1919–20 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1919–20 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League First Division. In the first season of competitive football since the end of the First World War in November 1918, Brentford consolidated with a mid-table finish. It was the club's final Southern League season, as 21 of the 22 First Division clubs were voted into the new Football League Third Division in May 1920.[1]

Brentford
1919–20 season
ChairmanH. Jason-Saunders
Secretary ManagerFred Halliday
StadiumGriffin Park
Southern League First Division15th
FA CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Boyne (13)
All: Boyne (13)
Highest home attendance15,000
Lowest home attendance3,000

Season summary

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English-born New Zealander Reginald Boyne was Brentford's top-scorer during the season.

Despite talk that Brentford would seek election to the Football League after the wartime London Combination title success of the previous season, the directors of the club decided to remain in the Southern League Second Division.[2] As it was, by virtue of the Southern League First Division being expanded to 22 clubs and the departures of West Ham United and Croydon Common (voted into the Football League and resigned respectively), Brentford, Merthyr Town, Swansea Town and Newport County were all elevated from the Second Division to the First Division.[2]

Four years of war meant that secretary-manager Fred Halliday needed to rebuild and expand his squad, with prolific forwards Henry White and guest Jack Cock having left the club, in addition to full backs Jack Peart, Dusty Rhodes and half back Bill Stanton.[2] The only survivors of Brentford's final pre-war squad who made appearance during the 1919–20 season were goalkeeper Ted Price, half back Tom McGovern and outside left Patsy Hendren.[3]

New centre forward Reginald Boyne's six goals in the opening six matches ensured Brentford started the season well, but once his goals dried up, due to a niggling knee injury,[4] the team was robbed of potency in attack.[5] A 10-match winless streak ended when the team went on a five-match unbeaten run through November and December 1919.[5] While manager Fred Halliday was able to field a more or less a settled XI, numerous players were tried in the centre forward position before the arrival of Bert Spreadbury in February 1920.[5] Despite scoring four goals in his first five appearances, Spreadbury failed to help the team gain any consistency and Brentford finished the season in 15th position.[5]

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Qualification
13 Swindon Town 42 17 7 18 65 68 0.956 41 Elected to the new Football League Third Division
14 Millwall 42 14 12 16 52 55 0.945 40
15 Brentford 42 15 10 17 52 59 0.881 40
16 Brighton & Hove Albion 42 14 8 20 60 72 0.833 36
17 Bristol Rovers 42 11 13 18 61 78 0.782 35
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up 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 First Division

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No. Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer(s)
1 30 August 1919 Brighton & Hove Albion H 2–1 Boyne, Morley
2 1 September 1919 Millwall H 2–2 Boyne, Gilboy
3 6 September 1919 Newport County A 4–2 Boyne (2), Gilboy, Morley
4 8 September 1919 Millwall A 2–0 Boyne, Thompson
5 13 September 1919 Portsmouth H 0–2
6 20 September 1919 Northampton Town A 1–1 Boyne
7 24 September 1919 Exeter City A 0–0
8 27 September 1919 Crystal Palace H 0–0
9 4 October 1919 Southend United H 1–3 Hendren
10 11 October 1919 Norwich City H 1–1 Boyne
11 18 October 1919 Watford A 0–1
12 25 October 1919 Merthyr Town A 0–2
13 1 November 1919 Plymouth Argyle H 0–0
14 8 November 1919 Bristol Rovers A 1–3 Cannon
15 15 November 1919 Reading H 1–0 Amos
16 22 November 1919 Southampton A 1–0 Morley
17 29 November 1919 Luton Town H 3–1 Searby, Morley, Cartmell
18 6 December 1919 Gillingham A 2–0 Morley, Hendren
19 13 December 1919 Swansea Town H 1–1 Hendren (pen)
20 25 December 1919 Queens Park Rangers A 0–2
21 26 December 1919 Queens Park Rangers H 2–1 Searby, Boyne
22 27 December 1919 Cardiff City H 1–2 Thompson
23 3 January 1920 Brighton & Hove Albion A 0–4
24 17 January 1920 Newport County H 2–1 Searby, Embury
25 24 January 1920 Portsmouth A 0–3
26 31 January 1920 Northampton Town H 5–0 Boyne (3), Thompson, Hendren (pen)
27 7 February 1920 Crystal Palace A 1–1 Thompson
28 14 February 1920 Southend United H 2–0 Cartmell, Lockwood
29 21 February 1920 Norwich City A 1–1 Spreadbury
30 28 February 1920 Watford H 0–3
31 6 March 1920 Merthyr Town H 3–0 Spreadbury (2), Hendren
32 13 March 1920 Plymouth Argyle A 2–3 Thompson (2)
33 20 March 1920 Bristol Rovers H 3–0 Hendren, Morley, Spreadbury
34 27 March 1920 Reading A 0–1
35 2 April 1920 Swindon Town H 2–0 Morley, Boyne
36 3 April 1920 Southampton H 2–3 Taylor, Morley
37 5 April 1920 Swindon Town A 1–3 Gilboy
38 10 April 1920 Luton Town A 0–0
39 17 April 1920 Gillingham H 1–2 Thompson
40 24 April 1920 Swansea Town A 0–6
41 26 April 1920 Exeter City H 2–1 Thompson, Boyne
42 1 May 1920 Cardiff City A 0–2

