

As has become a staple within the club, the side challenged itself abroad against experienced men’s teams across the season.

Playing under the Brentford B banner, the group drew 1-1 with Mérida, drew 0-0 with FC Kryvbas and defeated an AS Monaco side featuring Paul Pogba and Eric Dier 2-1.

“We went on tour three times this season and played three men’s teams and were unbeaten, that’s good for the group in really tough tests against these teams,” explained Saunders.

“We’ve said to the boys it is about winning now. Within the way that we play, how we train, and how we demand every day, there’s going to be development within the players because the standards are high.

“We’ve got a leadership group that really drives the standards, drives the training and takes ownership. We try and work in an environment where we’re all accountable, but we’re also vulnerable.

“The group’s definitely grown over the course of the season without a doubt. This is the good bit about the job, seeing where we are now compared to what we were at the beginning of the season, you can see the work that we’ve been doing day in and day out at the training ground.

“It’s been a really satisfying journey and the pressure of winning and putting that onus on the players to perform is a part of their development.”

The journey saw the Bees qualify for the PDL play-offs, with the top eight sides taking on the 17th-24th ranked Premier League 2 clubs in a knockout competition, the winner to be crowned PDL champions.

After defeating Derby County 2-0 in the round of 16, Brentford fell to Everton 4-2 in the quarter-final.

With the west Londoners set to step into the PL2 next season after Brentford Academy was awarded Category One status, Saunders said he and the group are looking forward to a new challenge in 2026/27.

“It’s going to be a really exciting season next year, hopefully in another couple of cup competitions as well,” he said.

“In Category One is where we want to test ourselves, we know the quality within Category One, we’ve played a few of those teams this season and you can see the levels, so it’s definitely going to be more difficult.

“I feel like it’s going to be a really good test for the boys and it’s only going to make them better.”