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1967–68 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1967–68 season
ChairmanRon Blindell
ManagerJimmy Sirrel
StadiumGriffin Park
Fourth Division14th
FA CupFirst round
League CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Docherty,
Lawther (11)
All: Docherty (12)
Highest home attendance9,440
Lowest home attendance3,740
Average home league attendance6,211

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

[edit]

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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[2] Brentford's reserve and youth teams were scrapped and a mass clear-out of the squad led to just 16 professionals being retained.[2] 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.[2]

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.[2] 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.[2] 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.[2]

By March 1968, spiralling debts and the "Brentford Borough" saga threatened the club's existence for the second time in a year.[2] 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.[2] 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.[2] Brentford finished in 14th place and used just 18 outfield players during the course of the season.[2][4]

League table

[edit]
Main article: 1967–68 Football League § Fourth Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
12 Newport County 46 16 13 17 58 63 0.921 45
13 Lincoln City 46 17 9 20 71 68 1.044 43
14 Brentford 46 18 7 21 61 64 0.953 43
15 Swansea Town 46 16 10 20 63 77 0.818 42
16 Darlington 46 12 17 17 47 53 0.887 41
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal average; 3) number of goals scored.

Results

[edit]
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

[edit]
Win Draw Loss

Football League Fourth Division

[edit]
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

[edit]
Main article: 1967–68 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s) Notes
1R 13 December 1967 Guildford City H 2–2 6,725 Docherty, Myers [nb 1]
1R (replay) 18 December 1967 Guildford City A 1–2 10,050 Myers [nb 1]

Football League Cup

[edit]
Main article: 1967–68 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance
1R 23 August 1967 Southend United A 0–1 7,905

Playing squad

[edit]
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1967–68 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Chic Brodie Scotland (1937-02-22)22 February 1937 (aged 30) Northampton Town 1963
GK Gordon Phillips England (1946-11-17)17 November 1946 (aged 20) Hayes 1963
Defenders
DF Peter Gelson (c) England (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 25) Youth 1961
DF Alan Hawley England (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 21) Youth 1962
DF Tommy Higginson Scotland (1937-01-06)6 January 1937 (aged 30) Kilmarnock 1959
DF Allan Jones Wales (1940-01-06)6 January 1940 (aged 27) Liverpool 1963
DF Alan Nelmes England (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 18) Chelsea 1967
Midfielders
MF George Dobson England (1949-08-24)24 August 1949 (aged 17) Youth 1966
MF Allan Mansley England (1946-08-31)31 August 1946 (aged 20) Blackpool 1968
MF John Richardson England (1949-02-05)5 February 1949 (aged 18) Millwall 1966
MF Bobby Ross Scotland (1942-05-10)10 May 1942 (aged 25) Shrewsbury Town 1966
MF George Thomson Scotland (1936-10-19)19 October 1936 (aged 30) Everton 1963
Forwards
FW Ron Fenton England (1940-09-21)21 September 1940 (aged 26) Birmingham City 1968
FW Keith Hooker England (1950-01-31)31 January 1950 (aged 17) Youth 1965
FW Ian Lawther Northern Ireland (1939-10-20)20 October 1939 (aged 27) Scunthorpe United 1964
Players who left the club mid-season
MF John Docherty Scotland (1940-04-29)29 April 1940 (aged 27) Sheffield United 1966 Transferred to Reading
MF Cliff Myers England (1946-09-23)23 September 1946 (aged 20) Charlton Athletic 1967 Transferred to Yeovil Town
FW Dennis Edwards England (1937-01-19)19 January 1937 (aged 30) Portsmouth 1967 Returned to Portsmouth after loan
FW Eddie Reeve England (1947-12-03)3 December 1947 (aged 19) Youth 1964 Loaned to Lincoln City, released
FW Ron Still Scotland (1943-06-20)20 June 1943 (aged 24) Notts County 1967 Released
  • Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,[5] Timeless Bees[6]

Coaching staff

[edit]
Name Role
Scotland Jimmy Sirrel Manager
England Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Statistics

[edit]