FA Cup

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Round Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer
R1 10 January 1920 Huddersfield Town A 1–5 Morris
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[5]

Playing squad

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Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1919–20 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Jack Durston   (1893-07-11)11 July 1893 (aged 26) Queens Park Rangers 1919 Played when his cricket commitments allowed
GK Ted Price   (1883-06-13)13 June 1883 (aged 36) Croydon Common 1912
Defenders
DF Edward Hawkins   (1895-10-31)31 October 1895 (aged 23) Portsmouth 1919
DF Jimmy Hodson   (1880-09-05)5 September 1880 (aged 38) Belfast Celtic 1919
DF Bertie Rosier   (1893-03-21)21 March 1893 (aged 26) Southall 1913
DF Fred Webster   (1887-04-03)3 April 1887 (aged 32) Unattached 1919
Midfielders
HB Alf Amos   (1893-02-09)9 February 1893 (aged 26) Old Kingstonians 1913
HB Herbert Ashford   (1896-02-18)18 February 1896 (aged 23) Southall 1919
HB Sam Morris   (1886-10-23)23 October 1886 (aged 32) Unattached 1919
HB Fred Taylor   (1884-01-03)3 January 1884 (aged 35) Unattached 1919
Forwards
FW Reginald Boyne   (1891-11-16)16 November 1891 (aged 27) Aston Villa 1919
FW Jack Cartmell   (1890-08-28)28 August 1890 (aged 29) Unattached 1919
FW Sidney Embury   (1893-06-12)12 June 1893 (aged 26) Park Royal Athletic 1920
FW Bertram Gilboy   (1894-08-15)15 August 1894 (aged 25) Unattached 1919
FW Patsy Hendren (c)   (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 30) Queens Park Rangers 1911 Played when his cricket commitments allowed
FW John Henery   (1895-11-07)7 November 1895 (aged 23) Houghton Rovers 1920
FW Fred Morley   (1888-03-01)1 March 1888 (aged 31) Unattached 1918
FW John Searby   (1897-09-02)2 September 1897 (aged 21) Atherstone Town 1919
FW Bert Spreadbury   (1892-04-30)30 April 1892 (aged 27) Royal Ordnance Woolwich 1920
FW Alfred Thompson   (1891-04-28)28 April 1891 (aged 28) Unattached 1919
Players who left the club mid-season
GK Harry Dale   (1899-04-23)23 April 1899 (aged 20) Hampstead Town 1919 Transferred to Reading
DF Walter Loveday   (1890-06-30)30 June 1890 (aged 29) Uxbridge 1920 n/a
HB Tom McGovern   (1888-11-11)11 November 1888 (aged 30) Halifax Town 1913 Transferred to Queens Park Rangers
FW George Cannon   (1891-02-15)15 February 1891 (aged 28) Unattached 1919 Transferred to Wimbledon
FW Ernest Hanks   (1888-04-06)6 April 1888 (aged 31) Unattached 1919 n/a
FW James Lockwood   (1887-02-20)20 February 1887 (aged 32) n/a 1920 n/a
FW Robert Parr   (1899-09-04)4 September 1899 (aged 19) Unattached 1919 n/a
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[5] Timeless Bees,[6] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939[7]

