1916–17 season of Brentford F.C.
Brentford 1916–17 football season
Brentford 1916–17 season Chairman H. Jason-Saunders Secretary-Manager Fred Halliday Stadium Griffin Park London Combination 12th Top goalscorer League: White (20) All: White (20) Highest home attendance 3,500 Lowest home attendance 1,000
During the 1916–17 English football season, Brentford competed in the London Combination , due to the cessation of competitive football for the duration of the First World War . Restricted by league rules mandating that all players must be members of the armed forces or munitions workers, Brentford finished third-from-bottom, having been forced to field over 50 guest players.
Season summary [ ]
Straddling the middle period the First World War , the London Combination introduced a new rule that for the 1916–17 season, stating all players must be members of the armed forces or munitions workers, which meant Brentford secretary-manager Fred Halliday (himself a worker at the Ministry of Munitions ) had trouble securing players to play. Full back Dusty Rhodes , half back Alf Amos and forwards Patsy Hendren and Henry White would be the only pre-war Bees players to appear in more than half of the matches during the season.[2] Albert Chester joined the club from Millwall in December 1916 and also appeared in over half the matches.[2] Due to a wrist injury suffered by Ted Price , Bradford Park Avenue 's Frank Drabble was the main goalkeeper during the season, while Croydon Common 's William Bushell was also a regular in the half back line.
Brentford had a torrid season, winning just 9 of the 40 matches.[3] Defeats by three, four, five and six goal margins were a regular occurrence, contributing to a total of 99 goals conceded during the campaign.[2] 16 goals were conceded in four matches versus Luton Town .[2] The highlights were a 7–0 victory over Portsmouth at Griffin Park on 30 December 1916 and Henry White's performances, who top-scored for the third-consecutive season with 20 goals from 35 matches.[2]
The Battle of the Somme , which began on 1 July 1916, represented the lowest period so far for the British Army during the war and a number of former Brentford players were killed in the battle:[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Lieutenant Thomas Hamer, killed during the Battle of Mametz on 7 July 1916, while serving with the Royal Welch Fusiliers .
Sergeant Patrick Hagan , killed during the Battle of Bazentin Ridge on 14 July 1916, while serving with the Royal Scots .
Private John Hendren, killed during the Battle of Delville Wood on 27 July 1916, while serving with the Royal Fusiliers .
Privates Louis D'Abadie and Henry Purver , killed during the Battle of Delville Wood on 31 July 1916, while serving with the Royal Fusiliers.
Private Harry Robotham , killed during the Battle of Flers–Courcelette on 12 September 1916, while serving with the Middlesex Regiment .
Private Percy Matthews, missing, presumed killed, during the Battle of Le Transloy on 12 October 1916, while serving with the Essex Regiment .
Sergeant Joshua Hardisty MM , killed during the Battle of the Ancre on 18 November 1916, while serving with the Border Regiment .
Two other players died during the season:
League table [ ]
Main article: London Combination
London Combination [ ]
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GR
Pts
11
Watford
39
8
9
22
69
115
0.600
25
12
Brentford
40
9
7
24
56
99
0.566
25
13
Portsmouth
40
9
4
27
58
117
0.496
22
Results [ ]
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
Legend [ ]
London Combination [ ]
No.
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Scorer(s)
1
2 September 1916
Crystal Palace
A
0–4
2
9 September 1916
Southampton
H
1–1
Kirby
3
16 September 1916
Chelsea
H
0–3
4
23 September 1916
Arsenal
A
0–0
5
30 September 1916
Luton Town
H
1–3
Hendren (pen )
6
7 October 1916
Reading
A
2–0
Gregson (2)
7
14 October 1916
Millwall
H
0–3
8
21 October 1916
Watford
A
2–4
Sloley , White
9
28 October 1916
Clapton Orient
H
3–0
White , Gregson , Clarkson
10
4 November 1916
Fulham
A
0–2
11
11 November 1916
Queens Park Rangers
H
1–4
Sloley
12
18 November 1916
West Ham United
A
0–4
13
25 November 1916
Crystal Palace
H
3–1
White , Sloley , Kirby
14
2 December 1916
Southampton
A
1–3
Hendren
15
9 December 1916
Chelsea
A
2–7
White , Hendren
16
23 December 1916
Luton Town
A
2–5
Bushell, Chester
17
25 December 1916
Tottenham Hotspur
H
1–5
White
18
26 December 1916
Tottenham Hotspur
A
2–5
White , Spencer
19
30 December 1916
Portsmouth
H
7–0
White , Sloley , Hendren , Clarkson
20
6 January 1917
Millwall
A
0–3
21
13 January 1917
Watford
H
4–1
Sloley , White (2), Clarkson
22
20 January 1917
Clapton Orient
A
2–5
White (2)
23
27 January 1917
Fulham
H
1–1
Dillimore
24
3 February 1917
Queens Park Rangers
A
0–2
25
10 February 1917
West Ham United
H
1–1
Gregson
26
17 February 1917
Millwall
A
3–2
Chester , Dillimore , White
27
24 February 1917
Fulham
H
1–4
Dillimore
28
3 March 1917
Chelsea
H
3–0
Gregson , White (2)
29
10 March 1917
Watford
A
2–5
White , Hendren
30
17 March 1917
Luton Town
H
1–2
Hendren
31
24 March 1917
Queens Park Rangers
A
2–2
Hendren , Dillimore
32
31 March 1917
Millwall
H
1–3
Dillimore
33
6 April 1917
West Ham United
A
0–2
34
7 April 1917
Fulham
A
2–0
Keenor , Gregson
35
9 April 1917
West Ham United
H
1–2
Hendren (pen )
36
14 April 1917
Chelsea
A
2–3
Hendren (2, 1 pen )
37
19 April 1917
Queens Park Rangers
H
0–0
38
21 April 1917
Watford
H
2–1
White (2)
39
26 April 1917
Arsenal
H
0–0
40
28 April 1917
Luton Town
A
0–6
Source: 100 Years Of Brentford [2]
Playing squad [ ]
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1916–17 season.
Pos.
Name
Nat.
Date of birth (age)
Signed from
Signed in
Notes
Goalkeepers
GK
Ted Price
(1883-06-13 ) 13 June 1883 (aged 33)
Croydon Common
1912
Defenders
DF
George Curtis
(1888-10-22 ) 22 October 1888 (aged 27)
Kingston upon Thames
1914
DF
Jack Peart
(1884-10-13 ) 13 October 1884 (aged 31)
Croydon Common
1916
DF
Dusty Rhodes (c )
(1882-08-16 ) 16 August 1882 (aged 34)
Sunderland
1908
Trainer
Midfielders
HB
Charles Allwright
(1888-06-11 ) 11 June 1888 (aged 28)
Kingston upon Thames
1914
HB
Alf Amos
(1893-02-09 ) 9 February 1893 (aged 23)
Old Kingstonians
1913
HB
Alec Barclay
(1885-11-01 ) 1 November 1885 (aged 30)
Ilford