Appearances and goals

[edit]
Substitute appearances in brackets.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Scotland Chic Brodie 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
GK England Gordon Phillips 45 0 2 0 1 0 48 0
DF England Peter Gelson 43 5 2 0 1 0 46 5
DF England Alan Hawley 46 2 2 0 1 0 49 2
DF Scotland Tommy Higginson 41 (1) 3 2 0 1 0 44 (1) 3
DF Wales Allan Jones 42 (1) 1 2 0 1 0 45 (1) 1
DF England Alan Nelmes 24 1 2 0 0 (1) 0 26 (1) 1
MF England George Dobson 36 3 0 0 1 0 37 3
MF Scotland John Docherty 28 11 2 1 1 0 31 12
MF England Allan Mansley 19 4 — — 19 4
MF England Cliff Myers 9 (1) 0 1 (1) 2 1 0 11 (2) 2
MF England John Richardson 20 (1) 1 1 0 0 0 21 (1) 1
MF Scotland Bobby Ross 39 (2) 2 2 0 1 0 42 (2) 2
MF Scotland George Thomson 29 2 2 0 0 0 31 2
FW England Ron Fenton 19 6 — — 19 6
FW England Keith Hooker 16 (5) 1 1 0 1 0 18 (5) 1
FW Northern Ireland Ian Lawther 40 11 1 0 1 0 42 11
FW England Eddie Reeve 1 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 1 (1) 0
FW Scotland Ron Still 1 0 — — 1 0
Players loaned in during the season
FW England Dennis Edwards 11 2 — — 11 2
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[5]

Goalscorers

[edit]
Pos. Nat Player FL4 FAC FLC Total
MF Scotland John Docherty 11 1 0 12
FW Northern Ireland Ian Lawther 11 0 0 11
FW England Ron Fenton 6 — — 6
DF England Peter Gelson 5 0 0 5
MF England Allan Mansley 4 — — 4
MF England George Dobson 3 0 0 3
DF Scotland Tommy Higginson 3 0 0 3
FW England Dennis Edwards 2 — — 2
DF England Alan Hawley 2 0 0 2
MF Scotland Bobby Ross 2 0 0 2
MF Scotland George Thomson 2 0 0 2
MF England Cliff Myers 0 2 0 2
FW England Keith Hooker 1 0 0 1
DF Wales Allan Jones 1 0 0 1
DF England Alan Nelmes 1 0 0 1
MF England John Richardson 1 0 0 1
Opponents 6 0 0 6
Total 61 3 0 64
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[5]

Management

[edit]
Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Jimmy Sirrel Scotland 19 August 1967 11 May 1968 49 18 8 23 036.73 46 18 7 21 039.13

Summary

[edit]
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

[edit]
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
June 1967 MF England Cliff Myers England Charlton Athletic n/a [7]
July 1967 DF England Alan Nelmes England Chelsea n/a [7]
July 1967 FW Scotland Ron Still England Notts County Trial [8]
August 1967 MF England Geoff Anderson England Lincoln City n/a [9]
January 1968 FW England Ron Fenton England Birmingham City n/a [10]
January 1968 MF England Allan Mansley England Blackpool n/a [11]
February 1968 FW England Dave Boothman England Hampton Amateur [12]
February 1968 GK England John Maskell England Wycombe Wanderers Amateur [12]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
September 1967 FW England Dennis Edwards England Portsmouth December 1967 [13]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
November 1967 MF England Geoff Anderson England Port Vale n/a [9]
February 1968 MF Scotland John Docherty England Reading n/a [14]
1968 MF England Cliff Myers England Yeovil Town n/a [7]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
n/a FW England Eddie Reeve England Lincoln City n/a [15]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
August 1967 FW Scotland Ron Still England Margate 1967 [8]
March 1968 FW England Eddie Reeve United States Los Angeles Wolves March 1968 [15]
May 1968 MF Scotland George Thomson Retired [16]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Both teams wore change colours.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ White 1989, p. 262-266.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k White 1989, p. 266-270.
  3. ^ a b c "Brentford results for the 1967–1968 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Brentford League Table 1967-1968". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 389. ISBN 0951526200.
  6. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  7. ^ a b c Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 114-115.
  8. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 155.
  9. ^ a b "Geoff Anderson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  10. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 55.
  11. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 100.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 52-53.
  14. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 49.
  15. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 132.
  16. ^ Sands, George (24 May 1968). "End of a frustrating season. December–January slump kills Bees' chances of promotion". Middlesex Chronicle.
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