Brentford 1907–08 football season
During the 1907–08 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League First Division. A poor season ended with a 16th-place finish.
Season summary
Captain George Parsonage was named as player-caretaker manager in January 1908.
Though Brentford manager William Brown managed to retain most of his key players for the 1907–08 season, his release of future England international forward Fred Pentland was seen as being ill-advised.[ 1] In came goalkeeper John Montgomery , full back Vince Hayes , half back Jock Hamilton and centre forward Adam Bowman .[ 1] Brentford started the Southern League First Division season poorly and with the club entering a period of financial instability, the relationship between the committee and the players began to deteriorate.[ 1] Hopes of a money-spinning FA Cup run ended in the first round at the hands of Lancashire Combination club Carlisle United and in January 1908 manager Brown tendered his resignation, which was accepted.[ 1]
Captain George Parsonage was named as player-caretaker manager in January 1908 and after reshuffling the lineup, he oversaw an upturn in form which led the Bees to a 16th-place finish.[ 1] One of the highlights of a dreadful season was the goalscoring of forward Adam Bowman, who scored 22 goals in all competitions before being sold to Leeds City for £300 in April.[ 1] There was some cheer to be had in the United League, in which the first team won the division title, while the reserve team finished the season as Great Western Suburban League champions.[ 1]
The season marked a beginning of a period of financial trouble for Brentford, with Fulham 's election to the Football League and Chelsea 's home fixtures clashing with those at Griffin Park conspiring to draw potential support in West London away from the Bees.[ 1] By mid-April 1908, the club owed its players £500 in unpaid wages (equivalent to £65,900 in 2024), which necessitated the sale of top-scorer Bowman.[ 1]
One club record was set during the season:[ 2]
Most Southern League away defeats in a season: 16
League table
Source:
[ 3] 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
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
Legend
Southern League First Division
No.
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Scorer(s)
1
3 September 1907
Leyton
A
0–2
2
7 September 1907
Bristol Rovers
A
0–3
3
14 September 1907
Leyton
H
2–0
Hagan , Parsonage
4
21 September 1907
Reading
A
1–5
Bowman
5
28 September 1907
Watford
H
4–1
Bowman (2), Corbett (2)
6
5 October 1907
Norwich City
A
2–3
Bowman (2)
7
12 October 1907
Northampton Town
H
3–1
Bowman (3)
8
19 October 1907
Southampton
A
0–3
9
26 October 1907
Plymouth Argyle
H
2–1
Parsonage , Corbett
10
2 November 1907
West Ham United
A
1–5
Hagan (pen )
11
9 November 1907
Queens Park Rangers
H
1–1
Hagan (pen )
12
16 November 1907
Tottenham Hotspur
A
0–1
13
23 November 1907
Swindon Town
H
2–0
Corbett , Hagan
14
30 November 1907
Crystal Palace
A
1–2
McAllister
15
7 December 1907
Luton Town
H
3–1
Underwood , Bowman (2)
16
14 December 1907
Brighton & Hove Albion
A
0–1
17
21 December 1907
Portsmouth
H
1–1
Corbett
18
25 December 1907
Millwall
H
1–2
Corbett
19
26 December 1907
New Brompton
A
1–2
Bowman
20
28 December 1907
Bradford Park Avenue
A
0–2
21
4 January 1908
Bristol Rovers
H
0–3
22
18 January 1908
Reading
H
1–0
Parsonage
23
25 January 1908
Watford
A
2–1
Corbett , Bowman
24
8 February 1908
Northampton Town
A
0–0
25
15 February 1908
Southampton
H
4–0
Corbett , Bowman (2), Underwood
26
22 February 1908
Plymouth Argyle
A
1–2
Black (og )
27
29 February 1908
West Ham United
H
4–0
Bowman (2), Corbett , Parsonage
28
7 March 1908
Queens Park Rangers
A
0–1
29
9 March 1908
Norwich City
H
2–1
Bowman , Brown
30
14 March 1908
Tottenham Hotspur
H
3–0
Bowman (3)
31
21 March 1908
Swindon Town
A
0–0
32
28 March 1908
Crystal Palace
H
1–1
Corbett
33
4 April 1908
Luton Town
A
0–1
34
11 April 1908
Brighton & Hove Albion
H
2–0
Underwood , Bowman
35
17 April 1908
Millwall
A
0–2
36
18 April 1908
Portsmouth
A
2–3
Underwood , Tomlinson
37
20 April 1908
New Brompton
H
1–0
Corbett
38
25 April 1908
Bradford Park Avenue
H
1–2
Underwood
FA Cup
Source: 100 Years of Brentford[ 4]
Playing squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Source: 100 Years of Brentford[ 4]
Coaching staff
William Brown (3 September 1907 – January 1908)
Name
Role
William Brown
Secretary Manager
Bob Crone
Trainer
George Parsonage (January – 25 April 1908)
Statistics
Appearances
Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Southern League season.
Goalscorers
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[ 4]
Summary
Games played
40 (38 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup )
Games won
14 (14 Southern League First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games drawn
6 (5 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games lost
20 (19 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored
52 (49 Southern League First Division, 3 FA Cup)
Goals conceded
58 (53 Southern League First Division, 5 FA Cup)
Clean sheets
10 (10 Southern League First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win
4–0 on two occasions
Worst league defeat
5–1 on two occasions
Most appearances
40, George Parsonage (38 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league)
21, Adam Bowman
Top scorer (all competitions)
22, Adam Bowman
References