1974–75 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1974–75 season
ChairmanLes Davey
(until November 1974)
Dan Tana
(from November 1974)
ManagerMike Everitt
(until 16 January 1975)
Jess Willard
(16–20 January 1975)
John Docherty
(from 20 January 1975)
StadiumGriffin Park
Fourth Division8th
FA CupSecond round
League CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Simmons (12)
All: Simmons (13)
Highest home attendance6,485
Lowest home attendance3,983
Average home league attendance5,172
Away colours

During the 1974–75 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. After a poor first half of the season, manager Mike Everitt was sacked and replaced by John Docherty, who produced a strong run of results to finish the campaign in 8th place.

Season summary[]

Off the back of Brentford's lowest finish in the Football League since the 1925–26 season, only three players were signed – defender Keith Lawrence on a permanent deal from Chelsea, goalkeeper Steve Sherwood on a season-long loan from Chelsea and Wimbledon midfield trialist Graham Smith.[1] Two long-serving players were released, winger John Docherty and full back Alan Hawley.[2] New chairman Les Davey announced that the club would move to a new stadium in West London and that there was talk of a £1,000,000 takeover bid by local firm Brentford Nylons, but nothing came of either plan.[2]

Brentford began the season poorly and after eight league matches were just two points above the Fourth Division re-election zone,[3] though one early season highlight was a League Cup second round tie versus First Division giants Liverpool at Anfield, where Roger Cross scored the opener in a 2–1 defeat.[2] The Liverpool match was also notable for it being the final appearance made by centre half Peter Gelson,[2] then the club's second-highest appearance-maker, who had his contract cancelled and departed the club shortly afterwards.[1] Under recently appointed chairman Dan Tana, manager Mike Everitt was given a vote of confidence in November 1974 and strengthened the team by signing forward Willie Brown on loan from Newport County (and later permanently for £4,000) and midfielder Terry Johnson from Southend United for £15,000.[1]

The signings had the desired effect and Brentford rose into mid-table after winning four and drawing one of a seven-match spell from late November through to mid-January 1975,[3] but on 16 January, manager Mike Everitt was sacked.[2] Trainer Jess Willard took over as caretaker manager for the following match, before the appointment of former player John Docherty on 20 January.[2] Docherty turned Brentford's season around, losing just four of the remaining 19 matches of the season to finish in 8th place.[2] Four wins, two draws and just one defeat in April won Docherty the Football League Manager of the Month award.[2]

League table[]

Main article: 1974–75 Football League Fourth Division
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
6 Cambridge United 46 20 14 12 62 44 1.409 54
7 Reading 46 21 10 15 63 47 1.340 52
8 Brentford 46 18 13 15 53 45 1.178 49
9 Exeter City 46 19 11 16 60 63 0.952 49
10 Bradford City 46 17 13 16 56 51 1.098 47
Source: rsssf.com

Results[]

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend[]

Win Draw Loss

Pre-season and friendlies[]

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
3 August 1974 Portsmouth H 0–4 1,790
6 August 1974 Aldershot H 1–3 1,440 Simmons
9 August 1974 Millwall H 2–0 1,190 Woon, untraced (og)
12 August 1974 Stevenage Borough A 3–0 n/a Woon, Cross
16 March 1975 Guernsey XI A 1–0 n/a Lawrence
28 April 1975 Millwall H 0–0 2,262

Football League Fourth Division[]

