1976–77 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1976–77 season
ChairmanDan Tana
ManagerJohn Docherty
(until 7 September 1976)
Eddie Lyons
(7–16 September 1976)
Bill Dodgin Jr.
(from 16 September 1976)
StadiumGriffin Park
Fourth Division15th
FA CupSecond round
League CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Sweetzer (23)
All: Sweetzer (23)
Highest home attendance8,951
Lowest home attendance3,158
Average home league attendance5,121

During the 1976–77 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. After a poor start to the season, Bill Dodgin Jr. appointed to replace inexperienced manager John Docherty. With re-election looking likely, Dodgin overhauled the playing squad and the Bees won 14 of the final 18 matches of the season to complete a remarkable turnaround and finish in mid-table.

Season summary[edit]

Winger Harry Redknapp made one appearance while on trial in September 1976.[1]

After Brentford's lowest-ever finish in the Fourth Division at the end of the previous season, manager John Docherty released defenders Alan Nelmes and Keith Lawrence and replaced them with John Fraser and Bobby Goldthorpe respectively.[2] Also arriving at Griffin Park were defender Keith Pritchett and midfielder Steve Aylott, while teenagers Danis Salman, Gary Rolph, Graham Cox and Paul Walker all signed apprentice professional contracts.[2] A catalogue of injuries to Fraser, Aylott, Riddick, Sweetzer, McCulloch, Allen and Johnson and a failure to win any of the first six games of the season led to manager Docherty quitting the club,[2] after failing to win a vote of confidence from chairman Dan Tana.[1] Physiotherapist Eddie Lyons was put in caretaker charge of the team for one match before Bill Dodgin Jr. was appointed manager on 16 September 1976, who followed in his father's footsteps by taking over the role.[2]

While Brentford were entrenched in the re-election places the first five months of Bill Dodgin Jr.'s reign,[3] behind the scenes he overhauled the squad and sought players who would meld with his attacking philosophy.[2] Between September 1976 and February 1977, Dodgin brought in midfielder Dave Carlton from his previous club Northampton Town and a number of players on loan – goalkeeper Tony Burns and midfielders Allan Glover, Steve Scrivens, Neil Smillie and John Bain.[1] The sales of defender Keith Pritchett and forwards Roger Cross and Micky French generated over £20,000 in transfer fees, a small portion of which was spent on midfielders Paul Shrubb and Steve Phillips.[1] Most significantly, teenage forward Gordon Sweetzer was promoted through the ranks and began to establish himself in the starting lineup in the New Year.[4]

By January 1977, manager Dodgin's new-look squad was starting to produce results on the field, with Gordon Sweetzer scoring a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory over Stockport County in the middle of the month.[4] In late February, Brentford set off on a run which would see the club become one of the Fourth Division's form teams,[5] winning 14 and drawing two of the final 18 matches of the season.[3] Gordon Sweetzer established a strike partnership with fit-again Andrew McCulloch and showed prolific form, finishing the season with 23 goals from 28 appearances.[2] In March, despite a shaky start, the £20,000 purchase of central defender Pat Kruse would prove to be an important signing for the future.[2] Brentford finished the season in 15th place.[6]

Two club records were set during the season:

  • Youngest debutant: Paul Walker, 15 years, 7 months, 28 days (versus Watford, League Cup first round, 14 August 1976)[2]
  • Youngest FA Cup goalscorer: Gary Rolph – 16 years, 9 months, 26 days (versus Colchester United, FA Cup second round, 20 December 1976)[7]

League table[edit]

Main article: 1976–77 Football League Fourth Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
13 AFC Bournemouth 46 15 18 13 54 44 +10 48
14 Stockport County 46 13 19 14 53 57 −4 45
15 Brentford 46 18 7 21 77 76 +1 43
16 Torquay United 46 17 9 20 59 67 −8 43
17 Aldershot 46 16 11 19 49 59 −10 43
Source: [citation needed]

