1952–53 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1952–53 season
ChairmanFrank Davis
ManagerJimmy Bain
(until 2 January 1953)
Tommy Lawton
(from 2 January 1953)
StadiumGriffin Park
Second Division17th
FA CupFourth round
Top goalscorerLeague: Lawton (13)
All: Lawton (15)
Highest home attendance29,241
Lowest home attendance8,565
Average home league attendance17,474

During the 1952–53 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Second Division. A forgettable season, during which Tommy Lawton was appointed as the club's player-manager, ended with a 17th-place finish.

Season summary[edit]

Forward Tommy Lawton was appointed as player-manager in January 1953

Brentford's 1952–53 pre-season preparations were thrown into disarray by the departure of secretary-manager Jackie Gibbons in August 1952.[1] In his letter of resignation, Gibbons wrote of having failed to see "eye to eye" with the Brentford board.[1] Long-serving assistant manager Jimmy Bain took over as caretaker until a permanent appointment could be made.[1] 34-year-old forward Les Smith was the club's only signing and returned to Griffin Park after six years with Aston Villa.[1] Half backs Bill Slater and forwards Johnny Paton and Jimmy Bowie were the only departures of note.[1]

Brentford had a poor start to the Second Division season and won just five of the opening 20 matches.[2] Four defeats and no wins in a five-match spell in September 1952 led caretaker Bain to break up his settled XI and experiment with moving players into different positions.[1] Want-away captain Ron Greenwood left for First Division club Chelsea in October 1952 and forward Jimmy D'Arcy arrived in part-exchange.[1] The tide began to turn after back to back victories over Barnsley on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.[2] Forward Tommy Lawton was announced as Brentford's player-manager on 2 January 1953 and Jimmy Bain reverted to his role as assistant.[1] Lawton was unbeaten in 9 of his first 12 matches, but the team lost confidence after a pair of heavy defeats in March and slumped to a 17th-place finish.[1][2]

League table[edit]

Main article: 1952–53 Football League Second Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
15 Lincoln City 42 11 17 14 64 71 0.901 39
16 Everton 42 12 14 16 71 75 0.947 38
17 Brentford 42 13 11 18 59 76 0.776 37
18 Hull City 42 14 8 20 57 69 0.826 36
19 Notts County 42 14 8 20 60 88 0.682 36
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored

Results[edit]

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend[edit]

Win Draw Loss

Football League Second Division[edit]

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 23 August 1952 Lincoln City H 1–0 27,787 Goodwin
2 27 August 1952 Huddersfield Town A 0–0 21,358
3 30 August 1952 Hull City A 2–2 35,993 Dare, Monk (pen)
4 3 September 1952 Huddersfield Town H 1–3 21,733 Lawton
5 6 September 1952 Blackburn Rovers H 3–2 21,904 Sperrin, Lawton, Monk (pen)
6 8 September 1952 Sheffield United A 2–3 17,397 Goodwin, Ledgerton
7 13 September 1952 Nottingham Forest A 0–3 26,923
8 17 September 1952 Sheffield United H 0–0 11,707
9 20 September 1952 Everton H 2–4 21,042 Lawton, Harper
10 27 September 1952 Bury A 0–3 12,398
11 4 October 1952 Doncaster Rovers A 2–0 13,465 Monk, Goodwin
12 11 October 1952 Southampton H 3–0 17,225 Lawton, Monk (pen), Smith
13 18 October 1952 Notts County A 0–4 26,033
14 25 October 1952 Leicester City H 4–2 21,655 Goodwin, Lawton (2), Dare
15 1 November 1952 West Ham United A 1–3 23,263 D'Arcy
16 8 November 1952 Fulham H 2–2 29,241 D'Arcy, Monk (pen)
17 15 November 1952 Rotherham United A 1–4 15,427 Monk (pen)
18 22 November 1952 Plymouth Argyle H 1–2 17,192 Lawton
19 29 November 1952 Leeds United A 2–3 16,077 Dare, Ledgerton
20 13 December 1952 Birmingham City A 1–3 9,963 Lawton
21 20 December 1952 Lincoln City A 0–0 11,953
22 25 December 1952 Barnsley H 4–0 15,976 Sperrin, Dare, Lawton (2)
23 26 December 1952 Barnsley A 2–0 13,725 McNeil (og), Ledgerton
24 3 January 1953 Hull City H 1–0 16,035 D'Arcy
25 17 January 1953 Blackburn Rovers A 0–3 21,487
26 24 January 1953 Nottingham Forest H 1–1 15,110 Ledgerton
27 7 February 1953 Everton A 0–5 36,431
28 14 February 1953 Bury H 2–2 9,387 Sperrin, Bloomfield
29 21 February 1953 Doncaster Rovers H 1–0 16,716 Lawton
30 28 February 1953 Southampton A 2–0 20,327 Ellerington (og), Dare
31 7 March 1953 Notts County H 5–0 16,147 Monk (pen), Harper, Dare, Lawton (2)
32 14 March 1953 Leicester City A 3–2 21,307 Morrad, Latimer
33 21 March 1953 West Ham United H 1–4 18,117 Latimer
34 28 March 1953 Fulham A 0–5 25,550
35 3 April 1953 Swansea Town H 0–0 17,876
36 4 April 1953 Rotherham United H 1–1 14,411 Bloomfield
37 6 April 1953 Swansea Town A 2–3 21,695 Ledgerton, Godwin
38 11 April 1953 Plymouth Argyle A 0–1 19,955
39 18 April 1953 Leeds United H 3–3 12,783 Ledgerton, Coote, Lawton
40 22 April 1953 Luton Town H 1–1 16,347 Ledgerton
41 25 April 1953 Luton Town A 1–0 15,826 Dare
42 1 May 1953 Birmingham City H 1–2 8,565

