1968–69 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1968–69 season
ChairmanRon Blindell
ManagerJimmy Sirrel
StadiumGriffin Park
Fourth Division11th
FA CupSecond round
League CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague: Mansley (14)
All: Mansley (17)
Highest home attendance17,425
Lowest home attendance3,361
Average home league attendance6,419

During the 1968–69 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. Off the back of 18 months of extreme financial problems, the club finished in mid-table.

Season summary[edit]

After two tumultuous seasons off the pitch, a continued cash crisis meant that during the 1968 off-season, Brentford manager Jimmy Sirrel would not be provided with the funds to buy players who could guarantee a lasting run at promotion from the Fourth Division.[1] He was able to plug the gaps in his threadbare squad, bringing in full back Denis Hunt and journeyman forwards Pat Terry and Peter Deakin.[1] A need to balance the books led to Ian Lawther (one of the club's most consistent goalscorers since the 1964–65 season) being sold for a £3,000 fee a matter of days before the beginning of the season.[1]

Manager Sirrel's young team began the season in promising form, losing just two of the first 15 league matches to consolidate a position in the top six.[2] Brentford's position belied the club's personnel problems, with a growing catalogue of injuries, illness and suspensions.[1] £10,000 was spent on Arsenal winger Gordon Neilson in October 1968, an extravagant amount given Brentford's financial problems.[1] An inconsistent spell between November 1968 and April 1969 dropped the Bees as low as 19th, two places above the re-election zone, but six wins in the final seven matches of the season lifted the club to an 11th-place finish.[2]

League table[edit]

Main article: 1968–69 Football League § Fourth Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
9 Wrexham 46 18 14 14 61 52 1.173 50
10 Swansea Town 46 19 11 16 58 54 1.074 49
11 Brentford 46 18 12 16 64 65 0.985 48
12 Workington 46 15 17 14 40 43 0.930 47
13 Port Vale 46 16 14 16 46 46 1.000 46
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal average; 3) number of goals scored.

Results[edit]

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend[edit]

Win Draw Loss

Football League Fourth Division[edit]

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 10 August 1968 Colchester United H 4–0 7,586 Deakin, Moughton (og), Terry, Ross
2 17 August 1968 Scunthorpe United A 1–1 3,685 Terry
3 24 August 1968 Port Vale H 3–1 7,443 Mansley, Fenton (2)
4 26 August 1968 Rochdale H 1–1 9,149 Deakin
5 31 August 1968 Exeter City A 2–2 8,835 Terry, Richardson
6 7 September 1968 Chesterfield H 1–0 9,703 Fenton
7 14 September 1968 Peterborough United A 1–2 6,435 Dobson
8 18 September 1968 Chester A 2–2 8,410 Terry, Ross
9 21 September 1968 York City H 5–1 8,360 Carr (og), Terry (3), Ross
10 28 September 1968 Bradford City A 0–3 6,491
11 5 October 1968 Newport County H 1–1 7,825 Mansley
12 7 October 1968 Rochdale A 0–0 5,181
13 12 October 1968 Swansea Town A 3–2 6,912 Neilson, Terry, Fenton
14 19 October 1968 Wrexham H 1–1 7,791 Mansley
15 26 October 1968 Notts County A 2–0 4,173 Mansley (2)
16 2 November 1968 Aldershot H 2–4 9,806 Mansley, Higginson
17 4 November 1968 Darlington H 0–1 8,550
18 9 November 1968 Lincoln City A 0–1 6,121
19 23 November 1968 Bradford Park Avenue A 2–0 2,341 Fenton, Kirby
20 30 November 1968 Halifax Town H 1–1 6,002 Mansley
21 14 December 1968 Swansea Town H 2–1 4,321 Terry, Hawley
22 21 December 1968 Wrexham A 0–2 4,867
23 26 December 1968 Newport County A 1–1 3,750 Gelson
24 4 January 1969 Workington H 0–3 6,081
25 11 January 1969 Aldershot A 2–1 9,280 Mansley (2)
26 18 January 1969 Lincoln City H 2–2 6,572 Terry, Ross
27 25 January 1969 Darlington A 1–3 5,184 Dobson
28 31 January 1969 Southend United A 0–4 10,969
29 22 February 1969 Grimsby Town H 4–2 5,697 Richardson, Neilson (2), Terry
30 28 February 1969 Colchester United A 1–2 7,268 Neilson
31 5 March 1969 Workington A 0–1 2,318
32 8 March 1969 Scunthorpe United H 2–1 5,456 Neilson, Nelmes
33 10 March 1969 Southend United H 1–1 6,030 Terry
34 15 March 1969 Port Vale A 1–4 4,478 Ross (pen)
35 22 March 1969 Exeter City H 0–1 5,242
36 26 March 1969 Notts County H 0–0 3,361
37 29 March 1969 Chesterfield A 2–1 3,261 Mansley, Neilson
38 8 April 1969 Doncaster Rovers A 0–5 11,561
39 12 April 1969 York City A 1–2 3,767 Mansley
40 14 April 1969 Doncaster Rovers H 1–0 4,222 Richardson
41 19 April 1969 Peterborough United H 2–0 4,492 Fenton, Mansley
42 21 April 1969 Bradford Park Avenue H 3–0 4,137 Fenton (2), Ross (pen)
43 28 April 1969 Halifax Town A 0–2 6,948
44 30 April 1969 Chester H 2–1 4,090 Mansley, Fenton
45 3 May 1969 Grimsby Town A 2–0 1,672 Gelson, Dobson
46 5 May 1969 Bradford City H 2–1 5,720 Richardson, Mansley

