1927–28 Brentford F.C. season

Brentford
1927–28 season
ChairmanLouis P. Simon
ManagerHarry Curtis
StadiumGriffin Park
Third Division South12th
FA CupThird round
Top goalscorerLeague: Phillips (18)
All: Phillips (18)
Highest home attendance12,513
Lowest home attendance2,024
Average home league attendance7,331

During the 1927–28 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South. A season of transition saw the Bees finish in mid-table and score 76 goals, which was at that time the club's best goalscoring tally since joining the Football League in 1920.

Season summary

Despite a sizeable amount of money in the bank after the previous season's cup exploits and big money sales of Jack Allen, Archie Clark and George Anderson, Brentford manager Harry Curtis elected to add to, rather than rebuild, his squad for the 1927–28 season.[1] He invested in Scottish youngsters John Cairns, Jimmy Drinnan, William Hodge, Alexander Stevenson, Samuel Ward and English teenager Joe Wiggins.[1]

Three defeats in the opening 10 matches of the season put the Bees as high as second place,[2] with off-season signing Jack Phillips scoring 9 goals, Herbert Lawson five and Ernie Watkins four.[3] By mid-October 1927, the goals had dried up and the club dropped to mid-table.[2] During this period, Brentford suffered a club record 7–1 FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.[4][5] A 3–2 victory over Walsall at Griffin Park on 5 December (one of just two wins in the midst of the bad run) was witnessed by 2,024, the club record lowest for a home Football League match.[6] The Bees' form picked up again late January 1928 and the team secured a 12th-place finish.[2] Jack Phillips finished the season as he began it, with 9 goals in 10 matches, to finish as top-scorer with 18 goals.[3] Brentford's 76 goals was the highest since joining the Football League in 1920 and the club finished the season £171 in profit (equivalent to £13,000 in 2025).[7][8]

League table

Main article: 1927–28 Football League Third Division South

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
10 Queens Park Rangers 42 17 9 16 72 71 1.014 43
11 Charlton Athletic 42 15 13 14 60 70 0.857 43
12 Brentford 42 16 8 18 76 74 1.027 40
13 Luton Town 42 16 7 19 94 87 1.080 39
14 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 42 13 12 17 72 79 0.911 38
Source:

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League Third Division South

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 27 August 1927 Brighton & Hove Albion A 2–5 13,164 Phillips, Drinnan
2 29 August 1927 Northampton Town H 3–0 8,280 Phillips (3)
3 3 September 1927 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic H 2–1 11,108 Fletcher, Douglas
4 5 September 1927 Northampton Town A 2–3 7,220 Lane, Watkins
5 10 September 1927 Queens Park Rangers A 3–2 18,826 Watkins, Phillips, Lane
6 14 September 1927 Bristol Rovers A 3–1 2,578 Phillips, Lawson, Watkins
7 17 September 1927 Luton Town A 2–5 9,182 Lawson (2)
8 24 September 1927 Millwall H 6–1 12,513 Douglas, Watkins (pen), Lawson (2), Phillips
9 1 October 1927 Crystal Palace A 2–0 11,552 Phillips, Lane
10 8 October 1927 Exeter City H 1–1 11,326 Lawson
11 15 October 1927 Torquay United A 1–2 4,185 Lawson
12 22 October 1927 Coventry City H 4–1 4,666 Craddock (2), Hodge, Lane
13 29 October 1927 Newport County A 0–3 5,790
14 5 November 1927 Swindon Town H 1–4 9,527 Lane
15 12 November 1927 Gillingham A 1–2 3,293 Lawson
16 3 December 1927 Plymouth Argyle H 0–2 7,537
17 5 December 1927 Walsall H 3–2 2,024 Watkins, Dearn (pen), Lane
18 10 December 1927 Merthyr Town A 1–3 2,465 Craddock
19 17 December 1927 Charlton Athletic H 1–1 5,245 Berry
20 24 December 1927 Watford A 1–1 5,226 Craddock
21 26 December 1927 Southend United A 2–3 3,540 Craddock (2)
22 31 December 1927 Brighton & Hove Albion H 1–3 6,061 Lane
23 7 January 1928 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic A 0–1 4,796
24 21 January 1928 Queens Park Rangers H 0–3 10,430
25 28 January 1928 Luton Town H 4–2 3,291 Watkins (4)
26 4 February 1928 Millwall A 0–3 16,885
27 11 February 1928 Crystal Palace H 2–1 7,580 Beacham, Drinnan
28 18 February 1928 Exeter City A 1–0 7,420 Drinnan
29 25 February 1928 Torquay United H 1–2 8,355 Lane
30 3 March 1928 Coventry City A 0–0 8,188
31 10 March 1928 Newport County H 3–1 5,759 Berry (2), Phillips
32 17 March 1928 Swindon Town A 1–1 6,500 Phillips
33 24 March 1928 Gillingham H 2–0 6,107 Lane (2)
34 31 March 1928 Walsall A 2–4 4,750 Phillips, Drinnan
35 6 April 1928 Norwich City H 3–1 11,814 Berry, Price, Wiggins
36 7 April 1928 Bristol Rovers H 5–1 7,894 Wiggins, Cairns, Drinnan (2), Lawson
37 9 April 1928 Norwich City A 1–1 10,848 Berry (pen)
38 14 April 1928 Plymouth Argyle A 0–1 5,940
39 21 April 1928 Merthyr Town H 4–0 4,583 Phillips (2), Berry, Lane
40 23 April 1928 Southend United H 2–2 4,889 Phillips (2)
41 28 April 1928 Charlton Athletic A 2–3 7,122 Watkins, Phillips
42 5 May 1928 Watford H 1–1 4,775 Phillips

