1987–88 Brentford F.C. season

Brentford
1987–88 season
Chairman Martin Lange
Player-manager Steve Perryman
Stadium Griffin Park
Third Division 12th
FA Cup First round
League Cup First round
Football League Trophy First round
Top goalscorer League: Sinton (11)
All: Sinton (12)
Highest home attendance 8,712
Lowest home attendance 2,005
Average home league attendance 4,581

During the 1987–88 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. The Bees contended for a place in the play-offs until a run of just two wins from the final 17 matches of the season dropped the club into mid-table.

Season summary

After taking over as Brentford manager in January 1987, Steve Perryman continued the remodelling of his squad through the 1987 off-season.[1] Transferred out were defender Phil Bater, midfielder Paul Maddy and forward Francis Joseph, with the deals raising £37,000.[2] In came a number of players on free transfers or a trial basis, the most notable of whom being former Chelsea midfielder Colin Lee, in a dual player/Youth Development Officer role.[2] After beginning the Third Division season in and around the relegation places,[3] manager Perryman continued to buy and sell players, raising another £10,000 from the sale of defender Jamie Murray and winger Ian Holloway and bringing in former Chelsea midfielder Keith Jones for a £40,000 fee.[2] With forward Gary Blissett failing to show form in front of goal and Andy Sinton almost single-handedly leading the attack from midfield, the loan signing of Paul Williams in October 1987 galvanised the team,[2] with Williams scoring six goals in eight appearances before being recalled by Charlton Athletic.[4] An eight-match unbeaten run from mid-November 1987 to 2 January 1988, despite the £30,000 sale of forward Robbie Cooke,[2] put Brentford as high as 6th position, once place outside the play-off zone.[3] The December loan signing of Arsenal midfielder Graham Rix proved key to the continued good form.[1]

A 1–0 win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on 16 January 1988, courtesy of a Keith Millen goal, raised Brentford into the play-off zone.[3] After 3–1 victory over rivals Fulham in the following league match and the recall of Graham Rix to Highbury, the Bees' form disintegrated.[3] The team lost four consecutive matches in February without scoring a goal and would win just two of the final 17 matches of the season to finish in 12th place.[3] Manager Steve Perryman had attempted to rectify the slump by signing midfielder Ian Stewart and forward Les Ferdinand on loan, but both proved to be a disappointment.[1] Right back Roger Joseph's performances earned him a place in the Third Division PFA Team of the Year, the first time a Brentford player had been recognised by the PFA.[5]

League table

Pos Team Pld Home Away F A GD Pts Notes
W D L F A W D L F A
1Sunderland4614725122135541269248+4493
2Brighton & Hove Albion461571371688732316947+2284
3Walsall461562392287829286850+1882[notes4 1]
4Notts County461445532498629258249+3381
5Bristol City4614635130761026327762+1575
6Northampton Town4612833618611634337051+1973
7Wigan Athletic4611843623941034387061+972
8Bristol Rovers4614544319471225376856+1266
9Fulham4610583624941033366960+966
10Blackpool4613464527410926357162+965
11Port Vale4612833619631422375856+265
12Brentford469862723761026365359– 662
13Gillingham46896452168932407761+1659
14Bury469773326671025315857+159
15Chester City469862930581022325162– 1158
16Preston North End4610673023571118364859– 1158
17Southend United4610674233471223506583– 1855
18Chesterfield4610582528551316424170– 2955
19Mansfield Town4610672521461323384859– 1154
20Aldershot4612384532351519426474– 1053
21Rotherham United468872825481122415066– 1652[notes4 2]
22Grimsby Town4667102529671023294858– 1050
23York City4647122745421721464891– 4333
24Doncaster Rovers4665122536241715484084– 4433
  • Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
  1. ↑ Walsall won the play-offs and were thus promoted.
  2. ↑ Rotherham United lost in the first round of the play-offs and were thus relegated.
Key
Division Champions – automatically promoted to Second Division
Division Runners-up – automatically promoted to Second Division
Promoted via the Third Division play-offs
Participated in Third Division play-offs
Relegated via the Fourth Division play-offs
Automatically relegated to the Fourth Division

