1987–88 Brentford F.C. season

Brentford
1987–88 season
ChairmanMartin Lange
Player-managerSteve Perryman
StadiumGriffin Park
Third Division12th
FA CupFirst round
League CupFirst round
Football League TrophyFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Sinton (11)
All: Sinton (12)
Highest home attendance8,712
Lowest home attendance2,005
Average home league attendance4,581

During the 1987–88 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. The Bees contended for a place in the play-offs until a run of just two wins from the final 17 matches of the season dropped the club into mid-table.

Season summary

After taking over as Brentford manager in January 1987, Steve Perryman continued the remodelling of his squad through the 1987 off-season.[1] Transferred out were defender Phil Bater, midfielder Paul Maddy and forward Francis Joseph, with the deals raising £37,000.[2] In came a number of players on free transfers or a trial basis, the most notable of whom being former Chelsea midfielder Colin Lee, in a dual player/Youth Development Officer role.[2] After beginning the Third Division season in and around the relegation places,[3] manager Perryman continued to buy and sell players, raising another £10,000 from the sale of defender Jamie Murray and winger Ian Holloway and bringing in former Chelsea midfielder Keith Jones for a £40,000 fee.[2] With forward Gary Blissett failing to show form in front of goal and Andy Sinton almost single-handedly leading the attack from midfield, the loan signing of Paul Williams in October 1987 galvanised the team,[2] with Williams scoring six goals in eight appearances before being recalled by Charlton Athletic.[4] An eight-match unbeaten run from mid-November 1987 to 2 January 1988, despite the £30,000 sale of forward Robbie Cooke,[2] put Brentford as high as 6th position, once place outside the play-off zone.[3] The December loan signing of Arsenal midfielder Graham Rix proved key to the continued good form.[1]

A 1–0 win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on 16 January 1988, courtesy of a Keith Millen goal, raised Brentford into the play-off zone.[3] After 3–1 victory over rivals Fulham in the following league match and the recall of Graham Rix to Highbury, the Bees' form disintegrated.[3] The team lost four consecutive matches in February without scoring a goal and would win just two of the final 17 matches of the season to finish in 12th place.[3] Manager Steve Perryman had attempted to rectify the slump by signing midfielder Ian Stewart and forward Les Ferdinand on loan, but both proved to be a disappointment.[1] Right back Roger Joseph's performances earned him a place in the Third Division PFA Team of the Year, the first time a Brentford player had been recognised by the PFA.[5]

League table

Main article: 1987–88 Football League Third Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
10 Blackpool 46 17 14 15 71 62 +9 65
11 Port Vale 46 18 11 17 58 56 +2 65
12 Brentford 46 16 14 16 53 59 −6 62
13 Gillingham 46 14 17 15 77 61 +16 59
14 Bury 46 15 14 17 58 57 +1 59
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Pre-season and friendlies

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
23 July 1987 Camberley Town A 2–0 n/a Priddle, Blissett
27 July 1987 Truro City A 6–2 n/a Blissett (2), Cooke (pen), Sinton, Carroll, Holloway
1 August 1987 Yeading A 0–1 n/a
10 August 1987 Chelsea H 0–3 n/a
5 December 1987 Tottenham Hotspur H 0–0 4,347
15 April 1987 Southampton H 0–2 n/a