FA Cup

Main article: 1927–28 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
3R 14 January 1928 Manchester United A 1–7 18,538 Jones (og)

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1927–28 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Henry Bailey (1897-12-02)2 December 1897 (aged 29) Exeter City 1927
Defenders
DF Charlie Butler (1897-10-10)10 October 1897 (aged 29) Gillingham 1926
DF James Donnelly (1893-12-18)18 December 1893 (aged 33) Southend United 1925
DF Dick Hendrie (1895-11-22)22 November 1895 (aged 31) Grays Thurrock United 1927 Assistant trainer
DF Alexander Stevenson (1903-10-24)24 October 1903 (aged 23) Armadale 1927
DF Ted Winship 1900 (aged 26–27) Kidderminster Harriers 1926
Midfielders
HB Jack Beacham (1902-08-15)15 August 1902 (aged 25) Weymouth 1925
HB Stephen Dearn (c) March 1901 (aged 26) Portsmouth 1926
HB Albert Fletcher 1898 (aged 28–29) West Ham United 1927
HB William Hodge (1904-08-31)31 August 1904 (aged 22) Rangers 1927
HB Samuel Ward (1906-06-01)1 June 1906 (aged 21) Morton 1927
Forwards
FW Bill Berry (1904-08-18)18 August 1904 (aged 23) Gillingham 1926
FW John Cairns (1902-11-14)14 November 1902 (aged 24) Charlton Athletic 1927
FW Alfred Douglas (1899-03-26)26 March 1899 (aged 28) Washington Colliery 1925
FW Jimmy Drinnan (1906-05-28)28 May 1906 (aged 21) Newport County 1927
FW Jack Lane (1898-05-29)29 May 1898 (aged 29) Chesterfield 1925
FW Herbert Lawson (1905-04-12)12 April 1905 (aged 22) Arsenal 1927
FW Jim McCafferty November 1900 (aged 26) Halifax Town 1927
FW Jack Phillips (1903-05-28)28 May 1903 (aged 24) Merthyr Town 1927
FW William Price (1903-12-04)4 December 1903 (aged 23) Woking Town 1928 Amateur
FW Ernie Watkins (1898-04-03)3 April 1898 (aged 29) Southend United 1926
FW Joe Wiggins (1909-04-01)1 April 1909 (aged 18) Grays Thurrock United 1927
Players who left the club mid-season
GK Jim Ferguson (1896-08-30)30 August 1896 (aged 30) St Roch's 1926 Transferred to Notts County
FW Joe Craddock (1902-08-03)3 August 1902 (aged 25) Gillingham 1926 Transferred to Dundee
  • Sources: Timeless Bees,[9] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939,[10] 100 Years Of Brentford[3]

Coaching staff

Name Role
Harry Curtis Manager
Dick Hendrie Assistant manager
Jack Cartmell Trainer

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Football League season.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Henry Bailey 15 0 0 0 15 0
GK Jim Ferguson 27 0 1 0 28 0
DF Charlie Butler 40 0 0 0 40 0
DF James Donnelly 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF Dick Hendrie 0 0 1 0 1 0
DF Alexander Stevenson 2 0 0 0 2 0
DF Ted Winship 41 0 1 0 42 0
HB Jack Beacham 29 1 1 0 30 1
HB Stephen Dearn 40 1 1 0 41 1
HB Albert Fletcher 33 1 0 0 33 1
HB William Hodge 19 1 1 0 20 1
HB Samuel Ward 7 0 0 0 7 0
FW Bill Berry 25 6 1 0 26 6
FW John Cairns 1 1 0 0 1 1
FW Joe Craddock 11 6 1 0 12 6
FW Alfred Douglas 24 2 1 0 25 2
FW Jimmy Drinnan 18 6 0 0 18 6
FW Jack Lane 37 11 1 0 38 11
FW Herbert Lawson 34 9 0 0 34 9
FW Jim McCafferty 1 0 0 0 1 0
FW Jack Phillips 23 18 0 0 23 18
FW William Price 1 1 0 0 1 1
FW Ernie Watkins 29 10 1 0 30 10
FW Joe Wiggins 4 2 0 0 4 2
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[3]

