1913–14 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1913–14 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League Second Division. Despite winning 13 of 15 matches in the first half of the season, a loss of form in a five-week spell from February through to April 1914 ended the club's chances of an immediate return to First Division.

Brentford
1913–14 season
ChairmanH. Jason-Saunders
ManagerDusty Rhodes
StadiumGriffin Park
Southern League Second Division3rd
FA CupFifth qualifying round
Top goalscorerLeague: Simons (19)
All: Simons (19)
Highest home attendance13,000
Lowest home attendance2,000

Season summary

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Future England international forward Jack Cock briefly played for Brentford towards the end of the season.

Brentford player-manager Dusty Rhodes faced a tough task ahead in the Bees' first season back in the Southern League Second Division since 1900–01, with the club's debt having risen to £5,000 (equivalent to £621,500 in 2024) and the prospect of high expenses and reduced gate receipts from away matches due to 11 of the league's 16 clubs being located in Wales.[1] As a result, the Southern League Management Committee paid a £100 subsidy to each of the five English clubs in the league.[1] Of the previous season's professional players, only goalkeeper Ted Price, full backs Tommy Fells and Walter Spratt, centre half Frank Bentley and outside left Patsy Hendren were retained.[1] Bill Smith, Frederick Chapple and Bob McTavish were sold for small fees, while left half Phil Richards elected to retire.[1] In came half backs Tom McGovern, Bobby Jackson and forwards Charlie Elliott, Henry Simons, Joe Johnson and Tommy Clark.[1] England international amateur right half Alec Barclay remained with the club and amateur forwards Henry White and Jack Chapman were added to the ranks.[1]

As the season got underway, Brentford feasted on poor Welsh opposition, winning 13 of the first 15 matches of the season, scoring 49 goals and conceding just three.[2] Treharris and Ton Pentre were each beaten 7–0 at Griffin Park and the Bees also posted 5–0, 4–0 and 3–0 scorelines, each on two occasions.[2] The rot slowly set in after a 1–0 home defeat to 2nd-place Croydon Common on Christmas Day 1913 and injuries and the absence of some of the club's amateurs lead to defeats to fellow challengers Luton Town in February 1914,[1] Stoke later that month and a galling 1–0 reverse to Ton Pentre on 21 March.[2] Defeat to Newport County at home on 4 April ended Brentford's mathematical chances of a runners-up finish and later that month, with the club unable to pay its players in full, leading scorer Henry Simons and future England international Jack Cock were sold to raise funds.[1] Brentford finished the campaign in 4th-place and lost £127 for the season (equivalent to £15,400 in 2024).[2]

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Promotion
1 Croydon Common 30 23 5 2 76 14 5.429 51 Promoted to Division One
2 Luton Town 30 24 3 3 92 22 4.182 51
3 Brentford 30 20 4 6 80 18 4.444 44
4 Swansea Town 30 20 4 6 66 25 2.640 44
5 Stoke 30 19 2 9 71 34 2.088 40
Source: rsssf.com
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

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Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

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Win Draw Loss

Southern League Second Division

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No. Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer(s)
1 13 September 1913 Treharris A 3–1 Chapman, McGovern, Simons
2 20 September 1913 Caerphilly H 5–0 Simons (2), Johnson, Hendren (2)
3 4 October 1913 Ton Pentre H 7–0 Chapman (3), Hendren, Clark, Johnson, Jackson
4 11 October 1913 Abertillery A 1–0 Clark
5 18 October 1913 Swansea Town H 3–1 Clark, Johnson, Barclay
6 25 October 1913 Barry H 5–0 Johnson (3), Simons (2)
7 7 November 1913 Mardy H 4–0 Simons, Johnson (3)
8 6 December 1913 Llanelly A 3–0 Chapman (2), Jackson
9 20 December 1913 Barry A 4–0 Kent, Simons, Chapman, Elliott
10 25 December 1913 Croydon Common H 0–1
11 26 December 1913 Treharris H 7–0 Simons (4), Chapman (2), Johnson
12 27 December 1913 Newport County H 3–0 Simons (2), Chapman
13 17 January 1914 Stoke H 2–0 Chapman (2)
14 29 January 1914 Mid Rhondda A 0–0
15 31 January 1914 Pontypridd H 2–0 Simons, Johnson
16 7 February 1914 Luton Town A 1–3 Hendren (pen)
17 14 February 1914 Llanelly H 2–0 Chapman (2)
18 21 February 1914 Pontypridd A 0–0
19 23 February 1914 Mardy A 2–0 Johnson, Simons
20 28 February 1914 Stoke A 1–2 Simons
21 14 March 1914 Mid Rhondda H 3–1 Farnfield, Simons, Barclay
22 21 March 1914 Ton Pentre A 0–1
23 23 March 1914 Aberdare A 6–3 Johnson (3), Simons, Hendren, Elliott
24 28 March 1914 Abertillery H 5–0 McGovern, Chapman (2), Barclay, Cock
25 4 April 1914 Newport County A 2–3 Jackson, Simons
26 10 April 1914 Aberdare H 4–0 Sloley (3), Chapman
27 11 April 1914 Luton Town H 0–0
28 13 April 1914 Croydon Common A 0–1
29 18 April 1914 Swansea Town A 0–0
30 20 April 1914 Caerphilly A 5–1 Meehan, White (2), Johnson, Kent

