Westside Radio 89.6FM will be on air Saturday from 2-5.30pm with extensive Brentford FC coverage. Bring your radio to the ground, listen in and take part in the show before, during and after when the squad pick up the trophy. Let us know what your highlight of the season has been. Who has been your player of the season and why?
Call the studio on 020 8571 1188, email presenter@westsideradio.co.uk or text 60300 with the word Westside followed by your message (Normal text rate applies).
Luis Melville: Congratulations on winning the title. You've had a few days to contemplate what has happened to you and the squad. What are your thoughts?
Andy Scott: Still the same now. I'm really proud of the players and delighted for the club, the fans and anyone involved with us. We've had a tough few years but there is light at the end of the tunnel now and we can see us coming through it a stronger club.
LM: It was a great performance on Saturday but what was going though your mind when in the first couple of minutes you lose another striker to a bad challenge in terms of your game plan?
AS: Well firstly we knew it was a bad injury to Damian. You could hear the crack of the bone from where I was standing. Fortunately, we had Sam (Williams) available who came on and did a good job. I'm just glad that we only needed one win to go up and not three or four. We're so low on numbers it's ridiculous and the injuries we have had are horrific. No one could have expected that sort of thing to happen.
LM: How is Damian?
AS: He has broken his cheekbone in three places and has an operation coming up on Monday. He's not great but it's not as bad as Nathan's. It was an awful challenge and we will be looking at the video again and seeing if Damian wants to take it any further.
LM: On numerous occasions when I have spoken to Alan Bennett, he has used the word 'belief' a lot. Do you think that's what has got you through the last few games because it has been tough when you consider the injuries?
AS: There were a lot of downers put on us after the spell we had and the Exeter game where we drew. We had four draws out of five games and lost against Chesterfield and people were saying we were on a 'blip'. When you look at the quality of our opponents we were actually on a good run and still at the top whilst keeping teams at bay that were around us given our injury situation. I think after the Bournemouth game when we beat them that was a real shot in the arm for us. From there we beat Accrington comfortably but didn't play well against Dagenham, but to be fair to them they were excellent against us. After that there was a real determination to go to Darlington and get the job done. We didn't know that we were going to win the Championship that day; our aim was to secure promotion. However, to win the Championship was very special and it was a great journey home and it gives us the opportunity to celebrate this Saturday in a relaxed atmosphere in front of our own fans.
LM: How does this compare with your success as a player?
AS: As a player you are very, very selfish. It's about you. It's about what you have done and it's your medal….. This is my group of players. This is my club. This is what I have tried to build day in, day out. As a player sometimes you're injured, ill or dropped so you're not necessarily involved in every moment of every day. This is without doubt a much bigger achievement because it's my first full season, the amount of players we have brought in and the change of staff. It's a huge achievement.
LM: Looking back at the season, how would sum up this group of players?
AS: They're a hard working bunch of honest lads who are very good players and who can get better and just as importantly want to get better. They're an absolute pleasure to work with. That comes from all the research we have done about them. They love being around each other and have a great camaraderie. That gets you through a lot in tough times when you're playing at difficult places. We haven't got any players in The PFA League 2 Representative Team but we are the BEST team in this league and that says everything. We're not individuals; we are a group of players.
LM: Well you can't be lucky over a whole season?
AS: No. You can't be lucky. You sometimes earn your own luck and sometimes you get lucky but that may only be for a few games. You have to be good to stay at the top. We've been out of the top seven once when we lost at home to Rochdale and led the league from 10th February. There's a lot more pressure when you're at the top and we only lost two games once we hit top spot. Credit must go to the players and how they have handled it.
LM: We're here at a very quiet Griffin Park where you've just completed some team photos. It's going to be a very different atmosphere on Saturday with a sell out predicted. You've still got a game to play, what are you expecting from Luton?
AS: Well they've had a virtually impossible situation to overcome with their 30 point deficit at the start of the season. They've got a lot of fans coming to the game and they did extremely well to win The JP Trophy. It was a huge reward for them with the efforts they have put in this season. We expect a tough game which I want to win like every game this season but we're also here to get the Championship trophy and celebrate the whole season. I'm looking forward to picking up the trophy and seeing the reaction of the fans and enjoying the moment.
