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1991–92 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1991–92 season
ChairmanMartin Lange
ManagerPhil Holder
StadiumGriffin Park
Third Division1st (promoted)
FA CupSecond round
League CupThird round
Football League TrophyFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Holdsworth (24)
All: Holdsworth (38)
Highest home attendance12,071
Lowest home attendance4,586
Average home league attendance7,156

During the 1991–92 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. The club finished the season as champions to seal second-tier football for the first time since 1953–54. In 2013, it was voted as Brentford's best ever season by the club's supporters.[1]

Season summary

[edit]
Dean Holdsworth's 38 goals during the season was one shy of Jack Holliday's club record.

After defeat to Tranmere Rovers in the 1991 Third Division play-offs, Brentford manager Phil Holder made just one addition to his squad prior to the beginning of the 1991–92 season, in the shape of £60,000 defender Billy Manuel from Gillingham.[2] Two wins from the opening two league matches of the season put Brentford in the automatic promotion places, but three successive defeats dropped the club back to 16th by early September 1991.[3] Aided by on-fire forward Dean Holdsworth, the Bees won 13, drew three and lost three of the following 19 matches, losing just once in the league.[2] Having reached the top spot in the Third Division after a 4–0 victory over Wigan Athletic on 9 November, the club stayed at the summit until 8 February 1992, when a fifth defeat in 9 matches dropped the club back to third.[3]

Brentford vied with Birmingham City and Stoke City in the automatic promotion places between mid-February and mid-March, but four successive defeats and two draws dropped the Bees back to 4th.[3] Six wins in the final six matches of the season (which included a 4–0 victory over West London rivals Fulham at Griffin Park) saw Brentford claim the Third Division championship on the final day,[4] after a Gary Blissett goal was enough to beat Peterborough United at London Road.[2] Dean Holdsworth's 24 league goals tied him with Huddersfield Town's Iwan Roberts as the top scorer in the Third Division and Holdsworth's total of 38 in all competitions was one goal short of Jack Holliday's club record,[5] set during the 1932–33 season, when Brentford had last been promoted out of the Third Division.[6][7]

League table

[edit]
Main article: 1991–92 Football League § Third Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Brentford 46 25 7 14 81 55 +26 82 Division Champions, promoted
2 Birmingham City 46 23 12 11 69 52 +17 81 Promoted
3 Huddersfield Town 46 22 12 12 59 38 +21 78 Participated in play-offs
4 Stoke City 46 21 14 11 69 49 +20 77
5 Stockport County 46 22 10 14 75 51 +24 76
Source: [citation needed]

Results

[edit]
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

[edit]
Win Draw Loss

Pre-season

[edit]
Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
27 July 1991 Staines Town A 2–0 n/a Godfrey, Holdsworth (pen)
30 July 1991 Portsmouth H 0–2 1,231
3 August 1991 Enfield A 1–1 n/a Smilie
6 August 1991 Chelsea H 4–3 4,923 Cadette (2), Holdsworth, Smilie
7 August 1991 Maidenhead United A 2–3 n/a Line, untraced (og)
10 August 1991 Colchester United A 3–1 n/a Luscombe, Godfrey, Gayle
12 August 1991 Chesham United A 4–3 n/a Cadette (2), Blissett (pen), Ratcliffe

