BRENTFORD fans from across the world are excitedly preparing for this Sunday’s potential game changer at Wembley.
From naked Mexicans to a specially recorded song and fans coming from as far afield as Hong Kong, Bees devotees are pulling out all the stops for the match against Yeovil Town which could see them finally secure a place in the Championship.
After the heartache of the match against Doncaster Rovers and pulling back through penalties against Swindon, the stakes are high and Bees fans are making sure they do as much as they can to ensure they can be even more proud of their team at the weekend.
To bring a bit of the spirit back from when the team was promoted in 1992 at Peterborough, fans are vowing to wear Mexican moustaches, ponchos and sombreros, and nothing else.
Many fans seated in block 133 at Wembley will be embracing the naked Mexican look in a bid to recreate the game of 21 years ago.
Flying in from the other side of the globe is lifelong fan, former commentator and Beesotted contributor, Andy Cooper.
The 39-year-old has worked in Hong Kong for nine years and despite only finding a couple of fellow Brentford fans in Asia’s world city, has kept up the enthusiasm that was instilled in him as a young boy by his father and uncle.
The IT manager lives at the bottom of Braemar Hill in Hong Kong which he feels must be significant considering Braemar Road is one of the main stands at Griffin Park.
He said: “When I met the players at the Big Red Ball they were so positive despite having just lost out. I flew all the way back from Hong Kong for the Doncaster game and after talking to them I decided I would have to fly back if they made it to Wembley.
“I’d like to think we will win on Sunday but as a Bees fan I’m used to not getting my hopes up. I’m definitely rooting for them though.”
Other fans making long journeys include those travelling from Sydney, Australia, and Abu Dhabi.
As the Chronicle went to press well over 21,000 tickets, which actually are for Brentford/Swindon as they were printed before the result of the second leg was known, had been sold to Brentford fans.
Further efforts to help propel the team to victory have included BBC London’s reporter Billy Reeves, writing and recording a special song under the name, Bee Faction and the track is called Harlee Dean: The Man Machine.
Talking about choosing the Brentford defender as the subject of the song, Billy said: “I thought, there’s plenty of tunes about gunslingers and miners, why not about a ball-playing centre half?”
Also in keeping with the singing mood; copies of a flow chart showing the proper way to sing the club’s signature song, Hey Jude by The Beatles, are also doing the rounds on Twitter.
Should victory be seized the Chronicle can confirm the team will parade the trophy from Griffin Park to Hounslow’s civic centre on an open top bus at some point on Monday afternoon.
Sachin Gupta, the new mayor of Hounslow – who was sworn in on Tuesday – also happens to be a big Bees fan and one of his first commitments could be to welcome the team when they arrive.
