1970–71 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1970–71 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. A forgettable season was chiefly remembered for a run to the fifth round of the FA Cup, the furthest the Bees had progressed in the competition since 1948–49.

Brentford
1970–71 season
ChairmanWalter Wheatley
(until January 1971)
Eric Radley-Smith
(from January 1971)
ManagerFrank Blunstone
StadiumGriffin Park
Fourth Division14th
FA CupFifth round
League CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Ross (15)
All: Ross (16)
Highest home attendance10,058
Lowest home attendance4,176
Average home league attendance6,776

Season summary

After taking over halfway through an encouraging 1969–70 season, Brentford manager Frank Blunstone went into the 1970–71 Fourth Division season with the belief that the club would be able to finish one place higher and gain automatic promotion.[1] Five players were released (including ageing defensive stalwarts Tommy Higginson and Allan Jones) and three were transferred in – midfielder Jackie Graham from Guildford City,[2] utility player Paul Bence from Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea youth defender Michael Maskell.[1] Due to financial constraints, Blunstone's squad was limited to just 16 players for the fourth consecutive season,[1] but the youth team was reactivated after being disbanded due to budget cuts in 1967.[3]

Everything went wrong as the season got underway, with a failure to win any of the opening 9 matches of the season in all competitions setting a new post-war club record.[4] The loan signing of former Busby Babe Alex Dawson from Brighton & Hove Albion in September 1970 helped improve matters, with the forward scoring 7 goals in 11 appearances and inspiring a five-match winning streak in October and November.[5] Frustratingly, a £7,000 deal to buy him fell through and he left the club after his loan expired.[6] The final match in which Dawson scored was a 2–1 victory over Gillingham in the FA Cup first round and while the team would slowly pull themselves away from the relegation zone and finish comfortably in mid-table, the FA Cup gradually became the main focus of the season.[7] Third Division club Walsall were beaten in the second round, but the third round draw failed to produce a money-spininng tie and instead an away trip to fellow Fourth Division club Workington.[7] A John Docherty goal was enough to see off Workington and the fourth round draw produced another away tie, this time to Second Division club Cardiff City.[5] Over 23,000 watched Brentford run out 2–0 winners at Ninian Park, courtesy of goals from Jackie Graham and John Docherty.[5] Brentford also faced Second Division opponents in the fifth round – Hull City and victory would have made Brentford the second Fourth Division club to reach the last-eight of the FA Cup.[8] Brentford took the lead through Bobby Ross at Boothferry Park, but two late goals from the Tigers ended the Bees' run.[8]

Significantly for the long-term future of Brentford, the FA Cup run generated £8,000, which helped boost the profit on the season to £20,000 and enabled the final instalment of the club's 1967 £104,000 loan (equivalent to £1,480,800 in 2020) to be paid off.[1] A 6–4 victory over York City on 9 November 1970 equalled the club record for highest aggregate score in a Football League match.[9]

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
12 Darlington 46 17 11 18 58 57 1.018 45
13 Aldershot 46 14 17 15 66 71 0.930 45
14 Brentford 46 18 8 20 66 62 1.065 44
15 Crewe Alexandra 46 18 8 20 75 76 0.987 44
16 Peterborough United 46 18 7 21 70 71 0.986 43
Source: rsssf.com

Results
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend
Win Draw Loss

Pre-season
DateOpponentVenueResult AttendanceScorer(s)
1 August 1970Plymouth ArgyleA0–2 n/a
3 August 1970Yeovil TownA2–2 n/aDocherty, Hawley
8 August 1970Hillingdon BoroughA1–1 n/aCross
10 August 1970Bristol RoversH1–1 3,900Docherty

