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Mathematical recruitment, over £100m in clever player sales such as Ollie Watkins and their owner gambling at just the right time... how Brentford managed to get Premier League football having been in League Two just 12 years ago

A dozen years ago, Brentford fans basked in the north-east sunshine as a 2-0 victory away at Darlington sealed the west Londoners' promotion from League Two.

'We're too big for this league... we're the Barcelona of the lower leagues' was one of the many chants sung that day. Fast forward 12 years and they are no longer the big fish in the small pond - quite the opposite.

The Bees secured promotion to the top flight by beating Swansea in Saturday's Championship Play-Off final - not only becoming the 50th team to ever play in the Premier League, but also one of the smallest stature teams ever to do so.