The grand Spanish port of Vigo, with its high-rise apartments overlooking the north Atlantic, is no match for Brentford on a winter’s night. But that was when Jose Ignacio Peleteiro Ramallo — or Jota for short — announced himself to English football and gave Brentford fans a first inkling that they could end a 68-year wait to return to the top flight of English football. Now, after a mid-season stumble following the bizarre news that their manager Mark Warburton was going to be replaced at the end of the season regardless of whether the club earn promotion, they are entertaining realistic hopes of becoming one of the smallest clubs to have graced the Premier League. Brentford playmaker Jota has been one of the club's standout players this season as they fight for promotion . The Spaniard joined Brentford from Celta Vigo last summer and has impressed in England's second tier . Jota dribbles with the ball ahead of  Watford's Ikechi Anya (right) during the match at Griffin Park in February . Brentford manager Mark Warburton will leave the club at the end of this season regardless of how they finish . The winter’s night was last November when Jota left fly a stoppage-time winner over arch rivals Fulham. It was their first League meeting for 18 years and made sure Brentford’s neighbours knew there was a change of the guard in west London. Quite something for a 23-year-old who struggled at Celta Vigo and then with Real Madrid’s reserves. ‘That derby was intense, a special moment for me. It felt I’d really arrived at Brentford that night,’ said Jota, who will face Fulham again at Craven Cottage on Friday. ‘As soon as I came here everybody was telling me about Fulham. After the goal everybody was stopping me in the street saying, “You’re a hero, thank you, thank you!” People work all week and we want to put a smile on their faces.’ Jota is relishing the competition in the Championship and hopes to help Brentford return to the top-flight . Jota strikes the ball at Brentford's training complex during his interview with MailSport . Speaking in Spanish, Jota sits inside a hut at their modest training complex with seven games — or possibly more in the play-offs — to achieve what appeared unobtainable. He was relaxed, at ease with the club’s situation despite the upheaval in their management structure and laughed in agreement at the notion that no team appear to want to take charge of the promotion race, such is the absurdly close top eight. Just one point separated the top five a fortnight ago. Jota was open on the serious problems they encountered after February’s shocking developments regarding Warburton’s future. The popular boss will leave at the end of the season to be replaced by a foreign coach who buys into owner Matthew Benham’s continental philosophy and Jota admitted the news seriously affected the squad. ‘For a week or so we dropped our levels,’ he said. ‘You hear rumours… you don’t know what’s going to happen. It was a short period of confusion but we’re now focused. ‘We’re all still united but it’s never the best thing for something like that to happen in the middle of the season.’ Jota celebrates scoring the winning goal for Brentford against rivals Fulham at at Griffin Park in November . They have levelled just in time and are one point off the play-offs. Brentford have an ace up their sleeve, too. It was Jota’s winner against Alaves to seal tiny Eibar’s rise to La Liga this time last year. He wants to do it again but in front of 90,000 at Wembley. ‘Everyone has told me about this final at Wembley,’ he added. ‘Achieve that in front of these supporters who have been so good to me? It’d be amazing. This would be truly historic, just as it was for Eibar. But we won the league there so this would be more dramatic.’ The similarities between Brentford and Eibar are stark. Both have populations of 27,000 and while Brentford have not seen the top flight since 1947, Eibar embarked on their first premier campaign in August. Using his best English, Jota is trying to draw on last year’s experience and explain it to others in the squad. Learning the language has not come naturally but assimilating to our game has. ‘There’s probably more space here than in Spain,’ he said. ‘There’s plenty of opportunity to construct attacks here, create chances. That’s the way we want to play at Brentford. Being able to play in a similar way to back home has helped me integrate into the game over here. We’re given time on the ball, told to express ourselves. We play some of the best football in the Championship. ‘There are a lot of teams who are trying to play a more beautiful style of play. I’ve been most impressed by Derby County. Jota believes that the Championship is 'among the best five leagues in Europe' and has praised its intensity . ‘Everything is massively competitive. It comes down to the mentality of the clubs here. They’re all big stadiums, famous clubs. They want to get to that next level. It’s probably more intense than I was expecting. Everybody has expensive players, too.’ Jota did not come cheap, costing progressive Brentford £1.5 million in the summer, and has been watched by Premier League clubs. The top flight is where he wants to be and his girlfriend is in the process of moving over to London. ‘England is famous for having the best league in the world and the Championship is also a brilliant division,’ he said. ‘It’s more intense, physical. I’ve watched all this from afar and knew what I was getting myself into. ‘This has great clubs with top facilities — everyone has one goal. The Championship is among the best five leagues in Europe.’ Brentford shelled out £1.5 million to sign Jota from La Liga club Celta Vigo last summer .
Spanish playmaker Jota has been one of the stars of Brentford's surprise push for promotion to the Premier League this season .
With seven games left to go, Brentford are seventh in the Championship table and in with a shout of a play-off spot .
Jota has praised the intensity and competitiveness of England's second tier .