FA Cup

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Round Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer
QR4 29 November 1913 Luton Clarence H 1–0 Johnson
QR5 13 December 1913 Southend United H 1–1 Chapman
QR5 (replay) 17 December 1913 Southend United A 0–2
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[2]

Playing squad

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Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1913–14 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Ted Price   (1883-06-13)13 June 1883 (aged 30) Croydon Common 1912
Defenders
DF Tommy Fells   (1890-01-08)8 January 1890 (aged 22) South Kirkby 1913
DF Dusty Rhodes (c)   (1882-08-16)16 August 1882 (aged 31) Sunderland 1908
DF Walter Spratt   (1889-04-14)14 April 1889 (aged 24) Rotherham Town 1911
Midfielders
HB Alec Barclay   (1885-11-01)1 November 1885 (aged 27) Ilford 1910 Amateur
HB Frank Bentley   (1886-10-09)9 October 1886 (aged 26) Tottenham Hotspur 1912
HB Bobby Jackson   (1887-02-09)9 February 1887 (aged 26) Portsmouth 1913
HB Tom McGovern   (1888-11-11)11 November 1888 (aged 24) Halifax Town 1913
Forwards
FW Billy Brawn   (1878-08-01)1 August 1878 (aged 35) Chelsea 1911
FW Jack Chapman   (1895-04-29)29 April 1895 (aged 18) Southall 1913 Amateur
FW Tommy Clark   n/a Middlesbrough 1913
FW Charlie Elliott   (1886-09-28)28 September 1886 (aged 26) Millwall 1913
FW Herbert Farnfield   (1883-08-05)5 August 1883 (aged 30) New Crusaders 1914 Amateur
FW Patsy Hendren   (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 24) Coventry City 1911 Played when his cricket commitments allowed
FW Joe Johnson   (1882-12-12)12 December 1882 (aged 30) Clapton Orient 1913
FW Tommy Kent   (1888-09-10)10 September 1888 (aged 25) Slough Town 1913 Amateur
FW John Meehan   1896 (aged 16–17) Newton 1914
FW Richard Sloley   (1891-08-20)20 August 1891 (aged 22) Cambridge University 1914 Amateur
FW Henry White   (1895-08-08)8 August 1895 (aged 18) Whamcliffe Athletic 1914 Amateur
Players who left the club mid-season
FW Jack Cock   (1893-11-14)14 November 1893 (aged 19) Old Kingstonians 1914 Transferred to Huddersfield Town
FW Henry Simons   (1887-11-26)26 November 1887 (aged 25) Merthyr Town 1913 Transferred to Fulham
  • Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,[2] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939[3]

Coaching staff

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Name Role
  Dusty Rhodes Manager
  Fred Halliday Secretary
  Tom Cowper Trainer

Statistics

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Appearances and goals

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Rhodes (c)
Barclay
Jackson
Elliott
Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Southern League season.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK   Ted Price 30 0 3 0 33 0
DF   Tommy Fells 7 0 0 0 7 0
DF   Dusty Rhodes 23 0 3 0 26 0
DF   Walter Spratt 30 0 3 0 33 0
HB   Alec Barclay 17 3 3 0 20 3
HB   Frank Bentley 28 0 3 0 31 0
HB   Bobby Jackson 24 3 3 0 27 3
HB   Tom McGovern 20 2 0 0 20 2
FW   Billy Brawn 1 0 1 0
FW   Jack Chapman 25 16 3 1 28 17
FW   Tommy Clark 4 3 0 0 4 3
FW   Jack Cock 3 1 3 1
FW   Charlie Elliott 17 2 3 0 20 2
FW   Herbert Farnfield 1 1 0 0 1 1
FW   Patsy Hendren 28 5 3 0 31 5
FW   Joe Johnson 28 15 3 1 31 16
FW   Tommy Kent 14 2 14 2
FW   John Meehan 1 1 1 1
FW   Henry Simons 25 19 3 0 28 19
FW   Richard Sloley 2 3 2 3
FW   Henry White 2 2 0 0 2 2
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[2]

