Brentford 1914–15 football season
During the 1914–15 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League Second Division. The season began one month after Britain entered the First World War , which unsettled the squad as players left to undertake military or munitions duties. The Bees finished in mid-table in what would be the club's last season of competitive football until 1919–20 .
Season summary [ ]
Brentford's players were due to report back for pre-season training during the week beginning 3 August 1914, but those preparations were disrupted by Britain 's declaration of war on Germany on 4 August. Just two players had been signed, forwards Jack Curtis and Stephen Stonley . As the season got underway, Brentford lost just two of the first 10 Southern League Second Division matches,[3] but by that point it had become obvious that the war would not be over by Christmas as predicted. Beginning in mid-October 1914, the squad was decimated by departures to serve in the army (Kent, Sloley , Hendren , Amos ), work in munitions at the Royal Arsenal (McGovern , Johnson , Stonley) or on transfers (J. Curtis, Spratt ).[4] Reserves , guest players, free transfers and local amateurs were brought in to plug gaps in the squad, with full back Fred Price, half backs Mick O'Brien , Charles Allwright and forwards Michael Donaghy, Walter Chalk, F. Arnold and Charles Hibbert making up for the departures of the professionals in the second half of the season.[3] Amateur Walter Chalk would become something of a minor success, scoring six goals in 9 appearances.[3]
Notably, a 10–0 win over Abertillery on 28 November 1914 set a new club record, but the result was declared void two days later when Abertillery resigned from the Southern League. Earlier wins over Leyton and Mardy were also chalked off when those clubs also left the league.[3] Brentford won just three of the final 15 matches of the season, with the one bright spot being the emergence of inside right Henry White .[3] Low attendances meant the Bees finished a mid-table season £7,000 in debt (equivalent to £565,100 in 2021) and 1914–15 would become the final season of competitive football until 1919–20 , after the war ended in November 1918.
Three former Brentford players died during the season:
Private Harry Gould, a former reserve team player, died whilst in training with the Royal Fusiliers on 7 September 1914.[5]
Private William Mehew, an occasional player at the turn of the century, was serving in the Northamptonshire Regiment when he was killed during the Battle of Aubers on 9 May 1915.[7] [8]
League table [ ]
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GR
Pts
Promotion or qualification
5
Coventry City
24
13
2
9
56
33
1.697
28
Elected to the 1919–20 Football League after World War I
6
Ton Pentre
24
11
6
7
42
43
0.977
28
7
Brentford
24
8
7
9
35
45
0.778
23
Elected to 1919–20 Division One after World War I
8
Llanelly
24
10
1
13
39
32
1.219
21
9
Barry
24
6
5
13
30
35
0.857
17
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 [ ]
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
Legend [ ]
Southern League Second Division [ ]
1
5 September 1914
Coventry City
H
3–1
Sloley , Stonley (2, 1 pen )
2
12 September 1914
Barry
A
1–0
White
3
14 September 1914
Mid Rhondda
A
0–0
4
26 September 1914
Ton Pentre
A
0–0
5
13 October 1914
Stalybridge Celtic
A
1–5
J. Curtis
6
31 October 1914
Ebbw Vale
H
3–0
Sloley (3)
7
7 November 1914
Llanelly
A
0–3
8
14 November 1914
Newport County
H
1–0
Stonley (pen )
9
12 December 1914
Swansea Town
H
2–0
Johnson , Hendren
10
25 December 1914
Stoke
H
2–2
Stonley , Sloley
11
26 December 1914
Stoke
A
0–3
12
2 January 1915
Coventry City
A
2–3
Stonley , White
13
9 January 1915
Pontypridd
A
0–1
14
16 January 1915
Barry
H
0–0
15
30 January 1915
Ton Pentre
H
3–3
Hibbert, White , F. Price
16
13 February 1915
Stalybridge Celtic
H
1–3
Chalk
17
6 March 1915
Ebbw Vale
A
4–1
Arnold (2), White , Chalk
18
13 March 1915
Llanelly
H
2–2
Martin (og ), Chalk
19
20 March 1915
Newport County
A
0–5
20
27 March 1915
Mid Rhondda
H
3–1
White , Chalk (2)
21
2 April 1915
Merthyr Town
H
1–1
O'Brien
22
3 April 1915
Swansea Town
A
0–8
23
5 April 1915
Merthyr Town
A
0–3
24
10 April 1915
Pontypridd
H
6–0
O'Brien (2), Chalk, White (2), Barclay
FA Cup [ ]
QR4
21 November 1914
Nunhead
A
1–0
Stonley
QR5
5 December 1914
Boscombe
A
0–0
QR5 (replay)
9 December 1914
Boscombe
H
0–1
Source: 100 Years Of Brentford [3]
Playing squad [ ]
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1914–15 season.