Results[edit]

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend[edit]

Win Draw Loss

Pre-season[edit]

Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer(s)
2 August 1976 Walton A 1–1 Sweetzer
9 August 1976 Hayes A 1–3 Cross
12 August 1976 Addlestone A 2–4 Cross, Walker

Football League Fourth Division[edit]

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 21 August 1976 Barnsley H 0–1 3,903
2 23 August 1976 Stockport County A 0–2 3,191
3 28 August 1976 Huddersfield Town A 0–1 4,559
4 4 September 1976 Doncaster Rovers H 2–2 3,804 Johnson, French
5 10 September 1976 Aldershot A 1–1 5,129 French
6 18 September 1976 Southport H 3–0 4,185 Graham, Johnson, Cross
7 25 September 1976 Torquay United A 1–1 2,456 Cross
8 2 October 1976 Bradford City A 2–3 4,809 Cross (2)
9 9 October 1976 Newport County H 1–1 5,894 Goldthorpe
10 15 October 1976 Swansea City A 3–5 3,656 Allen, Pritchett, Goldthorpe
11 23 October 1976 Darlington H 0–3 4,303
12 25 October 1976 Workington H 5–0 3,158 Cross, Sweetzer, McCulloch (2), Fraser
13 30 October 1976 Colchester United A 1–2 3,607 Cross
14 3 November 1976 Exeter City A 2–3 2,779 McCulloch, Graham
15 6 November 1976 Bournemouth H 3–2 4,254 Cross, French, McCulloch
16 13 November 1976 Hartlepool A 0–2 1,888
17 27 November 1976 Cambridge United H 0–2 5,040
18 27 December 1976 Southend United A 1–2 9,239 Cross (pen)
19 1 January 1977 Bournemouth A 1–3 4,268 Cross
20 3 January 1977 Colchester United H 1–4 4,629 McCulloch
21 8 January 1977 Crewe Alexandra A 2–3 2,198 McCulloch, Sweetzer
22 15 January 1977 Stockport County H 4–0 3,981 Fraser, Sweetzer (3)
23 22 January 1977 Barnsley A 0–2 4,095
24 25 January 1977 Scunthorpe United A 1–2 2,867 Sweetzer
25 29 January 1977 Halifax Town H 2–1 4,517 Sweetzer, French
26 5 February 1977 Huddersfield Town H 1–3 4,833 Salman
27 12 February 1977 Doncaster Rovers A 0–5 4,095
28 19 February 1977 Aldershot H 0–1 4,542
29 22 February 1977 Rochdale H 3–2 3,307 Johnson, Phillips, Sweetzer
30 5 March 1977 Torquay United H 3–2 4,172 Sweetzer (3, 1 pen)
31 8 March 1977 Southport A 2–1 969 Johnson (pen), Sweetzer
32 12 March 1977 Bradford City H 4–0 5,742 Shrubb, Johnson, Bain, Phillips
33 18 March 1977 Newport County A 1–3 1,747 Sweetzer
34 23 March 1977 Watford H 3–0 7,602 Sweetzer (2), Graham
35 26 March 1977 Swansea City H 4–0 6,201 Johnson (2, 1 pen), Sweetzer, Phillips
36 2 April 1977 Darlington A 2–2 1,681 Johnson, Sweetzer
37 8 April 1977 Southend United H 1–0 8,951 Phillips
38 9 April 1977 Watford A 1–0 9,382 McCulloch
39 12 April 1977 Exeter City H 1–0 7,641 Sweetzer
40 16 April 1977 Workington A 3–1 1,032 Sweetzer, McCulloch, Phillips
41 19 April 1977 Halifax Town A 0–0 1,464
42 23 April 1977 Hartlepool H 3–1 5,978 Kruse, McCulloch, Sweetzer (pen)
43 30 April 1977 Cambridge United A 2–3 5,617 Sweetzer, Graham
44 2 May 1977 Crewe Alexandra H 0–0 5,842
45 7 May 1977 Scunthorpe United H 4–2 5,298 Kruse, Sweetzer (2), Phillips
46 14 May 1977 Rochdale A 3–2 977 Shrubb, McCulloch, Phillips

