1965–66 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1965–66 season
ChairmanJack Dunnett
ManagerTommy Cavanagh
(until 18 April 1966)
Ian Black
(18 April–2 May 1966)
Billy Gray
(from 2 May 1966)
StadiumGriffin Park
Third Division23rd (relegated)
FA CupSecond round
League CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Lawther (10)
All: Lawther (11)
Highest home attendance15,000
Lowest home attendance4,450
Average home league attendance8,416

During the 1965–66 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. After an awful first half of the season, Brentford dropped into the relegation places in January 1966 and failed to recover, ending the club's three-season spell in the Third Division.

Season summary[edit]

The lack of incoming transfer activity during the 1965 off-season served to highlight the view at Griffin Park that Brentford's squad was strong enough to secure promotion to the Second Division during the 1965–66 season.[1] The campaign began with a rousing 6–1 victory over local rivals Queens Park Rangers at Griffin Park, courtesy of goals from John Fielding, Joe Bonson, Ian Lawther and a Micky Block hat-trick.[1] The win gave way to three defeats and a draw in the following four matches, but consecutive victories over Shrewsbury Town and Swansea Town in mid-September proved to be a false drawn.[2] Brentford would win just one more league match before the end of 1965 and the team's plight was worsened by the departures of influential attackers Jimmy Bloomfield, Mark Lazarus and John Fielding after disputes with manager Tommy Cavanagh.[1] Outside forward John Docherty was bought back from Sheffield United for his second spell at Griffin Park in December 1965,[1] but Brentford began 1966 entrenched in the relegation places.[2]

Misfiring forward Joe Bonson was sold in January 1966 and though manager Cavanagh was provided with the funds to purchase replacement forwards Brian Etheridge, John Regan and Bobby Ross,[1] the new signings failed to help the team convert draws into all-important wins, with four matches being drawn in March.[2] Three consecutive defeats in early April left the supporters clamouring for Cavanagh's head and despite a brief respite after a 2–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, a 5–0 defeat away to Exeter City on 16 April led chairman Jack Dunnett to dispense with Cavanagh's services.[1] Youth team manager Ian Black won, drew and lost each of the following three matches in a caretaker capacity, before Billy Gray was appointed as manager.[1]

Gray began his reign with Brentford in 23rd place and three points from safety with five matches remaining.[3] A 3–0 home defeat to Mansfield Town in his first match in charge effectively ended all survival hopes after the gap to safety opened up to five points.[4] A draw and a win versus Watford and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic respectively in the following two matches put the Bees back within two points of safety,[5] but defeats in the final two matches of the season sealed the club's relegation to the Fourth Division.[2]

Three club records were set or equalled during the season:

League table[edit]

Main article: 1965–66 Football League Third Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Promotion or relegation
20 Oldham Athletic 46 12 13 21 55 81 0.679 37
21 Southend United 46 16 4 26 54 83 0.651 36 Relegated
22 Exeter City 46 12 11 23 53 79 0.671 35
23 Brentford 46 10 12 24 48 69 0.696 32
24 York City 46 9 9 28 53 106 0.500 27
Source: [citation needed]

Results[edit]

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend[edit]

Win Draw Loss

Football League Third Division[edit]

