THERE is a huge battle simmering in West London — but it does not involve Chelsea.
Outside the fanbases of Fulham and Brentford, no one realises how intense their rivalry really is.
Perhaps not that surprising given Brentford supporters have sung nothing more offensive than “Bees up, Fulham down” to the tune of Knees Up Mother Brown since their promotion last summer.
But Brentford boss Thomas Frank believes this is a bigger occasion than last week’s visit of Manchester United, who were duly hammered 4-0.
The fixture brings back painful memories for the Bees, who were beaten by Fulham 2-1 after extra-time in the 2020 Championship play-off final.
Frank said: “I’ll not do anything different but I’ll reinforce the message that it’s a local derby, that it’s Fulham and it means a lot to the fans and to us.
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“I’ll try to get them to understand how big this game is. In some ways it’s maybe bigger than the United game.
“And now it’s in the Premier League for the first time . . . I think that means something. It’s going to be electric.”
Former Fulham striker Ross McCormack helped reignite hostilities in 2014 when the teams met for their first competitive fixture in 16 years.
He gained instant hero status at the Cottagers by sinking the Bees with the only goal in a 1-0 League Cup second-round victory.
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McCormack was so excited by his derby heroics that he booted an advertisement board in celebration and ended up injuring his foot.
That strike certainly gave the rivalry the kick up the backside it needed having fizzled out since the 80s.
And with Fulham unable to keep their place in the top flight and the Bees promoted from League One, the clubs soon found themselves on a near equal footing.
And today the feud will reach its crescendo as the two sides prepare to lock horns for their first-ever Premier League meeting at Craven Cottage.
But McCormack has warned Cottagers hitman Aleksandar Mitrovic not to repeat his advertisement board antics if he hits an epic winner.
The ex-Leeds and Aston Villa man said: “I injured my foot when I kicked the board because I was so happy scoring in that West London derby.
“Mitrovic, just don’t do what I did if you score the winner!
“I was too scared to tell the manager Felix Magath after. I didn’t even go and see the physio. I was just scared of Felix and I didn’t want any confrontation.
“So winning over our rivals, even though it was the League Cup, got the fans on our side and gave the manager more time. I remember I just felt so much relief.”
During the noughties, fans would have laughed at the idea of there being a true rivalry between the sides.
Fulham reached the Europa League final in 2010 during Roy Hodgson’s era while, five miles down the road, the Bees were sat in League One.
McCormack, who arrived at Craven Cottage from Leeds before that 2014 clash, said: “With other clubs I had been at, you always knew who the rivals were and you knew they hated each other.
“Whereas you didn’t really see many Brentford fans in London at the time, so you didn’t feel the rivalry there as much.
“But when I was actually driving to that League Cup game in 2014, I thought, ‘Yeah, this is a derby all right’ — so I’m sure that rivalry has always been there.
“That day was the first meeting in 16 years but there was still constant singing and noise in the streets.
“For me, it was a hidden surprise. I didn’t know coming to Fulham that they hated Brentford. But, trust me, I learned very quickly in that game.”
Today’s clash promises to be all the more intriguing as both sides have enjoyed strong unbeaten starts.
Craven Cottage boss Marco Silva said: “I know everything about this derby from the play-off final to the last League Cup meeting.
“We have to write a different story in this game.
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“We have some older players who know how much this local derby means but some of the new players, they know, too.
“We should play with high emotion but at the same time we need the right balance to control the game.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
