1975–76 Brentford F.C. season

Brentford
1975–76 season
ChairmanDan Tana
ManagerJohn Docherty
StadiumGriffin Park
Fourth Division18th
FA CupThird round
League CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Cross (14)
All: Cross (16)
Highest home attendance12,452
Lowest home attendance3,453
Average home league attendance5,096

During the 1975–76 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. A poor middle third of the season led to an 18th-place finish, just three points above the re-election zone.

Season summary

Despite a strong finish to the previous campaign, only one incoming transfer (veteran goalkeeper Bill Glazier for £4,000) did not raise the belief around Griffin Park that Brentford would challenge for promotion from the Fourth Division during the 1975–76 season.[1] Instead, manager John Docherty made up the numbers with members of the club's youth team,[1] with teenagers Gordon Sweetzer, Danis Salman, Paul Walker and Graham Cox all joining the club.[2]

Brentford had a strong start to the season, winning three and drawing three of the first six league matches of the season and advancing to the second round of the League Cup, where the run was brought to an end at Old Trafford by Manchester United.[3] With goalkeeper Bill Glazier quitting the club after just 12 appearances,[4] Brentford would tread water in the lower reaches of mid-table throughout the season, in which a run to the third round of the FA Cup became the focus.[1] Having reached that stage of the competition for the first time since the 1970–71 season,[1] the Bees took Second Division club Bolton Wanderers to a replay before losing 2–0 at Burnden Park.[3] A slight upturn in form towards the end of the season was inspired by the signing of Oxford United forward Andrew McCulloch for a club record £25,000 fee.[4]

Two club records were set during the season:

  • Youngest Football League debutant: Danis Salman, 15 years, 8 months, 3 days (versus Watford, 15 November 1975)[5]
  • Lowest away Football League attendance: 894 versus Rochdale, 27 March 1976[5]

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
16 Crewe Alexandra 46 13 15 18 58 57 1.018 41
17 Bradford City 46 12 17 17 63 65 0.969 41
18 Brentford 46 14 13 19 56 60 0.933 41
19 Scunthorpe United 46 14 10 22 50 59 0.847 38
20 Darlington 46 14 10 22 48 57 0.842 38
Source:

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Pre-season and friendlies

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
2 August 1975 Oxford United H 1–5 1,420 Lawrence
4 August 1975 Walton A 0–0 n/a
6 August 1975 Portsmouth H 0–1 955
7 August 1975 Hayes A 2–1 n/a Graham, Bartlett
9 August 1975 Aldershot H 1–1 1,490 Cross
11 August 1975 Bexley A 5–0 n/a Cross (2), Simmons, French, untraced (og)
29 April 1976 Hillingdon Borough A 4–2 513 Scales, Lawrence, Sweetzer, Poole
3 May 1976 Hounslow A 3–1 n/a Russell, Malcolm, Sweetzer

Football League Fourth Division

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 16 August 1975 Bradford City A 1–1 2,385 Johnson
2 23 August 1975 Hartlepool H 1–1 4,948 Cross
3 30 August 1975 Torquay United A 3–2 3,179 Cross, Allen, Graham
4 6 September 1975 Barnsley H 1–0 5,605 Cross
5 15 September 1975 Doncaster Rovers A 1–1 6,353 Johnson
6 20 September 1975 Stockport County H 2–1 6,282 Simmons, Riddick
7 24 September 1975 Bournemouth A 0–3 4,113
8 27 September 1975 Huddersfield Town A 1–2 4,160 Sweetzer
9 4 October 1975 Newport County H 1–3 5,678 Graham
10 11 October 1975 Lincoln City A 1–3 6,312 Graham
11 18 October 1975 Southport H 1–0 4,515 Johnson
12 21 October 1975 Northampton Town A 1–3 6,225 Scales
13 25 October 1975 Cambridge United A 1–2 2,596 French
14 1 November 1975 Scunthorpe United H 5–2 4,227 French, Johnson, Cross (2), Graham
15 3 November 1975 Workington H 4–0 5,379 French, Sweetzer, Johnson (pen), Cross
16 7 November 1975 Tranmere Rovers A 1–5 4,326 Cross
17 15 November 1975 Watford H 1–0 6,934 Scales
18 29 November 1975 Crewe Alexandra A 0–1 2,248
19 6 December 1975 Rochdale H 3–0 4,853 Johnson (pen), Cross, Riddick
20 20 December 1975 Darlington H 3–0 4,193 Sweetzer (2), Cross
21 26 December 1975 Exeter City A 0–0 4,912
22 27 December 1975 Reading H 2–2 10,612 Johnson, Scales
23 10 January 1976 Torquay United H 1–1 5,687 Johnson
24 16 January 1976 Stockport County A 0–2 2,267
25 24 January 1976 Doncaster Rovers H 0–1 4,885
26 31 January 1976 Northampton Town H 2–1 4,114 Johnson (pen), Cross
27 7 February 1976 Workington A 1–1 1,231 French
28 14 February 1976 Tranmere Rovers H 0–1 4,725
29 21 February 1976 Watford A 2–3 6,223 Bristow (og), Sweetzer
30 23 February 1976 Bournemouth H 1–2 4,585 Graham
31 28 February 1976 Cambridge United H 0–0 4,095
32 6 March 1976 Scunthorpe United A 1–2 3,377 Sharp
33 8 March 1976 Newport County A 0–1 1,150
34 13 March 1976 Lincoln City H 1–0 5,386 Cross
35 16 March 1976 Southport A 0–2 1,506
36 20 March 1976 Crewe Alexandra H 0–0 3,851
37 27 March 1976 Rochdale A 2–1 894 McCulloch, French
38 29 March 1976 Darlington A 0–2 1,758
39 3 April 1976 Bradford City H 2–2 3,453 McCulloch, Cross
40 5 April 1976 Huddersfield Town H 0–0 4,413
41 10 April 1976 Barnsley A 1–1 3,877 Cross
42 16 April 1976 Swansea City H 1–0 4,623 Johnson
43 17 April 1976 Exeter City H 5–1 4,175 Bence, French (2), McCulloch, Cross
44 19 April 1976 Reading A 0–1 12,972
45 24 April 1976 Hartlepool A 0–1 1,276
46 26 April 1976 Swansea City A 2–2 1,480 French, Johnson