FA Cup[edit]

Main article: 1976–77 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 20 November 1976 Chesham United H 2–0 5,633 French, Cross
2R 20 December 1976 Colchester United A 2–3 4,730 Rolph, Fraser

Football League Cup[edit]

Main article: 1976–77 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer
1R (1st leg) 14 August 1976 Watford A 1–1 4,827 Cross
1R (2nd leg) 17 August 1976 Watford H 0–2 (lost 3–1 on aggregate) 5,542
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[4] The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[8] Statto

Playing squad[edit]

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1976–77 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Graham Cox England (1959-04-30)30 April 1959 (aged 17) Youth 1975
GK Paul Priddy England (1953-01-11)11 January 1953 (aged 23) Walton & Hersham 1975
Defenders
DF Michael Allen England (1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 27) Middlesbrough 1971
DF Steve Aylott England (1951-09-03)3 September 1951 (aged 24) Oxford United 1976
DF John Fraser England (1953-07-12)12 July 1953 (aged 23) Fulham 1976
DF Bobby Goldthorpe England (1950-12-06)6 December 1950 (aged 25) Charlton Athletic 1976
DF Pat Kruse England (1953-11-30)30 November 1953 (aged 22) Torquay United 1977
DF Danis Salman England (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 16) Youth 1975
DF Tom Sharp Scotland (1957-07-30)30 July 1957 (aged 19) Everton 1976
DF Nigel Smith England (1958-07-03)3 July 1958 (aged 18) Queens Park Rangers 1975
Midfielders
MF John Bain Scotland (1957-06-03)3 June 1957 (aged 19) Bristol City 1977 On loan from Bristol City
MF Dave Carlton England (1952-11-24)24 November 1952 (aged 23) Northampton Town 1976
MF Jackie Graham (c) Scotland (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 30) Guildford City 1970
MF Terry Johnson England (1949-08-30)30 August 1949 (aged 26) Southend United 1974
MF Steve Phillips England (1954-08-04)4 August 1954 (aged 22) Northampton Town 1977
MF Paul Shrubb England (1955-08-01)1 August 1955 (aged 21) Hellenic 1977
MF Paul Walker England (1960-12-17)17 December 1960 (aged 15) Youth 1976 Loaned to Slough Town
Forwards
FW Andrew McCulloch England (1950-01-03)3 January 1950 (aged 26) Oxford United 1976
FW Gary Rolph England (1960-02-24)24 February 1960 (aged 16) Youth 1976
FW Gordon Sweetzer Canada (1957-01-27)27 January 1957 (aged 19) Queens Park Rangers 1975
Players who left the club mid-season
GK Tony Burns England (1944-03-27)27 March 1944 (aged 32) Crystal Palace 1977 Returned to Crystal Palace after loan
DF Paul Bence England (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 27) Reading 1970 Loaned to Torquay United, released
DF Keith Pritchett Scotland (1953-11-08)8 November 1953 (aged 22) Queens Park Rangers 1976 Transferred to Watford
DF Gordon Riddick England (1943-11-06)6 November 1943 (aged 32) Northampton Town 1973 Released
MF Allan Glover England (1950-10-21)21 October 1950 (aged 25) West Bromwich Albion 1976 Returned to West Bromwich Albion after loan
MF Harry Redknapp England (1947-03-02)2 March 1947 (aged 29) Bournemouth 1976 Released
MF Terry Scales England (1951-01-18)18 January 1951 (aged 25) West Ham United 1971 Released
MF Steve Scrivens England (1957-03-11)11 March 1957 (aged 19) Fulham 1976 Returned to Crystal Palace after loan
MF Neil Smillie England (1958-07-19)19 July 1958 (aged 18) Crystal Palace 1977 Returned to Crystal Palace after loan
FW Roger Cross England (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 27) Fulham 1973 Transferred to Millwall
FW Micky French England (1955-05-07)7 May 1955 (aged 21) Queens Park Rangers 1975 Transferred to Swindon Town
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[9] Timeless Bees[10]