Football League Fourth Division
No. DateOpponentVenueResult AttendanceScorer(s)
1 15 August 1970ChesterH1–2 6,477Docherty
2 22 August 1970Lincoln CityA0–2 6,813
3 29 August 1970SouthportH0–1 5,324
4 31 August 1970Cambridge UnitedA0–1 6,654
5 5 September 1970Oldham AthleticA1–5 4,866Tawse
6 12 September 1970Peterborough UnitedH1–1 4,176Ross
7 19 September 1970Notts County A0–0 10,281
8 23 September 1970Crewe Alexandra A3–5 1,909Cross, Gater (og), Turner
9 26 September 1970DarlingtonH1–0 4,841Docherty
10 28 September 1970Stockport CountyA0–1 4,387
11 3 October 1970Northampton TownA0–1 6,282
12 10 October 1970Bournemouth & Boscombe AthleticH1–2 5,965Graham
13 17 October 1970ChesterA2–1 5,834Dawson, Cross
14 19 October 1970Aldershot H2–3 7,648Dawson, Ross
15 24 October 1970Southend UnitedA3–4 6,052Docherty, Dawson, Ross
16 31 October 1970Exeter CityH5–0 5,267Docherty (2), Cross, Graham, Ross
17 7 November 1970Newport CountyA1–0 2,407Dawson
18 9 November 1970York City H6–4 5,955Dawson, Cross (2), Docherty (3)
19 14 November 1970Grimsby TownH2–0 5,497Dawson, Ross (pen)
20 28 November 1970 Colchester United A 0–4 4,673
21 5 December 1970Barrow H2–1 5,632Cross, Ross
22 19 December 1970Lincoln CityH2–1 5,966Graham, Bence
23 26 December 1970Scunthorpe United A1–1 4,736Cross
24 9 January 1971Stockport CountyH3–0 7,340Docherty, Ross, Cross
25 16 January 1971AldershotA0–1 7,533
26 6 February 1971BarrowA1–0 2,338Bence
27 20 February 1971York CityA0–0 3,366
28 24 February 1971HartlepoolH1–0 9,246Graham
29 27 February 1971Exeter CityA0–1 3,892
30 6 March 1971Southend UnitedH4–2 6,348Cross, Ross (2, 1 pen)
31 8 March 1971Crewe AlexandraH3–1 7,631Bence, Neilson, Ross
32 13 March 1971Grimsby TownA5–1 3,336Cross, Bence, Ross (2)
33 15 March 1971HartlepoolA0–0 2,936
34 20 March 1971Newport CountyH0–3 8,421
35 24 March 1971 Workington A 1–1 1,731 Docherty
36 27 March 1971 Oldham Athletic H 1–1 7,207 Renwick
37 29 March 1971Colchester UnitedH1–0 9,209Neilson
38 3 April 1971SouthportA0–2 2,026
39 9 April 1971Northampton Town H3–0 10,058Ross (2), Turner
40 10 April 1971Scunthorpe UnitedH0–1 7,561
41 12 April 1971Peterborough UnitedA2–1 3,841Neilson, Ross
42 17 April 1971Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic A0–1 11,206
43 24 April 1971Notts County H2–2 9,229Cross, Graham
44 26 April 1971Cambridge UnitedH1–2 5,994O'Mara
45 1 May 1971Darlington A1–2 1,629Cross
46 7 May 1971 Workington H 3–0 4,781 Neilson, Graham, O'Mara

FA Cup
Main article: 1970–71 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 21 November 1970 Gillingham H 2–1 8,000 Docherty, Dawson
2R 11 December 1970 Walsall H 1–0 8,500 Cross
3R 2 January 1971 Workington A 1–0 5,953 Docherty
4R 23 January 1971 Cardiff City A 2–0 23,335 Graham, Docherty
5R13 February 1971Hull City A1–2 29,709 Ross

Football League Cup
Main article: 1970–71 Football League Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance
1R18 August 1970Aldershot A0–1 6,899
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[10] Statto

Playing squad
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1970–71 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Chic Brodie (1937-02-22)22 February 1937 (aged 33) Northampton Town 1963
GK Gordon Phillips (1946-11-17)17 November 1946 (aged 23) Hayes 1963
Defenders
DF Paul Bence (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 21) Reading 1970
DF Peter Gelson (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 28) Youth 1961
DF Alan Hawley (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 24) Youth 1962
DF Alan Nelmes (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 21) Chelsea 1967
DF Dick Renwick (1942-11-27)27 November 1942 (aged 27) Aldershot 1969
Midfielders
MF John Docherty (1940-04-29)29 April 1940 (aged 30) Reading 1970
MF Alan Gane (1950-06-11)11 June 1950 (aged 20) Slough Town 1971 Amateur
MF Jackie Graham (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 24) Guildford City 1970
MF Allan Mansley (1946-08-31)31 August 1946 (aged 23) Blackpool 1968 Loaned to Fulham and Notts County
MF Gordon Neilson (1947-05-28)28 May 1947 (aged 23) Arsenal 1968
MF Bobby Ross (c) (1942-05-10)10 May 1942 (aged 28) Shrewsbury Town 1966
MF Brian Tawse (1945-07-30)30 July 1945 (aged 25) Brighton & Hove Albion 1970 Loaned to Folkestone
MF Brian Turner (1949-07-31)31 July 1949 (aged 21) Portsmouth 1970
Forwards
FW Roger Cross (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 21) West Ham United 1970
FW Mick Heath (1953-01-09)9 January 1953 (aged 17) Walton & Hersham 1971 Amateur
FW John O'Mara (1947-03-19)19 March 1947 (aged 23) Wimbledon 1971
Players who left the club mid-season
DF Michael Maskell (1952-01-25)25 January 1952 (aged 18) Chelsea 1970 Released
FW Alex Dawson (1940-02-21)21 February 1940 (aged 30) Brighton & Hove Albion 1970 Returned to Brighton & Hove Albion after loan
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[10] Timeless Bees[11]

