After defeat in the 2002 Second Division play-off final, the nucleus of the Brentford starting XI was broken up, with high earners Ívar Ingimarsson, Lloyd Owusu and captain Paul Evans released.

[4][5] The loss of forwards Lloyd Owusu and the return of loanee Ben Burgess to Blackburn Rovers led to the loan signing of youngster Rowan Vine from Portsmouth and a chance for Mark McCammon as a first-choice.

[8] The cash crisis heightened in the week leading up to the beginning of the season, when a deadline of 7 August 2002 was set, on which Griffin Park would be sold to developers Wimpey or if the deal fell through, Brentford would be entered into administration.

[14] Absences due to injuries and international call-ups also mounted, with Martin Rowlands, Leo Roget, Jay Smith, Stephen Evans, Jamie Fullarton and Eddie Hutchinson all spending time on the treatment table.

[15] Also in March, Ron Noades resigned as chairman and director,[16] citing that "the death of the transfer market has prevented us from covering our trading losses incurred at Griffin Park" and revealing that the wage bill would be slashed from £706,000 for the 2002–03 season to £476,000 for 2003–04.