Coaching staff[edit]

John Docherty (14 August – 7 September 1976)[edit]

Name Role
Scotland John Docherty Manager
England Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist
England Bob Pearson Chief Scout

Eddie Lyons (7 – 16 September 1976)[edit]

Name Role
England Eddie Lyons Caretaker Manager
England Bob Pearson Chief Scout

Bill Dodgin Jr. (16 September 1976 – 14 May 1977)[edit]

Name Role
England Bill Dodgin Jr. Manager
England Fred Callaghan Assistant manager
England Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist
England Gordon Quinn Chief Scout

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 England Graham Cox 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
GK England Paul Priddy 37 0 2 0 2 0 41 0
DF England Michael Allen 40 1 2 0 0 0 42 1
DF England Steve Aylott 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
DF England Paul Bence 10 (1) 0 — 2 0 11 (1) 0
DF England John Fraser 39 2 2 1 0 0 41 3
DF England Bobby Goldthorpe 19 2 1 (1) 0 2 0 22 (1) 2
DF England Pat Kruse 15 2 — — 15 2
DF Scotland Keith Pritchett 11 1 — 2 0 13 1
DF England Gordon Riddick 15 0 2 0 0 0 17 0
DF England Danis Salman 16 (2) 1 1 (1) 0 2 0 19 (3) 1
DF Scotland Tom Sharp 2 (2) 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 2 (3) 0
DF England Nigel Smith 32 (2) 0 0 0 2 0 34 (2) 0
MF England Dave Carlton 31 (1) 0 2 0 — 33 (1) 0
MF Scotland Jackie Graham 42 4 2 0 2 0 46 4
MF England Terry Johnson 24 (3) 8 1 0 0 0 25 (3) 8
MF England Steve Phillips 19 7 — — 19 7
MF England Harry Redknapp 1 0 — — 1 0
MF England Terry Scales 12 0 1 0 2 0 15 0
MF England Paul Shrubb 10 (3) 2 — — 10 (3) 2
MF England Paul Walker 1 (1) 0 1 0 2 0 4 (1) 0
FW England Roger Cross 21 9 2 1 2 1 25 11
FW England Micky French 15 (4) 4 2 1 2 0 19 (4) 5
FW England Andrew McCulloch 18 (2) 10 0 0 0 0 18 (2) 10
FW England Gary Rolph 6 (1) 0 1 1 0 0 7 (1) 1
FW Canada Gordon Sweetzer 25 (2) 23 1 0 0 0 26 (2) 23
Players loaned in during the season
GK England Tony Burns 6 0 — — 6 0
MF Scotland John Bain 17 (1) 1 — — 17 (1) 1
MF England Allan Glover 6 0 — — 6 0
MF England Steve Scrivens 5 0 — — 5 0
MF England Neil Smillie 3 0 — — 3 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[4]

Goalscorers[edit]

Pos. Nat Player FL4 FAC FLC Total
FW Canada Gordon Sweetzer 23 0 0 23
FW England Roger Cross 9 1 1 11
FW England Andrew McCulloch 10 0 0 10
MF England Terry Johnson 8 0 0 8
MF England Steve Phillips 7 — — 7
FW England Micky French 4 1 0 5
MF Scotland Jackie Graham 4 0 0 4
DF England John Fraser 2 1 0 3
DF England Pat Kruse 2 — — 2
MF England Paul Shrubb 2 — — 2
DF England Bobby Goldthorpe 2 0 0 2
MF Scotland John Bain 1 — — 1
DF England Michael Allen 1 0 0 1
DF Scotland Keith Pritchett 1 0 0 1
DF England Danis Salman 1 0 0 1
FW England Gary Rolph 0 1 0 1
Total 77 4 1 82
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[4]