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 21 August 1965 Queens Park Rangers H 6–1 15,000 Fielding, (Block 3, 1 pen), Bonson, Lawther
2 24 August 1965 Grimsby Town A 2–3 5,002 Block, Gelson
3 28 August 1965 Bristol Rovers A 1–1 12,160 Cobb
4 4 September 1965 York City H 0–1 10,850
5 11 September 1965 Oxford United A 0–2 10,003
6 14 September 1965 Shrewsbury Town H 4–0 10,950 Lazarus (2), Lawther, Cobb
7 18 September 1965 Swansea Town H 2–0 10,300 Lawther, Block
8 25 September 1965 Walsall A 1–1 8,384 Cobb
9 2 October 1965 Workington H 0–1 8,700
10 6 October 1965 Shrewsbury Town A 0–0 4,982
11 9 October 1965 Scunthorpe United H 0–1 7,720
12 16 October 1965 Watford A 1–1 12,337 Lawther
13 23 October 1965 Oldham Athletic H 0–0 8,110
14 30 October 1965 Gillingham A 0–1 8,669
15 6 November 1965 Millwall H 1–2 14,800 Higginson
16 20 November 1965 Exeter City H 1–2 5,940 Cobb
17 23 November 1965 Grimsby Town H 3–2 5,180 Cobb, Thomson, Lawther
18 27 November 1965 Reading A 0–2 6,128
19 11 December 1965 Mansfield Town A 0–2 3,637
20 1 January 1966 Scunthorpe United A 2–3 5,568 Block, Docherty
21 8 January 1966 Peterborough United H 1–0 7,380 Lawther
22 15 January 1966 Oldham Athletic A 1–1 12,029 Cobb
23 29 January 1966 Queens Park Rangers A 0–1 14,493
24 5 February 1966 Bristol Rovers H 0–5 6,240
25 12 February 1966 Swindon Town A 1–2 12,376 Docherty
26 26 February 1966 Oxford United H 5–1 7,100 Docherty, Cobb, Etheridge, Lawther (2)
27 1 March 1966 Southend United H 2–0 9,000 Lawther, Curley
28 5 March 1966 Swindon Town H 0–1 9,900
29 7 March 1966 Southend United A 0–1 7,029
30 12 March 1966 Swansea Town A 1–1 7,925 Regan
31 19 March 1966 Walsall H 2–2 7,900 Regan, Docherty (pen)
32 26 March 1966 Workington A 1–1 2,207 Docherty
33 28 March 1966 York City A 1–1 2,598 Etheridge
34 2 April 1966 Millwall A 0–1 13,385
35 8 April 1966 Brighton & Hove Albion A 0–2 17,176
36 9 April 1966 Hull City H 2–4 9,920 Lawther, Docherty
37 11 April 1966 Brighton & Hove Albion H 2–0 7,670 Regan, Curley
38 16 April 1966 Exeter City A 0–5 4,975
39 23 April 1966 Reading H 1–1 7,800 Gelson
40 26 April 1966 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic H 1–0 5,790 Regan
41 30 April 1966 Hull City A 1–4 24,318 Regan
42 7 May 1966 Mansfield Town H 0–3 7,970
43 10 May 1966 Watford H 1–1 5,580 Thomson
44 17 May 1966 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic H 1–0 5,130 Docherty
45 21 May 1966 Peterborough United A 0–3 3,936
46 28 May 1966 Gillingham H 0–2 4,450

FA Cup[edit]

Main article: 1965–66 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 13 November 1965 Yeovil Town H 2–1 9,320 Fielding (2)
2R 4 December 1965 Reading A 0–5 10,582

Football League Cup[edit]

Main article: 1965–66 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
2R 22 November 1965 Workington A 0–0 3,374
2R (replay) 30 November 1965 Workington H 1–2 4,720 Lawther

Playing squad[edit]

