1925–26 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1925–26 season
ChairmanAlderman A.W. Bradford
ManagerFred Halliday
StadiumGriffin Park
Third Division South18th
FA CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Watkins (11)
All: Watkins (11)
Highest home attendance16,893
Lowest home attendance5,632
Average home league attendance9,146

During the 1925–26 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South and finished in 18th place, conceding a club record 94 goals.

Season summary[]

Brentford's 1925–26 team photograph.

Brentford manager Fred Halliday overhauled the club's squad during the 1925 off-season, with all but seven players being released.[1] Despite running a deficit of £6,000 (equivalent to £344,700 in 2021), the board of directors pledged a "substantial sum of money" for the transfer of quality players and in came new goalkeeper John Thomson, four full backs, four half backs and new forwards Bill Finlayson and Bert Young.[1] The club's colours were changed to the now-traditional red-and-white stripes, black shorts and black socks.[1]

9 defeats from the opening 10 matches of the season left Brentford rooted to the bottom of the Third Division South and forward Reginald Parker (one of the club's highest scorers during the previous two seasons) elected to transfer to South Shields.[2][3] Griffin Park was closed by the Football League for the first and only time due to crowd disturbance during a 6–1 thrashing at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion on 12 September 1925.[4] The ground was reopened 14 days later.[4] The poor run ended with the first victory of the season on 17 October, 2–1 over Bristol Rovers.[2] Five wins in the following seven matches lifted the Bees out of the re-election places,[2] with forwards Jack Lane, Bill Finlayson and full back Percival Whitton (who had been deployed up front by manager Halliday) all coming into form,[5] with half back Alex Graham converting a number of penalties.[6]

By 20 February 1926, a run of just five defeats in 19 matches lifted Brentford to 13th in the table.[2] The signing of forward Ernie Watkins from Southend United for a then-club record fee of £1,000 in January 1928 proved to be money well-spent,[7] with Watkins scoring 11 goals in his first 12 matches, including a hat-trick in the Bees' biggest victory of the season, 5–1 versus Norwich City on 2 April.[6] The Bees' form petered out in the final two months of the season, winning just 3 of the final 12 matches to finish 18th with the worst defensive record in the division.[1][2] The 94 goals conceded during the 1925–26 season is a club record.[8]

League table[]

Main article: 1925–26 Football League Third Division South
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
16 Norwich City 42 15 9 18 58 73 0.795 39
17 Newport County 42 14 10 18 64 74 0.865 38
18 Brentford 42 16 6 20 69 94 0.734 38
19 Bristol Rovers 42 15 6 21 66 69 0.957 36
20 Exeter City 42 15 5 22 72 70 1.029 35
Source:[citation needed]

Results[]

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend[]

Win Draw Loss

Football League Third Division South[]

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 29 August 1925 Northampton Town H 3–4 12,317 Allen (2), Graham
2 2 September 1925 Southend United A 1–3 8,224 Allen
3 5 September 1925 Aberdare Athletic A 0–3 4,140
4 7 September 1925 Southend United H 1–3 6,409 Douglas
5 12 September 1925 Brighton & Hove Albion H 1–6 8,803 Parker
6 19 September 1925 Watford A 2–2 4,771 Young, Parker
7 23 September 1925 Plymouth Argyle A 0–4 8,384
8 26 September 1925 Queens Park Rangers H 1–2 9,719 Beacham
9 3 October 1925 Crystal Palace A 0–2 15,724
10 10 October 1925 Bristol City A 0–3 11,095
11 17 October 1925 Bristol Rovers A 2–1 7,095 Lane, Whitton
12 24 October 1925 Swindon Town H 3–1 8,282 Whitton, Finlayson, Graham (pen)
13 31 October 1925 Newport County A 3–2 4,933 Lane (2), Finlayson
14 7 November 1925 Luton Town H 1–0 7,533 Lane
15 14 November 1925 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic A 2–3 4,530 Whitton (2)
16 21 November 1925 Charlton Athletic H 4–0 8,017 Whitton, Allen, Lane, Graham (pen)
17 5 December 1925 Merthyr Town H 1–1 6,932 Graham (pen)
18 19 December 1925 Reading H 1–0 7,064 Graham
19 25 December 1925 Millwall A 1–2 13,333 Hendren
20 26 December 1925 Millwall H 2–0 16,893 Allen (2)
21 28 December 1925 Exeter City A 1–6 5,493 Finlayson
22 2 January 1926 Northampton Town A 1–6 4,649 Allen
23 9 January 1926 Gillingham A 3–1 6,093 Watkins, Douglas (2)
24 16 January 1926 Aberdare Athletic H 1–0 5,632 Douglas
25 23 January 1926 Brighton & Hove Albion A 2–3 6,107 Lane, Watkins
26 30 January 1926 Watford H 4–3 7,711 Graham (2), Rae, Hendren
27 6 February 1926 Queens Park Rangers A 1–1 13,085 Plunkett (og)
28 13 February 1926 Crystal Palace H 3–2 10,140 Watkins (2), Douglas
29 20 February 1926 Bristol City H 2–1 11,956 Watkins, Graham
30 27 February 1926 Bristol Rovers H 4–1 9,902 Watkins, Douglas, Graham (pen), Rae
31 6 March 1926 Swindon Town A 1–2 4,932 Hendren
32 13 March 1926 Newport County H 3–3 9,643 Watkins (2), Rae
33 20 March 1926 Luton Town A 2–4 6,072 Lane, Till (og)
34 27 March 1926 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic H 0–2 7,687
35 2 April 1926 Norwich City H 5–1 11,463 Hendren, Watkins (3)
36 3 April 1926 Charlton Athletic A 2–0 6,812 Young, Rae
37 5 April 1926 Norwich City A 0–1 11,694
38 10 April 1926 Gillingham H 0–0 7,942
39 17 April 1926 Merthyr Town A 0–6 2,329
40 24 April 1926 Exeter City H 2–0 7,889 Finlayson, Douglas
41 26 April 1926 Plymouth Argyle H 2–2 10,123 Finlayson, Douglas
42 1 May 1926 Reading A 1–7 17,432 Lane