Goalscorers

Pos. Nat Player FL3 FAC Total
FW Jack Phillips 18 0 18
FW Jack Lane 11 0 11
FW Ernie Watkins 10 0 10
FW Herbert Lawson 9 0 9
FW Bill Berry 6 0 6
FW Joe Craddock 6 0 6
FW Jimmy Drinnan 6 0 6
FW Alfred Douglas 2 0 2
FW Joe Wiggins 2 0 2
HB Jack Beacham 1 0 1
FW John Cairns 1 0 1
HB Stephen Dearn 1 0 1
HB Albert Fletcher 1 0 1
HB William Hodge 1 0 1
FW William Price 1 0 1
Opponent 0 1 1
Total 76 1 77
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[3]

Management

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Harry Curtis 27 August 1927 5 May 1928 43 16 8 19 037.21 42 16 8 18 038.10

Summary

Games played 43 (42 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Games won 16 (16 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Games drawn 8 (8 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost 19 (18 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 77 (76 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 81 (74 Third Division South, 7 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 6 (6 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 6–1 versus Millwall, 24 September 1927
Worst league defeat 3–0 on two occasions; 4–1 versus Swindon Town, 5 November 1927; 5–2 on two occasions
Most appearances 42, Ted Winship (41 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 18, Jack Phillips
Top scorer (all competitions) 18, Jack Phillips

Transfers & loans

Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
July 1927 FW Jack Phillips Merthyr Town Free [7]
August 1927 HB William Hodge Rangers Free [11]
1 September 1927 HB Stewart Low Montrose Free [12]
1927 GK Henry Bailey Exeter City Free [13]
1927 FW John Cairns Charlton Athletic Free [14]
1927 DF Bill Dempsey London Prison OS Free [15]
1927 FW Jimmy Drinnan Newport County Exchange [16]
1927 HB Albert Fletcher West Ham United Free [17]
1927 FW Dick Hendrie Grays Thurrock United Free [18]
1927 FW Jim McCafferty Halifax Town Free [19]
1927 DF Alexander Stevenson Armadale Free [20]
1927 HB Samuel Ward Morton Free [21]
1927 FW Joe Wiggins Grays Thurrock United n/a [6]
March 1928 FW Thomas Brennan Longriggend Rob Roy n/a [22]
March 1928 FW Andy Durnion St Joseph's n/a [23]
March 1928 GK Freddie Fox Halifax Town n/a [24]
March 1928 FW Len Ramsell Chatham Town n/a [21]
March 1928 HB Teddy Ware Chatham Town Amateur [22]
1928 FW William Price Woking Town Amateur [25]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
May 1927 FW George Anderson Chelsea n/a [26]
May 1927 HB Archie Clark Arsenal £700 [27]
24 November 1927 HB Harry Rae Hamilton Academical n/a [12]
January 1928 HB Evan Evans Chatham Town n/a [28]
11 February 1928 FW Joe Craddock Dundee n/a [12]
March 1928 GK Jim Ferguson Notts County n/a [29]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
May 1928 DF Charlie Butler Montreal Carsteel 1928 [30]
May 1928 FW John Cairns Leicester City 1928 [14]
May 1928 DF Bill Dempsey Queens Park Rangers 1928 [31]
May 1928 DF James Donnelly Thames 1928 [32]
May 1928 HB Albert Fletcher Norwich City 1928 [17]
May 1928 HB Stewart Low n/a [12]
May 1928 FW William Price Fulham June 1928 [33]
May 1928 HB Samuel Ward Retired [21]

References

  1. ^ a b White 1989, p. 123-125.
  2. ^ a b c "Brentford results for the 1927–1928 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 369. ISBN 0951526200.
  4. ^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Harefield, Middlesex: Yore Publications. p. 42. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  5. ^ "England – FA Challenge Cup 1927–1928". RSSSF. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 168.
  7. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 125.
  8. ^ "Brentford Make A Small Profit. Transfer Fees Balance Big Loss In Gate Receipts. Seven New Players. Directors Look Forward With Confidence To The Coming Season". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 6 July 1928.
  9. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  10. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
  11. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 77.
  12. ^ a b c d Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  13. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 14.
  14. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 33.
  15. ^ Joyce 2012, p. 79.
  16. ^ "Brentford's Bright Prospects. A Big Bid For Promotion In The Coming Season. Full List Of Players. Illness Of Marshall: Competition For Forward Positions". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 12 August 1927.
  17. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 58.
  18. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 75.
  19. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 103.
  20. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 154-155.
  21. ^ a b c Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 165.
  22. ^ a b Dorey, F.W. (1928). Brentford Football Club Season 1928–29 Official Handbook. pp. 21–23.
  23. ^ "Ferguson Joins Notts County". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 16 March 1928.
  24. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 59-60.
  25. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 128.
  26. ^ "George Anderson | Chelsea Player Profile". Stamford-Bridge.com The History of Chelsea FC. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  27. ^ "Archie Clark". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  28. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 53.
  29. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 55.
  30. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 32.
  31. ^ "Of last season's players known to have fixed up elsewhere, Wiggins and Cairns have gone to Leicester City, Dempsey to Queens Park Rangers". The Athletic News. 6 August 1928.
  32. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 49.
  33. ^ "Brentford Lose W.J. Price. Surprise Signature For Fulham As A Professional". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 22 June 1928.
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