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League Third Division

No. DateOpponentVenueResult AttendanceScorer(s)
1 15 August 1987SunderlandH0–1 7,509
2 29 August 1987Bristol CityH0–2 4,328
3 31 August 1987Grimsby TownA1–0 3,361Blissett
4 5 September 1987Rotherham UnitedH1–1 3,604Jones
5 9 September 1987Northampton TownA1–2 5,748Cooke (pen)
6 12 September 1987Southend UnitedA3–2 4,418Blissett, Cooke, Sinton
7 15 September 1987ChesterfieldH2–0 3,183Benjamin (og), Cooke (pen)
8 19 September 1987Blackpool H2–1 3,886Sinton, Smith
9 26 September 1987AldershotA1–4 3,651Sinton
10 29 September 1987Preston North EndA2–1 4,241Sinton, Carroll
11 3 October 1987Port ValeH1–0 4,007Sinton
12 10 October 1987BuryA2–2 2,300Bates, Sinton
13 17 October 1987WalsallH0–0 5,056
14 20 October 1987Chester CityH1–1 4,027Cooke
15 24 October 1987Brighton & Hove AlbionA1–2 7,600Stanislaus
16 31 October 1987Bristol RoversH1–1 4,487Williams
17 3 November 1987GillinghamA1–0 4,513Thorne
18 7 November 1987Notts CountyA0–3 5,634
19 21 November 1987Wigan Athletic H2–1 3,625Sinton (pen), Williams
20 28 November 1987Doncaster RoversA1–0 1,360Williams
21 12 December 1987Mansfield TownH2–2 3,729Carroll, Blissett
22 18 December 1987York CityA1–1 1,801Turner
23 26 December 1987AldershotH3–0 5,578Millen, Sinton, Birch
24 28 December 1987FulhamA2–2 9,369Evans, Birch
25 1 January 1988Bristol CityA3–2 12,877Blissett (2), Sinton
26 2 January 1988 Southend United H 1–0 5,752 Stanislaus
27 9 January 1988Northampton Town H0–1 6,025
28 16 January 1988 Blackpool A 1–0 3,911 Millen
29 14 February 1988FulhamH3–1 8,712Blissett, Elkins (og), Millen
30 17 February 1988Rotherham United A0–2 2,572
31 20 February 1988Sunderland A0–2 15,458
32 23 February 1988 Grimsby Town H 0–2 3,534
33 27 February 1988Port Vale A0–1 3,876
34 1 March 1988Preston North EndH2–0 3,505
35 5 March 1988WalsallA2–4 4,548Blissett, Evans
36 12 March 1988BuryH0–3 3,920
37 19 March 1988Bristol RoversA0–0 3,380
38 26 March 1988Brighton & Hove AlbionH1–1 5,331Lee
39 2 April 1988Notts County H1–0 4,388Blissett
40 4 April 1988Wigan Athletic A1–1 3,297Evans
41 9 April 1988 Gillingham H 2–2 3,875 Sinton (2)
42 19 April 1988ChesterfieldA1–2 2,010Turner
43 23 April 1988Chester City A1–1 1,793Cockram
44 30 April 1988Doncaster Rovers H1–1 3,122Cockram
45 2 May 1988Mansfield TownA1–2 2,664Carroll
46 7 May 1988York CityH1–2 4,180Carroll

FA Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance
1R14 November 1987Brighton & Hove Albion H0–2 6,358

Football League Cup

RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance Scorer(s)
R1 (1st leg) 18 August 1987 Southend United H 2–1 2,837 Sinton, Blissett
R1 (2nd leg) 25 August 1987 Southend United A 2–4 (lost 4–5 on aggregate) 2,111 Carroll, Cooke

Football League Trophy

RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance Scorer
SPR (match 1) 28 October 1987 Northampton Town A 0–1 3,076
SPR (match 2) 24 November 1987 Notts County H 3–2 2,005 Williams (3)
SR1 19 January 1988 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 0–4 6,298
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[4] The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,[6] Statto