FA Cup[]

Main article: 1925–26 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 28 November 1925 Barnet H 3–1 9,480 Lane, Whitton, Graham (pen)
2R 12 December 1925 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic H 1–2 8,200 Whitton

Playing squad[]

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1925–26 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Harry Stanford England (1899-05-31)31 May 1899 (aged 26) Southend United 1925
GK John Thomson Scotland (1896-07-27)27 July 1896 (aged 29) Aberdare Athletic 1925
Defenders
DF James Donnelly Republic of Ireland (1893-12-18)18 December 1893 (aged 31) Southend United 1925
DF James McClennon England (1900-12-16)16 December 1900 (aged 24) Grimsby Town 1925
DF Jack Price England (1900-06-09)9 June 1900 (aged 25) Swindon Town 1925
Midfielders
HB Jack Beacham England (1902-08-15)15 August 1902 (aged 23) Weymouth 1925
HB Tommy Cain England (1892-11-10)10 November 1892 (aged 32) Sheppey United 1924
HB Evan Evans Wales (1903-07-25)25 July 1903 (aged 22) Llanidloes Town 1925
HB Alex Graham (c) Scotland (1889-07-11)11 July 1889 (aged 36) Arsenal 1924 Assistant manager
HB Alan Noble England (1900-06-19)19 June 1900 (aged 25) Leeds United 1925
HB Harry Rae Scotland (1895-10-22)22 October 1895 (aged 29) Clyde 1925
HB Jimmy Walton England (1898-11-03)3 November 1898 (aged 26) Bristol Rovers 1924
Forwards
FW Jack Allen England (1903-01-31)31 January 1903 (aged 22) Leeds United 1924
FW Alfred Douglas England (1899-03-26)26 March 1899 (aged 26) Washington Colliery 1925
FW Bill Finlayson Scotland (1899-03-29)29 March 1899 (aged 26) Clapton Orient 1925
FW Patsy Hendren England (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 36) Queens Park Rangers 1911 Played when his cricket commitments allowed
FW Jack Lane England (1898-05-29)29 May 1898 (aged 27) Chesterfield 1925
FW Ernie Watkins England (1898-04-03)3 April 1898 (aged 27) Southend United 1926
FW Frank Watson England (1898-11-15)15 November 1898 (aged 26) Leeds United 1925
FW Percival Whitton England (1892-01-14)14 January 1892 (aged 33) Newport County 1925
FW Bert Young England (1899-09-04)4 September 1899 (aged 25) Aberdare Athletic 1925
Players who left the club mid-season
FW Reginald Parker England (1902-07-08)8 July 1902 (aged 23) Boldon Comrades 1922 Transferred to South Shields
  • Sources: Timeless Bees,[9] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939,[10] 100 Years Of Brentford[6]

Coaching staff[]

Name Role
England Fred Halliday Manager
England Tom Ratcliff Trainer
Scotland Alex Graham Assistant Trainer

Statistics[]

Appearances and goals[]

Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Football League season.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England Harry Stanford 2 0 0 0 2 0
GK Scotland John Thomson 40 0 2 0 42 0
DF Republic of Ireland James Donnelly 39 0 2 0 41 0
DF England James McClennon 24 0 2 0 26 0
DF England Jack Price 12 0 0 0 12 0
HB England Jack Beacham 4 1 0 0 4 1
HB England Tommy Cain 2 0 0 0 2 0
HB Wales Evan Evans 7 0 1 0 8 0
HB Scotland Alex Graham 25 9 2 1 27 10
HB England Alan Noble 31 0 1 0 32 0
HB Scotland Harry Rae 37 4 1 0 38 4
HB England Jimmy Walton 36 0 1 0 37 0
FW England Jack Allen 11 7 2 0 13 7
FW England Alfred Douglas 27 8 0 0 27 8
FW Scotland Bill Finlayson 21 5 1 0 22 5
FW England Patsy Hendren 28 5 2 0 30 5
FW England Jack Lane 38 8 2 1 40 9
FW England Reginald Parker 5 2 — 5 2
FW England Ernie Watkins 19 11 — 19 11
FW England Frank Watson 7 0 0 0 7 0
FW England Percy Whitton 25 5 2 2 27 7
FW England Bert Young 22 2 1 0 23 2
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[6]

