Brentford breaking ground on their new stadium site on Lionel Road will be a major lift to the squad, according to captain John Egan.

After 16 years of trying, it appears that the Bees will only have to wait a further 18 months to move onto the site permanently.

And, for Egan, the sight of the club progressing and showing ambition off the pitch will only lift an ambitious squad further.

He said: “It's fantastic. Everyone knows it's a massively historic day for the club. As a player, it's brilliant to be able to be here.

“It probably means a lot more to the fans as they've been here through thick and thin and see the ground being broken for the new stadium.

“It gives you a great lift as a player. As an ambitious player, you want to be at an ambitious club. As you can see, moving forward at the new stadium is another step in the right direction.

“It shows where the club is heading. They're always trying to move forward and take the next step to ensure that. It's a massive leap forward.”

If it wasn't for the dedication of Brentford fans and the financial support of Matthew Benham, the Bees would not be in this position and Egan knows how much the progress will mean to the supporters.

He added: “Anyone who has contributed to it can hold their heads high. It's taken a good, long while to get to this stage.

“When I first signed for the club they told me they were working on the new stadium.

“To see it all coming to fruition is very satisfying for everyone who has anything to do with Brentford.”

As thing stand, Egan is in line to be the man to lead Brentford out at the new stadium in 18 months time and he believes that the club is an exciting one to be a part of.

He explained: “Obviously, that would mean everything. It's obviously early days, with breaking ground.

“To be a part of it is exciting. It's an exciting club to be a part of. We play some great football.

“We've got a bit of a mountain to climb this season but I think anyone that's seen us play knows that anything can happen with us.

“We play some great football and we'll try and finish the season really strong and see where that takes us.”

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