Ever since Leeds United began returning to Brentford regularly from 2014 they have been reminded of the dreaded Hounslow hoodoo hanging over them. It became such a talking point it turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The headline number is Leeds haven’t won in Brentford since August 1950. A 72-year wait for a win sounds like a daunting prospect, but, in truth, we are talking about 11 visits in that period.
Between October 1953 and September 2014, the Whites visited Griffin Park once. There’s the second factor in this hex Leeds supposedly have in West London.
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Griffin Park is a derelict building site and United will visit Brentford Community Stadium for the first time this weekend. The previous ground, used between 1904 and 2020, was tight, pokey and lacked powerful internet.
Wait, that was the press box, but the ground was no first-class lounge either. That’s no insult. It was their home, they were proud of it, made memories in it, shoved away fans in the shallowest two-tier stand you’ve seen, barely squeezed two teams side by side into their corner tunnel and for some reason Leeds struggled there.
The home support will back itself to turn the modern surroundings of their new home into something like the uncomfortable experience of their four-pub-corner predecessor. All of the little, horrible, cold memories from past visits have evaporated.
Liam Cooper has been in the Leeds squad for five of the six journeys since 2014, while Jack Harrison, Mateusz Klich, Kalvin Phillips, Jamie Shackleton and Patrick Bamford (still not ruled out) were in the ground during that harrowing Easter Monday trip of 2019.
That 72-year-old talisman, if it ever was one, is no more and this is a fresh canvas for Leeds to make their own.
