1941–42 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1941–42 English football season, Brentford competed in the London League, due to the cessation of competitive football for the duration of the Second World War. Despite scoring over 80 goals in what proved to be a forgettable season in the league, the Bees won the London War Cup, emerging victorious in what is as of June 2016, the club's only victory at Wembley Stadium.

Brentford
1941–42 season
ChairmanLouis P. Simon
ManagerHarry Curtis
StadiumGriffin Park
London League9th
London War CupWinners
War Cup Winners' MatchDraw
Top goalscorerLeague: Perry (16)
All: Perry (20)
Highest home attendance12,000
Lowest home attendance3,000

Season summary
Pre-war Brentford wing half Tally Sneddon returned to the club as a guest from Swansea Town in January 1942.

With the Second World War in full swing, the Football League's London clubs took a stand against the Football League and its upcoming regional competition for the 1941–42 season, citing the financial difficulties of raising a team during wartime and having to travel long distances to away matches.[1] The rebel clubs broke away and would compete in the London League during the 1941–42 season.[1] Brentford began the season with a heavily depleted squad, with no goalkeeper available for the entirety of the season and just five of the club's 12 available outfield players made over 30 appearances during the 40-match campaign.[2] Despite 16 goals in 19 appearances and 14 in 24 from returning guest forwards Eddie Perry and Douglas Hunt respectively,[2] Brentford finished 9th of 16 teams in the London League.[3] The team scored 80 goals, but the lack of a first team goalkeeper saw eight guests wear the jersey and concede 76 goals between them.[3]

After finishing as runners-up in the previous season's London War Cup final,[4] attentions turned to the 1941–42 edition of the competition when the group stage kicked off on 21 March 1942.[2] Aided by goals from all across the forward line,[2] Brentford finished the group stage unbeaten as leaders.[5] The Bees faced Arsenal in the semi-final at Stamford Bridge, drawing 0–0.[2] The two sides met again for the replay White Hart Lane a fortnight later, with goals from George Wilkins, Douglas Hunt and a late penalty save from John Jackson ensuring Brentford's passage through to the final versus Portsmouth, who had beaten Charlton Athletic in the other semi-final on 26 April.[1] Brentford and Portsmouth faced off at Wembley Stadium on 30 May and two goals from Les Smith saw the Bees run out 2–0 winners, in what is still the Bees' only victory at Wembley Stadium.[6] The 69,792 crowd is still the largest attendance at any Brentford match.[7] Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers met in a North versus South cup winners' charity match a week later, drawing 1–1 at Stamford Bridge to bring an end to the 1941–42 season.[2]

On the night of 1/2 March 1942, Percy Saunders, a pre-war Brentford player, was killed when his ship was torpedoed in the Indian Ocean.[8] The inside forward had made his final appearance for the club in January 1940 and was serving as a sergeant in the 18th Divisional Workshops of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.[9] Saunders was the only former Brentford player to be killed in action during the Second World War.[9]

League tables

London League
Main article: 1942–43 in English football
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
8 Charlton Athletic 30 14 5 11 72 64 1.125 33
9 Brentford 30 14 2 14 80 76 1.053 30
10 Queens Park Rangers 30 11 3 16 52 59 0.881 25
Source: Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

London War Cup Group 2
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
1 Brentford 6 4 2 0 17 9 1.889 10
2 Queens Park Rangers 6 2 3 1 15 12 1.250 7
3 Millwall 6 2 1 3 8 7 1.143 5
4 Aldershot 6 1 0 5 8 20 0.400 2
Source: A Record Of British Wartime Football[5]

