following season and three successive hat-tricks in September 2003 attracted the attention of league scouts, including Norwich City, Cambridge United and Yeovil Town. He scored 21 goals for Newmarket in the Eastern Counties League during the first four months of the 2003–04 season. After trials with Yeovil, Norwich and Ipswich Town, Rhodes signed with Brentford in November 2003 for £10,000. It was the first time Brentford had paid a transfer fee for a player since Jean-Philippe Javary three years earlier, with the money donated by the club's fans. In his final game with Newmarket, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–3 victory against Great Yarmouth Town. Brentford Rhodes made his Brentford debut on Boxing Day 2003 in a 2–1 defeat to Bristol City but had to wait more than four months for his second game. He scored his first senior goal in his third game to ensure Brentford avoided relegation from the Second Division when they defeated AFC Bournemouth 1–0. Rhodes returned to Newmarket Town for a pre-season friendly game with Brentford in August 2004, during which he scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 win. It helped him to win a place in the first team, and he scored on the first day of the 2004–05 season when Brentford lost 3–1 to Chesterfield. It was not until November 2004 that he scored his second goal in another defeat—2–1 to Bradford City. Five days later, he scored the winning penalty against Bristol City to take Brentford through to the second round of the FA Cup. In December, Rhodes scored in successive games, first in the league against Sheffield Wednesday, then another penalty in the FA Cup as Brentford's 2–1 victory against Hinckley United set up a third round tie with Luton Town. He was unable to play in the third round tie after he suffered a serious knee injury against Walsall in January 2005, which kept him out of action until September 2005. Although Rhodes had been a regular in the Brentford squad, his 22 league games included just four starts. Injury again hit Rhodes' 2005–06 season, during which he scored just one goal in a 2–1 victory over Yeovil Town. He started just five league games during the season, as Brentford reached the League One play-offs. Rhodes started the second leg of the play-off semi-finals but a 2–0 defeat to Swansea City denied them a place in the final. He