Football League Third Division

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 15 August 1987 Sunderland H 0–1 7,509
2 29 August 1987 Bristol City H 0–2 4,328
3 31 August 1987 Grimsby Town A 1–0 3,361 Blissett
4 5 September 1987 Rotherham United H 1–1 3,604 Jones
5 9 September 1987 Northampton Town A 1–2 5,748 Cooke (pen)
6 12 September 1987 Southend United A 3–2 4,418 Blissett, Cooke, Sinton
7 15 September 1987 Chesterfield H 2–0 3,183 Benjamin (og), Cooke (pen)
8 19 September 1987 Blackpool H 2–1 3,886 Sinton, Smith
9 26 September 1987 Aldershot A 1–4 3,651 Sinton
10 29 September 1987 Preston North End A 2–1 4,241 Sinton, Carroll
11 3 October 1987 Port Vale H 1–0 4,007 Sinton
12 10 October 1987 Bury A 2–2 2,300 Bates, Sinton
13 17 October 1987 Walsall H 0–0 5,056
14 20 October 1987 Chester City H 1–1 4,027 Cooke
15 24 October 1987 Brighton & Hove Albion A 1–2 7,600 Stanislaus
16 31 October 1987 Bristol Rovers H 1–1 4,487 Williams
17 3 November 1987 Gillingham A 1–0 4,513 Thorne
18 7 November 1987 Notts County A 0–3 5,634
19 21 November 1987 Wigan Athletic H 2–1 3,625 Sinton (pen), Williams
20 28 November 1987 Doncaster Rovers A 1–0 1,360 Williams
21 12 December 1987 Mansfield Town H 2–2 3,729 Carroll, Blissett
22 18 December 1987 York City A 1–1 1,801 Turner
23 26 December 1987 Aldershot H 3–0 5,578 Millen, Sinton, Birch
24 28 December 1987 Fulham A 2–2 9,369 Evans, Birch
25 1 January 1988 Bristol City A 3–2 12,877 Blissett (2), Sinton
26 2 January 1988 Southend United H 1–0 5,752 Stanislaus
27 9 January 1988 Northampton Town H 0–1 6,025
28 16 January 1988 Blackpool A 1–0 3,911 Millen
29 14 February 1988 Fulham H 3–1 8,712 Blissett, Elkins (og), Millen
30 17 February 1988 Rotherham United A 0–2 2,572
31 20 February 1988 Sunderland A 0–2 15,458
32 23 February 1988 Grimsby Town H 0–2 3,534
33 27 February 1988 Port Vale A 0–1 3,876
34 1 March 1988 Preston North End H 2–0 3,505
35 5 March 1988 Walsall A 2–4 4,548 Blissett, Evans
36 12 March 1988 Bury H 0–3 3,920
37 19 March 1988 Bristol Rovers A 0–0 3,380
38 26 March 1988 Brighton & Hove Albion H 1–1 5,331 Lee
39 2 April 1988 Notts County H 1–0 4,388 Blissett
40 4 April 1988 Wigan Athletic A 1–1 3,297 Evans
41 9 April 1988 Gillingham H 2–2 3,875 Sinton (2)
42 19 April 1988 Chesterfield A 1–2 2,010 Turner
43 23 April 1988 Chester City A 1–1 1,793 Cockram
44 30 April 1988 Doncaster Rovers H 1–1 3,122 Cockram
45 2 May 1988 Mansfield Town A 1–2 2,664 Carroll
46 7 May 1988 York City H 1–2 4,180 Carroll

FA Cup

Main article: 1987–88 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance
1R 14 November 1987 Brighton & Hove Albion H 0–2 6,358

Football League Cup

Main article: 1987–88 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
R1 (1st leg) 18 August 1987 Southend United H 2–1 2,837 Sinton, Blissett
R1 (2nd leg) 25 August 1987 Southend United A 2–4 (lost 4–5 on aggregate) 2,111 Carroll, Cooke

Football League Trophy

Main article: 1987–88 Football League Trophy
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer
SPR (match 1) 28 October 1987 Northampton Town A 0–1 3,076
SPR (match 2) 24 November 1987 Notts County H 3–2 2,005 Williams (3)
SR1 19 January 1988 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 0–4 6,298
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[4] The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,[6][7] Statto