Football League Third Division

[edit]
No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 17 August 1991 Leyton Orient H 4–3 6,156 Holdsworth (3), Evans
2 24 August 1991 Exeter City A 2–1 3,518 Gayle, Blissett
3 31 August 1991 Huddersfield Town H 2–3 5,459 Jones, Godfrey
4 3 September 1991 Hartlepool United A 0–1 3,660
5 7 September 1991 Shrewsbury Town A 0–1 3,139
6 14 September 1991 Reading H 1–0 5,775 Cadette
7 17 September 1991 Hull City H 4–1 4,586 Evans, Smilie, untraced (og), Holdsworth
8 21 September 1991 Darlington A 2–1 3,900 Smilie, Holdsworth
9 28 September 1991 Bolton Wanderers H 3–2 5,658 Holdsworth (2), Gayle
10 5 October 1991 Fulham A 1–0 7,710 Evans
11 12 October 1991 Peterborough United H 2–1 7,705 Evans, Smilie
12 19 October 1991 West Bromwich Albion H 1–2 8,575 Gayle
13 26 October 1991 Bury A 3–0 2,280 Holdsworth (2), Gayle
14 2 November 1991 Bradford City A 1–0 5,359 Smilie
15 6 November 1991 Birmingham City H 2–2 8,798 Smilie, Blissett
16 9 November 1991 Wigan Athletic H 4–0 6,675 Blissett (2), Holdsworth (2)
17 22 November 1991 Bournemouth A 0–0 4,764
18 30 November 1991 Swansea City H 3–2 6,669 Holdsworth, Ratcliffe, Blissett
19 14 December 1991 Torquay United A 1–1 2,475 Godfrey
20 22 December 1991 Exeter City H 3–0 7,226 Blissett (2), Gayle
21 26 December 1991 Huddersfield Town A 1–2 10,605 Blissett (pen)
22 28 December 1991 Leyton Orient A 2–4 7,333 Luscombe (2)
23 1 January 1992 Hartlepool United H 1–0 7,102 Holdsworth
24 4 January 1992 Stockport County A 1–2 4,421 Untraced (og)
25 11 January 1992 Stoke City H 2–0 9,004 Luscombe, Holdsworth
26 18 January 1992 Chester City A 1–1 1,447 Booker
27 25 January 1992 Preston North End H 1–0 7,559 Evans
28 1 February 1992 West Bromwich Albion A 0–2 15,984
29 8 February 1992 Bury H 0–3 6,789
30 11 February 1992 Swansea City A 1–1 3,582 Millen
31 15 February 1992 Torquay United H 3–2 6,079 Booker, Blissett, Bates
32 22 February 1992 Stoke City A 1–2 16,417 Blissett
33 29 February 1992 Stockport County H 2–1 7,484 Smilie, Holdsworth
34 3 March 1992 Chester City H 2–0 6,869 Blissett, Holdsworth (pen)
35 7 March 1992 Preston North End A 2–3 3,548 Smilie, Buckle
36 10 March 1992 Birmingham City A 0–1 13,290
37 14 March 1992 Bradford City H 3–4 6,791 Evans, Blissett, Holdsworth
38 20 March 1992 Wigan Athletic A 1–2 2,371 Holdsworth
39 29 March 1992 Bournemouth H 2–2 7,605 Godfrey, Blissett
40 1 April 1992 Reading A 0–0 5,660
41 4 April 1992 Shrewsbury Town H 2–0 5,561 Holdsworth, Evans
42 11 April 1992 Hull City A 3–0 3,770 Holdsworth (2), Blissett
43 17 April 1992 Darlington H 4–1 8,383 Holdsworth (2), Blissett, untraced (og)
44 20 April 1992 Bolton Wanderers A 2–1 4,382 Evans, untraced (og)
45 26 April 1992 Fulham H 4–0 12,071 Holdsworth, Gayle, Blissett, Ratcliffe
46 2 May 1992 Peterborough United A 1–0 14,539 Blissett

FA Cup

[edit]
Main article: 1991–92 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
R1 18 November 1991 Gillingham H 3–3 5,830 Holdsworth (2), Blissett
R1 (replay) 26 November 1991 Gillingham A 3–1 7,328 Holdsworth (2), Sealy
R2 7 December 1991 Bournemouth A 1–2 6,538 Bates

League Cup

[edit]
Main article: 1991–92 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
R1 (1st leg) 20 August 1991 Barnet A 5–5 2,416 Cadette (2), Godfrey, Holdsworth (2)
R1 (2nd leg) 27 August 1991 Barnet H 3–1 (won 8–6 on aggregate) 5,583 Holdsworth, Godfrey, Evans
R2 (1st leg) 24 September 1991 Brighton & Hove Albion H 4–1 4,927 Godfrey, Cadette, Holdsworth (2)
R2 (2nd leg) 9 October 1991 Brighton & Hove Albion A 2–4 (a.e.t.), won 6–5 on aggregate) 4,502 Cadette, Holdsworth
R3 30 October 1991 Norwich City A 1–4 7,394 Manuel

Football League Trophy

[edit]
Main article: 1991–92 Football League Trophy
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
PR 22 October 1991 Aldershot A 2–0 1,348 Sealy (2)
PR 17 December 1991 Barnet H 3–6 1,871 Luscombe, Holdsworth (2)
SR1 21 January 1992 Leyton Orient A 2–3 1,861 Holdsworth (2)