Pos.
Name
Nat.
Date of birth (age)
Signed from
Signed in
Notes
Goalkeepers
GK
Ted Price
(1883-06-13 ) 13 June 1883 (aged 31)
Croydon Common
1912
Defenders
DF
Frank Price
(1885-02-28 ) 28 February 1885 (aged 29)
Shepherds Bush
1914
DF
Dusty Rhodes (c )
(1882-08-16 ) 16 August 1882 (aged 32)
Sunderland
1908
Manager
DF
Bertie Rosier
(1893-03-21 ) 21 March 1893 (aged 21)
Southall
1913
Midfielders
HB
Charles Allwright
(1888-06-11 ) 11 June 1888 (aged 26)
Kingston upon Thames
1914
HB
Alf Amos
(1893-02-09 ) 9 February 1893 (aged 21)
Old Kingstonians
1913
HB
Alec Barclay
(1885-11-01 ) 1 November 1885 (aged 28)
Ilford
1910
Amateur
HB
Bobby Jackson
(1887-02-09 ) 9 February 1887 (aged 27)
Portsmouth
1913
HB
Tom McGovern
(1888-11-11 ) 11 November 1888 (aged 25)
Halifax Town
1913
HB
Mick O'Brien
(1893-08-10 ) 10 August 1893 (aged 21)
Celtic
1915
Forwards
FW
Herbert Allwright
(1892-03-04 ) 4 March 1892 (aged 23)
Unattached
1915
FW
F. Arnold
n/a
West Kensington
1915
FW
Walter Chalk
(1885-07-10 ) 10 July 1885 (aged 29)
Old Kingstonians
1915
Amateur
FW
Jack Chapman
(1895-04-29 ) 29 April 1895 (aged 19)
Southall
1913
Amateur
FW
George Curtis
(1888-10-22 ) 22 October 1888 (aged 25)
Kingston upon Thames
1914
FW
Michael Donaghy
(1889-01-26 ) 26 January 1889 (aged 25)
Luton Town
1915
FW
Patsy Hendren
(1889-02-05 ) 5 February 1889 (aged 25)
Queens Park Rangers
1911
Played when his cricket commitments allowed
FW
Charles Hibbert
(1894-01-25 ) 25 January 1894 (aged 20)
Uxbridge
1914
Amateur
FW
Tommy Kent
(1888-09-10 ) 10 September 1888 (aged 25)
Slough Town
1913
Amateur
FW
Jack Land
(1883-03-31 ) 31 March 1883 (aged 31)
Hounslow
1910
FW
Richard Sloley
(1891-08-20 ) 20 August 1891 (aged 23)
Cambridge University
1914
Amateur
FW
Stephen Stonley
(1889-09-29 ) 29 September 1889 (aged 24)
Woolwich Arsenal
1914
FW
Charles Symes
(1888-03-13 ) 13 March 1888 (aged 26)
South Tooting
1912
FW
Henry White
(1895-08-08 ) 8 August 1895 (aged 19)
Whamcliffe Athletic
1913
Amateur
Players who left the club mid-season
DF
Walter Spratt
(1889-04-14 ) 14 April 1889 (aged 25)
Rotherham Town
1911
Transferred to Manchester United
HB
Joe Johnson
(1882-12-12 ) 12 December 1882 (aged 31)
Clapton Orient
1913
Transferred to Hartlepools United
FW
Jack Curtis
(1888-12-13 ) 13 December 1888 (aged 25)
Fulham
1914
Transferred to Stockport County
Guest players
GK
William Hughes
n/a
Leyton
1915
Amateur, guest from Leyton
HB
Harry Crane
(1890-09-25 ) 25 September 1890 (aged 23)
Woking
1915
Amateur, guest from Woking
FW
Charles Bedell
(1880-05-17 ) 17 May 1880 (aged 34)
Tufnell Park
1915
Amateur, guest from Tufnell Park
FW
Norman Carson
(1889-01-20 ) 20 January 1889 (aged 25)
Shepherd's Bush
1915
Amateur, guest from Shepherd's Bush
FW
Richard Fraser
n/a
Chelsea
1914
Guest from Chelsea
FW
Percy Matthews
(1884-02-19 ) 19 February 1884 (aged 30)
