1968–69 Brentford F.C. season

Brentford
1968–69 season
Chairman Ron Blindell
Manager Jimmy Sirrel
Stadium Griffin Park
Fourth Division 11th
FA Cup Second round
League Cup Third round
Top goalscorer League: Mansley (14)
All: Mansley (17)
Highest home attendance 17,425
Lowest home attendance 3,261
Average home league attendance 6,419

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

After two tumultuous seasons off the pitch, a continued cash crisis meant that 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 Dennis 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 £30,000 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 matches of the season to consolidate a position in the top six.[2] Brentford's position belied the problems behind the scenes, 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 the club's financial problems.[1] An inconsistent spell between November 1968 and April 1969 dropped the Bees as low as 19th, two places above the relegation zone, but six wins in the final seven matches of the season lifted the club to an 11th-place finish.[2]

League table

Pos
 Team
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Pts
Promotion or relegation
1 Doncaster Rovers (C) 46 21 17 8 65 381.711 59 Promotion to 1969–70 Third Division
2 Halifax Town (P) 46 20 17 9 53 371.432 57
3 Rochdale (P) 46 18 20 8 68 351.943 56
4 Bradford City (P) 46 18 20 8 65 461.413 56
5 Darlington 46 17 18 11 62 451.378 52
6 Colchester United 46 20 12 14 57 531.075 52
7 Southend United 46 19 13 14 78 611.279 51
8 Lincoln City 46 17 17 12 54 521.038 51
9 Wrexham 46 18 14 14 61 521.173 50
10 Swansea Town 46 19 11 16 58 541.074 49
11 Brentford 46 18 12 16 64 650.985 48
12 Workington 46 15 17 14 40 430.930 47
13 Port Vale 46 16 14 16 46 461.000 46
14 Chester 46 16 13 17 76 661.152 45
15 Aldershot 46 19 7 20 66 661.000 45
16 Scunthorpe United 46 18 8 20 61 601.017 44
17 Exeter City 46 16 11 19 66 651.015 43
18 Peterborough United 46 13 16 17 60 571.053 42
19 Notts County 46 12 18 16 48 570.842 42
20 Chesterfield 46 13 15 18 43 500.860 41
21 York City 46 14 11 21 53 750.707 39 Re-elected
22 Newport County 46 11 14 21 49 740.662 36
23 Grimsby Town 46 9 15 22 47 690.681 33
24 Bradford Park Avenue 46 5 10 31 32 1060.302 20

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League Fourth Division

No. DateOpponentVenueResultScorer(s)
1 10 August 1968Colchester UnitedH4–0Deakin, Moughton (og), Terry, Ross
2 17 August 1968Scunthorpe UnitedA1–1Terry
3 24 August 1968Port ValeH3–1Mansley, Fenton (2)
4 26 August 1968RochdaleH1–1Deakin
5 31 August 1968Exeter CityA2–2Terry, Richardson
6 7 September 1968Chesterfield H1–0Fenton
7 14 September 1968Peterborough United A1–2Dobson
8 18 September 1968ChesterA2–2Terry, Ross
9 21 September 1968York CityH5–1Carr (og), Terry (3), Ross
10 28 September 1968Bradford CityA0–3
11 5 October 1968Newport CountyH1–1Mansley
12 7 October 1968RochdaleA0–0
13 12 October 1968Swansea TownA3–2Neilson, Terry, Fenton
14 19 October 1968Wrexham H1–1Mansley
15 26 October 1968Notts CountyA2–0Mansley (2)
16 2 November 1968AldershotH2–4Mansley, Higginson
17 4 November 1968Darlington H0–1
18 9 November 1968Lincoln CityA0–1
19 23 November 1968Bradford Park Avenue A2–0Fenton, Kirby
20 30 November 1968Halifax Town H1–1Mansley
21 14 December 1968Swansea TownH2–1Terry, Hawley
22 21 December 1968WrexhamA0–2
23 26 December 1968Newport CountyA1–1Gelson
24 4 January 1969WorkingtonH0–3
25 11 January 1969AldershotA2–1Mansley (2)
26 18 January 1969Lincoln CityH2–2Terry, Ross
27 25 January 1969 Darlington A 1–3 Dobson
28 31 January 1969Southend UnitedA0–4
29 22 February 1969Grimsby TownH4–2Richardson, Neilson (2), Terry
30 28 February 1969Colchester UnitedA1–2Neilson
31 5 March 1969 Workington A 0–1
32 8 March 1969Scunthorpe UnitedH2–1Neilson, Nelmes
33 10 March 1969Southend UnitedH1–1Terry
34 15 March 1969Port ValeA1–4Ross (pen)
35 22 March 1969Exeter CityH0–1
36 26 March 1969 Notts County H 0–0
37 29 March 1969ChesterfieldA2–1Mansley, Neilson
38 8 April 1969Doncaster Rovers A0–5
39 12 April 1969York CityA1–2Mansley
40 14 April 1969Doncaster RoversH1–0Richardson
41 19 April 1969Peterborough UnitedH2–0Fenton, Mansley
42 21 April 1969Bradford Park Avenue H3–0Fenton (2), Ross (pen)
43 28 April 1969Halifax Town A0–2
44 30 April 1969Chester H2–1Mansley, Fenton
45 3 May 1969Grimsby TownA2–0Gelson, Dobson
46 5 May 1969 Bradford City H 2–1 Richardson, Mansley

