1979–80 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1979–80 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. Despite challenging for promotion in the first half of the season, a barren run between December 1979 and March 1980 meant that the Bees' Third Division status was only preserved on the final day of the season.

Brentford
1979–80 season
ChairmanDan Tana
ManagerBill Dodgin Jr.
(until 15 March 1980)
Fred Callaghan
(from 15 March 1980)
StadiumGriffin Park
Third Division19th
FA CupFirst round
League CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Phillips (12)
All: Phillips (12)
Highest home attendance13,764
Lowest home attendance4,992
Average home league attendance7,818

Season summary

Brentford manager Bill Dodgin Jr. oversaw one of the quietest off-seasons in recent years, with the only change being in the striking department – Andrew McCulloch departed for a club record £60,000 fee and in came Lee Holmes and Billy Holmes,[1] the latter for a £10,000 fee.[2] In direct contrast to the previous two seasons, Brentford started strongly, winning six and drawing three of the first 11 league matches of the season to rise to 3rd position in the Third Division on 10 October 1979.[3] Continued good results and a boost from the loan signing of winger Keith Fear put the Bees in 2nd place behind leaders Sheffield United one month later,[4] but after a 7–2 victory over Hull City on 8 December (the Bees' biggest win of the season), the team's form collapsed.[3]

Between 15 December 1979 and 29 March 1980, Brentford won just 7 of a possible 36 points and dropped from 3rd to 18th place.[3] A 1–0 home defeat to Rotherham United at Griffin Park on 29 March left the Bees just two points above the relegation zone and the result spelt the end for manager Bill Dodgin Jr, who was given a paid leave of absence until the end of the season by the Brentford board.[1] Former Woking manager Fred Callaghan was appointed to the position and oversaw something of a revival, though Brentford went into the final match of the season versus Millwall needing at least a point to guarantee safety.[1] A goal from one of Bill Dodgin Jr.'s final signings, Tony Funnell, was enough to preserve Brentford's Third Division status.[1][5]

One club record was equalled during the season:

  • Most consecutive away Football League clean sheets: 4 (8 September – 10 October 1979)[6]

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
17 Oxford United 46 14 13 19 57 62 −5 41
18 Blackpool 46 15 11 20 62 74 −12 41
19 Brentford 46 15 11 20 59 73 −14 41
20 Hull City 46 12 16 18 51 69 −18 40
21 Bury 46 16 7 23 45 59 −14 39 Relegated
Source: rsssf.com

Results
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend
Win Draw Loss

Pre-season
DateOpponentVenueResultScorer(s)
31 July 1979WrexhamH5–1Phillips (3), Shrubb, Fraser
3 August 1979Charlton AthleticH2–1McNichol, L. Holmes
7 August 1979St Albans CityA1–0McNichol
8 August 1979Epson & EwellA2–0L. Holmes, Glover

Football League Third Division
No. DateOpponentVenueResult AttendanceScorer(s)
1 18 August 1979ReadingA2–2 8,140Henderson (og), Fraser
2 25 August 1979Swindon TownA0–4 7,204
3 1 September 1979ChesterfieldH3–1 5,762Carlton, Fraser, W. Holmes
4 8 September 1979Sheffield WednesdayA2–0 11,778L. Holmes, Phillips
5 15 September 1979Grimsby TownH1–0 7,121Salman
6 17 September 1979Exeter City H0–2 7,809
7 22 September 1979WimbledonA0–0 5,524
8 29 September 1979Southend UnitedH2–0 6,928McNichol, Phillips
9 3 October 1979Exeter CityA0–0 3,297
10 6 October 1979BarnsleyH3–1 7,292Kruse, L. Holmes, Smith
11 10 October 1979Oxford United A2–0 6,362McNichol, Phillips
12 13 October 1979BlackpoolA4–5 5,386Carlton, Phillips, W. Holmes, McNichol
13 20 October 1979Blackburn RoversH2–0 7,970McNichol, Phillips
14 22 October 1979Sheffield UnitedH1–2 13,764Smith
15 27 October 1979Plymouth ArgyleA1–0 5,203J. Graham
16 3 November 1979ReadingH2–2 10,011Smith (2)
17 6 November 1979Sheffield UnitedA2–0 14,808Tibbott (og), Smith
18 10 November 1979Colchester UnitedH1–0 9,070McNichol
19 17 November 1979Rotherham UnitedA2–4 4,709McNichol (2, 1 pen)
20 1 December 1979Carlisle UnitedA1–3 4,275L. Holmes
21 8 December 1979Hull CityH7–2 6,793Phillips (2), Booker (3), Fear, Kruse
22 15 December 1979Oxford UnitedH1–1 7,592Salman
23 21 December 1979BuryA2–4 2,443Fraser, Booker
24 26 December 1979ChesterH2–2 10,139McNichol, Fear
25 29 December 1979Swindon Town H1–3 12,122Fraser
26 5 January 1980Gillingham H0–2 7,849
27 12 January 1980Chesterfield A0–1 5,529
28 19 January 1980Sheffield Wednesday H2–2 8,389Phillips, L. Holmes
29 2 February 1980 Grimsby Town A 1–5 9,817 Phillips
30 9 February 1980WimbledonH0–1 7,383
31 16 February 1980Southend UnitedA2–3 4,198Shrubb, Phillips
32 23 February 1980BlackpoolH2–1 6,403Booker, Salman
33 1 March 1980 Blackburn Rovers A 0–3 10,227
34 8 March 1980Plymouth ArgyleH0–0 6,462
35 10 March 1980Mansfield TownA0–0 3,461
36 15 March 1980Barnsley A0–1 9,368
37 18 March 1980MillwallA1–3 6,107Kruse
38 23 March 1980 Colchester United A 1–6 3,821 Funnell
39 29 March 1980Rotherham UnitedH0–1 4,992
40 5 April 1980ChesterA1–1 2,930Phillips
41 7 April 1980Mansfield TownH2–0 6,057L. Holmes, Phillips
42 8 April 1980BuryH0–0 6,751
43 12 April 1980Gillingham A1–0 5,889Booker
44 19 April 1980Carlisle United H0–3 6,130
45 26 April 1980 Hull City A 1–2 5,382 L. Holmes
46 3 May 1980Millwall H1–0 7,033Funnell

