Rejoicing at Wembley
Christmas. It’s a time for looking back and looking forward.
Just weeks ago, I went to Wembley Stadium for a very special celebration. It helped erase the memory of my last visit there – in April 2011, when Carlisle beat the Bees to win the ‘much-coveted’ Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
It was one of those forgettable matches when Carlisle scored early and the Brentford team never really got into their stride. We had Diagouraga sent off in the dying minutes.
A lot has changed since then. In that season, we finished 11th in League One, and Carlisle were just below us at 12th.
Today, we’re battling away in the Premier League – collecting points at home but struggling away – and Carlisle are competing in the National League. Two clubs with very different trajectories from that Wembley meeting.
Some fans will have better Wembley memories – of that stunning victory over Swansea in May 2021 that secured our promotion to the Premier League. It’s a match that ‘Mr Brentford’ Peter Gilham has described as the best day of his life, though his wife says it should be his second-best! Sadly, I had to watch the game on TV.
We are a club on the up, though pundits and fans of rival clubs have been predicting our downfall for years, and especially this season after all the changes on and off the pitch.
We’ll see. Personally, I’m optimistic about at least finishing the season mid-table or above. And I’m with the national newspaper pundit who wrote after the Burnley match, that the Bees “look stronger than last year.”
My return to Wembley was for ‘A celebration of Christianity and Football’ organised by the FA as part of their Faith and Football series of events. I proudly wore my Brentford scarf for the occasion.
Hosted by Sky Sports’ Simon Thomas, the evening featured pitch-side carol singing led by a Salvation Army band and a gospel choir, footballers talking about their faith, and news of community projects where ‘the beautiful game’ is helping youngsters find purpose in life.
Roman Catholic Cardinal Vin Nichols wore his Liverpool scarf as he likened being a Christian disciple to being a football club supporter. You have your ups and downs, your triumphs and disappointments, but you persevere, despite the jibes.
Omar Beckles, chair of the Professional Footballers’ Association and a Leyton Orient defender, talked about football being what the players did – not what they are. Their identity needed to be in something deeper, especially if they were going to transition to life outside the sport. Some, like him, grounded their identity in their faith. He encouraged people to pray for footballers.
Christian players, like Eberechi Eze and Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka, are among many high-profile stars being more open about their beliefs.
At Brentford, star striker Igor Thiago told an interviewer in the matchday programme, “The biggest thing is to have faith and to believe in God. To play and believe with my faith makes me have the faith and confidence that I will always score.”
Kyreece Lisbie, a Brentford ‘B’ team player, who moved to Colchester United earlier this year, also explained in a programme interview, “Whatever situation you are going through the Bible has a verse of comfort, an answer to that situation, and that fills me with confidence about my faith and why I hold it in high regard. It has helped me through the darkest of times.”
And, for football clubs, just like ourselves. Life has its ups and downs.
The Christmas story is full of wonder and joy, a story of a baby born in a manger that would live to change the world, to offer new life to all.
Faith has been a driving force behind many clubs. Clubs from Aston Villa to Tottenham Hotspur, from Barnsley to Southampton, and from Everton, Liverpool and Manchester City to Bolton Wanderers can trace their origins back to churches or local church ministers.
Many clubs have chaplains, with Sarah Guinness doing excellent work for Brentford FC, with players, staff and supporters.
Christmas is about light in the darkness, and hope for all of us as we face challenges in our lives. It’s about believing the world can be a better place and working to make that happen.
I wish all Brentford FC supporters a happy Christmas, with joy at results home and away, and of hope for a bright future.
Rev Peter Crumpler is a lifelong Bees supporter, and a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts.