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1973–74 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1973–74 season
ChairmanLes Davey &
Walter Wheatley

(until January 1974)
Walter Wheatley
(January–March 1974)
ManagerMike Everitt
StadiumGriffin Park
Fourth Division19th
FA CupFirst round
League CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Cross (17)
All: Cross (17)
Highest home attendance8,717
Lowest home attendance3,166
Average home league attendance5,063

During the 1973–74 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. A dreadful season, marred by infighting at boardroom level, resulted in a 19th-place finish, Brentford's lowest in the Football League since the 1925–26 season.

Season summary

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In the wake of Brentford's relegation straight back to the Fourth Division at the end of the previous season, manager Frank Blunstone, who had come to the end of his contract, left Griffin Park to take over as youth team manager at Manchester United.[1] Despite the relegation, fan support for Blunstone was high and the finger of blame pointed at the board of directors, with one letter to the Middlesex Chronicle summing up the situation that the board's penny-pinching ways since 1967 were "necessary for a couple of years or so, but timidity of this sort prompts me to believe that promotion last year was an unwelcome accident, which has now been rectified".[1] Brentford entered pre-season without a manager and training was taken by full back Alan Hawley and other senior professionals.[2] Eventually former Wimbledon player-manager Mike Everitt was appointed as manager, just seven days before the beginning of the season.[1] Everitt made no signings before the first match of the season and inherited a tiny 14-man squad, with backup goalkeeper Gary Towse being Brentford's only incoming transfer, signed two months earlier.[1]

With Brentford one place above the re-election zone after seven league matches,[3] manager Everitt began recruiting new players, including defender Gordon Riddick for a £4,000 fee and loanees Michael Brown and Hughie Reed.[1] The signings had no immediate impact and Brentford sank to the bottom of the Football League after a 4–1 defeat to Scunthorpe United at the Old Showground.[3] The loss meant that Brentford became the first club to occupy both first and last places in the Football League, having risen to top position during the early months of the 1937–38 season.[1] Behind the scenes, the Brentford board had split into two factions, with one side pushing for a move to a new stadium and the other half wishing to stay at Griffin Park.[1] Joint-chairmen Les Davey and Walter Wheatley were split on the matter and Wheatley became sole chairman of the club in January 1974,[2] though he would be ousted two months later.[1]

With Brentford still struggling on the field, midfielder Stewart Houston was sold to Manchester United in December 1973 for a club-record £55,000 fee,[4] but the money was not immediately reinvested in the squad.[1] The disharmony in the boardroom also spread to the playing squad, with Paul Bence, Alan Nelmes, Jackie Graham, Barry Salvage and Paul Priddy requesting moves away, though ultimately none would depart Griffin Park.[5] A 10-match unbeaten run from mid-February through to early-April 1974 finally assured safety and youth products Richard Poole, Kevin Harding and Roy Cotton were able to be blooded,[3] though none of the trio would make more than a handful of senior appearances for the club.[1] Cambridge United forward Dave Simmonds and Bournemouth defender Jimmy Gabriel were brought in on transfer deadline day.[2] Brentford ended the season in 19th place, the club's lowest finish in the Football League since the 1925–26 season.[1] The average home league attendance of 5,063 was the lowest since the club joined the Football League in 1920.[6]

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Promotion or relegation
17 Mansfield Town 46 13 17 16 62 69 0.899 43
18 Scunthorpe United 45 14 12 19 47 64 0.734 42[a]
19 Brentford 46 12 16 18 48 50 0.960 40
20 Darlington 46 13 13 20 40 62 0.645 39
21 Crewe Alexandra 46 14 10 22 43 71 0.606 38 Re-elected
Source: rsssf.com
Notes:
  1. ^ Scunthorpe United v. Exeter was never played; Exeter failed to turn up and Scunthorpe were awarded the points.

