Brentford FC promoted to Premier League for first time in club's history
29 May 2021, 16:57 | Updated: 29 May 2021, 23:10
Brentford Football Club have been promoted to the Premier League for the first time in the competition's history after beating Swansea 2-0 in the play-off final at Wembley.
The west London club sealed a place in England's top flight for the first time since the 1946-47 season after their victory on Saturday afternoon.
It is the first time they will be playing Premier League football since the competition's inception in 1992.
The Bees' win over the Welsh side means they will be joining Norwich City and Watford in England's top tier for the 2021/22 season.
They last sealed promotion to the top flight in 1935 and stayed there for 12 years before dropping out for good in 1947.
Striker Ivan Toney opened the scoring for Brentford after his penalty put them on the front foot just 10 minutes into the game.
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Another 10 minutes later, attacking midfielder Emiliano Marcondes doubled their lead, which they held on to for the rest of the match.
The Bees were beaten 2-1 after extra time in last season's Championship play-off final by Fulham, but put that misery behind them after Saturday's victory.
It was the club's tenth appearance in the play-offs and their fifth final, with previous trips to Wembley coming in 1997, 2013 and last season, while there was also a Millennium Stadium appearance in 2002.
Brentford captain Pontus Jansson told Sky: "I'm so proud of this squad - we were here last year with a big disappointment and it's been a hard year but we finally got here.
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"We felt so disappointed after Fulham last year, but from day one we promised each other we'd be clever and focus on the next game, and now we're here.
"I am so proud and so happy that I could go home to Sweden and retire because this is what I dreamed of. But I will stay here and play Premier League football."
Striker Toney said he was relishing the prospect of building on his impressive 33-goal season in the top tier next term.
"Even when they (Swansea) had 11 men I don't think they created any chances and we fully deserved it," he said.
"I'm in the Premier League with the best bunch of boys I could ever dream of. I'm a Premier League striker now and I can't wait to score goals in the Premier League."
Goalscorer Marcondes, whose current deal is set to expire after this season, admitted he is still hoping for a new contract offer after his man-of-the-match performance at Wembley.
He said: "I have been hoping and waiting for a new contract for a long time.
"But I have kept my concentration on the training and on the pitch, and to focus on what I can control.
"I can't control a new contract. Of course, I hope to play Premier League, it's my biggest dream. To come from a small town in Denmark and reach the Premier League would be unbelievable."
Brentford boss Thomas Frank said he felt "completely empty" after "such a long journey".
"I've been here for four-and-a-half years with these fantastic players and staff," he added.
"Last season when I think we deserved to go up we didn't, then we had the shortest turnaround ever, Covid, ups and downs - crazy.
"The feeling was honestly calm, relaxed, ready to be ruthless, and they were."