Results
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend
Win Draw Loss

London League
No. DateOpponentVenueResult AttendanceScorer(s)
1 30 August 1941ArsenalH4–1 12,000Hapgood (og), Wilkins, Perry, L. Smith
2 6 September 1941Queens Park RangersA4–3 8,000Hunt, Wilkins, Perry
3 13 September 1941ReadingH3–2 6,100Perry (2), Wilkins
4 20 September 1941Brighton & Hove AlbionA2–2 5,000Perry, Hunt
5 27 September 1941Clapton Orient A3–1 3,500Perry, L. Smith, Hopkins
6 4 October 1941Crystal Palace H1–2 5,000Perry
7 11 October 1941FulhamA3–4 6,000Townsend, Smale, Perry
8 18 October 1941Tottenham HotspurH1–4 6,000Hunt
9 25 October 1941PortsmouthA1–2 5,000Hunt
10 1 November 1941Chelsea H3–1 4,650Perry, James, Hunt
11 8 November 1941Charlton AthleticH2–1 6,320L. Smith, Hunt
12 15 November 1941West Ham UnitedH0–5 5,000
13 22 November 1941 Watford A 6–1 4,000 Hopkins (2), Perry (4)
14 29 November 1941 Aldershot H 5–1 4,410 Hopkins, Hunt (2), Townsend, Duns
15 6 December 1941Millwall A2–4 2,000Muttitt, Townsend
16 13 December 1941 Arsenal A 3–1 9,739 L. Smith, Duns, Perry
17 20 December 1941Queens Park RangersH4–3 3,500Townsend (3), Hunt
18 25 December 1941Reading A3–4 n/aTownsend, Hopkins, L. Smith
19 27 December 1941Brighton & Hove AlbionH4–2 5,000Townsend (2), Tooze (og), L. Smith
20 3 January 1942Clapton OrientH5–2 3,420Barnes (og), Holliday (2), McKenzie
21 10 January 1942Crystal PalaceA0–2 6,000
22 17 January 1942 Fulham H 2–3 3,000 L. Smith, Hopkins
23 31 January 1942 Portsmouth H 2–5 3,820 Wilkins, Holliday
24 7 February 1942 Chelsea A 1–1 3,135 Wilkins
25 14 February 1942 Charlton Athletic A 2–3 3,909 Perry, Duncan
26 21 February 1942 West Ham United A 1–2 4,000 Hunt
27 28 February 1942 Watford H 5–3 3,110 L. Smith, Hunt (2), Hopkins (2)
28 7 March 1942 Aldershot A 3–6 3,000 Hopkins, Hunt, McKenzie
29 14 March 1942 Millwall H 4–3 4,500 Hopkins, L. Smith, Cardwell (og), Hunt
30 25 April 1942 Tottenham Hotspur A 1–2 6,000 Sneddon

London War Cup
Round DateOpponentVenueResult AttendanceScorer(s) Notes
Grp 21 March 1942AldershotH6–2 5,120Hunt (2), L. Smith, Perry, Wilkins
Grp 28 March 1942MillwallH3–3 3,500Perry, McKenzie (pen)
Grp 4 April 1942Queens Park RangersA2–1 3,000Cheetham, Hunt
Grp 6 April 1942MillwallA2–2 n/aCheetham (2)
Grp 11 April 1942Queens Park RangersH1–0 7,310Perry
Grp 18 April 1942Aldershot A3–1 4,000Hopkins, L. Smith, J. Smith
SF 2 May 1942ArsenalN0–0 41,154 [nb 1]
SF (replay) 16 May 1942 Arsenal N 2–1 40,000 Wilkins, Hunt [nb 2]
F 30 May 1942PortsmouthN2–0 69,752L. Smith (2) [nb 3]

War Cup Winners' Match
DateOpponentVenueResult AttendanceScorer Notes
6 June 1942Wolverhampton WanderersN1–1 20,174Collett [nb 1]
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[2]