The grand Spanish port of Vigo, with its high-rise apartments overlooking the north Atlantic, is no match for Brentford on a winter’s night. But that was when Jose Ignacio Peleteiro Ramallo — or Jota for short — announced himself to English football and gave Brentford fans a first inkling that they could end a 68-year wait to return to the top flight of English football. Now, after a mid-season stumble following the bizarre news that their manager Mark Warburton was going to be replaced at the end of the season regardless of whether the club earn promotion, they are entertaining realistic hopes of becoming one of the smallest clubs to have graced the Premier League. Brentford playmaker Jota has been one of the club's standout players this season as they fight for promotion . The Spaniard joined Brentford from Celta Vigo last summer and has impressed in England's second tier . Jota dribbles with the ball ahead of  Watford's Ikechi Anya (right) during the match at Griffin Park in February . Brentford manager Mark Warburton will leave the club at the end of this season regardless of how they finish . The winter’s night was last November when Jota left fly a stoppage-time winner over arch rivals Fulham. It was their first League meeting for 18 years and made sure Brentford’s neighbours knew there was a change of the guard in west London. Quite something for a 23-year-old who struggled at Celta Vigo and then with Real Madrid’s reserves. ‘That derby was intense, a special moment for me. It felt I’d really arrived at Brentford that night,’ said Jota, who will face Fulham again at Craven Cottage on Friday. ‘As soon as I came here everybody was telling me about Fulham. After the goal everybody was stopping me in the street saying, “You’re a hero, thank you, thank you!” People work all week and we want to put a smile on their faces.’ Jota is relishing the competition in the Championship and hopes to help Brentford return to the top-flight . Jota strikes the ball at Brentford's training complex during his interview with MailSport . Speaking in Spanish, Jota sits inside a hut at their modest training complex with seven games — or possibly more in the play-offs — to achieve what appeared unobtainable. He was relaxed, at ease with the club’s situation despite the upheaval in their management structure and laughed in agreement at the notion that no team appear to want to take charge of the promotion race, such is the absurdly close top eight. Just one point separated the top five a fortnight ago. Jota was open on the serious problems they encountered after February’s shocking developments regarding Warburton’s future. The popular boss will leave at the end of the season to be replaced by a foreign coach who buys into owner Matthew Benham’s continental philosophy and Jota admitted the news seriously affected the squad. ‘For a week or so we dropped our levels,’ he said. ‘You hear rumours… you don’t know what’s going to happen. It was a short period of confusion but we’re now focused. ‘We’re all still united but it’s never the best thing for something like that to happen in the middle of the season.’ Jota celebrates scoring the winning goal for Brentford against rivals Fulham at at Griffin Park in November . They have levelled just in time and are one point off the play-offs. Brentford have an ace up their sleeve, too. It was Jota’s winner against Alaves to seal tiny Eibar’s rise to La Liga this time last year. He wants to do it again but in front of 90,000 at Wembley. ‘Everyone has told me about this final at Wembley,’ he added. ‘Achieve that in front of these supporters who have been so good to me? It’d be amazing. This would be truly historic, just as it was for Eibar. But we won the league there so this would be more dramatic.’ The similarities between Brentford and Eibar are stark. Both have populations of 27,000 and while Brentford have not seen the top flight since 1947, Eibar embarked on their first premier campaign in August. Using his best English, Jota is trying to draw on last year’s experience and explain it to others in the squad. Learning the language has not come naturally but assimilating to our game has. ‘There’s probably more space here than in Spain,’ he said. ‘There’s plenty of opportunity to construct attacks here, create chances. That’s the way we want to play at Brentford. Being able to play in a similar way to back home has helped me integrate into the game over here. We’re given time on the ball, told to express ourselves. We play some of the best football in the Championship. ‘There are a lot of teams who are trying to play a more beautiful style of play. I’ve been most impressed by Derby County. Jota believes that the Championship is 'among the best five leagues in Europe' and has praised its intensity . ‘Everything is massively competitive. It comes down to the mentality of the clubs here. They’re all big stadiums, famous clubs. They want to get to that next level. It’s probably more intense than I was expecting. Everybody has expensive players, too.’ Jota did not come cheap, costing progressive Brentford £1.5 million in the summer, and has been watched by Premier League clubs. The top flight is where he wants to be and his girlfriend is in the process of moving over to London. ‘England is famous for having the best league in the world and the Championship is also a brilliant division,’ he said. ‘It’s more intense, physical. I’ve watched all this from afar and knew what I was getting myself into. ‘This has great clubs with top facilities — everyone has one goal. The Championship is among the best five leagues in Europe.’ Brentford shelled out £1.5 million to sign Jota from La Liga club Celta Vigo last summer .
League. Brentford playmaker Jota has been one of fight for promotion . The Spaniard joined impressed in England's second tier . Jota leave the club at the end of this season competition in the Championship and hopes to help training complex with seven games — or possibly at the end of the season to be replaced by a summer, and has been watched by Premier League