FA Cup[edit]

Main article: 1968–69 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s) Notes
1R 16 November 1968 Woking H 2–0 5,990 Fenton, Ross [nb 1]
2R 7 December 1968 Watford A 0–1 12,883

Football League Cup[edit]

Main article: 1968–69 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 14 August 1968 Aldershot A 4–2 5,977 Rafferty (og), Deakin, Mansley, Terry
2R 4 September 1969 Hull City H 3–0 11,485 Mansley (2), Fenton
3R 24 September 1969 Norwich City H 0–2 17,425

Playing squad[edit]

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1968–69 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 31) Northampton Town 1963
GK Gordon Phillips England (1946-11-17)17 November 1946 (aged 21) Hayes 1963 Loaned to Queens Park Rangers
Defenders
DF Peter Gelson England (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 26) Youth 1961
DF Alan Hawley England (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 22) Youth 1962
DF Tommy Higginson Scotland (1937-01-06)6 January 1937 (aged 31) Kilmarnock 1959
DF Denis Hunt England (1937-09-08)8 September 1937 (aged 30) Gillingham 1968
DF Allan Jones Wales (1940-01-06)6 January 1940 (aged 28) Liverpool 1963
DF Alan Nelmes England (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 19) Chelsea 1967
DF Dick Renwick England (1942-11-27)27 November 1942 (aged 25) Aldershot 1969
Midfielders
MF George Dobson England (1949-08-24)24 August 1949 (aged 18) Youth 1966
MF Allan Mansley England (1946-08-31)31 August 1946 (aged 21) Blackpool 1968
MF Gordon Neilson Scotland (1947-05-28)28 May 1947 (aged 21) Arsenal 1968
MF John Richardson England (1949-02-05)5 February 1949 (aged 19) Millwall 1966
MF Bobby Ross Scotland (1942-05-10)10 May 1942 (aged 26) Shrewsbury Town 1966
Forwards
FW Ron Fenton (c) England (1940-09-21)21 September 1940 (aged 27) Birmingham City 1968 Assistant manager
FW Ron Foster England (1938-11-22)22 November 1938 (aged 29) Dallas Tornado 1969
FW Pat Terry England (1933-10-02)2 October 1933 (aged 34) Swindon Town 1968
Players who left the club mid-season
GK Ron Willis England (1947-12-27)27 December 1947 (aged 20) Charlton Athletic 1968 Returned to Charlton Athletic after loan
MF Brian Caterer England (1943-01-31)31 January 1943 (aged 25) Leatherhead 1968 Amateur, released
FW Peter Deakin England (1938-03-25)25 March 1938 (aged 30) Peterborough United 1968 Released
FW Keith Hooker England (1950-01-31)31 January 1950 (aged 18) Youth 1965 Loaned to Brentwood Town, released
FW George Kirby England (1933-12-20)20 December 1933 (aged 34) New York Generals 1968 Transferred to Worcester City
  • Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,[3] Timeless Bees[4]

Coaching staff[edit]

Name Role
Scotland Jimmy Sirrel Manager
England Ron Fenton Assistant Manager
England Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals[edit]