Playing squad
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1941–42 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Defenders
DF Buster Brown (1910-09-06)6 September 1910 (aged 30) Huddersfield Town 1937
DF George Poyser (1910-02-06)6 February 1910 (aged 31) Port Vale 1934
Midfielders
HB Vic Aicken (1914-10-29)29 October 1914 (aged 26) Glentoran 1937 Guest for Clapton Orient
HB Jack Holliday (1908-12-19)19 December 1908 (aged 32) Middlesbrough 1932
HB Joe James (1910-01-13)13 January 1910 (aged 31) Battersea Church 1929
HB Tom Manley (1912-10-07)7 October 1912 (aged 28) Manchester United 1939
HB Ernest Muttitt (1908-07-24)24 July 1908 (aged 33) Middlesbrough 1932
Forwards
FW Tommy Cheetham (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 30) Queens Park Rangers 1939 Guest for Lincoln City and Queens Park Rangers
FW Idris Hopkins (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 30) Crystal Palace 1932
FW Les Smith (1918-03-13)13 March 1918 (aged 23) Petersham 1934
FW Len Townsend (1917-08-31)31 August 1917 (aged 23) Hayes 1937 Guest for Chelsea
FW George Wilkins (1919-10-27)27 October 1919 (aged 21) Hayes 1939
Guest players
GK Sam Bartram (1914-01-22)22 January 1914 (aged 27) Charlton Athletic 1941 Guest from Charlton Athletic
GK Harry Brown (1924-04-09)9 April 1924 (aged 17) Queens Park Rangers 1942 Guest from Queens Park Rangers
GK David Davison n/a Blackburn Rovers 1941 Guest from Blackburn Rovers
GK Harry Dukes (1912-03-31)31 March 1912 (aged 29) Norwich City 1941 Guest from Norwich City
GK John Jackson (1906-11-29)29 November 1906 (aged 34) Chelsea 1941 Guest from Chelsea
GK George Poland (1913-09-21)21 September 1913 (aged 27) Wrexham 1941 Guest from Wrexham
GK Jock Purdie (1918-05-24)24 May 1918 (aged 23) Bradford City 1942 Guest from Bradford City
GK Horace Rickett (1912-01-03)3 January 1912 (aged 29) Southend United 1942 Guest from Southend United
DF Doug Anderson (1914-03-25)25 March 1914 (aged 27) Aberdeen 1941 Guest from Aberdeen
DF Jimmy Harrison (1921-02-12)12 February 1921 (aged 20) Leicester City 1941 Guest from Leicester City
HB Ernie Collett (1914-11-17)17 November 1914 (aged 26) Arsenal 1942 Guest from Arsenal
HB Duncan McKenzie (1912-08-10)10 August 1912 (aged 29) Middlesbrough 1941 Guest from Middlesbrough
HB Tally Sneddon (1914-04-01)1 April 1914 (aged 27) Swansea Town 1942 Guest from Swansea Town
HB Bill Whittaker (1922-12-20)20 December 1922 (aged 18) Charlton Athletic 1942 Guest from Charlton Athletic
FW Albert Bonass (1911-05-29)29 May 1911 (aged 30) Queens Park Rangers 1941 Guest from Queens Park Rangers
FW Andy Duncan (1911-01-25)25 January 1911 (aged 30) Tottenham Hotspur 1942 Guest from Tottenham Hotspur
FW Len Duns (1916-09-26)26 September 1916 (aged 24) Sunderland 1941 Guest from Sunderland
FW Douglas Hunt (1914-05-19)19 May 1914 (aged 27) Sheffield Wednesday 1942 Guest from Sheffield Wednesday
FW Eric Jones (1915-02-15)15 February 1915 (aged 26) West Bromwich Albion 1942 Guest from West Bromwich Albion
FW Tommy Kiernan (1918-10-20)20 October 1918 (aged 22) Albion Rovers 1942 Guest from Albion Rovers
FW David McCulloch (1912-10-05)5 October 1912 (aged 28) Derby County 1941 Guest from Derby County
FW Tom Peacock (1912-09-14)14 September 1912 (aged 28) Nottingham Forest 1942 Guest from Nottingham Forest
FW Eddie Perry (1909-01-19)19 January 1909 (aged 32) Doncaster Rovers 1941 Guest from Doncaster Rovers
FW Douglas Smale (1916-03-27)27 March 1916 (aged 25) Chelsea 1941 Guest from Chelsea
FW John Smith 1921 (aged 20–21) Chelsea 1942 Guest from Chelsea
FW Trevor Smith (1910-09-08)8 September 1910 (aged 29) Crystal Palace 1941 Guest from Crystal Palace
  • Sources: Timeless Bees,[10] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939,[11] 100 Years Of Brentford[2]

Coaching staff
Name Role
Harry Curtis Manager
Jimmy Bain Assistant Manager
Bob Kane Trainer
Jack Cartmell Assistant Trainer