FA Cup
Main article: 1979–80 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance Scorer
1R24 November 1979Swindon Town A1–4 9,472 Smith

Football League Cup
Main article: 1979–80 Football League Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance Scorer
1R (1st leg) 15 August 1979 Southend United A 1–2 4,780 L. Holmes
1R (2nd leg)21 August 1979Southend United H1–4 (lost 6–2 on aggregate) 7,818 Allder
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[7] The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[8] Statto

Playing squad
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1979–80 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Len Bond (1954-01-12)12 January 1954 (aged 25) Bristol City 1977
GK Trevor Porter (1956-10-16)16 October 1956 (aged 22) Slough Town 1978
Defenders
DF Iori Jenkins (1959-12-11)11 December 1959 (aged 19) Chelsea 1979
DF Pat Kruse (1953-11-30)30 November 1953 (aged 25) Torquay United 1977
DF Jim McNichol (1958-06-09)9 June 1958 (aged 21) Luton Town 1978
DF Danis Salman (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 19) Youth 1975
DF Paul Shrubb (1955-08-01)1 August 1955 (aged 24) Hellenic 1977
DF Barry Tucker (1952-08-28)28 August 1952 (aged 26) Northampton Town 1978
Midfielders
MF Doug Allder (1951-12-30)30 December 1951 (aged 27) Unattached 1977
MF Dave Carlton (1952-11-24)24 November 1952 (aged 26) Northampton Town 1976
MF John Fraser (1953-07-12)12 July 1953 (aged 26) Fulham 1976
MF Allan Glover (1950-10-21)21 October 1950 (aged 28) Orient 1978
MF Jackie Graham (c) (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 33) Guildford City 1970
MF Willie Graham (1959-02-14)14 February 1959 (aged 20) Northampton Town 1977
MF Paul Walker (1960-12-17)17 December 1960 (aged 18) Youth 1976
Forwards
FW Bob Booker (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 21) Bedmond Sports & Social 1978 Loaned to Barnet
FW Tony Funnell (1957-08-20)20 August 1957 (aged 21) Gillingham 1980
FW Billy Holmes (1951-02-04)4 February 1951 (aged 28) Hereford United 1979
FW Lee Holmes (1955-09-28)28 September 1955 (aged 23) Haringey Borough 1979
FW Steve Phillips (1954-08-04)4 August 1954 (aged 25) Northampton Town 1977
FW Dean Smith (1958-11-28)28 November 1958 (aged 20) Leicester City 1977
Players who left the club mid-season
DF Steve Harding (1956-07-23)23 July 1956 (aged 23) Bristol Rovers 1980 Returned to Bristol Rovers after loan
MF Noel Parkinson (1959-11-16)16 November 1959 (aged 19) Ipswich Town 1980 Returned to Ipswich Town from loan
FW Keith Fear (1952-05-08)8 May 1952 (aged 27) Plymouth Argyle 1979 Returned to Plymouth Argyle after loan
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[9] Timeless Bees[10]