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1987–88 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Tony Oliver England 22 September 1967 (aged 19) Portsmouth 1987
GK Gary Phillips England 20 September 1961 (aged 25) Barnet 1984
Defenders
DF Jamie Bates England 24 February 1968 (aged 19) Youth 1986
DF Terry Evans England 12 April 1965 (aged 22) Hillingdon 1985
DF Matthew Howard England 5 December 1970 (aged 16) Youth 1988
DF Roger Joseph England 24 December 1965 (aged 21) Southall 1984
DF Keith Millen England 26 September 1966 (aged 20) Youth 1985
DF Roger Stanislaus England 2 November 1968 (aged 18) Arsenal 1987
Midfielders
MF Paul Buckle England 16 December 1970 (aged 16) Youth 1988
MF Robbie Carroll England 15 February 1968 (aged 19) Gosport Borough 1986
MF Allan Cockram England 8 October 1963 (aged 23) St Albans City 1988
MF Andy Feeley England 30 September 1961 (aged 25) Leicester City 1987
MF Keith Jones England 14 October 1965 (aged 21) Chelsea 1987
MF Colin Lee England 12 June 1956 (aged 31) Chelsea 1987 Youth Development Officer
MF Steve Perryman England 21 December 1951 (aged 35) Oxford United 1986 Manager
MF Andy Sinton England 19 March 1966 (aged 21) Cambridge United 1985
MF Paul Smith England 5 October 1967 (aged 19) Arsenal 1987
MF Wayne Turner (c) England 9 March 1961 (aged 26) Coventry City 1986
Forwards
FW Paul Birch England 3 December 1968 (aged 18) Portsmouth 1987 Loaned from Portsmouth before transferring permanently
FW Gary Blissett England 29 May 1964 (aged 23) Crewe Alexandra 1987
FW Bob Booker England 25 January 1958 (aged 29) Bedmond Sports & Social 1978
Players who left the club mid-season
DF Jamie Murray Scotland 27 December 1958 (aged 28) Cambridge United 1984 Transferred to Cambridge United
MF Ian Holloway England 12 March 1963 (aged 24) Wimbledon 1986 Transferred to Bristol Rovers
MF Sean Priddle England 14 December 1965 (aged 21) Exeter City 1987 Released
MF Graham Rix England 23 October 1957 (aged 29) Portsmouth 1987 Returned to Portsmouth after loan
MF Ian Stewart Northern Ireland 10 September 1961 (aged 25) Arsenal 1988 Returned to Arsenal after loan
MF Steve Thorne England 15 September 1968 (aged 18) Watford 1987 Released
FW Robbie Cooke England 16 February 1957 (aged 30) Cambridge United 1984 Transferred to Millwall
FW Les Ferdinand England 8 December 1966 (aged 20) Queens Park Rangers 1987 Returned to Queens Park Rangers after loan
FW Warren Gravette England 13 September 1968 (aged 18) Tottenham Hotspur 1987 Released
FW Paul Williams England 16 April 1965 (aged 22) Charlton Athletic 1987 Returned to Charlton Athletic after loan

Coaching staff

Name Role
England Steve Perryman Manager
England Phil Holder Assistant Manager
England Roy Clare Physiotherapist

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Substitute appearances in brackets.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England Tony Oliver 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
GK England Gary Phillips 35 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 41 0
DF England Jamie Bates 20 (3) 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 23 (3) 1
DF England Terry Evans 29 4 1 0 0 0 2 0 32 4
DF England Matthew Howard 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0
DF England Roger Joseph 43 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 49 0
DF England Keith Millen 40 3 0 0 2 0 2 0 44 3
DF Scotland Jamie Murray 4 0 — 2 0 — 6 0
DF England Roger Stanislaus 36 (1) 2 1 0 — 3 0 40 (1) 2
MF England Paul Buckle 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0
MF England Robbie Carroll 8 (4) 4 0 (1) 0 2 1 0 (1) 0 10 (6) 5
MF England Allan Cockram 7 2 — — — 7 2
MF England Andy Feeley 27 (7) 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 32 (7) 0
MF England Ian Holloway 1 0 — — — 1 0
MF England Keith Jones 34 (2) 1 1 0 — 1 0 36 (2) 1
MF England Colin Lee 19 (3) 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 23 (3) 1
MF England Steve Perryman 16 (5) 0 1 0 1 (1) 0 3 0 21 (6) 0
MF England Sean Priddle 5 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 (1) 0
MF England Andy Sinton 46 11 1 0 2 1 3 0 52 12
MF England Paul Smith 10 (7) 1 0 0 0 0 1 (1) 0 11 (8) 1
MF England Steve Thorne 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
MF England Wayne Turner 24 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 26 2
FW England Paul Birch 13 (3) 2 — — 1 0 14 (3) 2
FW England Gary Blissett 40 (1) 9 0 0 2 1 2 0 44 (1) 10
FW England Bob Booker 1 (11) 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 (2) 0 1 (14) 0
FW England Robbie Cooke 15 (1) 4 1 0 2 1 1 0 19 (1) 5
FW England Warren Gravette 1 (4) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 (4) 0
Players loaned in during the season
MF Northern Ireland Ian Stewart 4 (3) 0 — — — 4 (3) 0
MF England Graham Rix 6 0 — — — 6 0
FW England Les Ferdinand 3 0 — — — 3 0
FW England Paul Williams 7 3 — — 1 3 8 6
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties[9]