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Scorer(s)
1R 16 November 1968 Woking H 2–0 Fenton, Ross
2R7 December 1968Watford A0–1

Football League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Scorer(s)
1R 14 August 1968 Aldershot A 4–2 Rafferty (og), Deakin, Mansley, Terry
2R 4 September 1969 Hull City H 3–0 Mansley (2), Fenton
3R24 September 1969Norwich City H0–2

Playing squad

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 22 February 1937 (aged 31) Northampton Town 1963
GK Gordon Phillips England 17 November 1946 (aged 21) Hayes 1963 Loaned to Queens Park Rangers
Defenders
DF Peter Gelson England 18 October 1941 (aged 26) Youth 1961
DF Alan Hawley England 7 June 1946 (aged 22) Youth 1962
DF Tommy Higginson Scotland 6 January 1937 (aged 31) Kilmarnock 1959
DF Dennis Hunt England 8 September 1937 (aged 30) Gillingham 1968
DF Allan Jones Wales 6 January 1940 (aged 28) Liverpool 1963
DF Alan Nelmes England 20 October 1948 (aged 19) Chelsea 1967
DF Dick Renwick England 27 November 1942 (aged 25) Aldershot 1969
Midfielders
MF George Dobson England 24 August 1949 (aged 18) Youth 1966
MF Allan Mansley England 31 August 1946 (aged 21) Blackpool 1968
MF Gordon Neilson Scotland 28 May 1947 (aged 21) Arsenal 1968
MF John Richardson England 5 February 1949 (aged 19) Millwall 1966
MF Bobby Ross Scotland 10 May 1942 (aged 26) Shrewsbury Town 1966
Forwards
FW Ron Fenton (c) England 21 September 1940 (aged 27) Birmingham City 1968
FW Ron Foster England 22 November 1938 (aged 29) Dallas Tornado 1969
FW Pat Terry England 2 October 1933 (aged 34) Swindon Town 1968
Players who left the club mid-season
GK Ron Willis England 27 December 1947 (aged 20) Charlton Athletic 1968 Returned to Charlton Athletic after loan
MF Brian Caterer England 31 January 1943 (aged 25) Leatherhead 1968 Amateur, released
FW Peter Deakin England 25 March 1938 (aged 30) Peterborough United 1968 Retired
FW Keith Hooker England 31 January 1950 (aged 18) Youth 1965 Loaned to Brentwood Town, released
FW George Kirby England 20 December 1933 (aged 34) New York Generals 1968 Transferred to Worcester City

Coaching staff

Name Role
Scotland Jimmy Sirrel Manager
England Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Statistics

Appearances and goals

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 Dennis 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 0 0 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

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 0 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
Total642 773
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[3]

Management

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

Summary

Games played51 (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Games won21 (18 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Games drawn12 (12 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games lost18 (16 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored73 (64 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 7 League Cup)
Goals conceded70 (65 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 4 League Cup)
Clean sheets12 (10 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Biggest league win4–0 versus Colchester United, 10 August 1968; 5–1 versus York City, 21 September 1968
Worst league defeat5–0 versus Doncaster Rovers, 8 April 1969
Most appearances50, 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

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
June 1968 DF England Dennis 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 Retired [7]
May 1969 FW England Ron Foster Retired [12]
May 1969 DF England Dennis 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]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 White 1989, p. 271-273.
  2. 1 2 Ltd, Statto Organisation. "Brentford results for the 1968-1969 season - Statto.com". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 2 Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 83-84.
  6. 1 2 Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 159.
  7. 1 2 Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 46.
  8. 1 2 Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 35.
  9. 1 2 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. 1 2 Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 59.
  13. ↑ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 170.
  14. ↑ "Ian Lawther". nifootball.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  15. 1 2 Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 80.
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