Playing squad

[edit]
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1991–92 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Ashley Bayes England (1972-04-19)19 April 1972 (aged 19) Youth 1990
GK Graham Benstead England (1963-08-20)20 August 1963 (aged 27) Sheffield United 1990
Defenders
DF Jamie Bates England (1968-02-24)24 February 1968 (aged 23) Youth 1986
DF Terry Evans (c) England (1965-04-12)12 April 1965 (aged 26) Hillingdon 1985
DF Chris Hughton Republic of Ireland (1958-12-11)11 December 1958 (aged 32) West Ham United 1992 Coach
DF Billy Manuel England (1969-06-28)28 June 1969 (aged 22) Gillingham 1991
DF Keith Millen England (1966-09-26)26 September 1966 (aged 24) Youth 1985
DF Brian Statham England (1969-05-21)21 May 1969 (aged 22) Tottenham Hotspur 1992 Loaned from Tottenham Hotspur before transferring permanently
Midfielders
MF Bob Booker England (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 33) Sheffield United 1991
MF Paul Buckle England (1970-12-16)16 December 1970 (aged 20) Youth 1988
MF Andy Driscoll England (1971-10-21)21 October 1971 (aged 19) Youth 1989 Loaned to Staines Town
MF Tony Finnigan England (1962-10-17)17 October 1962 (aged 28) Swindon Town 1991
MF Kevin Godfrey England (1960-02-24)24 February 1960 (aged 31) Leyton Orient 1988
MF Detzi Kruszyński Poland (1960-10-14)14 October 1960 (aged 30) Wimbledon 1992 On loan from Wimbledon
MF Robbie Peters England (1971-05-18)18 May 1971 (aged 20) Youth 1989
MF Simon Ratcliffe England (1967-02-08)8 February 1967 (aged 24) Norwich City 1989
MF Wilf Rostron England (1956-09-29)29 September 1956 (aged 34) Sheffield United 1991 Assistant manager
MF Neil Smilie England (1958-07-19)19 July 1958 (aged 33) Reading 1988
Forwards
FW Gary Blissett England (1964-06-29)29 June 1964 (aged 27) Crewe Alexandra 1987
FW Marcus Gayle Jamaica (1970-09-27)27 September 1970 (aged 20) Youth 1988
FW Dean Holdsworth England (1968-11-08)8 November 1968 (aged 22) Watford 1989
FW Simon Line England (1971-11-01)1 November 1971 (aged 19) Crystal Palace 1991
FW Lee Luscombe England (1971-07-16)16 July 1971 (aged 20) Southampton 1991
FW Tony Sealy England (1959-05-07)7 May 1959 (aged 32) MYPA 1991
Players who left the club mid-season
GK Perry Suckling England (1965-10-12)12 October 1965 (aged 25) Crystal Palace 1991 Returned to Crystal Palace after loan
MF Keith Jones England (1965-10-14)14 October 1965 (aged 25) Chelsea 1987 Transferred to Southend United
FW Richard Cadette England (1965-03-21)21 March 1965 (aged 26) Sheffield United 1988 Transferred to Falkirk
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties[9]

Coaching staff

[edit]
Name Role
England Phil Holder Manager
England Wilf Rostron Assistant Manager
England Graham Pearce Coach
Republic of Ireland Chris Hughton Coach
England Gordon Phillips Goalkeeping Coach
England Roy Clare Physiotherapist

Statistics

[edit]

Appearances and goals

[edit]
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 England Ashley Bayes 1 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 6 0
GK England Graham Benstead 37 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 42 0
DF England Jamie Bates 41 (1) 1 3 1 5 0 2 0 51 (1) 2
DF England Terry Evans 44 8 3 0 5 1 2 0 54 9
DF Republic of Ireland Chris Hughton 12 0 — — — 12 0
DF England Billy Manuel 27 (8) 0 3 0 5 1 2 0 37 (8) 1
DF England Keith Millen 34 1 3 0 2 0 2 0 41 1
DF England Brian Statham 18 0 — — — 18 0
MF England Bob Booker 14 (2) 2 — — — 14 (2) 2
MF England Paul Buckle 8 (7) 1 1 (1) 0 2 (1) 0 2 (1) 0 13 (10) 1
MF England Andy Driscoll 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0
MF England Tony Finnigan 3 0 — — 1 0 4 0
MF England Kevin Godfrey 26 (5) 3 2 (1) 0 5 3 2 0 35 (6) 6
MF England Keith Jones 6 1 — 3 0 — 9 1
MF England Robbie Peters 1 (8) 0 0 0 1 (2) 0 1 (1) 0 3 (11) 0
MF England Simon Ratcliffe 31 (3) 2 3 0 3 0 2 (1) 0 39 (4) 2
MF England Wilf Rostron 15 (3) 0 0 0 2 (1) 0 1 0 18 (4) 0
MF England Neil Smilie 44 7 3 0 5 0 3 0 55 7
FW England Gary Blissett 31 (6) 17 3 1 2 (2) 0 3 0 39 (8) 18
FW England Richard Cadette 10 (1) 1 — 3 4 — 13 (1) 5
FW Jamaica Marcus Gayle 28 (10) 6 1 (1) 0 3 (1) 0 2 (1) 0 34 (13) 6
FW England Dean Holdsworth 40 (1) 24 3 4 4 (1) 6 2 (1) 4 49 (3) 38
FW England Simon Line 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 (1) 0
FW England Lee Luscombe 10 (3) 3 — — 2 1 12 (3) 4
FW England Tony Sealy 9 (9) 0 2 (1) 1 — 1 2 12 (10) 0
Players loaned in during the season
GK England Perry Suckling 8 0 — — 1 0 9 0
MF Poland Detzi Kruszyński 8 0 — — — 8 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties[9]