FA Cup[edit]

Main article: 1952–53 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
3R 10 January 1953 Leeds United H 2–1 27,000 Ledgerton, Lawton
4R 31 January 1953 Aston Villa A 0–0 40,625
4R (replay) 4 February 1953 Aston Villa H 1–2 21,735 Lawton

Playing squad[edit]

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1952–53 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Alf Jefferies England (1922-02-09)9 February 1922 (aged 30) Oxford City 1945
GK Reg Newton England (1926-06-30)30 June 1926 (aged 26) Leyton Orient 1949
Defenders
DF Ken Horne England (1926-06-25)25 June 1926 (aged 26) Blackpool 1950
DF Tecwyn Jones Wales (1930-01-03)3 January 1930 (aged 22) Holywell Town 1950
DF Fred Monk England (1920-10-09)9 October 1920 (aged 31) Guildford City 1948
DF Roddy Munro Scotland (1920-07-27)27 July 1920 (aged 32) Rangers 1946
Midfielders
HB Wally Bragg England (1929-07-08)8 July 1929 (aged 23) Twickenham Celtic 1946
HB George Bristow England (1933-06-25)25 June 1933 (aged 19) Youth 1950
HB Ken Coote England (1928-05-19)19 May 1928 (aged 24) Wembley 1949
HB Ian Dargie England (1931-10-03)3 October 1931 (aged 20) Tonbridge 1952
HB Tony Harper England (1925-05-26)26 May 1925 (aged 27) Headington United 1948
HB Frank Latimer England (1923-10-03)3 October 1923 (aged 28) Snowdown Colliery Welfare 1945
Forwards
FW Jimmy Bloomfield England (1934-02-15)15 February 1934 (aged 18) Hayes 1952
FW Micky Bull England (1930-04-03)3 April 1930 (aged 22) Youth 1948
FW Jimmy D'Arcy Northern Ireland (1921-12-14)14 December 1921 (aged 30) Chelsea 1952
FW Billy Dare England (1927-02-14)14 February 1927 (aged 25) Hendon 1948
FW Verdi Godwin England (1926-02-11)11 February 1926 (aged 26) Grimsby Town 1952
FW Jackie Goodwin England (1920-09-29)29 September 1920 (aged 31) Birmingham City 1949
FW Tommy Lawton England (1919-10-06)6 October 1919 (aged 32) Notts County 1952
FW Terry Ledgerton England (1930-10-07)7 October 1930 (aged 21) Huyton 1950
FW Frank Morrad England (1920-02-28)28 February 1920 (aged 32) Brighton & Hove Albion 1951
FW Les Smith England (1918-03-13)13 March 1918 (aged 34) Aston Villa 1952
FW Billy Sperrin England (1922-04-09)9 April 1922 (aged 30) Guildford City 1949
Players who left the club mid-season
HB Ron Greenwood (c) England (1921-11-11)11 November 1921 (aged 30) Bradford Park Avenue 1949 Transferred to Chelsea
  • Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,[3] Timeless Bees[4]

Coaching staff[edit]

Jimmy Bain (23 August 1952 – 2 January 1953)[edit]

Name Role
Scotland Jimmy Bain Caretaker Manager
England David Richards Trainer
England Jack Cartmell Assistant trainer

Tommy Lawton (2 January 1953 – 1 May 1953)[edit]

Name Role
England Tommy Lawton Player-Manager
Scotland Jimmy Bain Assistant manager
England David Richards Trainer
England Jack Cartmell Assistant trainer

Statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals[edit]

Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Football League season.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England Alf Jefferies 35 0 3 0 38 0
GK England Reg Newton 7 0 0 0 7 0
DF England Ken Horne 10 0 0 0 10 0
DF Wales Tecwyn Jones 4 0 0 0 4 0
DF England Fred Monk 40 7 3 0 43 7
DF Scotland Roddy Munro 34 0 3 0 37 0
HB England Wally Bragg 38 0 3 0 41 0
HB England George Bristow 5 0 0 0 5 0
HB England Ken Coote 17 1 0 0 17 1
HB England Ian Dargie 10 0 0 0 10 0
HB England Ron Greenwood 9 0 — 9 0
HB England Tony Harper 36 3 3 0 39 3
HB England Frank Latimer 30 3 3 0 33 3
FW England Jimmy Bloomfield 15 2 0 0 15 2
FW England Micky Bull 3 0 0 0 3 0
FW Northern Ireland Jimmy D'Arcy 13 3 0 0 13 3
FW England Billy Dare 33 8 3 0 36 8
FW England Verdi Godwin 6 1 0 0 6 1
FW England Jackie Goodwin 24 4 3 0 27 4
FW England Tommy Lawton 34 13 3 2 37 15
FW England Terry Ledgerton 28 7 3 1 31 8
FW England Frank Morrad 5 1 0 0 5 1
FW England Les Smith 14 1 0 0 14 1
FW England Billy Sperrin 12 3 3 0 15 3
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[3]

Goalscorers[edit]

Pos. Nat Player FL2 FAC Total
FW England Tommy Lawton 13 2 15
FW England Billy Dare 8 0 8
FW England Terry Ledgerton 7 1 8
DF England Fred Monk 7 0 7
FW England Jackie Goodwin 4 0 4
FW Northern Ireland Jimmy D'Arcy 3 0 3
HB England Tony Harper 3 0 3
HB England Frank Latimer 3 0 3
FW England Billy Sperrin 3 0 3
FW England Jimmy Bloomfield 2 0 2
HB England Ken Coote 1 0 1
FW England Verdi Godwin 1 0 1
FW England Frank Morrad 1 0 1
FW England Les Smith 1 0 1
Opponents 2 0 2
Total 59 3 62
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[3]

International caps[edit]

Pos. Nat Player Caps Goals Ref
FW Northern Ireland Jimmy D'Arcy 4 1 [5]

Management[edit]

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Jimmy Bain Scotland 23 August 1952 26 December 1952 23 7 5 11 030.43 23 7 5 11 030.43
Tommy Lawton England 3 January 1952 1 May 1953 22 7 7 8 031.82 19 6 6 7 031.58

Summary[edit]

Games played 45 (42 Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Games won 13 (13 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games drawn 12 (11 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games lost 19 (18 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 62 (59 Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 79 (76 Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 15 (14 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 5–0 versus Notts County, 7 March 1953
Worst league defeat 5–0 on two occasions
Most appearances 43, Fred Monk (43 Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 13, Tommy Lawton
Top scorer (all competitions) 15, Tommy Lawton

Transfers & loans[edit]

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
June 1952 FW England Les Smith England Aston Villa n/a [6]
October 1952 FW England Bert Allum England Hereford United n/a [7]
October 1952 HB England Jimmy Bloomfield England Hayes n/a [8]
October 1952 FW Northern Ireland Jimmy D'Arcy England Chelsea Part-exchange [9]
November 1952 FW England Vernon Avis Unattached n/a [10]
November 1952 FW England John Pearson England Chase of Chertsey n/a [11]
March 1953 HB England Leonard Geard England Fulham n/a [12]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
July 1952 FW Scotland Jimmy Bowie England Watford n/a [13]
July 1952 FW Scotland Johnny Paton England Watford n/a [14]
August 1952 DF England Wally Quinton England Shrewsbury Town n/a [15]
August 1952 HB England Bill Slater England Wolverhampton Wanderers Amateur [16]
October 1952 HB England Ron Greenwood England Chelsea Part-exchange [1]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
May 1953 DF England Frank Morrad England Bedford Town n/a [17]
May 1953 DF Scotland Roddy Munro England Cambridge City n/a [18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j White 1989, p. 207-211.
  2. ^ a b c "Brentford results for the 1952–1953 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 382. ISBN 0951526200.
  4. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  5. ^ "Jimmy D'Arcy". nifootball.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Les Smith". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Bert Allum". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Bloom – Bossu". Hayes & Yeading United FC: The Official Website. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Jimmy D'Arcy". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Vernon Avis". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  11. ^ "John Pearson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  12. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 63.
  13. ^ "Bond to Bunce" (PDF). Watford Football Club archive 1881–2016. p. 7. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Pate to Pretty" (PDF). Watford Football Club archive 1881–2016. p. 4. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  15. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 67.
  16. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 146.
  17. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 110-111.
  18. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 43-44.
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