Results

[edit]
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

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Win Draw Loss

Pre-season and friendlies

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Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
11 August 1973 Hereford United H 2–2 3,330 Webb, Graham
18 August 1973 Aldershot A 0–1 2,363
20 August 1973 Luton Town H 1–1 2,320 Cross
29 October 1973 Ex-Bees XI H 3–4 1,461 Woon, Salvage, Metchick
6 May 1974 Orient H 2–2 2,550 O'Mara, Docherty

Football League Fourth Division

[edit]
No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 25 August 1973 Hartlepool A 0–1 3,447
2 1 September 1973 Exeter City H 0–1 4,814
3 8 September 1973 Darlington A 2–1 2,287 Woon, Cross
4 10 September 1973 Torquay United H 0–0 5,581
5 15 September 1973 Doncaster Rovers H 2–0 4,957 Cross (2)
6 17 September 1973 Reading H 0–1 8,717
7 22 September 1973 Bury A 0–3 4,329
8 29 September 1973 Barnsley H 5–1 5,010 Scales, Woon (2), Docherty, Metchick
9 3 October 1973 Reading A 0–1 11,267
10 6 October 1973 Lincoln City A 2–3 4,056 Woon, Cross
11 13 October 1973 Peterborough United H 0–1 6,141
12 20 October 1973 Rotherham United H 1–1 4,419 Webb
13 24 October 1973 Torquay United A 0–3 4,445
14 27 October 1973 Scunthorpe United A 1–4 2,523 Cross
15 3 November 1973 Mansfield Town H 4–1 4,331 Houston, Cross (3, 1 pen)
16 10 November 1973 Workington A 2–0 970 Woon, Riddick
17 12 November 1973 Stockport County A 1–1 1,948 Riddick
18 17 November 1973 Chester H 3–0 5,166 Cross (3)
19 1 December 1973 Gillingham H 0–3 5,748
20 8 December 1973 Bradford City A 1–1 3,243 Webb
21 15 December 1973 Darlington H 0–0 3,166
22 22 December 1973 Barnsley A 1–2 2,458 Cross
23 26 December 1973 Newport County H 1–1 5,445 Graham
24 1 January 1974 Exeter City A 1–2 5,754 Salvage
25 5 January 1974 Swansea City H 0–2 3,501
26 12 January 1974 Doncaster Rovers A 2–1 3,009 Woon (2)
27 19 January 1974 Hartlepool H 1–2 4,646 Allen
28 26 January 1974 Crewe Alexandra A 0–0 1,380
29 2 February 1974 Northampton Town A 0–0 4,130
30 9 February 1974 Bury H 1–2 4,015 Cross
31 16 February 1974 Peterborough United A 0–1 7,645
32 23 February 1974 Lincoln City H 2–1 4,171 Salvage, Cross
33 2 March 1974 Newport County A 1–1 2,167 Salvage
34 9 March 1974 Scunthorpe United H 2–1 4,053 Salvage, Allen
35 16 March 1974 Rotherham United A 1–1 2,536 Metchick
36 18 March 1974 Northampton Town H 3–1 3,686 Cross, Simmons, Salvage
37 23 March 1974 Workington H 1–1 5,008 Cross
38 26 March 1974 Swansea City A 0–0 2,220
39 30 March 1974 Mansfield Town A 1–1 1,909 Graham
40 1 April 1974 Crewe Alexandra H 3–0 5,552 Cross, Metchick, Simmons
41 6 April 1974 Stockport County H 0–0 5,625
42 12 April 1974 Colchester United A 1–2 8,155 Simmons
43 13 April 1974 Chester A 0–0 2,775
44 16 April 1974 Colchester United H 0–0 7,478
45 20 April 1974 Bradford City H 2–0 5,224 Simmons, Poole
46 27 April 1974 Gillingham A 0–1 9,319

FA Cup

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Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer
1R 24 November 1973 Plymouth Argyle A 1–2 11,050 Allen

Football League Cup

[edit]
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer
1R 28 August 1973 Orient H 1–2 6,620 Webb
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[7] The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[8][9] Statto