1910
Amateur
HB
Bertie Rosier
(1893-03-21 ) 21 March 1893 (aged 23)
Southall
1913
Forwards
FW
Herbert Allwright
(1892-03-04 ) 4 March 1892 (aged 24)
Unattached
1915
FW
Walter Chalk
(1885-07-10 ) 10 July 1885 (aged 31)
Old Kingstonians
1915
Amateur
FW
Albert Chester
(1886-03-17 ) 17 March 1886 (aged 30)
Millwall
1916
FW
Patsy Hendren
(1889-02-05 ) 5 February 1889 (aged 27)
Queens Park Rangers
1911
Played when his cricket commitments allowed
FW
Richard Sloley
(1891-08-20 ) 20 August 1891 (aged 25)
Cambridge University
1914
Amateur
FW
Henry White
(1895-08-08 ) 8 August 1895 (aged 21)
Whamcliffe Athletic
1913
Amateur
Guest players
GK
Frank Drabble
(1888-07-08 ) 8 July 1888 (aged 28)
Bradford Park Avenue
1916
Guest from Bradford Park Avenue
GK
A. Harvey
n/a
n/a
n/a
1916
Guest
GK
Jimmy Morris
n/a
Clapton Orient
1917
Guest from Clapton Orient
GK
Bernard Neville
(1882-07-09 ) 9 July 1882 (aged 34)
Unattached
1916
Guest, referee
DF
Fred Bullock
(1886-07-01 ) 1 July 1886 (aged 30)
Huddersfield Town
1916
Guest from Huddersfield Town
DF
Walker Hampson
(1889-07-24 ) 24 July 1889 (aged 27)
Burnley
1916
Guest from Burnley
DF
Ted Hanney
(1889-01-19 ) 19 January 1889 (aged 27)
Manchester City
1917
Guest from Manchester City
DF
Kennedy
n/a
n/a
n/a
1916
Guest
DF
J. Mason
n/a
n/a
n/a
1917
Guest
DF
H. W. Skinner
n/a
Nunhead
1916
Amateur, guest from Nunhead
HB
Birtwhistle
n/a
n/a
n/a
1916
Guest
HB
William Bushell
(1880-06-30 ) 30 June 1880 (aged 36)
Croydon Common
1916
Guest from Croydon Common
HB
J. Carter
n/a
n/a
n/a
1917
Guest
HB
H. T. Caves
n/a
Hampstead Town
1916
Amateur, guest from Hampstead Town
HB
A. Davis
n/a
n/a
n/a
1917
Guest
HB
Charles Hollidge
(1881-10-14 ) 14 October 1881 (aged 34)
Croydon Common
1916
Guest from Croydon Common
HB
George Hunter
(1885-06-01 ) 1 June 1885 (aged 31)
Manchester United
1916
Guest from Manchester United
HB
Fred Keenor
(1894-07-31 ) 31 July 1894 (aged 22)
Cardiff City
1916
Guest from Cardiff City
HB
John Lamb
1893 (aged 22–23)
The Wednesday
1916
Guest from The Wednesday
HB
James Lockwood
(1887-02-20 ) 20 February 1887 (aged 29)
Queens Park Rangers
1916
Guest from Queens Park Rangers
HB
C. Morris
n/a
n/a
n/a
1917
Guest
HB
Robert Nash
n/a
Unattached
1917
Guest
HB
S. Nunn
n/a
n/a
n/a
1917
Guest
HB
Frank Roberts
(1894-04-03 ) 3 April 1894 (aged 22)
Bolton Wanderers
1916
Guest from Bolton Wanderers
HB
Billy Thompson
August 1886 (aged 30)
Queens Park Rangers
1916
Guest from Queens Park Rangers
HB
B. Toms
n/a
n/a
Luton Town
1917
Guest from Luton Town
FW
Tommy Barber
(1886-07-22 ) 22 July 1886 (aged 30)
Aston Villa
1917
Guest from Aston Villa
FW
W. Blackmore
n/a
n/a
n/a
1916
Guest
FW
Billy Brawn
(1878-08-01 ) 1 August 1878 (aged 38)