Uxbridge
1914
Amateur, guest from Uxbridge
FW
Cecil Salisbury
(1886-09-04 ) 4 September 1886 (aged 28)
Woking
1915
Amateur, guest from Woking
FW
James Sangster
(1891-05-22 ) 22 May 1891 (aged 23)
Southall
1914
Amateur, guest from Southall
Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[3] Timeless Bees,[11] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939,[12] Bees Review[4]
Coaching staff [ ]
Statistics [ ]
Appearances and goals [ ]
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
22
0
3
0
25
0
DF
Frank Price
10
1
—
10
1
DF
Dusty Rhodes
22
0
2
0
24
0
DF
Bertie Rosier
1
0
0
0
1
0
DF
Walter Spratt
15
0
3
0
18
0
HB
Charles Allwright
5
0
—
5
0
HB
Alf Amos
23
0
3
0
26
0
HB
Alec Barclay
12
1
3
0
15
1
HB
Bobby Jackson
1
0
0
0
1
0
HB
Joe Johnson
11
1
2
0
13
1
HB
Jack Land
1
0
0
0
1
0
HB
Tom McGovern
15
0
3
0
18
0
HB
Mick O'Brien
9
3
—
9
3
FW
Herbert Allwright
2
0
—
2
0
FW
F. Arnold
7
2
—
7
2
FW
Walter Chalk
9
6
—
9
6
FW
Jack Chapman
2
0
0
0
2
0
FW
Jack Curtis
14
1
2
0
16
1
FW
Michael Donaghy
7
0
—
7
0
FW
Patsy Hendren
13
1
1
0
14
1
FW
Charles Hibbert
11
1
—
11
1
FW
Tommy Kent
4
0
1
0
5
0
FW
Richard Sloley
3
5
1
0
4
5
FW
Stephen Stonley
14
4
3
1
17
5
FW
Charles Symes
1
0
2
0
3
0
FW
Henry White
16
7
0
0
16
7
Players guested during the season
GK
William Hughes
2
0
—
2
0
HB
Harry Crane
1
0
—
1
0
FW
Charles Bedell
1
0
—
1
0
FW
Norman Carson
2
0
—
2
0
FW
George Curtis
1
0
—
1
0
FW
Richard Fraser
3
0
—
3
0
FW
Percy Matthews
3
0
—
3
0
FW
Cecil Salisbury
1
0
—
1
0
FW
James Sangster
—
2
0
2
0
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: 100 Years of Brentford [3]
Goalscorers [ ]
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: 100 Years of Brentford [3]
Management [ ]
Name
Nat
From
To
Record All Comps
Record League
P
W
D
L
W %
P
W
D
L
W %
Dusty Rhodes
5 September 1914
10 April 1915
27
9
8
10
0 33.33
24
8
7
9
0 33.33
Summary [ ]
Games played
27 (24 Southern League Second Division, 3 FA Cup )
Games won
9 (8 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games drawn
8 (7 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games lost
10 (9 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored
36 (35 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals conceded
46 (45 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Clean sheets
9 (8 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Biggest league win
6–0 versus Pontypridd , 10 April 1915
Worst league defeat
8–0 versus Swansea Town , 3 April 1915
Most appearances
26, Alf Amos (23 Southern League Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league)
7, Henry White
Top scorer (all competitions)
7, Henry White
Transfers & loans [ ]
Guest players' arrival and departure dates correspond to their first and last appearances of the season.
Players transferred in
Date
Pos.
Name
Previous Club
Fee
Ref.
