The Brentford that begin an exciting new adventure in the Premier League this Friday night could scarcely be further removed from the club Hermann Hreidarsson played for in the late nineties.
When the big Icelandic defender arrived at Griffin Park for a club record £750,000 fee in September 1998, following businessman Ron Noades down the leagues from Crystal Palace, they'd just been relegated to the fourth tier.
Now the Bees are set to grace the top flight for the first time in 74 years and host Arsenal first up in their stunning £70million Community Stadium, opened just last year.
Capacity crowds are also returning at the perfect moment for Bees fans who have seen plenty of ups and downs over the years.
Hreidarsson, 24 at the time, had played regularly for Palace in a short-lived stint in the Premier League after moving to England from his homeland.
Little did he know it at the time but that would be the first of five relegations from the division, an unwanted record he shares with former Wales striker Nathan Blake.
But instead of playing in what was then Division One, Hreidarsson moved even further down after Noades became chairman and subsequently also manager of Brentford.
But why decide to make such a drop?
'Ron was just a really passionate football man and I had a great relationship with him,' Hreidarsson tells Sportsmail. 'It was a no-brainer just to test it out.
'It was probably the best move I ever made because I really learned there were so many talented football players in the lower leagues.
'I thought I could do it with my right foot down there but I got battered in the first few games and thought, "What is going on?"
'It was a great learning curve, this was the nitty gritty and you have you have to enjoy doing the dirty work, the s****y bits and enjoy fighting, which I incidentally did.
'It turned on the real hunger to want to get back to Old Trafford, back to Liverpool or Highbury. But you have to work for it or it doesn't happen. It toughened me up.
'You had to really roll up your sleeves and be at it for 90 minutes week-in, week-out or you just get crushed.'
With their 6ft 3in ice man patrolling the defence, however, it was Brentford doing most of the crushing as they won promotion as champions.
Ghanian forward Lloyd Owusu banged in 22 league goals as the Bees went 16 games unbeaten from mid-February onwards to seal the title with a final day win over second-placed Cambridge United.
'Ron had a great coaching staff there. Ray Lewington, one of my favourite coaches from my time in England was an absolute football genius,' Hreidarsson recalls.
'We had a really good team and went on a great winning streak. I think I am unbeaten in the my last 33 games with Brentford! [including a portion of the following season]
'Everything was a great experience; lovely Griffin Park, what an atmosphere and it grew as the season progressed and we picked up real form and were flying. The fans were buzzing and I loved it.'
Just 10 games into the 1999-2000 season and Hreidarsson was on his way back to the Premier League with Wimbledon. The transfer fee of £2.5m ensured a handsome profit for Brentford.
The Crazy Gang culture was still very much alive at the Dons and Hreidarsson wasn't immune from the pranks and practical jokes.
'The new player initiation when they burned my clothes. There was a bonfire out there with my clothes on it,' he recalls with a smile.
'I thought I'd got away with the shoes but they were in the toilet. My gear was c*** anyway. I did love it at Wimbledon though, there were some great characters.'
They suffered relegation that season and Hreidarsson went on to go down with Ipswich Town in 2002, Charlton Athletic in 2007 and Portsmouth in 2010.
Having come up through the Championship play-offs in May, Brentford will inevitably be many people's favourites to go straight back down but Hreidarsson is optimistic about their chances.
'They are a proper 21st century football club, they are innovative and ahead of the game and I'm sure a lot of clubs look at them with envy for as a great example of how things can be run without spending millions and millions,' he said.
'[Owner] Matthew Benham and [director of football] Rasmus Ankersen are geniuses behind the scenes. To be able to do that and go to the top level with that formula is inspiring.
'That consistency has been at the club for years now, you could see they were going places and getting stronger and stronger.
'They fully deserved to go to the Premier League and what a timing with the new stadium. They are riding a great wave.
'The manager Thomas Frank and the football he plays is so good to watch. It's brave with the high pressing and high intensity.
'They have got the players, great assets in many areas with pace, power and ability. I think Brentford will have a great season and I'm really excited.'
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