During the 1978–79 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. After a rude awakening to third-tier football, the Bees ended the season strongly to finish in 10th position.

After Brentford's promotion to the Third Division at the end of the previous season, manager Bill Dodgin Jr. stated that his squad would only need one or two more new players to be able to compete during the club's first season in the third tier since 1972–73. He managed to keep prolific forwards Steve Phillips and Andrew McCulloch at Griffin Park, but aside from goalkeeping trialist Trevor Porter (brought in to cover for the injured Len Bond and the suspended Graham Cox), Dodgin made no significant signings.

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. A dire start to the league season, which had seen Brentford sink into the relegation places by the end of September 1978, led manager Bill Dodgin Jr. to act in the transfer market. Potentially club-record breaking bids for Watford's Alan Mayes, Queens Park Rangers' Tony Hazell and Bristol City's John Bain were all rejected, but Dodgin did manage to sign defender Jim McNichol and forward Dean Smith, with McNichol's transfer from Luton Town setting a new club-record incoming fee of £30,000. While McNichol would instantly impress and go on to be voted the Supporters' Player of the Year, Smith (who had been signed to support the misfiring Steve Phillips and Andrew McCulloch) would only score sporadically during the rest of the season.

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