Goalscorers[]

Pos. Nat Player FL3 FAC Total
FW England Ernie Watkins 11 — 11
HB Scotland Alex Graham 9 1 10
FW England Jack Lane 8 1 9
FW England Alfred Douglas 8 0 8
FW England Jack Allen 7 0 7
FW England Percy Whitton 5 2 7
FW Scotland Bill Finlayson 5 0 5
FW England Patsy Hendren 5 0 5
HB Scotland Harry Rae 4 0 4
FW England Reginald Parker 2 — 2
FW England Bert Young 2 0 2
HB England Jack Beacham 1 0 1
Opponents 2 0 2
Total 62 4 68
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[6]

Management[]

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Fred Halliday England 29 August 1925 1 May 1926 44 17 6 21 038.64 42 16 6 20 038.10

Summary[]

Games played 44 (42 Third Division South, 2 FA Cup)
Games won 17 (16 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Games drawn 6 (6 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost 21 (20 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 73 (69 Third Division South, 4 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 97 (94 Third Division South, 3 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 8 (8 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 5–1 versus Norwich City, 2 April 1926
Worst league defeat 6–0 versus Merthyr Town, 2 April 1926; 7–1 versus Reading, 1 May 1926
Most appearances 42, John Thomson (40 Third Division South, 2 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 11, Ernie Watkins
Top scorer (all competitions) 11, Ernie Watkins

Transfers & loans[]

Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
May 1925 HB England Alan Noble England Leeds United Free [11]
30 June 1925 HB Scotland Harry Rae Scotland Clyde n/a [12]
July 1925 DF Republic of Ireland James Donnelly England Southend United Free [13]
July 1925 FW England Percival Whitton Wales Newport County Free [14]
26 August 1925 GK Scotland John Thomson Wales Aberdare Athletic Free [12]
August 1925 FW England Alfred Douglas England Washington Colliery Free [15]
August 1925 DF England James McClennon England Grimsby Town Free [16]
1925 HB England Jack Beacham England Weymouth Free [17]
1925 HB Wales Evan Evans Wales Llanidloes Town Amateur [18]
1925 FW Scotland Bill Finlayson England Clapton Orient Free [19]
1925 DF England Jack Price England Swindon Town Free [20]
1925 GK England Harry Stanford England Southend United Free [21]
1925 FW England Frank Watson England Leeds United Free [22]
January 1926 FW England Ernie Watkins England Southend United £1,000 [7]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
September 1925 FW England Reginald Parker England South Shields Nominal [3]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
August 1925 FB England Charles Alton England Northfleet United 1925 [23]
May 1926 HB England Tommy Cain Retired [24]
May 1926 HB Scotland Alex Graham England Folkestone 1926 [25]
May 1926 DF England James McClennon England Grimsby Town 1926 [26]
May 1926 FW England William Relph England Blyth Spartans 1926 [27]
May 1926 GK England Harry Stanford England Bristol Rovers 1926 [21]
May 1926 DF Scotland John Steel Retired [24]
May 1926 GK Scotland John Thomson England Plymouth Argyle 1926 [28]
May 1926 HB England Jimmy Walton England Hartlepools United 1926 [29]
May 1926 FW England Frank Watson England Southend United 1926 [22]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 119–120. ISBN 0951526200.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Brentford results for the 1925–1926 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 120.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Haynes 1998, p. 38-39.
  5. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 168.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f White 1989, p. 368.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Brentford Football Club Official Matchday Magazine versus Hull City 07/05/05. 2005. pp. 46–47.
  8. ^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Harefield, Middlesex: Yore Publications. p. 79. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  9. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  10. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
  11. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 116.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  13. ^ "Brentford's New Back". Chiswick Times. 3 July 1925.
  14. ^ "Whitton Percy Newport County 1922". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Public Practice Game Tomorrow". Chiswick Times. 21 August 1925.
  16. ^ "Brentford Football Club". Chiswick Times. 14 August 1925.
  17. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 18.
  18. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 53.
  19. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 56.
  20. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 127-128.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 153.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 166.
  23. ^ "Sports Items". Chiswick Times. 28 August 1925.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b Dorey, F.W. (1925). Season 1925–26 Brentford Football Club Official Handbook. p. 19.
  25. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 69.
  26. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 103.
  27. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 133.
  28. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 160.
  29. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 164.
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