Coaching staff

Bill Dodgin Jr. (15 August 1979 – 15 March 1980)
Name Role
Bill Dodgin Jr. Manager
Tommy Baldwin Assistant Manager
Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Fred Callaghan (15 March – 3 May 1980)
Name Role
Fred Callaghan Manager
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 Len Bond 42 0 1 0 2 0 45 0
GK Trevor Porter 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
DF Iori Jenkins 1 0 — — 1 0
DF Pat Kruse 44 3 1 0 2 0 47 3
DF Jim McNichol 31 8 1 0 2 0 34 8
DF Danis Salman 39 (2) 3 1 0 1 0 41 (2) 3
DF Paul Shrubb 34 (5) 1 0 (1) 0 2 0 36 (6) 1
DF Barry Tucker 41 (1) 0 1 0 0 0 42 (1) 0
MF Doug Allder 19 (8) 0 1 0 1 (1) 1 21 (9) 1
MF Dave Carlton 38 2 1 0 2 0 41 2
MF John Fraser 42 4 1 0 2 0 45 4
MF Allan Glover 3 (1) 0 0 0 2 0 5 (1) 0
MF Jackie Graham 30 (1) 1 1 0 0 0 31 (1) 1
MF Willie Graham 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
MF Paul Walker 2 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 2 (1) 0
FW Bob Booker 9 (3) 6 — 0 0 9 (3) 6
FW Tony Funnell 8 (1) 2 — — 8 (1) 2
FW Billy Holmes 8 (7) 2 0 0 0 0 8 (7) 2
FW Lee Holmes 26 (2) 6 0 0 2 1 28 (2) 7
FW Steve Phillips 45 (1) 12 1 0 2 0 48 (1) 12
FW Dean Smith 20 (2) 5 1 1 2 0 23 (2) 6
Players loaned in during the season
DF Steve Harding 3 (1) 0 — — 3 (1) 0
MF Keith Fear 7 (1) 2 — — 7 (1) 2
MF Noel Parkinson 9 (1) 0 — — 9 (1) 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[7]

Goalscorers
Pos. Nat Player FL3 FAC FLC Total
FW Steve Phillips 12 0 0 12
DF Jim McNichol 8 0 0 8
FW Lee Holmes 7 0 0 7
FW Bob Booker 6 0 0 6
FW Dean Smith 5 1 0 6
MF John Fraser 4 0 0 4
DF Pat Kruse 3 0 0 3
DF Danis Salman 3 0 0 3
MF Keith Fear 2 — — 2
FW Tony Funnell 2 — — 2
MF Dave Carlton 2 0 0 2
FW Billy Holmes 2 0 0 2
MF Doug Allder 1 0 0 1
MF Jackie Graham 1 0 0 1
DF Paul Shrubb 1 0 0 1
Opponents 2 0 0 2
Total591 262
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[7]

Management
Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
PWDLW %PWDLW %
Bill Dodgin, Jr. 15 August 1979 29 March 1980 42 12 9 21 028.57 39 12 9 18 030.77
Fred Callaghan 29 March 1980 3 May 1980 7 3 2 2 042.86 7 3 2 2 042.86

Summary
Games played49 (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Games won15 (15 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games drawn11 (11 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games lost23 (20 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Goals scored62 (59 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Goals conceded83 (73 Third Division, 4 FA Cup, 6 League Cup)
Clean sheets16 (16 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Biggest league win7–2 versus Hull City, 8 December 1979
Worst league defeat6–1 versus Colchester United, 23 March 1980
Most appearances49, Steve Phillips (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Top scorer (league)12, Steve Phillips
Top scorer (all competitions)12, Steve Phillips

Transfers & loans
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
June 1979 FW Lee Holmes Haringey Borough n/a [11]
August 1979 FW Billy Holmes Hereford United £10,000 [2]
September 1979 DF Dave O'Mahoney n/a n/a [2]
November 1979 DF Iori Jenkins Chelsea Free [2]
1979 MF Terry Benning Watford n/a [2]
January 1980 n/a Barry Bowen n/a Non-contract [2]
March 1980 FW Tony Funnell Gillingham £56,000 [2]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
November 1979 MF Keith Fear Plymouth Argyle January 1980 [2]
January 1980 DF Steve Harding Bristol Rovers February 1980 [2]
February 1980 MF Noel Parkinson Ipswich Town April 1980 [2]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
June 1979 FW Andrew McCulloch Sheffield Wednesday £60,000 [2]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
October 1979 FW Bob Booker Barnet December 1979 [2]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
May 1980 MF Doug Allder Tooting & Mitcham United 1980 [12]
May 1980 MF Terry Benning n/a n/a [12]
May 1980 MF Allan Glover Staines Town 1980 [12]
May 1980 MF Jackie Graham Addlestone & Weybridge Town 1980 [12]
May 1980 FW Billy Holmes Aylesbury United 1980 [12]
May 1980 GK Trevor Porter Retired [12]

Awards

References
  1. White, p. 312-313.
  2. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 212-216.
  3. Ltd, Statto Organisation. "Brentford results for the 1979-1980 season - Statto.com". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  4. Ltd, Statto Organisation. "Brentford Table on Saturday 10th November 1979 - Statto.com". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  5. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 198.
  6. Ltd, Statto Organisation. "Brentford scoring and sequence records - Statto.com". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  7. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 395. ISBN 0951526200.
  8. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 158-169.
  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. "Lee Holmes". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  12. White, p. 314.
  13. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 295.
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