1967–68 season of Brentford F.C.
Brentford 1967–68 football season
Brentford1967–68 season |
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Chairman | Ron Blindell |
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Manager | Jimmy Sirrel |
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Stadium | Griffin Park |
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Fourth Division | 14th |
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FA Cup | First round |
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League Cup | First round |
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Top goalscorer | League: Docherty, Lawther (11) All: Docherty (12) |
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Highest home attendance | 9,440 |
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Lowest home attendance | 3,740 |
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Average home league attendance | 6,211 |
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During the 1967–68 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. Weathering the storm of a severe financial crisis for the second successive season, the threadbare squad managed a mid-table finish.
Season summary
The positive outcome of the events of 19 January 1967 meant that Brentford would stay in business long enough to compete in the 1967–68 Fourth Division season. A syndicate headed by Ron Blindell had taken over the shares of former chairman Jack Dunnett and assumed control of the club, with Blindell as chairman. With a £100,000 debt (equivalent to £2,292,600 in 2024) needing to be paid by 30 June 1968, drastic cost-cutting measures were enacted at Griffin Park. Brentford's reserve and youth teams were scrapped and a mass clear-out of the squad led to just 16 professionals being retained. Having been installed in the role full-time, manager Jimmy Sirrel was permitted to sign a small number of players, including Chelsea youth product Alan Nelmes and Charlton Athletic's inside forward Cliff Myers.
Injuries to John Richardson and George Thomson prior to the opening match of the season left Brentford with just 15 fit players and a lack of personnel would be a running saga during the campaign. Regular goals from John Docherty and Ian Lawther in the early months of the season helped Brentford tread water in mid-table and then slowly rise towards the promotion places, coming as high as 6th place by early December 1967.[3] Hopes of money-raising runs in the FA Cup and League Cup were extinguished with first round defeats in each competition, but chairman Blindell had revealed the positive news in November that the club was more or less breaking even. 9 defeats and just one victory in a 12-match spell between December 1967 and February 1968 undid all the good early-season work and dropped the Bees back into mid-table.[3] Manager Sirrel was permitted to spend £12,000 on attackers Ron Fenton and Allan Mansley in January 1968, but was forced to sell Cliff Myers and top-scorer John Docherty to balance the books.
By March 1968, spiralling debts and the "Brentford Borough" saga threatened the club's existence for the second time in a year. With £70,000 of the £135,000 debt needed to be paid in June 1968, former director Walter Wheatley stepped in and provided the club with a £69,000 interest-fee loan, repayable in 12 months. On the pitch, the team had experienced something of a revival, winning five matches and drawing two of a 9-match spell between late February and early April,[3] but the retirement of George Thomson and the departure of Eddie Reeve left manager Jimmy Sirrel with just 14 players with which to complete the season. Brentford finished in 14th place and used just 18 outfield players during the course of the season.[4]
League table
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal average; 3) number of goals scored.
Results
- Brentford's goal tally listed first.
Legend
No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
1 | 19 August 1967 | Hartlepools United | A | 0–2 | 5,343 | |
2 | 26 August 1967 | Newport County | H | 3–1 | 4,500 | Docherty, Lawther, Dobson |
3 | 2 September 1967 | York City | A | 1–0 | 4,529 | Docherty |
4 | 5 September 1967 | Swansea Town | A | 1–2 | 6,559 | Docherty (pen) |
5 | 9 September 1967 | Rochdale | H | 4–0 | 5,630 | Ross, Docherty, Lawther, Melledew (og) |
6 | 16 September 1967 | Halifax Town | H | 0–0 | 6,890 | |
7 | 23 September 1967 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 0–1 | 3,403 | |
8 | 26 September 1967 | Swansea Town | H | 2–1 | 7,570 | Lawther, Docherty |
9 | 30 September 1967 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 4–2 | 7,300 | Lawther, Edwards, Jones, Thomson |
10 | 2 October 1967 | Wrexham | A | 2–1 | 8,000 | Smith (og), Docherty |
11 | 7 October 1967 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 0–2 | 6,246 | |
12 | 14 October 1967 | Notts County | H | 2–1 | 7,430 | Edwards, Lawther |
13 | 21 October 1967 | Port Vale | A | 1–4 | 5,944 | Higginson |
14 | 24 October 1967 | Wrexham | H | 0–0 | 7,960 | |
15 | 28 October 1967 | Chester | H | 3–1 | 6,290 | Hooker, Thomson, Hawley |
16 | 4 November 1967 | Chesterfield | A | 1–2 | 9,644 | Higginson |
17 | 11 November 1967 | Exeter City | H | 5–1 | 7,215 | Lawther (2), Ross, Wilkinson (og), Docherty |
18 | 14 November 1967 | York City | H | 3–1 | 7,910 | Lawther, Gelson, Dobson |
19 | 18 November 1967 | Darlington | A | 3–2 | 4,789 | Gelson, Dobson, Albeson (og) |
20 | 25 November 1967 | Aldershot | H | 1–1 | 9,440 | Docherty |
21 | 2 December 1967 | Workington | A | 0–2 | 1,764 | |
22 | 16 December 1967 | Hartlepools United | H | 0–1 | 6,200 | |