Playing squad

[edit]
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1973–74 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Paul Priddy England (1953-07-11)11 July 1953 (aged 20) Maidenhead United 1972
GK Steve Sherwood England (1953-12-10)10 December 1953 (aged 19) Chelsea 1973 On loan from Chelsea
Defenders
DF Michael Allen England (1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 24) Middlesbrough 1971
DF Paul Bence England (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 24) Reading 1970 Loaned to Hillingdon Borough
DF Jimmy Gabriel Scotland (1940-10-10)10 October 1940 (aged 32) Bournemouth 1974 Coach
DF Peter Gelson England (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 31) Youth 1961
DF Alan Hawley England (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 27) Youth 1962 Loaned to Hillingdon Borough and Aldershot
DF Gordon Riddick (c) England (1943-11-06)6 November 1943 (aged 29) Northampton Town 1973
DF Terry Scales England (1951-01-18)18 January 1951 (aged 22) West Ham United 1971
DF Gary Smith England (1955-11-04)4 November 1955 (aged 17) Youth 1974
Midfielders
MF John Docherty Scotland (1940-04-29)29 April 1940 (aged 33) Reading 1970 Assistant manager
MF Jackie Graham Scotland (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 27) Guildford City 1970
MF Dave Metchick England (1943-08-14)14 August 1943 (aged 30) Atlanta Apollos 1973
MF Alan Nelmes England (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 24) Chelsea 1967
MF Barry Salvage England (1946-12-21)21 December 1946 (aged 26) Queens Park Rangers 1973
Forwards
FW Roy Cotton England (1955-11-14)14 November 1955 (aged 17) Youth 1973
FW Roger Cross England (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 24) Fulham 1973
FW Kevin Harding England (1957-03-19)19 March 1957 (aged 16) Youth 1974
FW Richard Poole England (1957-07-03)3 July 1957 (aged 16) Youth 1974
FW Dave Simmons England (1948-10-24)24 October 1948 (aged 24) Cambridge United 1974
FW Stan Webb England (1947-12-06)6 December 1947 (aged 25) Carlisle United 1972
FW Andy Woon England (1952-06-26)26 June 1952 (aged 21) Bognor Regis Town 1973
Players who left the club mid-season
GK Gary Towse England (1952-05-14)14 May 1952 (aged 21) Crystal Palace 1973 Released
DF Michael Brown Wales (1951-09-27)27 September 1951 (aged 21) Brighton & Hove Albion 1973 Returned to Brighton & Hove Albion after loan
MF Stewart Houston Scotland (1949-08-20)20 August 1949 (aged 24) Chelsea 1972 Transferred to Manchester United
MF Hughie Reed Scotland (1950-08-23)23 August 1950 (aged 23) Plymouth Argyle 1973 Returned to Plymouth Argyle after loan
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[10] Timeless Bees[11]

Coaching staff

[edit]
Name Role
England Mike Everitt Manager
Scotland John Docherty Assistant manager
Scotland Jimmy Gabriel Coach
England Jess Willard Trainer, Chief Scout

Statistics

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Appearances and goals

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Substitute appearances in brackets.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England Paul Priddy 25 0 1 0 1 0 27 0
GK England Gary Towse 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
DF England Michael Allen 27 (5) 2 0 (1) 1 1 0 26 (8) 3
DF England Paul Bence 30 0 0 0 1 0 31 0
DF Scotland Jimmy Gabriel 9 0 9 0
DF England Peter Gelson 40 0 1 0 1 0 42 0
DF England Alan Hawley 22 0 0 0 1 0 23 0
DF England Gordon Riddick 26 (1) 2 1 0 27 (1) 2
DF England Terry Scales 33 1 1 0 1 0 35 1
MF Scotland John Docherty 13 (1) 1 1 0 0 0 14 (1) 1
MF Scotland Jackie Graham 31 2 1 0 0 0 32 2
MF Scotland Stewart Houston 23 1 1 0 1 0 25 1
MF England Dave Metchick 33 (1) 3 1 0 34 (1) 3
MF England Alan Nelmes 33 0 1 0 1 0 35 0
MF England Barry Salvage 37 5 0 0 1 0 38 5
FW England Roy Cotton 1 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 1 (1) 0
FW England Roger Cross 39 (2) 17 1 0 1 0 41 (2) 17
FW England Kevin Harding 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
FW England Richard Poole 5 (1) 1 0 0 0 0 5 (1) 1
FW England Dave Simmons 12 4 12 4
FW England Stan Webb 13 (2) 2 0 0 1 1 14 (2) 3
FW England Andy Woon 24 (3) 7 1 0 0 (1) 0 25 (4) 7
Players loaned in during the season
GK England Steve Sherwood 16 0 16 0
DF Wales Michael Brown 3 0 3 0
MF Scotland Hughie Reed 3 (1) 0 3 (1) 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[7]

