One night only, an arresting drama...

Act Four (scene one): Caretaker manager Downes declares his interest in the Brentford job on a full-time basis.

Act Four (scene two): Chairman Noades appears on the balcony and in a 45-minute monologue tells the baying throng why he cannot prevent Lewington linking up with Gianluca Vialli at Watford, refuses to promise not to leave Griffin Park before a new stadium is built and reveals that he is not prepared to let the club's debt of £3 million grow any larger. Exit stage left to rapturous applause.

Curtain. The first notable speech is that of Downes, who is in charge of team affairs again in the absence of Lewington.

"I'd like to think I could be the boss. I have served my time as a coach and if the opportunity arises, then I would like to be able to take it," he says.

But Downes fears he would soon be at loggerheads with Noades, who is desperate to cut costs.

"I would fight against players being sold but there's only going to be one winner in that argument," Downes says.

"In a situation like this, it is a constant battle between the manager, who is concerned about the players and the fans, and the chairman, who is looking after the finances. I might win a few battles along the way but ultimately you know you are going to lose the war."

Noades, seen as the villain of the piece following Brentford's decline this season and rumours surrounding the future of the club, steals the play with his late entry.

After the battle ends in stalemate, he quells the boisterous supporters by meeting them head-on.

He says: "Ray Lewington has been talking to Vialli at Watford after I gave him permission. There was no way I could stop him.

"Ray will give his own views about why he is leaving soon enough but one of those reasons is that he has been given an offer that he simply cannot refuse. But I never told him that he had no money to spend, although he knows that on our gate figures we cannot do what we came here to do.

"With regards to leaving Griffin Park, no one can say that we won't move until we've started building a new stadium. That's just ridiculous.

"My job is to keep this company trading and we are £3m overdrawn. The transfer market has gone, so we cannot sell players to cover trading losses any more. Because of that, the bottom line is that we can't have trading losses now.

"I had to sell Andy Scott because he was earning £100,000 a year and we simply could not afford him.

"But we have made good progress with Hounslow council regarding a possible new stadium at Feltham, although I cannot reveal any more details. Everyone is up in arms about us going to Woking, but we haven't gone to Woking, we've just got an option to go there."

The action is also well choreographed. After Ward's early intervention, his Luton colleagues strike twice at the other end to beg the question, why have they done so badly this season?

The answer comes after the interval. Brentford counter with telling blows from Scott Partridge and Mark Williams and the stage is set for the Noades scene stealer.