23 | 23 December 1967 | Newport County | A | 2–2 | 2,700 | Docherty (2) |
24 | 26 December 1967 | Southend United | H | 1–2 | 8,360 | Richardson |
25 | 30 December 1967 | Southend United | A | 0–1 | 9,059 | |
26 | 6 January 1968 | Barnsley | H | 0–1 | 5,180 | |
27 | 20 January 1968 | Halifax Town | A | 0–3 | 4,610 | |
28 | 27 January 1968 | Bradford City | H | 0–1 | 5,550 | |
29 | 3 February 1968 | Bradford Park Avenue | H | 2–1 | 4,310 | Dobson, Fenton |
30 | 10 February 1968 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 0–2 | 7,183 | |
31 | 17 February 1968 | Luton Town | H | 0–2 | 7,710 | |
32 | 24 February 1968 | Darlington | H | 2–0 | 4,155 | Lawther (2) |
33 | 2 March 1968 | Notts County | A | 1–2 | 4,486 | Nelmes |
34 | 9 March 1968 | Bradford City | A | 3–2 | 7,118 | Fenton (2), Gelson (pen) |
35 | 16 March 1968 | Port Vale | H | 3–1 | 4,700 | Fenton, Hawley, Mansley |
36 | 18 March 1968 | Rochdale | A | 1–1 | 1,722 | Cockcroft (og) |
37 | 23 March 1968 | Chester | A | 0–3 | 2,861 | |
38 | 30 March 1968 | Chesterfield | H | 1–1 | 3,845 | Lawther |
39 | 6 April 1968 | Exeter City | A | 3–0 | 3,900 | Higginson, Fenton (2) |
40 | 13 April 1968 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 2–1 | 5,390 | Mansley (2) |
41 | 15 April 1968 | Barnsley | A | 0–3 | 12,174 | |
42 | 20 April 1968 | Aldershot | A | 0–0 | 5,183 | |
43 | 23 April 1968 | Lincoln City | H | 1–3 | 4,890 | Gelson (pen) |
44 | 27 April 1968 | Workington | H | 2–1 | 3,740 | Mansley, Gelson |
45 | 4 May 1968 | Lincoln City | A | 0–1 | 8,701 | |
46 | 11 May 1968 | Luton Town | A | 1–2 | 14,643 | Moore (og) |
FA Cup
Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
1R | 23 August 1967 | Southend United | A | 0–1 | 7,905 |
- Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,[5] Statto
Playing squad
- Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1967–68 season.
- Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,[5] Timeless Bees[6]
Coaching staff
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
GK | | Gordon Phillips | 45 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 0 |
DF | | Peter Gelson | 43 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 5 |
DF | | Alan Hawley | 46 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 2 |
DF | | Tommy Higginson | 41 (1) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 (1) | 3 |
DF | | Allan Jones | 42 (1) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 (1) | 1 |
DF | | Alan Nelmes | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 26 (1) | 1 |
MF | | George Dobson | 36 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 3 |
MF | | John Docherty | 28 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 12 |
MF | | Allan Mansley | 19 | 4 | — | — | 19 | 4 |
MF | | Cliff Myers | 9 (1) | 0 | 1 (1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 (2) | 2 |
MF | | John Richardson | 20 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 (1) | 1 |
MF | | Bobby Ross | 39 (2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 (2) | 2 |
MF | | George Thomson | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 2 |
FW | | Ron Fenton | 19 | 6 | — | — | 19 | 6 |
FW | | Keith Hooker | 16 (5) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 (5) | 1 |
FW | | Ian Lawther | 40 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 11 |
FW | | Eddie Reeve | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 |
FW | | Ron Still | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
Players loaned in during the season |
FW | | Dennis Edwards | 11 | 2 | — | — | 11 | 2 |
- Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
- Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[5]
Goalscorers
- 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 |
P | W | D | L | W % | P | W | D | L | W % |
Jimmy Sirrel | | 19 August 1967 | 11 May 1968 | 49 | 18 | 8 | 23 | 036.73 | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 039.13 |
Summary
Games played | 49 (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
Games won | 18 (18 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
Games drawn | 8 (7 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
Games lost | 23 (21 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
Goals scored | 64 (61 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
Goals conceded | 69 (64 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
Clean sheets | 7 (7 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
Biggest league win | 4–0 versus Rochdale, 9 September 1967; 5–1 versus Exeter City, 11 November 1967 |
Worst league defeat | 3–0 on three occasions; 4–1 versus Port Vale, 21 October 1967 |
Most appearances | 49, Alan Hawley (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
Top scorer (league) | 11, John Docherty, Ian Lawther |
Top scorer (all competitions) | 12, John Docherty |
Transfers & loans
Notes
- ^ a b Both teams wore change colours.
References
- ^ a b c "Brentford results for the 1967–1968 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ "Brentford League Table 1967-1968". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 389. ISBN 0951526200.
- ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ^ a b "Geoff Anderson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ a b Brentford Football Club Official Programme – Season 1967–68 – Football League Div. IV – Brentford v. Luton Town (PDF). Brentford: The Brentford Printing & Publishing Co. 17 February 1968. p. 6.
- ^ Sands, George (24 May 1968). "End of a frustrating season. December–January slump kills Bees' chances of promotion". Middlesex Chronicle.