BRENTFORD BRING IN 800 POLICE FOR LEEDS SHOWDOWN

BRENTFORD are preparing the biggest police operation in their history for Sunday’s final Premier League game of the season at home to Leeds amid fears that travelling fans will go on the rampage. Jesse Marsch’s side are in a relegation scrap with Burnley and Everton, who could both ease their concerns when they play their respective games in hand against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace tonight. Brentford have earmarked the Leeds fixture as a security risk for some time and have been working with the Metropolitan Police and Hounslow Council to mitigate any trouble. Sportsmail has learned details of the club’s special operation, which include:

■ Increasing the number of Met Police officers on duty from about 100 to 800;

■ Employing a record 150 day stewards, up from the previous high of 100;

■ Introducing external ticket checks away from the stadium for the first time;

■ Limiting home ticket sales to Brentford supporters who can prove they have attended at least three games this season to reduce the risk of Leeds fans gaining admission. Brentford’s concerns have increased following the mass pitch invasions that marred Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest’s semi-final victories in the Championship play-offs this week. Leeds fans famously rioted in Bournemouth after clinching promotion to the old Division One on a weekend of horrific violence in 1990. More recently, the presence of 900 officers failed to prevent unrest in the city centre when Manchester United visited in February. There is also recent bad blood between Brentford and Leeds following their clash earlier in the season, where Brentford’s Sergi Canos and Bryan Mbeumo were struck by missiles thrown from the crowd at Elland Road.