Coaching staff

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Name Role
  Fred Halliday Secretary Manager
  Dusty Rhodes Trainer

Statistics

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Appearances and goals

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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   Harry Dale 1 0 1 0
GK   Jack Durston 20 0 1 0 21 0
GK   Ted Price 21 0 0 0 21 0
DF   Edward Hawkins 14 0 0 0 14 0
DF   Jimmy Hodson 34 0 1 0 35 0
DF   Walter Loveday 1 0 1 0
DF   Bertie Rosier 26 0 1 0 27 0
HB   Alf Amos 33 1 1 0 34 1
HB   Herbert Ashford 9 0 0 0 9 0
HB   Tom McGovern 28 0 1 0 29 0
HB   Sam Morris 36 0 1 1 37 1
HB   Fred Taylor 22 1 0 0 22 1
FW   Reginald Boyne 27 13 1 0 28 13
FW   George Cannon 6 1 6 1
FW   Jack Cartmell 35 2 1 0 36 2
FW   Sidney Embury 4 1 0 0 4 1
FW   Bertram Gilboy 19 3 0 0 19 3
FW   Ernest Hanks 1 0 1 0
FW   Patsy Hendren 30 6 1 0 31 6
FW   John Henery 1 0 1 0
FW   James Lockwood 1 1 1 1
FW   Fred Morley 32 8 1 0 33 8
FW   Robert Parr 1 0 1 0
FW   John Searby 11 3 0 0 11 3
FW   Bert Spreadbury 10 4 10 4
FW   Alfred Thompson 28 8 1 0 29 8
FW   Fred Webster 11 0 0 0 11 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[5]

Goalscorers

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Pos. Nat Player SL1 FAC Total
FW   Reginald Boyne 13 0 13
FW   Fred Morley 8 0 8
FW   Alfred Thompson 8 0 8
FW   Patsy Hendren 6 0 6
FW   Bert Spreadbury 4 4
FW   Bertram Gilboy 3 0 3
FW   John Searby 3 0 3
FW   Jack Cartmell 2 0 2
HB   Alf Amos 1 0 1
FW   George Cannon 1 0 1
FW   Sidney Embury 1 0 1
FW   James Lockwood 1 0 1
HB   Fred Taylor 1 0 1
HB   Sam Morris 0 1 1
Total 52 1 53
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[5]

Victory international caps

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Pos. Nat Player Caps Goals Ref
FW   Patsy Hendren 1 0 [8]

Management

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Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Fred Halliday   30 August 1919 1 May 1920 43 15 10 18 034.88| 42 15 10 17 035.71

Summary

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Games played 43 (42 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games won 15 (15 Southern League First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games drawn 10 (10 Southern League First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost 18 (17 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 53 (52 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 64 (59 Southern League First Division, 5 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 13 (13 Southern League First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 5–0 versus Northampton Town, 31 January 1920
Worst league defeat 6–0 versus Swansea Town, 24 April 1920
Most appearances 37, Sam Morris (36 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 13, Reginald Boyne
Top scorer (all competitions) 13, Reginald Boyne

