Mail Sport with the help of our readers is on a mission to find the greatest player of all-time at each of the 20 Premier League clubs.
Today it’s the turn to look at the legends of Brentford from the fantastically-named goalkeeper Gerry Cakebread to Ivan Toney.
And once you’ve made up your mind who is all the best-ever, it’s time to vote…
After relegation in 1947, Brentford had to wait 74 years to take their place in the top division again. But Thomas Frank finally got them there in 2021 and The Bees are about to enjoy their fourth consecutive campaign in the Premier League.
Brentford were a force to be reckoned with in the 1930s and their fifth-place finish in the First Division in 1935-1936 – still a club best – owed a lot to the goals of Scottish international David McCulloch.
David McCulloch (left) is widely regarded as one of Brentford’s best ever strikers
Meanwhile, keeper Gerry Cakebread was a pivotal member of the squad between 1958-1963
McCulloch signed for Brentford from Hearts in the November of that season but made up for lost time with 26 goals in 26 games. As an encore, he then scored 62 over the next two seasons – in which Brentford finished sixth on both occasions.
Though the Bees never matched that pre-War period again, they uncovered some fantastic club servants.
Goalkeeper Gerry Cakebread made 187 consecutive appearances for the club between 1958 and 1963, the year he helped them win promotion from Division Four.
Between 1954 and 1961, striker Jim Towers scored 163 goals for Brentford, still a club record and he was inducted into the club Hall of Fame in 2015. Towers wasn’t an selfish goal-hogger either, often switching to the wing if his team needed him.
Centre-forward Bob Booker halved his wages working as a upholsterer in a furniture factory to fulfil his dream of being a professional footballer when he signed for Brentford in 1978.
The gamble paid off. Booker spent a decade at Griffin Park and then returned in 1991 after three seasons at Sheffield United.
Jim Towers scored 163 goals for Brentford and was inducted into the club Hall of Fame in 2015
Kevin O’Connor was captain and played more than 500 times for the west London outfit
Known for his athleticism – he competed against future Olympic champion Steve Ovett as a junior – Booker helped Bees win promotion as a player and served as a coach and assistant-manager after retirement.
Marcus Gayle ended up playing in the Premier League for Wimbledon but is revered at Brentford where he started his career, and remains a Bees club ambassador.
The Londoner returned to Griffin Park at the end of his career and won 14 international caps for Jamaica, featuring at the 1998 World Cup.
Kevin O’Connor was captain and played more than 500 times for Brentford and filled just about every position bar goalkeeper between 1999 and 2015.
He won two promotions and when Thomas Frank was appointed manager in 2019, he made O’Connor assistant because of his knowledge and understanding of the club.
By then, the club was in the hands of new owner Matthew Benham who has overseen a boom in the club’s fortunes using data to successfully buy and sell players, and take The Bees to a new stadidum.
Marcus Gayle (left) is revered at Brentford, where he started his career, and remains a club ambassador
Arguably his greatest coup was signing Ollie Watkins who was signed for £2million from Exeter in 2017 and sold three years later to Aston Villa for £28million.
Villa’s manager Dean Smith knew all about Watkins’ potential having first worked with him in west London. The pace, mobility and ability to score a special goal – all seen by England fans at Euro 2024 – was already common knowledge to Brentford fans.
In his final season under Frank, he scored 26 goals in the Championship with Brentford going close to promotion, beaten by Fulham in the play-off final.
Watkins’ replacement was Ivan Toney, signed for £5million from Peterborough. Once again, Brentford knew exactly what they were doing.
Toney has scored 72 goals in four seasons for Brentford, helping them win promotion and then establish themselves in the Premier League. The figure would have been even higher without him serving an eight-month for breaches of FA betting rules.
Ollie Watkins scored 26 goals in the Championship with Brentford going close to promotion
England international Ivan Toney is the latest modern great to play for the west London side
A leader and huge physical presence on the pitch, Toney has also become feted for his ‘no-look penalties’ – the most important of which was scored against Swansea in the successful 2021 Championship play-off final.
He’s been regularly courted by Champions League clubs. ‘Ivan is a special player with a special mentality,’ says manager Frank.
It’s a sign of Brentford’s progress that midfielder Mathias Jensen has won 30 caps for Denmark while he’s been at the club – a Brentford record for international appearances.
The man to make Brentford’s midfield tick, Jensen has been with them since 2019 and featured in all but one of their matches in their promotion season.
To select your greatest Brentford player, click on the voting button or email [email protected] if you want to choose someone not on the shortlist.
We will reveal the results of the greatest all-time player for all 20 Premier League clubs before the start of the 2024-25 season.