 After mid-season spell of one win in 18 matches and relegation looking definite, manager Wally Downes was sacked in mid-March 2004.Martin Allen took over and immediately turned things around, pulling off "The Great Escape" to secure safety on the final day of the season.Cash-strapped Brentford began the 2003–04 season with a threadbare squad, depleted through injuries and propped up with youngsters, with manager Wally Downes admitting that the club's "immediate goal is keeping ourselves afloat for a period that shows the bank we can manage ourselves".