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 17 August 1974 Northampton Town H 1–0 5,147 Woon
2 24 August 1974 Southport A 0–3 1,285
3 31 August 1974 Swansea City H 1–0 4,908 Cross
4 7 September 1974 Chester A 0–2 2,625
5 14 September 1974 Cambridge United H 1–0 5,313 Simmons
6 16 September 1974 Rotherham United H 3–4 5,979 Simmons, Metchick, Bence
7 21 September 1974 Newport County A 0–1 3,022
8 23 September 1974 Rochdale A 0–0 1,587
9 28 September 1974 Crewe Alexandra H 1–0 5,442 Simmons
10 30 September 1974 Stockport County A 1–1 1,982 Woon
11 5 October 1974 Doncaster Rovers A 1–2 1,692 Simmons
12 12 October 1974 Lincoln City H 1–1 4,973 Lawrence
13 19 October 1974 Shrewsbury Town A 0–1 4,099
14 23 October 1974 Bradford City A 0–1 2,932
15 26 October 1974 Torquay United H 3–1 4,496 Simmons (2), Graham
16 2 November 1974 Barnsley A 1–1 4,158 Simmons
17 4 November 1974 Bradford City H 0–0 5,131
18 9 November 1974 Mansfield Town H 2–3 5,553 Foster (og), Simmons
19 16 November 1974 Hartlepool A 2–3 2,864 Simmons, Johnson
20 30 November 1974 Workington A 1–0 1,325 Brown
21 7 December 1974 Darlington H 3–0 4,925 Johnson, Brown (2)
22 21 December 1974 Scunthorpe United H 2–0 4,364 Brown (2)
23 26 December 1974 Cambridge United A 0–2 3,959
24 28 December 1974 Exeter City H 2–0 5,608 Simmons, Johnson
25 4 January 1975 Northampton Town A 0–0 4,735
26 11 January 1975 Darlington A 1–2 2,095 Johnson
27 18 January 1975 Workington H 2–2 9,983 Brown, Simmons
28 25 January 1975 Reading H 1–0 6,485 Brown
29 1 February 1975 Mansfield Town A 1–1 11,362 Graham
30 4 February 1975 Rotherham United A 0–3 4,541
31 8 February 1975 Barnsley H 3–0 5,080 Simmons, French, Brown
32 15 February 1975 Reading A 0–1 6,013
33 22 February 1975 Hartlepool H 1–0 5,516 Johnson
34 28 February 1975 Swansea City A 1–0 1,706 Brown
35 8 March 1975 Rochdale H 3–0 4,460 Johnson, Graham, Cross
36 15 March 1975 Crewe Alexandra A 1–1 2,356 Johnson
37 22 March 1975 Chester H 1–1 5,827 Cross
38 31 March 1975 Exeter City A 0–1 3,301
39 1 April 1975 Newport County H 0–0 5,569
40 5 April 1975 Torquay United A 2–3 2,555 Cross, Scales
41 7 April 1975 Stockport County H 3–0 4,434 Riddick, French (2)
42 12 April 1975 Doncaster Rovers H 1–1 5,147 French
43 15 April 1975 Scunthorpe United A 2–1 1,556 Cross, Johnson
44 19 April 1975 Lincoln City A 1–1 6,956 Cross
45 21 April 1975 Southport H 1–0 4,796 Cross
46 26 April 1975 Shrewsbury Town H 2–1 5,810 Graham, Cross

FA Cup[]

Main article: 1974–75 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s) Notes
1R 23 November 1974 Slough Town A 4–1 3,394 Graham, Simmons, Woon (2) [nb 1]
2R 14 December 1974 Brighton & Hove Albion A 0–1 13,287

Football League Cup[]

Main article: 1974–75 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 21 August 1974 Aldershot H 3–0 5,702 Cross (pen), Scales, Woon
2R 10 September 1974 Liverpool A 1–2 21,413 Cross
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[4] The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[5][6] Statto

Playing squad[]

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1974–75 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Steve Sherwood England (1953-12-10)10 December 1953 (aged 20) Chelsea 1974 On loan from Chelsea
Defenders
DF Michael Allen England (1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 25) Middlesbrough 1971
DF Paul Bence England (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 25) Reading 1970
DF Kevin Harding England (1957-03-19)19 March 1957 (aged 17) Youth 1974
DF Keith Lawrence England (1954-03-25)25 March 1954 (aged 20) Chelsea 1974
DF Alan Nelmes England (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 25) Chelsea 1967
DF Terry Scales England (1951-01-18)18 January 1951 (aged 23) West Ham United 1971
DF Graham Smith England (1951-08-08)8 August 1951 (aged 23) Wimbledon 1974 Loaned to Wimbledon
DF Nigel Smith England (1958-07-03)3 July 1958 (aged 16) Queens Park Rangers 1975
Midfielders
MF Jackie Graham Scotland (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 28) Guildford City 1970
MF Terry Johnson England (1949-08-30)30 August 1949 (aged 24) Southend United 1974
MF Dave Metchick England (1943-08-14)14 August 1943 (aged 31) Atlanta Apollos 1973
MF Gordon Riddick (c) England (1943-11-06)6 November 1943 (aged 30) Northampton Town 1973
MF Barry Salvage England (1946-12-21)21 December 1946 (aged 27) Queens Park Rangers 1973
Forwards
FW Roger Cross England (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 25) Fulham 1973
FW Micky French England (1955-05-07)7 May 1955 (aged 19) Queens Park Rangers 1975 Loaned from Queens Park Rangers before transferring permanently
FW Richard Poole England (1957-07-03)3 July 1957 (aged 17) Youth 1974
FW Dave Simmons England (1948-10-24)24 October 1948 (aged 25) Cambridge United 1974
FW Billy Stagg England (1957-10-17)17 October 1957 (aged 16) Youth 1974
Players who left the club mid-season
DF Peter Gelson England (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 32) Youth 1961 Released
DF Gary Smith England (1955-11-04)4 November 1955 (aged 18) Youth 1974 Loaned to Wimbledon, transferred to Wimbledon
MF Ian Filby England (1954-10-09)9 October 1954 (aged 19) Orient 1974 Returned to Orient after loan
FW Willie Brown Scotland (1950-02-05)5 February 1950 (aged 24) Newport County 1974 Loaned from Newport County before transferring permanently
Transferred to Torquay United
FW Andy Woon England (1952-06-26)26 June 1952 (aged 22) Bognor Regis Town 1973 Released
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[7] Timeless Bees[8]