Goalscorers

[edit]
Pos. Nat Player FL3 FAC FLC FLT Total
FW England Dean Holdsworth 24 4 6 4 38
FW England Gary Blissett 17 1 0 0 18
DF England Terry Evans 8 0 1 0 9
MF England Neil Smilie 7 0 0 0 7
FW Jamaica Marcus Gayle 6 0 0 0 6
MF England Kevin Godfrey 3 0 3 0 6
FW England Richard Cadette 1 — 4 — 5
FW England Lee Luscombe 3 — — 1 4
MF England Bob Booker 2 — — — 3
MF England Simon Ratcliffe 2 0 0 0 2
DF England Jamie Bates 1 1 0 0 2
MF England Keith Jones 1 — 0 — 1
MF England Paul Buckle 1 0 0 0 1
DF England Keith Millen 1 0 0 0 1
DF England Billy Manuel 0 0 1 0 1
Opponents 4 0 0 0 4
Total 81 7 15 7 110
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties[9]

Management

[edit]
Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Phil Holder England 17 August 1991 2 May 1992 57 29 9 19 050.88 46 25 7 14 054.35

Summary

[edit]
Games played 57 (46 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy)
Games won 29 (25 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy)
Games drawn 9 (7 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy)
Games lost 19 (14 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy)
Goals scored 110 (81 Third Division, 7 FA Cup, 15 League Cup, 7 Football League Trophy)
Goals conceded 85 (55 Third Division, 6 FA Cup, 15 League Cup, 9 Football League Trophy)
Clean sheets 12 (15 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy)
Biggest league win 4–0 on 2 occasions
Worst league defeat 3–0 versus Bury, 8 February 1992
Most appearances 54, Terry Evans (44 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy)
Top scorer (league) 24, Dean Holdsworth
Top scorer (all competitions) 38, Dean Holdsworth

Transfers & loans

[edit]
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
14 June 1991 DF England Billy Manuel England Gillingham £60,000 [10]
October 1991 FW England Lee Luscombe England Southampton £15,000 [11]
October 1991 FW England Tony Sealy Finland MYPA Free [11]
November 1991 MF England Bob Booker England Sheffield United Free [11]
17 January 1992 MF England Tony Finnigan England Swindon Town Free [12]
28 February 1992 DF England Brian Statham England Tottenham Hotspur £70,000 [13]
February 1992 DF Republic of Ireland Chris Hughton England West Ham United Free [13]
March 1992 DF Republic of Ireland Tim O'Shea England Gillingham Non-contract [14]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
11 October 1991 GK England Perry Suckling England Crystal Palace November 1991 [11]
16 January 1992 DF England Brian Statham England Tottenham Hotspur 16 February 1992 [13]
March 1992 MF Poland Detzi Kruszyński England Wimbledon End of season [14]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
1 July 1991 DF England Jason Cousins England Wycombe Wanderers Free [10]
21 October 1991 MF England Keith Jones England Southend United £175,000 [15]
9 January 1992 FW England Richard Cadette Scotland Falkirk £50,000 [13]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
November 1991 MF England Andy Driscoll England Staines Town December 1991 [16]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
30 June 1992 MF England Andy Driscoll England Yeading 1992 [17]
30 June 1992 MF England Tony Finnigan Hong Kong Ernest Borel 1992 [18]
30 June 1992 FW England Simon Line Retired [17]
30 June 1992 DF Republic of Ireland Tim O'Shea Hong Kong Hong Kong Rangers 1992 [17]
30 June 1992 FW England Tony Sealy Hong Kong Michelotti 1992 [17]

Kit

[edit]

Supplier: Chad
Sponsor(s): KLM

Home
Away

Source: Brentford F.C.

Awards

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Brentford". Football League 125. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 9781906796723.
  3. ^ a b c "Brentford results for the 1991–1992 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Moment in Time: Fulham". Brentford FC. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  5. ^ "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  6. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 79.
  7. ^ "Brentford Complete History". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  8. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 52-72, 449.
  9. ^ a b c Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 477.
  10. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 82.
  11. ^ a b c d Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 83.
  12. ^ Tony Finnigan at Soccerbase
  13. ^ a b c d Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 86.
  14. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 87.
  15. ^ "Premier and Football League transfers". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  16. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 85.
  17. ^ a b c d Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 89.
  18. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. p. 57. ISBN 0955294916.
  19. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 445.
  20. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman 2013, p. 88.
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