Transfers and loans

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Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
May 1919 FW   Mick O'Brien   Alloa Athletic n/a [9]
17 June 1919 HB   Sam Morris Unattached n/a [10]
17 June 1919 HB   Fred Taylor Unattached n/a [5]
17 June 1919 FW   Alfred Thompson Unattached n/a [11]
23 June 1919 FW   Jack Cartmell Unattached n/a [12]
11 July 1919 DF   Fred Webster Unattached n/a [5]
15 July 1919 DF   Edward Hawkins   Portsmouth n/a [5]
17 July 1919 FW   Reginald Boyne   Aston Villa n/a [13]
30 July 1919 FW   Bertram Gilboy Unattached n/a [5]
2 August 1919 FW   Ernest Hanks Unattached n/a [5]
2 August 1919 DF   Jimmy Hodson   Belfast Celtic n/a [14]
9 August 1919 FW   Robert Parr Unattached n/a [5]
24 October 1919 GK   Jack Durston   Queens Park Rangers n/a [15]
7 November 1919 FW   John Searby   Atherstone Town n/a [16]
1919 FW   George Cannon Unattached n/a [5]
1919 GK   Harry Dale   Hampstead Town n/a [5]
December 1919 HB   Herbert Ashford   Southall n/a [5]
February 1920 HB   Bert Spreadbury   Royal Ordnance Woolwich n/a [17]
April 1920 FW   John Henery   Houghton Rovers n/a [18]
1920 FW   Sidney Embury   Park Royal Athletic n/a [5]
1920 FW   James Lockwood n/a n/a [5]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
1919 FW   George Cannon   Wimbledon n/a [5]
1919 GK   Harry Dale   Reading n/a [5]
1919 FW   Ernest Hanks n/a n/a [5]
1919 FW   Robert Parr n/a n/a [5]
1919 FW   Henry White   Arsenal n/a [19]
1920 FW   James Lockwood n/a n/a [5]
1920 DF   Walter Loveday n/a n/a [5]
April 1920 HB   Tom McGovern   Queens Park Rangers n/a [20]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
August 1919 FW   Mick O'Brien   Norwich City August 1919 [9]
November 1919 HB   Jimmy Kennedy   Gillingham 26 November 1919 [21]
May 1920 GK   Herbert Ashford   Queens Park Rangers 1 September 1920 [22]
May 1920 FW   Sidney Embury n/a n/a [5]
May 1920 FW   Bertram Gilboy   Gillingham 11 May 1920 [22]
May 1920 DF   Edward Hawkins   Maidstone United 25 May 1920 [22]
May 1920 GK   Ted Price   Queens Park Rangers 20 May 1920 [22]
May 1920 DF   Fred Webster   Gainsborough Trinity 24 June 1920 [22]
n/a DF   Dusty Rhodes Retired [23]

References

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  1. ^ "On This Day in History: Brentford joins the Football League". www.brentfordfc.com. 31 May 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b c White 1989, p. 112.
  3. ^ White 1989, p. 362.
  4. ^ Bystander, The (1920). Brentford Football Club Official Handbook 1920–21. F. W. Dimbleby & Sons. p. 18.
  5. ^ 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 White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 365. ISBN 0951526200.
  6. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  7. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
  8. ^ "England – War-Time/Victory Internationals – Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Player: Michael Terence O'Brien". Watford Football Club Archive. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  10. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 111.
  11. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 159.
  12. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 35.
  13. ^ "Boyne Reg Aston Villa 1914". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Hodson Jimmy Brentford 1920". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  15. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 51-52.
  16. ^ "The Football Association – Season 1919–20 – Summary Of Professional Registrations". Sky is Blue – The Chesterfield FC history resource. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Bertie Spreadbury" (PDF). Croydon Common Football Club. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  18. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 75.
  19. ^ "Harry White". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  20. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1919–20". QPRnet. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  21. ^ Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  22. ^ a b c d e "The Football Association – Season 1920–21 – Summary Of Professional Registrations". Sky is Blue – The Chesterfield FC history resource. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  23. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 175.