FOLLOWING last week's announcement of the Premier League fixtures list, we are looking back to Brentford's last season in the First Division, 74 years ago.

The 1946/47 season marked the end of the Bees' 12-year run in England's top-flight.

After three successive top six finishes beginning in 1935/36, Brentford began to decline with the departure of key players during the 1938/39 season, which almost led to relegation.

The Second World War meant that the First Division was cancelled and only returned in 1946.

Many players had aged significantly, with Irish international Bill Forman, Wales international Idris Hopkins and ever useful utility man Buster Brown all 35 years old, while ex-England international Billy Scott was 38.

Despite that, the Bees got off to a good start in the season, winning four of the first five matches against Everton, Huddersfield, Wolves and Blackpool.

But when the goals dried up in September, Brentford's form suffered.

The Bees went on a six-game winless run, which included five defeats and one draw.

This wasn't helped by the fact that Brentford sold Gerry McAloon and Fred Durrant (who had scored six goals between them in the early stages of the season), to Celtic and QPR respectively.

By December, the Bees had dropped into the relegation zone and a run of 11 losses in 15 matches culminated in the heaviest defeat of the season, 6-1 away to Sheffield United on Christmas Day.

Brentford's form improved after that, going undefeated in four of the five following matches, and managed to climb out of the relegation places.

But from February onwards, the team's form crumbled and on May 24, a defeat away to Sunderland combined with Charlton's draw away to Everton meant that the Bees were mathematically relegated.

This was the club's first relegation since it joined the Football League in 1920.

By the end of the season the Bees had managed to lose 14 of their final 19 matches and 26 out of a total 42.

What's extraordinary is that Brentford's last game of that season was a 0-1 loss at home to Arsenal, the same team the Bees will be welcoming at the start of the Premier League season on August 13.

A number of Football League records were equalled or broken during the season by Brentford, including fewest victories (9), fewest home victories (5), most defeats (26), most home defeats (11), fewest home goals scored (19) and highest average attendance (25,768).

After seven and a half decades, the Bees are back in the top-flight and we're very excited to see what this season has in store for Thomas Frank and his men.