No west London derby has a longer top-flight history than Chelsea against Brentford. Fulham and Queens Park Rangers may have spent significantly more time than the Bees in the old First Division and subsequently the Premier League, but it was Brentford that followed Chelsea in reaching the highest echelon of English football.

Two promotions in three seasons, in 1933 and then 1935, took Brentford from the Third Division to the top flight for the first time in the club’s history.

While we had played Fulham plenty of times in the Second Division, starting in December 1910, the Cottagers would not reach the promised land until 1949. Queen’s Park Rangers, meanwhile, would have to wait until 1968 to do so, so Brentford’s rapid elevation meant their visit to Stamford Bridge on 23 November 1935 constituted the first top-flight west London derby.

A few weeks earlier, Brentford had shown promise by defeating Arsenal at Griffin Park, the club’s iconic ground having been expanded during the close season to allow 40,000 spectators inside. Chelsea, meanwhile, lay in mid-table and had ‘proven themselves to be a side capable of fighting back’, according to The Times newspaper.

Their match preview on the morning of the derby predicted ‘a strenuous and even game, with not more than one goal between the teams at the end, and the team with that goal in its favour should be Chelsea’. As predictions go, it could not have been more accurate!

The front cover of the official programme, The Chelsea FC Chronicle, alluded to fears of an impending Second World War. Italy’s recent invasion of Ethiopia had been met with little resistance by the League of Nations (the UN’s predecessor), while Germany’s rearmament and expansion was continuing relatively unchecked.

The cartoon and caption play on Brentford’s nickname, and the greyhound is a nod to the track that surrounded the Stamford Bridge playing surface between 1933 and 1968.

The game kicked off at 2.30pm in lovely autumnal conditions. Chelsea outside-left, William Barraclough, was injured, so Jack Horton took his place in the side.

What followed was a scrappy contest described by The Times as ‘an unsatisfactory game…with long periods at a time when nothing at all seemed to be happening…and both sides more determined upon destructive than constructive work’. Scathing!

Still, the 56,624 spectators in attendance saw the home team overturn a first-half deficit to secure the two points, the amount awarded for victories in those days.

Brentford were the better side before the break, quicker in their tackling and more assertive in possession. Vic Woodley in the Chelsea goal (pictured top making a save at the Bridge that season) was excellent, but Joe Bambrick and Horton couldn’t get in the game, and Tommy Law’s control was not up to its usual high standards.

Defender Allan Craig dealt with Brentford’s new centre-forward Jimmy Brown well for the most part, but it was Brown who earned the visitors a penalty on 12 minutes. After having a shot saved by Woodley, Brown collected the rebound and was felled. George Robson made no mistake with his spot-kick.

In reply, Dicky Spence forced a great save from James Mathieson and then hit the post, but at half-time, ‘it was difficult to visualise the scoring of another goal’.

However, Chelsea came out after the interval a different side, and turned the contest on its head with two goals in the space of three minutes.

Alex Cheyne’s speculative long-range strike slipped through Mathieson’s grasp and over the line before the Chelsea number eight was brought down inside the box. Spence took the penalty, and although Mathieson got hands to it once more, the ferocity of the shot proved too much.

The Pensioners survived a couple of late scares to emerge 2-1 winners. The result moved Chelsea up to eighth, with Brentford remaining second bottom.

However, the Bees made some savvy mid-season signings and lost just two of their final 23 matches, including a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Griffin Park. They finished in fifth position, which remains their highest ever placing in their history.

In an incredibly close league – ten points separated second and third bottom - Chelsea ended up in eighth, overcoming a wobble in the second half of the season to finish strongly and stave off any relegation fears.

Brentford’s spell in the First Division ended after five seasons. It would not be until 2021, some 74 years later, that they would return to the top flight. Now in their fifth season in the Premier League, the Bees will be hoping history does not repeat itself.