Coaching staff
Name Role
Frank Blunstone Manager
Eddie Lyons Trainer

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 Chic Brodie 17 0 1 0 1 0 19 0
GK Gordon Phillips 29 0 4 0 0 0 33 0
DF Paul Bence 44 4 5 0 1 0 50 4
DF Peter Gelson 45 0 5 0 1 0 51 0
DF Alan Hawley 25 (1) 0 3 0 1 0 29 (1) 0
DF Michael Maskell 1 0 — 0 0 1 0
DF Alan Nelmes 46 0 5 0 1 0 52 0
DF Dick Renwick 40 1 5 0 0 0 45 1
MF John Docherty 35 (1) 10 5 3 1 0 41 (1) 13
MF Jackie Graham 42 6 5 1 1 0 48 7
MF Allan Mansley 7 (2) 0 0 0 0 0 7 (2) 0
MF Gordon Neilson 16 (3) 4 2 (1) 0 1 0 19 (4) 4
MF Bobby Ross 46 15 5 1 1 0 52 16
MF Brian Tawse 7 (2) 1 0 0 1 0 8 (2) 1
MF Brian Turner 40 (2) 2 4 0 1 0 45 (2) 2
FW Roger Cross 46 14 5 1 1 0 52 15
FW Mick Heath 1 0 — — 1 0
FW John O'Mara 9 2 — — 9 2
Players loaned in during the season
FW Alex Dawson 10 6 1 1 — 11 7
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[5]

Goalscorers
Pos. Nat Player FL4 FAC FLC Total
MF Bobby Ross 15 1 0 16
FW Roger Cross 14 1 0 15
MF John Docherty 10 3 0 13
FW Alex Dawson 6 1 — 7
MF Jackie Graham 6 1 0 7
DF Paul Bence 4 0 0 4
MF Gordon Neilson 4 0 0 4
FW John O'Mara 2 — — 2
MF Brian Turner 2 0 0 2
DF Dick Renwick 1 0 0 1
MF Brian Tawse 1 0 0 1
Opponents 1 0 0 1
Total667 073
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[5]

Management
Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
PWDLW %PWDLW %
Frank Blunstone 15 August 1970 7 May 1971 52 22 8 22 042.31 46 18 8 20 039.13

Summary
Games played52 (46 Fourth Division, 5 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Games won22 (18 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games drawn8 (8 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games lost22 (20 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored73 (66 Fourth Division, 7 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Goals conceded66 (62 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Clean sheets16 (13 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Biggest league win5–0 versus Exeter City, 31 October 1970
Worst league defeat4–0 versus Colchester United, 28 November 1970; 5–1 versus Oldham Athletic, 5 September 1970
Most appearances52, Roger Cross, Alan Nelmes, Bobby Ross (46 Fourth Division, 5 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Top scorer (league)15, Bobby Ross
Top scorer (all competitions)16, Bobby Ross

Transfers & loans
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
July 1970 DF Paul Bence Reading Free [6]
July 1970 MF Jackie Graham Guildford City £2,500 [12]
July 1970 DF Michael Maskell Chelsea Free [6]
1970 DF Richard Poole n/a n/a [13]
1970 DF Kevin Harding n/a n/a [13]
March 1971 FW John O'Mara Wimbledon £1,000 [6]
April 1971 FW Mick Heath Walton & Hersham Amateur [14]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
September 1970 FW Alex Dawson Brighton & Hove Albion November 1970 [15]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
November 1970 MF Allan Mansley Fulham December 1970 [6]
February 1971 MF Brian Tawse Folkestone n/a [6]
March 1971 MF Allan Mansley Notts County n/a [6]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
October 1970 DF Michael Maskell Stevenage Athletic 1970 [6]
May 1971 GK Chic Brodie Margate July 1971 [16]
May 1971 MF Allan Mansley Notts County May 1971 [6]
May 1971 MF Brian Tawse Durban City 1971 [17]
June 1971 DF Dick Renwick Stockport County October 1971 [18]

Awards

References
  1. White 1989, p. 277-283.
  2. White 1989, p. 276.
  3. Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 357.
  4. Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 14.
  5. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 391. ISBN 0951526200.
  6. Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 28-31.
  7. "Brentford results for the 1970-1971 season - Statto.com". Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  8. "Brentford FC Moment in Time: Hull City". Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  9. Ltd, Statto Organisation. "Brentford scoring and sequence records - Statto.com". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  10. Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  11. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  12. Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 259-260.
  13. Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 358.
  14. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 74.
  15. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 46.
  16. "Chic Brodie". 20 September 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  17. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 158.
  18. Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 257-258.
  19. Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2011, p. 295.
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