Management[edit]

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
John Docherty Scotland 14 August 1976 7 September 1976 6 0 2 4 000.00 4 0 1 3 000.00
Eddie Lyons (caretaker) England 7 September 1976 16 September 1976 1 0 1 0 000.00 1 0 1 0 000.00
Bill Dodgin, Jr. England 16 September 1976 14 May 1977 43 19 5 19 044.19 41 18 5 18 043.90

Summary[edit]

Games played 50 (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Games won 19 (18 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games drawn 8 (7 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Games lost 23 (21 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored 82 (77 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals conceded 82 (76 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Clean sheets 12 (11 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Biggest league win 5–0 versus Workington, 25 October 1976
Worst league defeat 5–0 versus Doncaster Rovers, 12 February 1977
Most appearances 46, Jackie Graham (42 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Top scorer (league) 23, Gordon Sweetzer
Top scorer (all competitions) 23, Gordon Sweetzer

Transfers & loans[edit]

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
July 1976 DF England Steve Aylott England Oxford United Free [1]
July 1976 DF England John Fraser England Fulham Free [1]
July 1976 DF England Bobby Goldthorpe England Fulham Free [1]
July 1976 DF Scotland Keith Pritchett England Queens Park Rangers Free [1]
September 1976 MF England Harry Redknapp England Bournemouth Trial [1]
October 1976 MF England Dave Carlton England Northampton Town £3,000 [1]
October 1976 DF England Gordon Riddick Unattached Non-contract [1]
1976 FW England Gary Rolph n/a n/a [1]
February 1977 MF England Steve Phillips England Northampton Town £4,000 [1]
February 1977 MF England Paul Shrubb South Africa Hellenic n/a [1]
March 1977 DF England Pat Kruse England Torquay United £20,000 [1]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
October 1976 MF England Allan Glover England West Bromwich Albion November 1976 [1]
December 1976 MF England Steve Scrivens England Fulham January 1977 [1]
January 1977 GK England Tony Burns England Crystal Palace February 1977 [1]
January 1977 MF England Neil Smillie England Crystal Palace February 1977 [1]
February 1977 MF Scotland John Bain England Bristol City End of season [11]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
November 1976 DF Scotland Keith Pritchett England Watford £4,000 [1]
20 January 1977 FW England Roger Cross England Millwall £9,500 [1]
February 1977 FW England Micky French England Swindon Town £7,000 [1]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
November 1976 DF England Paul Bence England Torquay United January 1977 [1]
April 1977 MF England Paul Walker England Slough Town End of season [12]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
September 1976 DF England Gordon Riddick Retired [1]
October 1976 MF England Harry Redknapp United States Seattle Sounders 1976 [1]
February 1977 DF England Gordon Riddick England Wealdstone 1977 [1]
March 1977 DF England Paul Bence England Wokingham Town 1977 [1]
March 1977 MF England Terry Scales England Dagenham 1977 [1]
May 1977 DF England Bobby Goldthorpe England Hayes 1977 [1]
May 1977 GK England Paul Priddy England Tooting & Mitcham United 1977 [1]
May 1977 DF Scotland Tom Sharp n/a n/a [1]

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 146-151.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h White, p. 301-304.
  3. ^ a b "Brentford results for the 1976–1977 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 394. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. ^ "English Division Four (old) 1976–1977 Form Table : 10 Games". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Brentford League Table 1976-1977". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  7. ^ Haynes & Coumbe, p. 137.
  8. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 136-145.
  9. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  10. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  11. ^ Haynes & Coumbe, p. 15.
  12. ^ "Paul Walker". Slough Town FC. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  13. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 295.
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