Statistics

Appearances and goals
Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Football League South season.
Pos Nat Name League L War Cup Cup Win. Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
DF Buster Brown29 0 9 0 1 0 39 0
DF George Poyser 24 0 8 0 1 0 33 0
HB Vic Aicken 7 0 — — 7 0
HB Jack Holliday 18 3 — — 18 3
HB Joe James 30 1 7 0 1 0 38 1
HB Ernest Muttitt 12 1 1 0 — 13 1
HB Tom Manley — 1 0 — 1 0
FW Tommy Cheetham — 2 3 — 2 3
FW Idris Hopkins 28 11 9 1 1 0 38 12
FW Les Smith 20 9 9 4 1 0 30 13
FW Len Townsend 13 9 — — 13 9
FW George Wilkins 17 5 7 3 1 0 25 8
Players guested during the season
GK Harry Brown 1 0 1 0 — 2 0
GK David Davison 1 0 — — 1 0
GK Harry Dukes 1 0 — — 1 0
GK John Jackson 8 0 3 0 1 0 12 0
GK George Poland 14 0 5 0 — 19 0
GK Jock Purdie 2 0 — — 2 0
GK Horace Rickett 2 0 — — 2 0
GK Sam Bartram 1 0 — — 1 0
DF Doug Anderson 5 0 — — 5 0
DF Jimmy Harrison 2 0 — — 2 0
HB Ernie Collett — — 1 1 1 1
HB Duncan McKenzie 26 2 9 1 1 0 36 3
HB Tally Sneddon 8 1 8 0 — 16 1
HB Bill Whittaker — 2 0 — 2 0
FW Albert Bonass 1 0 — — 1 0
FW Andy Duncan 1 1 — — 1 1
FW Len Duns 5 2 2 0 — 7 2
FW Douglas Hunt 24 14 8 4 1 0 33 18
FW Eric Jones 4 0 — — 4 0
FW Tommy Kiernan 1 0 — — 1 0
FW David McCulloch 1 0 — — 1 0
FW Tom Peacock 1 0 — — 1 0
FW Eddie Perry 19 16 7 4 1 0 27 20
FW Douglas Smale 3 1 — — 3 1
FW John Smith — 1 1 — 1 1
FW Trevor Smith 1 0 — — 1 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[2]

Goalscorers
Pos. Nat Player LFL LWC CWM Total
FW Eddie Perry 16 4 0 20
FW Douglas Hunt 14 4 0 18
FW Les Smith 9 4 0 13
FW Idris Hopkins 11 1 0 12
FW Len Townsend 9 — — 9
FW George Wilkins 5 3 0 8
HB Jack Holliday 3 — — 3
HB Duncan McKenzie 2 1 0 3
FW Tommy Cheetham — 3 — 3
FW Len Duns 2 0 — 2
FW Andy Duncan 1 — — 1
FW Douglas Smale 1 — — 1
HB Joe James 1 0 — 1
FW Ernest Muttitt 1 0 — 1
HB Tally Sneddon 1 0 — 1
HB Ernie Collett — — 1 1
FW John Smith — 1 — 1
Opponents 4 0 0 4
Total80 21 1 102
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[2]

Wartime international caps
Pos. Nat Player Caps Goals Ref
FW Idris Hopkins 2 1 [12]
FW Les Smith 1 0 [13]

Management
Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
PWDLW %PWDLW %
Harry Curtis 30 August 1941 6 June 1942 40 20 6 14 050.00|30 14 2 14 046.67

Summary
Games played40 (30 London League, 9 London War Cup, 1 War Cup Winners' Match)
Games won20 (14 London League, 6 London War Cup, 0 War Cup Winners' Match)
Games drawn6 (2 London League, 3 London War Cup, 1 War Cup Winners' Match)
Games lost14 (14 London League, 0 London War Cup, 0 War Cup Winners' Match)
Goals scored102 (80 London League, 21 London War Cup, 1 War Cup Winners' Match)
Goals conceded87 (76 London League, 10 London War Cup, 1 War Cup Winners' Match)
Clean sheets3 (0 London League, 3 London War Cup, 0 War Cup Winners' Match)
Biggest league win6–1 versus Watford, 22 November 1941
Worst league defeat5–0 versus West Ham United, 15 November 1941
Most appearances40, Buster Brown (29 London League, 9 London War Cup, 1 War Cup Winners' Match)
Top scorer (league)16, Eddie Perry
Top scorer (all competitions) 20, Eddie Perry