Unattached
1916
Guest
FW
David Chalmers
(1891-07-22 ) 22 July 1891 (aged 25)
Grimsby Town
1917
Guest from Grimsby Town
FW
Billy Clarkson
(1891-09-22 ) 22 September 1891 (aged 24)
Burnley
1916
Guest from Burnley
FW
J. Cooper
n/a
n/a
n/a
1917
Guest
FW
Harold Crockford
(1893-09-25 ) 25 September 1893 (aged 22)
Chatham Town
1916
Guest from Chatham Town
FW
Bertie Denyer
(1893-04-09 ) 9 April 1893 (aged 23)
Swindon Town
1917
Guest from Swindon Town
FW
Ernie Dilley
(1896-06-05 ) 5 June 1896 (aged 20)
Millwall
1917
Guest from Millwall
FW
James Dillimore
(1894-12-19 ) 19 December 1894 (aged 21)
Unattached
1917
Guest
FW
Fawcett
n/a
n/a
n/a
1916
Guest
FW
Thomas Graham
(1887-07-20 ) 20 July 1887 (aged 29)
Castleford Town
1916
Guest from Castleford Town
FW
Alf Gregson
(1889-03-02 ) 2 March 1889 (aged 27)
Grimsby Town
1916
Guest from Grimsby Town
FW
Frederick Groves
(1891-01-13 ) 13 January 1891 (aged 25)
Woolwich Arsenal
1916
Guest from Woolwich Arsenal
FW
H. Hogarth
n/a
n/a
n/a
1917
Guest
FW
Bill Hooper
(1884-02-20 ) 20 February 1884 (aged 32)
Southport Central
1917
Guest from Southport Central
FW
E. A. Hunt
n/a
n/a
n/a
1917
Guest
FW
William Kirby
(1883-06-21 ) 21 June 1883 (aged 33)
Croydon Common
1916
Guest from Croydon Common
FW
J. Macey
n/a
n/a
n/a
1917
Guest
FW
H. Palmer
n/a
n/a
n/a
1916
Guest
FW
W. Shaw
n/a
n/a
n/a
1916
Guest
FW
J. Smith
n/a
n/a
Luton Town
1917
Guest from Luton Town
FW
Albert Spencer
n/a
Clapton Orient
1916
Guest from Clapton Orient
FW
Dan Tuckfield
n/a
n/a
Millwall
1917
Guest from Millwall
FW
F. Walker
n/a
n/a
n/a
1916
Guest
FW
J. Wood
n/a
n/a
Luton Town
1917
Guest from Luton Town
Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[2] Timeless Bees,[11] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939[12]
Coaching staff [ ]
Statistics [ ]
Appearances and goals [ ]
Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the London Combination season.
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: 100 Years of Brentford [2]
Goalscorers [ ]
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: 100 Years of Brentford [2]
Management [ ]
Name
Nat
From
To
Record
P
W
D
L
W %
Fred Halliday
2 September 1916
28 April 1917
40
9
7
24
0 22.50 |
Summary [ ]
Games played
40
Games won
9
Games drawn
7
Games lost
24
Goals scored
56
Goals conceded
99
Clean sheets
8
Biggest win
7–0 versus Portsmouth , 30 December 1916
Worst defeat
6–0 versus Luton Town , 28 April 1917
Most appearances
39, Patsy Hendren
Top scorer
20, 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.
2 September 1916
DF
Jack Peart
Croydon Common
Free
[13]
9 December 1916
FW
Albert Chester
Millwall
Free
[14]
Guest players in
Date from
Pos.
Name
Previous Club
Date to
Ref.