Goalscorers

Pos. Nat Player FL3 FAC FLC FLT Total
MF England Andy Sinton 11 0 1 0 12
FW England Gary Blissett 9 0 1 0 10
FW England Paul Williams 3 — — 3 6
MF England Robbie Carroll 4 0 1 0 5
FW England Robbie Cooke 4 0 1 0 5
DF England Terry Evans 4 0 0 0 4
DF England Keith Millen 3 0 0 0 3
MF England Allan Cockram 2 — — — 2
FW England Paul Birch 2 — — 0 2
DF England Roger Stanislaus 2 0 — 0 2
MF England Wayne Turner 2 0 0 0 2
MF England Keith Jones 1 0 — 0 1
DF England Jamie Bates 1 0 0 0 1
MF England Colin Lee 1 0 0 0 1
MF England Paul Smith 1 0 0 0 1
MF England Steve Thorne 1 0 0 0 1
Opponents 2 0 0 0 2
Total530 4 360
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties[9]

Management

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
PWDLW %PWDLW %
Steve Perryman England 15 August 1987 7 May 1988 52 18 14 20 034.62 46 16 14 16 034.78

Summary

Games played52 (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy)
Games won18 (16 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy)
Games drawn14 (14 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy)
Games lost20 (16 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy)
Goals scored60 (53 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy)
Goals conceded73 (59 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 7 Football League Trophy)
Clean sheets13 (13 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy)
Biggest league win3–0 versus Aldershot, 26 December 1987
Worst league defeat3–0 on two occasions; 4–1 versus Aldershot, 26 September 1987
Most appearances52, Andy Sinton (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy)
Top scorer (league)11, Andy Sinton
Top scorer (all competitions)12, Andy Sinton

Transfers & loans

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
July 1987 FW England Warren Gravette England Tottenham Hotspur Free [2]
July 1987 MF England Colin Lee England Chelsea n/a [2]
July 1987 GK England Tony Oliver England Portsmouth Trial [2]
July 1987 MF England Sean Priddle England Exeter City Free [2]
August 1987 MF England Andy Feeley England Leicester City Trial [2]
August 1987 MF England Paul Smith England Arsenal Trial [2]
3 September 1987 MF England Keith Jones England Chelsea £40,000 [10]
18 September 1987 DF England Roger Stanislaus England Arsenal Trial [2]
September 1987 MF England Steve Thorne England Watford Trial [2]
1987 MF England Paul Buckle n/a n/a [2]
1987 DF England Jason Cousins n/a n/a [2]
1987 MF Jamaica Marcus Gayle n/a n/a [2]
1987 DF England Matthew Howard England Watford n/a [2]
January 1988 FW England Paul Birch England Portsmouth £10,000 [2]
March 1988 MF England Allan Cockram England St Albans City Non-contract [2]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
20 October 1987 FW England Paul Williams England Charlton Athletic November 1987 [2]
December 1987 FW England Paul Birch England Portsmouth January 1988 [2]
December 1987 MF England Graham Rix England Arsenal February 1988 [2]
February 1988 MF Northern Ireland Ian Stewart England Portsmouth March 1988 [2]
24 March 1988 FW England Les Ferdinand England Queens Park Rangers April 1988 [2]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
July 1987 DF Wales Phil Bater Wales Cardiff City £5,000 [2]
July 1987 FW England Francis Joseph England Reading £25,000 [2]
July 1987 MF Wales Paul Maddy England Chester City £7,000 [2]
21 August 1987 MF England Ian Holloway England Bristol Rovers £5,000 [2]
September 1987 DF Scotland Jamie Murray England Cambridge United £5,000 [2]
December 1987 FW England Robbie Cooke England Millwall £30,000 [2]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
1987 FW England Francis Joseph Finland HJK Helsinki July 1987 [2]
January 1988 n/a England Mark Gill England Feltham n/a [2]
January 1988 n/a England Chris Good England Hitchin Town n/a [2]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
January 1988 MF England Steve Thorne n/a n/a [2]
April 1988 n/a England Chris Good n/a n/a [2]
April 1988 FW England Warren Gravette England Maidenhead United April 1988 [2]
April 1988 MF England Sean Priddle England Weymouth 1988 [2]
May 1988 n/a England Mark Gill n/a n/a [2]
May 1988 MF England Paul Smith England Bristol Rovers July 1988 [2]

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 White, p. 334-336.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 218-222.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Ltd, Statto Organisation. "Brentford results for the 1987-1988 season - Statto.com". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  4. 1 2 White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 399. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 383.
  6. ↑ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 204-217.
  7. ↑ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796716.
  8. ↑ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  9. 1 2 Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 429.
  10. ↑ "Keith Jones | Football Stats | No Club | Age 52 | 1983–2002 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
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