6 June 1914
FW
Jack Curtis
Fulham
n/a
[4]
12 June 1914
FW
Stephen Stonley
Woolwich Arsenal
n/a
[4]
June 1914
FW
Cyril Northam
n/a
n/a
[13]
July 1914
GK
Ed Martin
Unattached
Amateur
[14]
August 1914
HB
Bert Gibson
Unattached
Amateur
[15]
August 1914
DF
Oliver Payne
Unattached
Amateur
[15]
August 1914
FW
Arthur White
Unattached
Amateur
[15]
September 1914
HB
Jack Land
Hounslow
n/a
[16]
September 1914
FW
Charles Symes
South Tooting
n/a
[16]
24 October 1914
DF
Edward Hawkins
Portsmouth
n/a
[17]
October 1914
FW
Jack Chapman
Southall
Amateur
[18]
October 1914
FW
George Curtis
Kingston upon Thames
Amateur
[18]
28 November 1914
HB
Mick O'Brien
Celtic
n/a
[19]
November 1914
HB
Richard Jonas
Shepherd's Bush
Amateur
[19]
8 December 1914
FW
Charles Allwright
Kingston upon Thames
Amateur
[3]
December 1914
FW
Charles Hibbert
Uxbridge
Amateur
[3]
December 1914
DF
Frank Price
Shepherd's Bush
Amateur
[3]
1914
FW
Tommy Kent
Slough Town
Amateur
[4]
February 1915
FW
Walter Chalk
Old Kingstonians
Amateur
[3]
March 1915
FW
Herbert Allwright
Unattached
Amateur
[3]
March 1915
FW
F. Arnold
West Kensington
Amateur
[3]
March 1915
FW
Michael Donaghy
Luton Town
n/a
[3]
1915
HB
Leonard Forrester
Millwall
Amateur
[20]
1915
FW
George Steers
Shepherd's Bush
Amateur
[20]
Players transferred out
Date
Pos.
Name
Subsequent club
Fee
Ref.
29 January 1915
FW
Jack Curtis
Stockport County
n/a
[4]
4 February 1915
DF
Walter Spratt
Manchester United
£175
[4]
29 March 1915
HB
Joe Johnson
Hartlepools United
n/a
[17]
Guest players in
Date from
Pos.
Name
Previous Club
Date to
Ref.
12 September 1914
FW
Percy Matthews
Uxbridge
13 October 1914
[3]
7 November 1914
FW
Richard Fraser
Chelsea
2 January 1915
[3]
31 October 1914
FW
James Sangster
Southall
9 December 1914
[3]
9 January 1915
FW
Charles Bedell
Tufnell Park
9 January 1915
[3]
16 January 1915
HB
Harry Crane
Woking
16 January 1915
[3]
16 January 1915
FW
Cecil Salisbury
Woking
16 January 1915
[3]
30 January 1915
FW
Norman Carson
Shepherd's Bush
13 February 1915
[3]
6 March 1915
GK
William Hughes
Leyton
13 March 1915
[3]
References [ ]
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford . Brentford FC. p. 363. ISBN 0951526200 .
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Bees Review: Brentford Official Matchday Programme vs Hull City . Milton Keynes: Regal Sports Press. 3 November 2015. pp. 61–67.
^ "Casualty Details: Harry Gould" . Commonwealth War Graves Commission . Retrieved 2 October 2017 .
^ "Casualty Details: Alfred William Mehew" . Commonwealth War Graves Commission . Retrieved 23 June 2021 .
^ "Northamptonshire – Woodford" . Roll of Honour . Retrieved 23 June 2021 .
^ "England Matches – The Amateurs 1906–1939" . www.englandfootballonline.com . Retrieved 15 November 2016 .
^ "Casualty Details: George Albert Littler" . Commonwealth War Graves Commission . Retrieved 15 November 2016 .
^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 . Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914 .
^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 . Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X .
^ The Southern Football League – Season 1914–15 – Players Registered or Transferred from June 1st to June 30th 1914 . 1915.
^ The Southern Football League – Season 1914–15 – Players Registered or Transferred from July 1st to July 31st 1914 . 1915.
^ Jump up to: a b c The Southern Football League – Season 1914–15 – Players Registered or Transferred from August 1st to August 31st 1914 . 1915.
^ Jump up to: a b The Southern Football League – Season 1914–15 – Players Registered or Transferred from September 1st to September 30th 1914 . 1915.
^ Jump up to: a b "The Football Association – Season 1914–15 – Summary Of Professional Registrations" . Sky is Blue – The Chesterfield FC history resource . Retrieved 1 January 2021 .
^ Jump up to: a b The Southern Football League – Season 1914–15 – Players Registered or Transferred from October 1st to October 31st 1914 . 1915.
^ Jump up to: a b The Southern Football League – Season 1914–15 – Players Registered or Transferred from November 1st to November 30th 1914 . 1915.
^ Jump up to: a b The Southern Football League – Season 1914–15 – Players Registered or Transferred from January 1st to February 28th 1915 . 1915.
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