[3] Aside from goalkeeping trialist Trevor Porter (brought in to cover for car crash-victim Len Bond and the suspended Graham Cox),[4] Dodgin made no significant signings.

[2] Fears that Brentford's largely-unchanged squad would be out of its depth in the Third Division were heightened after the season began with a 7–1 aggregate defeat to fellow third-tier side Watford in the first round of the League Cup.

[2] A dire start to the league season, which had seen Brentford sink into the relegation places by the end of September 1978,[5] led manager Bill Dodgin Jr. to act in the transfer market.

[2] Potentially club-record breaking bids for Watford's Alan Mayes, Queens Park Rangers' Tony Hazell and Bristol City's John Bain were all rejected.

[5] The run ended with the club's biggest win of the season – a 6–0 thrashing of Chester at Griffin Park, with Steve Phillips scoring a hat-trick to boost his tally to six goals in four matches.