Goalscorers

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Pos. Nat Player SL2 FAC Total
FW   Henry Simons 19 0 19
FW   Jack Chapman 16 1 17
FW   Joe Johnson 15 1 16
FW   Patsy Hendren 5 0 5
HB   Alec Barclay 3 0 3
FW   Tommy Clark 3 0 3
HB   Bobby Jackson 3 0 3
FW   Richard Sloley 3 0 3
FW   Tommy Kent 2 2
FW   Charlie Elliott 2 0 2
HB   Tom McGovern 2 0 2
FW   Henry White 2 0 2
FW   Jack Cock 1 1
FW   John Meehan 1 1
FW   Herbert Farnfield 1 0 1
Total 80 2 82
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[2]

Amateur international caps

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Pos. Nat Player Caps Goals Ref
HB   Alec Barclay 2 0 [4]

Management

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Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Dusty Rhodes   13 September 1913 20 April 1914 33 21 5 7 063.64 30 20 4 6 066.67

Summary

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Games played 33 (30 Southern League Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Games won 21 (20 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games drawn 5 (4 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games lost 7 (6 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 82 (80 Southern League Second Division, 2 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 21 (18 Southern League Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 20 (19 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 7–0 on two occasions
Worst league defeat 3–1 versus Luton Town, 7 February 1914
Most appearances 33, Ted Price, Walter Spratt (30 Southern League Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 19, Henry Simons
Top scorer (all competitions) 19, Henry Simons

Transfers & loans

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Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
18 June 1913 FW   Joe Johnson   Clapton Orient n/a [1]
23 June 1913 HB   Bobby Jackson   Portsmouth n/a [1]
23 June 1913 FW   Bob Mitchell   Barnsley n/a [5]
31 June 1913 FW   Henry Simons   Merthyr Town n/a [1]
18 August 1913 FW   Bob Browning   Southampton n/a [1]
21 August 1913 FW   Charlie Elliott   Millwall n/a [1]
28 August 1913 FW   Tommy Clark   Middlesbrough n/a [1]
3 September 1913 HB   James Ramsay   Aberdare n/a [6]
17 September 1913 HB   Tom McGovern   Halifax Town n/a [1]
9 September 1913 GK   Billy Biggar   Rochdale n/a [5]
September 1913 HB   Alf Amos   Old Kingstonians Amateur [7]
September 1913 FW   George Littler   King's Royal Rifle Corps Amateur [7]
27 December 1913 FW   Thomas Graham   Allerton Bywater Colliery n/a [5]
December 1913 FW   Tommy Kent   Slough Town Amateur [1]
1913 FW   Jack Chapman   Southall Amateur [1]
1913 FW   James Holland   Luton Town n/a [8]
1913 FW   Alfred Rosier   Southall n/a [9]
1913 FB   Bertie Rosier   Southall n/a [9]
1913 FW   Henry White   Whamcliffe Athletic Amateur [1]
February 1914 FW   Herbert Farnfield n/a Amateur [1]
February 1914 FW   John Meehan   Newton n/a [1]
March 1914 FW   Jack Cock   Old Kingstonians Amateur [1]
April 1914 FW   Richard Sloley   Cambridge University Amateur [1]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
23 July 1913 FW   Bob McTavish   Third Lanark Nominal [10]
24 September 1913 FW   Bob Mitchell   Distillery n/a [5]
1913 FW   Frederick Chapple   Bristol City Nominal [1]
1913 FW   Bill Smith   Southampton Nominal [1]
April 1914 FW   Jack Cock   Huddersfield Town Nominal [1]
April 1914 FW   Henry Simons   Fulham n/a [1]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
July 1913 HB   Phil Richards Retired [1]
February 1914 FW   Herbert Farnfield n/a n/a [1]
April 1914 HB   Frank Bentley Retired [1]
April 1914 GK   Billy Biggar   Rochdale 24 June 1914 [11]
April 1914 FW   Billy Brawn Retired [12]
April 1914 FW   Jack Chapman   Southall n/a [1]
April 1914 FW   Tommy Clark n/a n/a [1]
April 1914 FW   Charlie Elliott   Leyton 1 September 1914 [11]
April 1914 FB   Tommy Fells   South Kirkby 13 May 1914 [11]
April 1914 FW   John Meehan n/a n/a [1]
April 1914 FW   Bob Browning   Queens Park Rangers May 1914 [13]

References

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  1. ^ 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 White 1989, p. 101-103.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 362. ISBN 0951526200.
  3. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
  4. ^ "England Matches – The Amateurs 1906–1939". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "The Football Association – Season 1913–14 – Summary Of Professional Registrations". Sky is Blue – The Chesterfield FC history resource. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  6. ^ "James Ramsay" (PDF). Croydon Common Football Club. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Southern Snapshots". The Athletic News. 15 September 1913.
  8. ^ "James Holland". Hatters Heritage. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 137. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  10. ^ Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  11. ^ a b c "The Football Association – Season 1914–15 – Summary Of Professional Registrations". Sky is Blue – The Chesterfield FC history resource. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  12. ^ White 1989, p. 99-101.
  13. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1914–15". QPRnet. Retrieved 8 May 2018.