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1908–09 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1908–09 season
ChairmanHarry Blundell
Secretary ManagerFred Halliday
StadiumGriffin Park
Southern League First Division21st
FA CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Reid (18)
All: Reid (18)

During the 1908–09 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League First Division. A disastrous season ended with a bottom-place finish, but the club was spared relegation after the First Division was expanded in June 1909.

Season summary

[edit]
Manager Fred Halliday brought right half Phil Richards to Griffin Park from his previous club Bradford Park Avenue.

After encountering severe financial problems during the 1907–08 season, the Brentford committee was forced to dispense with the majority of the first team squad in May 1908, due to many of the players being unwilling to accept lower wages for the 1908–09 season.[1] Top-scorer Adam Bowman had been sold in April and he was followed out of Griffin Park by Tosher Underwood, Jock Watson, Jock Hamilton, Tom McAllister, George Parsonage, Fred Corbett, Jimmy Tomlinson, Andy Clark, John Montgomery, Vince Hayes and Patsy Hendren, while Oakey Field (who had returned in November 1907), Charlie Williams and Jimmy Jay elected to retire.[1] Fred Halliday was appointed Brentford manager on 24 June and began assembling an almost entirely new squad, which eventually reduced the wage bill by 20%, to £2,565 across the entire season (equivalent to £337,700 in 2024).[1]

Brentford endured a forgettable Southern League First Division season, matching the 33 points won during the previous season, but instead finishing five places lower at the bottom of the table.[2] The return of Jimmy Jay in October helped solidify the back lines, which up to that point were leaking goals.[1] Forward Alex McCulloch, signed during the 1908 off-season, caught the eye of manager Halliday's former club Bradford Park Avenue and departed for a £350 fee in November, with Geordie Reid arriving at Griffin Park in part-exchange.[1] Reid would top-score for the Bees during the season with 18 goals.[1] There was some cheer late in the season, with the Bees winning the Southern Professional Charity Cup.[1]

Brentford's bottom-place finish was initially no cause for concern, with plans afoot for 16 Southern League clubs, plus another two from a list of six (which included Brentford), to form a Third Division of the Football League.[1] The chance fell through when the Football League First and Second Division clubs voted against the formation of a Third Division, but Brentford were saved from relegation when the Southern League opted to expand to 22 clubs in June 1909, with Croydon Common being promoted from the Second Division and thus preserving Brentford's First Division status.[1]

League table

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
17 West Ham United 40 16 4 20 56 60 0.933 36
18 Brighton & Hove Albion 40 14 7 19 60 61 0.984 35
19 Norwich City 40 12 11 17 59 75 0.787 35
20 Coventry City 40 15 4 21 64 91 0.703 34
21 Brentford 40 13 7 20 59 74 0.797 33
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used until the 1976-77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.