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 22 0 2 0 1 0 25 0
GK England Gordon Phillips 23 0 0 0 2 0 25 0
DF England Peter Gelson 42 2 2 0 3 0 47 2
DF England Alan Hawley 8 (2) 1 2 0 0 0 10 (2) 1
DF Scotland Tommy Higginson 37 (2) 1 1 0 3 0 41 (2) 1
DF England Denis Hunt 12 0 0 0 2 0 14 0
DF Wales Allan Jones 45 0 2 0 3 0 50 0
DF England Alan Nelmes 44 1 2 0 2 (1) 0 48 (1) 1
DF England Dick Renwick 17 0 — — 17 0
MF England Brian Caterer 1 0 — — 1 0
MF England George Dobson 22 (6) 3 0 0 3 0 25 (6) 3
MF England Allan Mansley 41 14 2 0 3 3 46 17
MF Scotland Gordon Neilson 23 (4) 6 2 0 — 25 (4) 6
MF England John Richardson 41 (1) 4 2 0 2 0 45 (1) 4
MF Scotland Bobby Ross 43 (1) 6 2 1 3 0 48 (1) 7
FW England Peter Deakin 7 (1) 2 — 2 1 9 (1) 3
FW England Ron Fenton 39 (2) 9 2 1 2 1 43 (2) 11
FW England Ron Foster 3 (1) 0 — — 3 (1) 0
FW England Keith Hooker 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
FW England George Kirby 5 1 1 (1) 0 — 6 (1) 1
FW England Pat Terry 29 12 0 0 2 1 31 13
Players loaned in during the season
GK England Ron Willis 1 0 — — 1 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[3]

Goalscorers[edit]

Pos. Nat Player FL4 FAC FLC Total
MF England Allan Mansley 14 0 3 17
FW England Pat Terry 12 0 1 13
FW England Ron Fenton 9 1 1 11
MF Scotland Bobby Ross 6 1 0 7
MF Scotland Gordon Neilson 6 0 — 6
MF England John Richardson 4 0 0 4
MF England George Dobson 3 0 0 3
FW England Peter Deakin 2 — 1 3
DF England Peter Gelson 2 0 0 2
FW England George Kirby 1 0 — 1
DF England Alan Hawley 1 0 0 1
DF Scotland Tommy Higginson 1 0 0 1
DF England Alan Nelmes 1 0 0 1
Opponents 2 0 1 3
Total 64 2 7 73
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[3]

Management[edit]

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Jimmy Sirrel Scotland 10 August 1968 5 May 1969 51 21 12 18 041.18 46 18 12 16 039.13

Summary[edit]

Games played 51 (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Games won 21 (18 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Games drawn 12 (12 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games lost 18 (16 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored 73 (64 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 7 League Cup)
Goals conceded 70 (65 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 4 League Cup)
Clean sheets 12 (10 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Biggest league win 4–0 versus Colchester United, 10 August 1968; 5–1 versus York City, 21 September 1968
Worst league defeat 5–0 versus Doncaster Rovers, 8 April 1969
Most appearances 50, Allan Jones (45 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Top scorer (league) 14, Allan Mansley
Top scorer (all competitions) 17, Allan Mansley

Transfers & loans[edit]

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
June 1968 DF England Denis Hunt England Gillingham Free [5]
June 1968 FW England Pat Terry England Swindon Town n/a [6]
July 1968 MF England Peter Deakin England Peterborough United n/a [7]
October 1968 FW England Brian Caterer England Leatherhead Amateur [8]
October 1968 FW England George Kirby United States New York Generals n/a [9]
October 1968 MF Scotland Gordon Neilson England Arsenal £10,000 [10]
February 1969 DF England Dick Renwick England Aldershot £1,500 [11]
March 1969 FW England Ron Foster United States Dallas Tornado Trial [12]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
September 1968 GK England Ron Willis England Charlton Athletic September 1968 [13]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
August 1968 FW Northern Ireland Ian Lawther England Halifax Town £3,000 [14]
1968 FW England George Kirby England Worcester City n/a [9]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
1969 GK England Gordon Phillips England Queens Park Rangers 1969 [1]
n/a FW England Keith Hooker England Brentwood Town n/a [15]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
October 1968 FW England Brian Caterer England Leatherhead October 1968 [8]
October 1968 FW England Peter Deakin England Nuneaton Borough October 1968 [7]
May 1969 FW England Ron Foster Retired [12]
May 1969 DF England Denis Hunt England Folkestone 1969 [5]
May 1969 FW England Pat Terry England Hillingdon Borough 1969 [6]
1969 FW England Keith Hooker South Africa Durban Spurs 1969 [15]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Both teams played in change colours, with Brentford borrowing Watford's home shirts for the match.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f White 1989, p. 271-273.
  2. ^ a b "Brentford results for the 1968-1969 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 390. ISBN 0951526200.
  4. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  5. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 83-84.
  6. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 159.
  7. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 46.
  8. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 35.
  9. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 92-93.
  10. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 114.
  11. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. pp. 357–358. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  12. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 59.
  13. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 170.
  14. ^ "Ian Lawther". nifootball.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  15. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 80.
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