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1965–66 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Chic Brodie Scotland (1937-02-22)22 February 1937 (aged 28) Northampton Town 1963
GK Gordon Phillips England (1946-11-17)17 November 1946 (aged 18) Hayes 1963
Defenders
DF Peter Gelson England (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 23) Youth 1961
DF Alan Hawley England (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 19) Youth 1962
DF Allan Jones Wales (1940-01-06)6 January 1940 (aged 25) Liverpool 1963
DF Hamish MacKenzie Scotland (1945-03-11)11 March 1945 (aged 20) Dunfermline Athletic 1964
DF George Thomson Scotland (1936-10-19)19 October 1936 (aged 28) Everton 1963
Midfielders
HB Ron Crisp England (1938-09-24)24 September 1938 (aged 26) Watford 1965
HB Tommy Higginson Scotland (1937-01-06)6 January 1937 (aged 28) Kilmarnock 1959
HB Hugh McLaughlin Scotland (1943-09-02)2 September 1943 (aged 21) St Roch's 1961
HB Eddie Reeve England (1947-12-03)3 December 1947 (aged 17) Youth 1964
HB Mel Scott (c) England (1939-09-26)26 September 1939 (aged 25) Chelsea 1963
HB Willie Smith Scotland (1943-12-06)6 December 1943 (aged 21) Celtic 1963
Forwards
FW Micky Block England (1940-01-28)28 January 1940 (aged 25) Chelsea 1962
FW Billy Cobb England (1940-09-29)29 September 1940 (aged 24) Plymouth Argyle 1964
FW Tom Curley Scotland (1945-06-11)11 June 1945 (aged 20) Celtic 1965
FW John Docherty Scotland (1940-04-29)29 April 1940 (aged 25) Sheffield United 1966
FW Brian Etheridge England (1944-03-04)4 March 1944 (aged 21) Northampton Town 1966
FW Ian Lawther Northern Ireland (1939-10-20)20 October 1939 (aged 25) Scunthorpe United 1964
FW John Regan England (1944-06-18)18 June 1944 (aged 21) Shrewsbury Town 1966
FW Bobby Ross Scotland (1942-05-10)10 May 1942 (aged 23) Shrewsbury Town 1966
FW Barry Thornley England (1948-02-11)11 February 1948 (aged 17) Gravesend & Northfleet 1965
Players who left the club mid-season
FW Jimmy Bloomfield England (1934-02-15)15 February 1934 (aged 31) Birmingham City 1964 Transferred to West Ham United
FW Joe Bonson England (1936-06-09)9 June 1936 (aged 29) Newport County 1964 Transferred to Lincoln City
FW John Fielding England (1939-09-02)2 September 1939 (aged 25) Southport 1963 Transferred to Grimsby Town
FW Mark Lazarus England (1938-12-05)5 December 1938 (aged 26) Queens Park Rangers 1964 Transferred to Queens Park Rangers
  • Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,[8] Timeless Bees[9]

Coaching staff[edit]

Tommy Cavanagh (21 August 1965 – 18 April 1966)[edit]

Name Role
England Tommy Cavanagh Manager
Scotland Jimmy Sirrel Trainer
England Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Ian Black (18 April – 2 May 1966)[edit]

Name Role
Scotland Ian Black Caretaker Manager
Scotland Jimmy Sirrel Trainer
England Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Billy Gray (3–28 May 1966)[edit]

Name Role
England Billy Gray Manager
Scotland Jimmy Sirrel Trainer
England Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals[edit]

Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Football League season.
Substitute appearances in brackets.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Scotland Chic Brodie 35 0 1 0 2 0 38 0
GK England Gordon Phillips 11 0 1 0 0 0 12 0
DF England Peter Gelson 34 2 2 0 0 0 36 2
DF Wales Allan Jones 44 0 2 0 2 0 48 0
DF England Alan Hawley 36 0 2 0 2 0 40 0
DF Scotland Hamish MacKenzie 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
DF Scotland George Thomson 44 2 1 0 2 0 47 2
HB England Ron Crisp 10 (1) 0 1 0 0 0 11 (1) 0
HB Scotland Tommy Higginson 30 1 2 0 2 0 34 1
HB Scotland Hugh McLaughlin 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0
HB England Eddie Reeve 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
HB England Mel Scott 38 0 1 0 2 0 41 0
HB Scotland Willie Smith 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
FW England Micky Block 29 6 2 0 2 0 33 6
FW England Jimmy Bloomfield 2 0 — 0 0 2 0
FW England Joe Bonson 12 1 1 0 2 0 15 1
FW England Billy Cobb 27 (2) 7 2 0 2 0 31 (2) 7
FW Scotland Tom Curley 14 2 0 0 0 0 14 2
FW Scotland John Docherty 26 7 — — 26 7
FW England Brian Etheridge 16 2 — — 16 2
FW England John Fielding 9 1 2 2 0 0 11 3
FW Northern Ireland Ian Lawther 37 10 2 0 2 1 41 11
FW England Mark Lazarus 9 2 — 2 0 11 2
FW England John Regan 12 5 — — 12 5
FW Scotland Bobby Ross 17 0 — — 17 0
FW England Barry Thornley 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[8]

Goalscorers[edit]