Results

[edit]
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

[edit]
Win Draw Loss

Southern League First Division

[edit]
No. Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer(s)
1 2 September 1908 Reading A 2–2 Sugden (2)
2 5 September 1908 Southampton H 2–2 McCulloch, Glen
3 12 September 1908 Leyton A 0–2
4 19 September 1908 West Ham United H 1–0 McCulloch
5 26 September 1908 Brighton & Hove Albion A 0–4
6 28 September 1908 Queens Park Rangers H 0–0
7 3 October 1908 Crystal Palace H 1–3 Connelly
8 10 October 1908 Plymouth Argyle A 0–2
9 17 October 1908 Luton Town A 1–3 Ryalls
10 24 October 1908 Swindon Town H 1–0 McCulloch
11 31 October 1908 Portsmouth A 3–2 Glen, Connelly, Jay
12 7 November 1908 Queens Park Rangers A 0–3
13 14 November 1908 Northampton Town A 2–3 Reid, Glen
14 16 November 1908 Exeter City H 0–2
15 21 November 1908 New Brompton H 1–1 Connelly
16 23 November 1908 Southend United H 4–1 Reid, Connelly (2), Sugden
17 28 November 1908 Millwall A 1–2 Reid
18 12 December 1908 Coventry City A 2–1 Buxton, Badger
19 19 December 1908 Bristol Rovers H 2–2 Reid, Connelly
20 25 December 1908 Watford H 3–1 Connelly, Sugden, Reid
21 26 December 1908 Norwich City A 1–6 Buxton
22 28 December 1908 Reading H 2–3 Buxton, Reid
23 2 January 1909 Southampton A 0–1
24 9 January 1909 Leyton H 0–0
25 23 January 1909 West Ham United A 0–3
26 30 January 1909 Brighton & Hove Albion H 4–0 Reid (4)
27 13 February 1909 Plymouth Argyle H 1–0 Reid
28 20 February 1909 Luton Town H 2–2 Reid, Sugden
29 27 February 1909 Swindon Town A 1–2 McKenzie
30 13 March 1909 Exeter City A 2–1 Reid, Sugden
31 20 March 1909 Northampton Town H 3–1 Connelly (2), Ramsden (pen)
32 27 March 1909 New Brompton A 1–1 Sugden
33 29 March 1909 Portsmouth H 1–2 Reid
34 31 March 1909 Crystal Palace A 1–3 Nicholson
35 3 April 1909 Millwall H 4–2 McIver (2, 2 pen), Nicholson, Connelly
36 9 April 1909 Norwich City H 3–1 Sugden, Connelly, Buxton
37 10 April 1909 Southend United A 0–1
38 12 April 1909 Watford A 0–2
39 17 April 1909 Coventry City H 5–2 Reid (2), Nicholson, Sugden, Connelly
40 24 April 1909 Bristol Rovers A 2–3 Reid (2)

FA Cup

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Round Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer
1R 16 January 1909 Gainsborough Trinity H 2–0 Richards (2)
2R 6 February 1909 Nottingham Forest A 0–1
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[2]

Playing squad

[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK England ENG Willie McIver
DF England ENG Dave Ewing
DF England ENG Ernest Ramsden
DF England ENG Dusty Rhodes (c)
MF England ENG Bert Badger
MF Scotland SCO John Gordon
MF England ENG Joe Hisbent
MF England ENG Jimmy Jay
MF England ENG George Podmore
MF England ENG Phil Richards
FW England ENG Steve Buxton
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW England ENG Fred Connelly
FW Scotland SCO Alex Glen
FW Scotland SCO Gladstone Hamilton
FW Scotland SCO William Jaffray
FW Scotland SCO Ronald McKenzie
FW England ENG Arthur Nicholson
FW Scotland SCO Geordie Reid
FW England ENG Joe Ryalls
FW England ENG Sidney Sugden
FW England ENG Lindsay Syrad

Left club during season

[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Scotland SCO Alex McCulloch (to Bradford Park Avenue)
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[2]

Coaching staff

[edit]
Name Role
England Fred Halliday Secretary Manager
England Tom Cowper Trainer

Statistics

[edit]

Appearances

[edit]
Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Southern League season.

Goalscorers

[edit]
Pos. Nat Player SL1 FAC Total
FW Scotland Geordie Reid 18 0 18
FW England Fred Connelly 12 0 12
FW England Sidney Sugden 9 0 9
FW England Steve Buxton 4 0 4
FW Scotland Alex Glen 3 0 3
FW Scotland Alex McCulloch 3 0 3
FW England Arthur Nicholson 3 0 3
GK England Willie McIver 2 0 2
HB England Phil Richards 0 2 2
HB England Bert Badger 1 0 1
HB England Jimmy Jay 1 0 1
FW Scotland Ronald McKenzie 1 0 1
DF England Ernest Ramsden 1 0 1
FW England Joe Ryalls 1 0 1
Total 59 2 61
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[2]

Management

[edit]
Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Fred Halliday England 2 September 1908 24 April 1909 42 14 7 21 033.33 40 13 7 20 032.50

Summary

[edit]
Games played 42 (40 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Games won 14 (13 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games drawn 7 (7 Southern League First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost 21 (20 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 61 (59 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 75 (74 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 7 (6 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 4–0 versus Brighton & Hove Albion, 30 January 1909
Worst league defeat 6–1 versus Norwich City, 26 December 1908
Most appearances 42, Willie McIver, Joe Ryalls (40 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 18, Geordie Reid
Top scorer (all competitions) 18, Geordie Reid

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i White, p. 91-93.
  2. ^ a b c d White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 360. ISBN 0951526200.