Peter Troth and Jane Holmes: A Brentford Story | OneFootball

When Peter Troth first brought his daughter Sophie to a Brentford Women training session, the Bees were plying their trade at Lampton School in Hounslow.

Fast forward 12 years and the side is preparing for their fourth fixture at Gtech Community Stadium against London South East Division One North rivals Bromley.

Jane Holmes, mother of the team’s captain Mollie, has been along for the ride for the past 11 years, a period that has seen Mollie and Sophie grow from teenagers into adults while wearing a Brentford shirt.

The past decade has brought countless memories for Jane and Peter, but one in particular stands out for the latter.

“I have one overriding memory of the first time Sophie went to training at Brentford and that was as a 16-year-old girl and me, as Jane did with Mollie, driving everywhere with them,” explained Peter.

“We turned up to training and the rest of the team all drove themselves and that was a really weird thing, suddenly it was women’s football.”

Peter and Jane wasted little time getting involved off the pitch, the pair getting to know Brentford Women general manager Amy Crook and chairman Roger Crook.

“We got friendly with Roger and Amy and said, ‘we’re down here watching the girls if you need any help’, and that’s when we took on certain roles and helped them out, sometimes taking registers - so that’s how we started to get involved,” said Jane.

“I was washing the kit for quite a while and then eventually it was said that it would go under the kit man at Brentford, so I got a bit more of my Sunday evening back.”

For years, Peter took on the thankless job of being an assistant referee, a task he joked he is glad has been handed over to official referees now.

“Somehow I got volunteered to run the line and I think that’s partly because everyone else was grown up," he explained. "They were adults, so they didn’t often have parents there.

“I did that for quite a few years, but we’ve done lots of other things. Jane diminishes her role really, but she spent a lot of time doing meeting and greeting, dealing with issues and helping out with some arrangements and almost being that party between the girls and the club.”

On the pitch, Peter and Jane have watched the programme grow and flourish. The side was officially included in the Brentford FC set-up at the start of the 2020/21 season, a campaign where they enjoyed promotion from the Greater London Premier Division.

Trophy Cup and Capital Cup triumphs have followed, as have historic FA Cup runs, most notably this season’s campaign which saw the Bees reach the third round proper for the first time ever.

“I think we knew we could do it and particularly up until Christmas, with the football we were playing we could’ve beaten anyone, within reason. I don’t think we were afraid of any team,” said Peter.

“We gave every team a really good game and in the one that actually knocked us out, against Fulham, it was still only 2-1 and that could’ve gone either way. I think people were more afraid of us then we were of them.”

Another development has been games at the Gtech, beginning with a 4-2 win over Watford Ladies Development in November 2022.

Due to Mollie’s injury, she was forced out of the side for that game, allowing Sophie to take the captain’s armband and lead the team out in front of 5,116 fans.

“You’ve got to be proud, don’t you? I was a proud dad," Peter reflected.

"It means so much to her and she’ll quite often mention it, she led the team out for the first game at the Gtech in front of 5,000 people, a game that we won, so that’s something that will live in her memory for a long time and in mine, too."

In March 2024, Mollie got her chance to grace the Gtech turf, captaining the Bees in front of 4,856 supporters as they beat Ashmount Leigh 6-1.

For Jane, to see Mollie with the captain’s armband on as she made her Gtech debut was extra special.

“I was one big proud mum for her to lead the team out, it was amazing. Because she unfortunately missed the first one, it seemed even more emotional the second time when she could actually lead the team out,” said Jane.

“Because Mollie’s getting older now, she’s been there 10 years, I don’t know for how long she’ll play, so each time she does [play at the Gtech] it’s extra special and you value those moments.”

Off the pitch, the development of the programme has steeply risen. Led by head coach Karleigh Osborne, the side has a large group of staff helping them along, including assistant coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists and a sprint coach.

The Bees now call Bedfont Sports Club, where they train twice a week and play home games, home. They train once a week at Jersey Road, undertaking gym sessions and video analysis.

The players also play a vital role in the marketing and content from the club, from merchandise shoots to press conferences and everything in between.

“There’s obviously enormous developments, particularly in the support and the coaches and the facilities and everything else,” said Peter.

“All along, we’ve had a really good group and there’s been a really good atmosphere about it. Players come and go, there are difficulties, but I think all the way through they’ve all been positive. I don’t believe Sophie at any point thought, ‘I don’t want to be part of this anymore’.

“They’ve grown up with the club. What’s great is nowadays when people like Cliff Crown come, they recognise the girls and they make a fuss and they talk to us, even though we’re not necessarily involved in it anymore.”

Jane continued: “I think the support’s grown, I remember when they first started playing you’d just have a few parents on the side cheering away, as it’s grown the supporters have grown as well, which is lovely for the team because it gives them that bit of encouragement.”

Ahead of Sunday’s clash, Peter had a simple message for those thinking about going to watch their first Brentford Women’s game.

“It’s the best value £2 you’ll ever spend, the atmosphere’s great, at the end of the game the girls will come over and they’ll sign autographs and they’ll say hello and they’ll chat to people,” he said.

For Jane, the impact the players have on fans, especially young footballers, is reciprocated the other way and has been highlighted strongly at past Gtech games.

“Definitely come, it’s a great game to watch, they’re a great team,” she said.

“Especially the younger generation coming up that maybe want to get into football or any other sport for that matter, they look up to the girls and the girls will then take the time after the game to come and sign their shirts or their programmes.

“That means a lot to the players but it equally means a lot to the supporters.”