2 September 1916
HB
H. T. Caves
Hampstead Town
2 September 1916
[2]
2 September 1916
FW
Billy Clarkson
Burnley
19 April 1917
[2]
2 September 1916
FW
Thomas Graham
Castleford Town
21 October 1916
[2]
2 September 1916
FW
William Kirby
Croydon Common
20 January 1917
[15]
9 September 1916
FW
Billy Brawn
Unattached
25 November 1916
[2]
9 September 1916
HB
William Bushell
Croydon Common
17 March 1917
[16]
9 September 1916
FW
F. Walker
n/a
20 January 1917
[2]
16 September 1916
FW
Harold Crockford
Chatham Town
30 September 1916
[2]
23 September 1916
GK
Frank Drabble
Bradford Park Avenue
26 April 1917
[2]
7 October 1916
DF
Fred Bullock
Huddersfield Town
End of season
[2]
7 October 1916
FW
Alf Gregson
Grimsby Town
26 April 1917
[2]
7 October 1916
HB
Fred Keenor
Cardiff City
26 April 1917
[2]
21 October 1916
FW
W. Shaw
n/a
21 October 1916
[2]
21 October 1916
HB
Billy Thompson
Queens Park Rangers
21 October 1916
[2]
18 November 1916
FW
Birtwhistle
n/a
18 November 1916
[2]
18 November 1916
FW
Frederick Groves
Woolwich Arsenal
18 November 1916
[2]
18 November 1916
DF
Kennedy
n/a
18 November 1916
[2]
18 November 1916
HB
John Lamb
The Wednesday
14 April 1917
[2]
2 December 1916
FW
W. Blackmore
n/a
2 December 1916
[2]
2 December 1916
FW
Fawcett
n/a
2 December 1916
[2]
2 December 1916
HB
George Hunter
Manchester United
2 December 1916
[2]
2 December 1916
HB
Frank Roberts
Bolton Wanderers
17 February 1917
[2]
9 December 1916
DF
H. W. Skinner
Nunhead
31 March 1917
[2]
23 December 1916
DF
Walker Hampson
Burnley
26 December 1916
[2]
23 December 1916
GK
A. Harvey
n/a
23 December 1916
[2]
23 December 1916
HB
Charles Hollidge
Croydon Common
25 December 1916
[17]
23 December 1916
FW
H. Palmer
n/a
23 December 1916
[2]
25 December 1916
HB
James Lockwood
Queens Park Rangers
24 March 1917
[2]
26 December 1916
FW
Albert Spencer
Clapton Orient
26 December 1916
[2]
13 January 1917
GK
Bernard Neville
Unattached
13 January 1917
[18]
27 January 1917
FW
James Dillimore
n/a
21 April 1917
[2]
3 February 1917
FW
Bertie Denyer
Swindon Town
3 February 1917
[2]
17 February 1917
HB
A. Davis
n/a
9 April 1917
[2]
17 February 1917
FW
J. Smith
Luton Town
End of season
[2]
17 February 1917
FW
Dan Tuckfield
Millwall
17 February 1917
[2]
17 March 1917
GK
Jimmy Morris
Clapton Orient
End of season
[2]
24 March 1917
FW
Ernie Dilley
Millwall
31 March 1917
[2]
24 March 1917
DF
J. Mason
n/a
24 March 1917
[2]
24 March 1917
HB
S. Nunn
n/a
24 March 1917
[2]
31 March 1917
HB
J. Carter
n/a
31 March 1917
[2]
31 March 1917
FW
H. Hogarth
n/a
14 April 1917
[2]
31 March 1917
FW
J. Macey
n/a
6 April 1917
[2]
9 April 1917
FW
J. Cooper
n/a
9 April 1917
[2]
14 April 1917
FW
Tommy Barber
Aston Villa
26 April 1917
[2]
14 April 1917
DF
Ted Hanney
Manchester City
End of season
[2]
14 April 1917
FW
E. A. Hunt
n/a
14 April 1917
[2]
19 April 1917
FW
David Chalmers
Grimsby Town
19 April 1917
[2]
19 April 1917
FW
Bill Hooper
Southport Central
End of season
[2]
21 April 1917
HB
C. Morris
n/a
End of season
[2]
26 April 1917
HB
Robert Nash
Unattached
26 April 1917
[19]
28 April 1917
HB
B. Toms
Luton Town
End of season
[2]
28 April 1917
FW
J. Wood
Luton Town
End of season
[2]
Guest players out
Date from
Pos.
Name
To
Date to
Ref.
1916
HB
Jimmy Kennedy
Airdrieonians
1917
[20]
References [ ]