With just seconds remaining in the 2025/26 campaign, Brentford stood on the precipice of a historic achievement. Drawing 1-1 against Liverpool at Anfield, they needed one goal to finish seventh and secure Europa League qualification—something the club had never accomplished before.
In the 10th minute of added time, Mikkel Damsgaard released Vitaly Janelt down the left side of the penalty area. The midfielder's first-time cross curved invitingly towards the centre of the box, where Kevin Schade waited. But Dango Ouattara arrived first and steered the ball wide of the post.
Keith Andrews dropped to his knees, his hands covering his face. His inaugural season as head coach had come agonisingly close to the perfect ending.
Three months on, Andrews reflects on that moment with a mixture of regret and perspective.
I felt that epitomised the journey we'd been on last season, with how we started the season, how we grew into the season. Everybody was so engrossed in our journey and gave absolutely everything. There was no shame at all from not getting into Europe, but it whetted the appetite pretty nicely for how we would do things going into pre-season.
Despite the disappointment, Andrews departed for his break with immense pride in what had been achieved.
I sat on holiday and had a chance to think about things with immense pride at what we'd achieved. The next thought, very quickly, was how and where we go again.
When speaking to Sky Sports immediately after that Anfield encounter, he made his ambitions clear for the season ahead.
This is a baseline. We'll continue to push hard.
Planning the next chapter
Roughly two weeks after the Liverpool match, Andrews returned to the training ground with a clear mission.
There's amazing thinking time you don't normally get on a weekly basis to plan and look at things in a more forensic way. You look to improve how we train, how we prepare, what the squad feels like, what the dynamic feels like. Everything where you feel we can get a little bit better.
He sensed the direction was already set.
I felt like we didn't need huge meetings about what this season will be, I just felt it was there day-to-day. You could smell it, you could feel it.
The first significant move came on 12 June when Brentford confirmed Damien Duff as first-team assistant coach, reuniting Andrews with his former Republic of Ireland team-mate.
He's an unbelievable support for me on a daily basis. You've got to be very impactful in your role and whatever responsibilities you have and Damien is certainly that.
Duff brought considerable experience to the role. The Irishman had previously managed Shelbourne in the League of Ireland, where he won the Premier Division in 2024, before working as a FIFA technical advisor. The club stated that Duff would bring experience, presence and a real level of detail to the coaching department.
A summer of precision recruitment
The summer transfer window proved markedly different from the previous year. In 2025, Brentford had endured significant upheaval, losing Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Norgaard to Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, while Yoane Wissa's eventual move to Newcastle had been protracted and disruptive.
This time, there were no headline departures. The only first-team exits were Ethan Pinnock—who managed just four Premier League appearances in 2025/26—and Frank Onyeka, who had spent nearly two seasons away from west London, both departing to Coventry City for less than £12m combined.
Instead of chasing marquee signings, Brentford focused on adding depth and experience. The club completed five senior summer additions: Mamadou Sangaré, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Jaidon Anthony, Jannik Schuster and Callum Wilson. Despite this activity, Brentford remained the eighth-lowest spenders in the Premier League, investing £112.5m.
Andrews explained the philosophy behind their approach.
At certain stages last season, we just lacked that little bit at senior experience in the squad, different options within games to change it. We always try to find a way of competing and our players gave absolutely everything last season, but at times they probably needed a little bit more help.
He outlined the thinking behind each arrival.
The way we've gone about our transfers this summer has been very precise. Jannik Schuster is a centre-back with a younger age profile and has slotted into the club really well, Callum Wilson and Jaidon Anthony have proven Premier League quality with experience, so it's not just on the pitch, it's off it in terms of what they bring. Mamadou Sangare was an eye-catching signing and he's started really well in our shirt. And the latest one is Malick Diouf from West Ham, who we were delighted to be able to get into the building.
The recruitment strategy had delivered exactly what Andrews wanted.
We've added to an already really good squad, we've added very well and we've kept hold of exactly who we wanted to keep hold of. I'm really, really happy with the deals we've got done.
Breaking through the ceiling
Andrews frequently discusses the concept of continuous improvement, and he is forthright about what that means for Brentford.
Naturally, the next step for us is to try and break that ceiling.That ceiling, of course, is European qualification.
When asked how that improvement would manifest on the pitch, Andrews outlined a multi-faceted approach.
The next level of development of individuals. Pick a player… Michael Kayode. He had an amazing season, let's get him better. You make all your players better, you feed them that confidence, you create that environment, which we do create. It's inevitable if someone is as humble and hungry as Michael, they will get better.
Individual improvement would naturally elevate the team's performance.
Players getting better naturally improves the team. Then you look at each phase of the game.
He identified specific areas where Brentford could develop.
At set-pieces we look a real threat, we look really dominant at the moment and we want to continue that. How do we create chances? The game is about scoring at one end and keeping goals out at the other, so how do you create opportunities? We want to create opportunities in different ways and not just be a predictable team that can only do it one way. And how do we become better without the ball? Are we pressing aggressively high? Can we sit in deep and absorb pressure and be a transition threat, but defend our box with aggression and collective spirit? They are just some examples about how we want to take the next step.
Early signs of progress
The opening weekend of the 2026/27 season provided an immediate statement of intent. Brentford welcomed Tottenham to the Gtech Community Stadium and produced a dominant display, winning 3-0. The scoreline could have been even more emphatic had Igor Thiago not rolled his penalty onto the base of the left-hand post.
Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp was visibly impressed by what he witnessed.
When somebody was out of position, they just found a way to fill the right areas. They are incredibly brave at the back, the two centre-backs play so high and press you, stop you getting out. What Roberto De Zerbi said beforehand was that they were going to deal with a lot of long balls today, but what they actually dealt with was total football.
Andrews was careful not to overstate what he saw as total football, preferring to emphasise the versatility his squad now possessed.
It can mean different things when I hear that said. When I think about that in terms of how we play the game, we can play in different ways. We can control games now with the ability we have as a team, the quality we have technically as a team. The individuals are flourishing within the squad and how we're playing, then if teams want to have a fight, we'll have a fight. We've got so many different attributes within the squad where we can cause the opposition problems in an unpredictable way, but we always respect every phase of the game and try and respect the opposition where we try to nullify their strengths and see if we can outdo them.
The manager was particularly moved by the atmosphere generated by the supporters.
Firstly, we need to start with the fans. I thought the flags and the energy as the players came in from their warm-up and pre-game was pretty special. It felt energetic, it felt edgy. I loved the intentions of our fans straightaway in that game. I felt they could sense us producing a performance. I was confident the players would. You never truly know. I thought the connection between the players and the fans was really special and we maintained it throughout.
A 6-1 demolition of Birmingham City in the Carabao Cup followed the Tottenham victory, though a 1-1 draw against Leeds United at Elland Road last weekend suggested the challenge ahead would not be straightforward. Andrews felt his side had been denied a penalty when Kevin Schade was tripped by Jayden Bogle in the box.
The road ahead
Sunderland's visit to the capital is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, with Brentford looking to maintain their early momentum. Andrews acknowledged the positive trajectory while remaining grounded about the demands of the Premier League.
We're in a good place, there's no denying that. The players are playing freely, with a lot of verve and personality, which I really like. The only way you keep that going is keeping striving, keeping pushing each other, being very demanding of each other. It's a good place to be demanding of each other when you play so well and with such an edge. Nothing is given in this league, but we can push the group more, they can push each other to see how far we can go.
Brentford came within one goal of European qualification at Anfield last May. Andrews is determined to ensure they get considerably closer this time around, with the infrastructure, experience and squad depth now in place to mount a genuine challenge for the top seven.