Goalscorers

[edit]
Pos. Nat Player FL4 FAC FLC Total
FW England Roger Cross 17 0 0 17
FW England Andy Woon 7 0 0 7
MF England Barry Salvage 5 0 0 5
FW England Dave Simmons 4 4
MF England Dave Metchick 3 0 3
DF England Michael Allen 2 1 0 3
FW England Stan Webb 2 0 1 3
DF England Gordon Riddick 2 0 2
MF Scotland Jackie Graham 2 0 0 2
MF Scotland John Docherty 1 0 0 1
MF Scotland Stewart Houston 1 0 0 1
FW England Richard Poole 1 0 0 1
DF England Terry Scales 1 0 0 1
Total 48 1 1 50
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[7]

Management

[edit]
Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Mike Everitt England 25 August 1973 27 April 1974 48 12 16 20 025.00 46 12 16 18 026.09

Summary

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Games played 48 (46 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Games won 12 (12 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games drawn 16 (16 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games lost 20 (18 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored 50 (48 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals conceded 54 (50 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Clean sheets 13 (13 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Biggest league win 5–1 versus Barnsley, 29 September 1973
Worst league defeat 3–0 on three occasions; 4–1 versus Scunthorpe United, 27 October 1973
Most appearances 43, Roger Cross (41 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Top scorer (league) 17, Roger Cross
Top scorer (all competitions) 17, Roger Cross

Transfers & loans

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Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
June 1973 GK England Gary Towse England Crystal Palace Free [2]
September 1973 MF England Dave Metchick United States Atlanta Apollos Trial [2]
October 1973 DF England Gordon Riddick England Northampton Town £4,000 [2]
March 1974 DF Scotland Jimmy Gabriel England Bournemouth Free [2]
March 1974 FW England Dave Simmons England Cambridge United £12,000 [2]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
September 1973 DF Wales Michael Brown England Brighton & Hove Albion October 1973 [2]
October 1973 MF Scotland Hughie Reed England Plymouth Argyle November 1973 [2]
January 1974 GK England Steve Sherwood England Chelsea End of season [2]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
December 1973 MF Scotland Stewart Houston England Manchester United £55,000 [4]
1973 MF England David Jenkins England Hereford United Free [2]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
December 1973 DF England Paul Bence England Hillingdon Borough December 1973 [2]
February 1974 DF England Alan Hawley England Hillingdon Borough February 1974 [2]
February 1974 DF England Alan Hawley England Aldershot March 1974 [2]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
January 1974 GK England Gary Towse South Africa Jewish Guild 1974 [2]
May 1974 FW England Roy Cotton England Orient July 1974 [12]
May 1974 MF Scotland John Docherty England Queens Park Rangers July 1974 [2]
May 1974 DF Scotland Jimmy Gabriel United States Seattle Sounders 1974 [2]
May 1974 DF England Alan Hawley England Hillingdon Borough 1974 [2]
May 1974 FW England Stan Webb England Darlington July 1974 [2]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k White, p. 292-294.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 88-92.
  3. ^ a b c "Brentford results for the 1973–1974 season". Statto.com. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Doc Remembers Houston". Goal: 14. 26 January 1974.
  5. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 78.
  6. ^ White, p. 295.
  7. ^ a b c White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 392. ISBN 0951526200.
  8. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 80-87.
  9. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 304-305.
  10. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  11. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  12. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 108.
  13. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 295.