Neil MacFarlane joins Brentford’s first-team coaching staff | OneFootball

Neil MacFarlane has been appointed as assistant first-team coach.

MacFarlane leaves his position as Brentford B head coach, which he has held since May 2019, to join Keith Andrews’ first-team coaching staff.

Sam Saunders has been promoted to the role of B-team head coach.

Under MacFarlane’s stewardship, the young Bees won the London Senior Cup in 2021/22 and the Premier League Cup in 2022/23.

The team entered the U21 Professional Development League last season and won the competition at the first attempt, beating Bournemouth 3-2 in the final at Vitality Stadium.

17 B-team players made their first-team debuts during MacFarlane’s tenure, including Mads Bech, Mads Roerslev and Yehor Yarmoliuk.

MacFarlane was awarded his UEFA Pro Licence this May, which is the highest coaching certification available in Europe.

Head coach Keith Andrews said: “Neil has been at the football club for a long time; he understands the club’s values and culture.

“The values that our B-team players come into the first-team environment with are so important.

“The collaboration and alignment with the B team is something I really want to push and hopefully bring to new levels.

“Neil is a greatly experienced coach and will make a seamless transition to this role.”