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1987–88 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Tony Oliver (1967-09-22)22 September 1967 (aged 19) Portsmouth 1987
GK Gary Phillips (1961-09-20)20 September 1961 (aged 25) Barnet 1984
Defenders
DF Jamie Bates (1968-02-24)24 February 1968 (aged 19) Youth 1986
DF Terry Evans (1965-04-12)12 April 1965 (aged 22) Hillingdon 1985
DF Matthew Howard (1970-12-05)5 December 1970 (aged 16) Youth 1988
DF Roger Joseph (1965-12-24)24 December 1965 (aged 21) Southall 1984
DF Keith Millen (1966-09-26)26 September 1966 (aged 20) Youth 1985
DF Roger Stanislaus (1968-11-02)2 November 1968 (aged 18) Arsenal 1987
Midfielders
MF Paul Buckle (1970-12-16)16 December 1970 (aged 16) Youth 1988
MF Robbie Carroll (1968-02-15)15 February 1968 (aged 19) Gosport Borough 1986
MF Allan Cockram (1963-10-08)8 October 1963 (aged 23) St Albans City 1988
MF Andy Feeley (1961-09-30)30 September 1961 (aged 25) Leicester City 1987
MF Keith Jones (1965-10-14)14 October 1965 (aged 21) Chelsea 1987
MF Colin Lee (1956-06-12)12 June 1956 (aged 31) Chelsea 1987 Youth Development Officer
MF Steve Perryman (1951-12-21)21 December 1951 (aged 35) Oxford United 1986 Manager
MF Andy Sinton (1966-03-19)19 March 1966 (aged 21) Cambridge United 1985
MF Paul Smith (1967-10-05)5 October 1967 (aged 19) Arsenal 1987
MF Wayne Turner (c) (1961-03-09)9 March 1961 (aged 26) Coventry City 1986
Forwards
FW Paul Birch (1968-12-03)3 December 1968 (aged 18) Portsmouth 1987 Loaned from Portsmouth before transferring permanently
FW Gary Blissett (1964-05-29)29 May 1964 (aged 23) Crewe Alexandra 1987
FW Bob Booker (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 29) Bedmond Sports & Social 1978
Players who left the club mid-season
DF Jamie Murray (1958-12-27)27 December 1958 (aged 28) Cambridge United 1984 Transferred to Cambridge United
MF Ian Holloway (1963-03-12)12 March 1963 (aged 24) Wimbledon 1986 Transferred to Bristol Rovers
MF Sean Priddle (1965-12-14)14 December 1965 (aged 21) Exeter City 1987 Released
MF Graham Rix (1957-10-23)23 October 1957 (aged 29) Portsmouth 1987 Returned to Portsmouth after loan
MF Ian Stewart (1961-09-10)10 September 1961 (aged 25) Arsenal 1988 Returned to Arsenal after loan
MF Steve Thorne (1968-09-15)15 September 1968 (aged 18) Watford 1987 Released
FW Robbie Cooke (1957-02-16)16 February 1957 (aged 30) Cambridge United 1984 Transferred to Millwall
FW Les Ferdinand (1966-12-08)8 December 1966 (aged 20) Queens Park Rangers 1987 Returned to Queens Park Rangers after loan
FW Warren Gravette (1968-09-13)13 September 1968 (aged 18) Tottenham Hotspur 1987 Released
FW Paul Williams (1965-04-16)16 April 1965 (aged 22) Charlton Athletic 1987 Returned to Charlton Athletic after loan
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,[8] Timeless Bees[9]

Coaching staff

Name Role
Steve Perryman Manager
Phil Holder Assistant Manager
Roy Clare Physiotherapist

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Substitute appearances in brackets.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Tony Oliver 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
GK Gary Phillips 35 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 41 0
DF Jamie Bates 20 (3) 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 23 (3) 1
DF Terry Evans 29 4 1 0 0 0 2 0 32 4
DF Matthew Howard 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0
DF Roger Joseph 43 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 49 0
DF Keith Millen 40 3 0 0 2 0 2 0 44 3
DF Jamie Murray 4 0 — 2 0 — 6 0
DF Roger Stanislaus 36 (1) 2 1 0 — 3 0 40 (1) 2
MF Paul Buckle 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0
MF Robbie Carroll 8 (4) 4 0 (1) 0 2 1 0 (1) 0 10 (6) 5
MF Allan Cockram 7 2 — — — 7 2
MF Andy Feeley 27 (7) 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 32 (7) 0
MF Ian Holloway 1 0 — — — 1 0
MF Keith Jones 34 (2) 1 1 0 — 1 0 36 (2) 1
MF Colin Lee 19 (3) 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 23 (3) 1
MF Steve Perryman 16 (5) 0 1 0 1 (1) 0 3 0 21 (6) 0
MF Sean Priddle 5 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 (1) 0
MF Andy Sinton 46 11 1 0 2 1 3 0 52 12
MF Paul Smith 10 (7) 1 0 0 0 0 1 (1) 0 11 (8) 1
MF Steve Thorne 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
MF Wayne Turner 24 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 26 2
FW Paul Birch 13 (3) 2 — — 1 0 14 (3) 2
FW Gary Blissett 40 (1) 9 0 0 2 1 2 0 44 (1) 10
FW Bob Booker 1 (11) 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 (2) 0 1 (14) 0
FW Robbie Cooke 15 (1) 4 1 0 2 1 1 0 19 (1) 5
FW Warren Gravette 1 (4) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 (4) 0
Players loaned in during the season
MF Ian Stewart 4 (3) 0 — — — 4 (3) 0
MF Graham Rix 6 0 — — — 6 0
FW Les Ferdinand 3 0 — — — 3 0
FW Paul Williams 7 3 — — 1 3 8 6
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties[10]