Pos. Nat Player FL3 FAC FLC Total
FW Northern Ireland Ian Lawther 10 0 1 11
FW England Billy Cobb 7 0 0 7
FW Scotland John Docherty 7 — — 7
FW England Micky Block 6 0 0 6
FW England John Regan 5 — — 5
FW England John Fielding 1 2 0 3
FW England Brian Etheridge 2 — — 2
FW England Mark Lazarus 2 — 0 2
FW Scotland Tom Curley 2 0 0 2
HB England Peter Gelson 2 0 0 2
DF Scotland George Thomson 2 0 0 2
FW England Joe Bonson 1 0 0 1
HB Scotland Tommy Higginson 1 0 0 1
Total 48 2 1 51
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[8]

Management[edit]

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Tommy Cavanagh England 22 August 1964 16 April 1966 42 9 11 22 021.43 38 8 10 20 021.05
Ian Black (caretaker) Scotland 23 April 1966 30 April 1966 3 1 1 1 033.33 3 1 1 1 033.33
Billy Gray England 7 May 1966 28 May 1966 5 1 1 3 020.00 5 1 1 3 020.00

Summary[edit]

Games played 50 (46 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Games won 11 (10 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games drawn 13 (12 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Games lost 26 (24 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored 51 (48 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals conceded 77 (69 Third Division, 6 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Clean sheets 10 (9 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Biggest league win 6–1 versus Queens Park Rangers, 21 August 1965
Worst league defeat 5–0 on two occasions
Most appearances 48, Allan Jones (44 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Top scorer (league) 10, Ian Lawther
Top scorer (all competitions) 11, Ian Lawther

Transfers & loans[edit]

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
May 1965 DF England Michael Ogburn England Portsmouth n/a [10]
August 1965 HB England Ron Crisp England Watford £2,000 [11]
August 1965 FW Scotland Tom Curley Scotland Celtic n/a [12]
October 1965 FW England Barry Thornley England Gravesend & Northfleet £2,000 [13]
December 1965 FW Scotland John Docherty England Sheffield United n/a [14]
1965 HB England Keith Hooker n/a n/a [10]
February 1966 FW England Brian Etheridge England Northampton Town £8,000 [15]
March 1966 FW England John Regan England Shrewsbury Town £4,250 [16]
March 1966 FW Scotland Bobby Ross England Shrewsbury Town £4,250 [17]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
August 1965 FW Wales Dai Ward England Worcester City £2,000 [18]
October 1965 FW England Jimmy Bloomfield England West Ham United £6,500 [19]
4 November 1965 FW England Mark Lazarus England Queens Park Rangers £6,000 [20]
December 1965 FW England John Fielding England Grimsby Town n/a [21]
January 1966 FW England Joe Bonson England Lincoln City n/a [19]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
May 1966 FW England Joe Gadston England Corby Town 1966 [22]
May 1966 HB Scotland Hugh McLaughlin England Gravesend & Northfleet 1966 [23]
May 1966 HB Scotland Willie Smith England Hastings United August 1966 [24]
May 1966 FW England Tim Soutar England Ashford Town (Kent) 1966 [25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g White 1989, p. 260-262.
  2. ^ a b c d "Brentford results for the 1965–1966 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  3. ^ "11v11 league table generator". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  4. ^ "11v11 league table generator". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  5. ^ "11v11 league table generator". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Brentford scoring and sequence records". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  7. ^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z of Bees : A Brentford Encyclopaedia. Harefield: Yore. p. 121. ISBN 1874427577. OCLC 39504068.
  8. ^ a b c d White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 388. ISBN 0951526200.
  9. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  10. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 118.
  11. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 42.
  12. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 44.
  13. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 160.
  14. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 49.
  15. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 53.
  16. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 132.
  17. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 138.
  18. ^ "V, W, X, Y and Z". The Bristol Rovers History Group. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  19. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 22-24.
  20. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1965/66". QPRnet. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  21. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 56.
  22. ^ "Joe Gadston". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  23. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 107.
  24. ^ "Busy Time Ahead For Brentford". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 5 August 1966.
  25. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 152.
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