Transfers & loans
Guest players' arrival and departure dates correspond to their first and last appearances of the season.
Guest players in
Date from Pos. Name Previous Club Date to Ref.
30 August 1941 FW Douglas Hunt Sheffield Wednesday End of season [2]
30 August 1941 GK John Jackson Chelsea End of season [2]
30 August 1941 HB Duncan McKenzie Middlesbrough End of season [2]
30 August 1941 FW Eddie Perry Doncaster Rovers End of season [2]
6 September 1941 FW Eric Jones West Bromwich Albion 18 October 1941 [2]
11 October 1941 FW Douglas Smale Chelsea 3 January 1942 [2]
25 October 1941 GK Sam Bartram Charlton Athletic 25 October 1941 [2]
25 October 1941 FW Albert Bonass Queens Park Rangers 25 October 1941 [2]
25 October 1941 FW Trevor Smith Crystal Palace 25 October 1941 [2]
1 November 1941 GK George Poland Wrexham 25 April 1942 [2]
8 November 1941 FW David McCulloch Derby County 8 November 1941 [2]
15 November 1941 GK Harry Dukes Norwich City 15 November 1941 [2]
29 November 1941 DF Doug Anderson Aberdeen 31 January 1942 [2]
29 November 1941 FW Len Duns Sunderland 18 April 1942 [2]
6 December 1941 GK David Davison Blackburn Rovers 6 December 1941 [2]
27 December 1941 DF Jimmy Harrison Leicester City 10 January 1942 [2]
27 December 1941 GK Horace Rickett Southend United 10 January 1942 [2]
17 January 1942 HB Tally Sneddon Swansea Town 30 May 1942 [2]
7 February 1942 GK Jock Purdie Bradford City 28 February 1942 [2]
14 February 1942 FW Andy Duncan Tottenham Hotspur 14 February 1942 [2]
7 March 1942 FW Tom Peacock Nottingham Forest 7 March 1942 [2]
14 March 1942 GK Harry Brown Queens Park Rangers 21 March 1942 [2]
11 April 1942 HB Bill Whittaker Charlton Athletic 18 April 1942 [2]
18 April 1942 FW John Smith Chelsea 18 April 1942 [2]
25 April 1942 FW Tommy Kiernan Albion Rovers 25 April 1942 [2]
6 June 1942 HB Ernie Collett Arsenal End of season [2]
Guest players out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
30 August 1941 GK Joe Crozier Hibernian 4 July 1942 [14]
22 November 1941 FW Tommy Cheetham Lincoln City n/a [15]
14 February 1942 FW Len Townsend Chelsea 6 April 1942 [1]
9 May 1942 FW Tommy Cheetham Queens Park Rangers 9 May 1942 [16]
n/a HB Vic Aicken Clapton Orient n/a [1]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
2 March 1942 FW Percy Saunders Killed in action [8]

Notes
  1. Match played at Stamford Bridge, London.
  2. Match played at White Hart Lane, London.
  3. Match played at Wembley Stadium, London.

References
  1. White 1989, p. 171-173.
  2. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 376. ISBN 0951526200.
  3. "England 1941/42". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  4. White 1989, p. 169-170.
  5. McColl, Brian (2014). A Record of British Wartime Football. lulu.com. p. 149. ISBN 1291840893.
  6. History. "Brentford FC History". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  7. Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Harefield, Middlesex: Yore Publications. p. 84. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  8. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 141.
  9. White 1989, p. 375.
  10. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  11. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
  12. "Dai Hopkins". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  13. "Les Smith". 11v11.com. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  14. "Hibernian Player Joseph Crozier, Games Played". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  15. Vickers, John. "The Lincoln City FC Archive". www.redimps.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  16. "Seasonal Stats – Files – QPRnet – 1941–42". Retrieved 14 May 2019.
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