FA Cup

Main article: 1975–76 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 22 November 1975 Northampton Town H 2–0 6,645 Sweetzer (2)
2R 13 December 1975 Wimbledon A 2–0 8,375 Johnson (2, 1 pen)
3R 3 January 1976 Bolton Wanderers H 0–0 12,452
3R (replay) 6 January 1976 Bolton Wanderers A 0–2 18,538

Football League Cup

Main article: 1975–76 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1R (1st leg) 19 August 1975 Brighton & Hove Albion H 2–1 5,360 Johnson (pen), Cross
1R (2nd leg) 27 August 1975 Brighton & Hove Albion A 1–1 (won 3–2 on aggregate) 11,016 Cross
2R 10 September 1974 Manchester United A 1–2 25,286 Lawrence
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[6] The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[7][8] Statto

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1975–76 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Paul Priddy (1953-01-11)11 January 1953 (aged 22) Walton & Hersham 1975
Defenders
DF Michael Allen (1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 26) Middlesbrough 1971
DF Paul Bence (c) (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 26) Reading 1970
DF Keith Lawrence (1954-03-25)25 March 1954 (aged 21) Chelsea 1974
DF Alan Nelmes (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 26) Chelsea 1967
DF Gordon Riddick (1943-11-06)6 November 1943 (aged 31) Northampton Town 1973
DF Tom Sharp (1957-07-30)30 July 1957 (aged 18) Everton 1976 Loaned from Everton before transferring permanently
DF Nigel Smith (1958-07-03)3 July 1958 (aged 17) Queens Park Rangers 1975
Midfielders
MF Jackie Graham (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 29) Guildford City 1970
MF Terry Johnson (1949-08-30)30 August 1949 (aged 25) Southend United 1974
MF Danis Salman (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 15) Youth 1975
MF Terry Scales (1951-01-18)18 January 1951 (aged 24) West Ham United 1971
Forwards
FW Roger Cross (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 26) Fulham 1973
FW Micky French (1955-05-07)7 May 1955 (aged 20) Queens Park Rangers 1975
FW Andrew McCulloch (1950-01-03)3 January 1950 (aged 25) Oxford United 1976
FW Richard Poole (1957-07-03)3 July 1957 (aged 18) Youth 1972
FW Gordon Sweetzer (1957-01-27)27 January 1957 (aged 18) Queens Park Rangers 1975
Players who left the club mid-season
GK Bill Glazier (1943-08-02)2 August 1943 (aged 32) Coventry City 1975 Released
GK Graham Horn (1954-08-23)23 August 1954 (aged 20) Luton Town 1975 Returned to Luton Town after loan
FW Dave Simmons (1948-10-24)24 October 1948 (aged 26) Cambridge United 1974 Transferred to Cambridge United
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[9] Timeless Bees[10]