Goalscorers

Pos. Nat Player FL3 FAC FLC FLT Total
MF Andy Sinton 11 0 1 0 12
FW Gary Blissett 9 0 1 0 10
FW Paul Williams 3 — — 3 6
MF Robbie Carroll 4 0 1 0 5
FW Robbie Cooke 4 0 1 0 5
DF Terry Evans 4 0 0 0 4
DF Keith Millen 3 0 0 0 3
MF Allan Cockram 2 — — — 2
FW Paul Birch 2 — — 0 2
DF Roger Stanislaus 2 0 — 0 2
MF Wayne Turner 2 0 0 0 2
MF Keith Jones 1 0 — 0 1
DF Jamie Bates 1 0 0 0 1
MF Colin Lee 1 0 0 0 1
MF Paul Smith 1 0 0 0 1
MF Steve Thorne 1 0 0 0 1
Opponents 2 0 0 0 2
Total 53 0 4 3 60
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties[10]

Management

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Steve Perryman 15 August 1987 7 May 1988 52 18 14 20 034.62 46 16 14 16 034.78

Summary

Games played 52 (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy)
Games won 18 (16 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy)
Games drawn 14 (14 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy)
Games lost 20 (16 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy)
Goals scored 60 (53 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy)
Goals conceded 73 (59 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 7 Football League Trophy)
Clean sheets 13 (13 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy)
Biggest league win 3–0 versus Aldershot, 26 December 1987
Worst league defeat 3–0 on two occasions; 4–1 versus Aldershot, 26 September 1987
Most appearances 52, Andy Sinton (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy)
Top scorer (league) 11, Andy Sinton
Top scorer (all competitions) 12, Andy Sinton

Transfers & loans

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
July 1987 FW Warren Gravette Tottenham Hotspur Free [2]
July 1987 MF Colin Lee Chelsea n/a [2]
July 1987 GK Tony Oliver Portsmouth Trial [2]
July 1987 MF Sean Priddle Exeter City Free [2]
August 1987 MF Andy Feeley Leicester City Trial [2]
27 August 1987 MF Paul Smith Arsenal Trial [2]
3 September 1987 MF Keith Jones Chelsea £40,000 [11]
18 September 1987 DF Roger Stanislaus Arsenal Trial [2]
September 1987 MF Steve Thorne Watford Trial [2]
1987 MF Paul Buckle n/a n/a [2]
1987 DF Jason Cousins n/a n/a [2]
1987 MF Marcus Gayle n/a n/a [2]
1987 DF Matthew Howard Watford n/a [2]
January 1988 FW Paul Birch Portsmouth £10,000 [2]
22 March 1988 MF Allan Cockram St Albans City Non-contract [2]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
20 October 1987 FW Paul Williams Charlton Athletic November 1987 [2]
December 1987 FW Paul Birch Portsmouth January 1988 [2]
December 1987 MF Graham Rix Arsenal February 1988 [2]
February 1988 MF Ian Stewart Portsmouth March 1988 [2]
24 March 1988 FW Les Ferdinand Queens Park Rangers April 1988 [2]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
July 1987 DF Phil Bater Cardiff City £5,000 [2]
July 1987 FW Francis Joseph Reading £25,000 [2]
July 1987 MF Paul Maddy Chester City £7,000 [2]
21 August 1987 MF Ian Holloway Bristol Rovers £5,000 [2]
September 1987 DF Jamie Murray Cambridge United £5,000 [2]
11 December 1987 FW Robbie Cooke Millwall £30,000 [12]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
1987 FW Francis Joseph HJK Helsinki July 1987 [2]
January 1988 n/a Mark Gill Feltham n/a [2]
January 1988 n/a Chris Good Hitchin Town n/a [2]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
January 1988 MF Steve Thorne n/a n/a [2]
April 1988 n/a Chris Good n/a n/a [2]
April 1988 FW Warren Gravette Maidenhead United April 1988 [2]
April 1988 MF Sean Priddle Weymouth 1988 [2]
May 1988 n/a Mark Gill n/a n/a [2]
May 1988 MF Paul Smith Bristol Rovers 15 July 1988 [2]

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b c White, p. 334-336.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 218-222.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Brentford results for the 1987–1988 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 399. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. ^ a b c d Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 383.
  6. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 204-217.
  7. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 404-406.
  8. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796716.
  9. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  10. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 429.
  11. ^ Keith Jones at Soccerbase
  12. ^ "Transfer In". www.millwall-history.org.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
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