Coaching staff

Name Role
John Docherty Manager
Eddie Lyons Trainer
Bob Pearson Chief Scout

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 Bill Glazier 19 0 — 3 0 12 0
GK Paul Priddy 34 0 4 0 — 38 0
DF Michael Allen 45 1 4 0 3 0 52 1
DF Paul Bence 46 1 4 0 3 0 53 1
DF Keith Lawrence 35 0 4 0 3 1 42 1
DF Alan Nelmes 28 (1) 0 3 (1) 0 3 0 34 (2) 0
DF Gordon Riddick 23 (3) 2 1 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 24 (5) 2
DF Tom Sharp 2 (10) 1 — — 2 (10) 1
DF Nigel Smith 37 0 4 0 3 0 44 0
MF Jackie Graham 38 5 4 0 3 0 45 5
MF Terry Johnson 46 11 4 2 3 1 53 14
MF Danis Salman 3 (3) 0 0 0 0 0 3 (3) 0
MF Terry Scales 43 3 4 0 3 0 50 3
FW Roger Cross 37 14 3 0 2 (1) 2 42 (1) 16
FW Micky French 27 (4) 8 1 (1) 0 2 0 30 (5) 8
FW Andrew McCulloch 13 3 — — 13 3
FW Richard Poole 2 (5) 0 0 0 0 0 2 (5) 0
FW Dave Simmons 10 1 — 2 (1) 0 12 (1) 1
FW Gordon Sweetzer 25 (2) 5 4 2 0 0 29 (2) 7
Players loaned in during the season
GK Graham Horn 3 0 — — 3 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[6]

Goalscorers

Pos. Nat Player FL4 FAC FLC Total
FW Roger Cross 14 0 2 16
MF Terry Johnson 11 2 1 14
FW Micky French 8 0 0 8
FW Gordon Sweetzer 5 2 0 7
MF Jackie Graham 5 0 0 5
FW Andrew McCulloch 3 — — 3
MF Terry Scales 3 0 0 3
DF Gordon Riddick 2 0 0 2
DF Tom Sharp 1 — — 1
FW Dave Simmons 1 0 — 1
DF Michael Allen 1 0 0 1
DF Paul Bence 1 0 0 1
DF Keith Lawrence 0 0 1 1
Opponents 1 0 0 1
Total 56 4 4 64
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[6]

Management

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
John Docherty 16 August 1975 26 April 1976 53 17 15 21 032.08 46 14 13 19 030.43

Summary

Games played 53 (46 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Games won 17 (14 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Games drawn 15 (13 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Games lost 21 (19 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored 64 (56 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 4 League Cup)
Goals conceded 67 (60 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 4 League Cup)
Clean sheets 14 (12 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Biggest league win 4–0 versus Workington, 3 November 1975
Worst league defeat 5–1 versus Tranmere Rovers, 7 November 1975
Most appearances 53, Paul Bence, Terry Johnson (46 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Top scorer (league) 14, Roger Cross
Top scorer (all competitions) 16, Roger Cross

Transfers & loans

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
June 1975 GK Bill Glazier Coventry City £4,000 [2]
September 1975 GK Paul Priddy Walton & Hersham n/a [2]
September 1975 MF Danis Salman Queens Park Rangers n/a [1]
September 1975 FW Gordon Sweetzer Queens Park Rangers Trial [2]
September 1975 MF Paul Walker n/a n/a [1]
1975 GK Graham Cox n/a n/a [2]
January 1976 MF Larry McGettigan Unattached Non-contract [11]
January 1976 n/a David Oxley Dundee Trial [2]
March 1976 FW Andrew McCulloch Oxford United £25,000 [2]
March 1976 DF Tom Sharp Everton n/a [2]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
November 1975 GK Graham Horn Luton Town December 1975 [2]
January 1976 DF Tom Sharp Everton March 1976 [2]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
November 1975 FW Dave Simmons Cambridge United Nominal [2]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
October 1975 GK Bill Glazier St. Louis Stars 1977 [2]
1975 MF Barry Salvage Millwall August 1975 [2]
May 1976 DF Keith Lawrence Wealdstone 1976 [2]
May 1976 MF Larry McGettigan Emeralds n/a [11]
May 1976 DF Alan Nelmes Hillingdon Borough 1976 [2]
May 1976 n/a David Oxley n/a n/a [2]
May 1976 FW Richard Poole Watford July 1976 [2]

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f White, p. 298-300.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 128-130.
  3. ^ a b "Brentford results for the 1975–1976 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 114.
  5. ^ a b "Celebrating 4,000 EFL Games: 1920–2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  6. ^ a b c White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 393. ISBN 0951526200.
  7. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 116-126.
  8. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 308.
  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. ^ a b "Player: Lawrence McGettigan". Watford Football Club Archive. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  12. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 295.
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