Coaching staff[]

Mike Everitt (17 August 1974 – 16 January 1975)[]

Name Role
England Mike Everitt Manager
England Jess Willard Trainer
England Alan Humphries Chief Scout

Jess Willard (16 – 20 January 1975)[]

Name Role
England Jess Willard Caretaker Manager
England Alan Humphries Chief Scout

John Docherty (20 January – 26 April 1975)[]

Name Role
Scotland John Docherty Manager
England Eddie Lyons Trainer
England Bob Pearson Chief Scout

Statistics[]

Appearances and goals[]

Substitute appearances in brackets.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
DF England Michael Allen 32 0 1 0 2 0 35 0
DF England Paul Bence 43 1 2 0 2 0 47 1
DF England Peter Gelson 3 0 — 1 0 4 0
DF England Kevin Harding 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
DF England Keith Lawrence 43 1 2 0 2 0 47 1
DF England Alan Nelmes 10 (3) 0 0 0 0 0 10 (3) 0
DF England Terry Scales 40 1 2 0 2 1 44 2
DF England Gary Smith 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
DF England Graham Smith 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
DF England Nigel Smith 2 0 — — 2 0
MF Scotland Jackie Graham 43 4 2 1 1 0 46 5
MF England Terry Johnson 28 8 2 0 — 30 8
MF England Dave Metchick 24 (3) 1 1 0 2 0 27 (3) 1
MF England Gordon Riddick 42 1 2 0 2 0 46 1
MF England Barry Salvage 34 0 2 0 2 0 38 0
FW Scotland Willie Brown 16 9 1 0 — 17 9
FW England Roger Cross 25 (2) 8 0 0 2 2 27 (2) 10
FW England Micky French 14 (1) 4 — — 14 (1) 4
FW England Richard Poole 5 (3) 0 0 0 0 0 5 (3) 0
FW England Dave Simmons 25 (5) 12 1 (1) 1 1 0 27 (6) 13
FW England Billy Stagg 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
FW England Andy Woon 13 (4) 2 2 2 1 (1) 1 16 (5) 5
Players loaned in during the season
GK England Steve Sherwood 46 0 2 0 2 0 50 0
MF England Ian Filby 1 (2) 0 — — 1 (2) 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[4]

Goalscorers[]

Pos. Nat Player FL4 FAC FLC Total
FW England Dave Simmons 12 1 0 13
FW England Roger Cross 8 0 2 10
FW Scotland Willie Brown 9 0 — 9
MF England Terry Johnson 8 0 0 8
MF Scotland Jackie Graham 4 1 0 5
FW England Andy Woon 2 2 1 5
FW England Micky French 4 — — 4
DF England Terry Scales 1 0 1 2
DF England Paul Bence 1 0 0 1
DF England Keith Lawrence 1 0 0 1
MF England Dave Metchick 1 0 0 1
MF England Gordon Riddick 1 0 0 1
Opponents 1 0 0 1
Total 53 4 4 61
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[4]

Management[]

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Mike Everitt England 17 August 1974 11 January 1975 30 11 6 13 036.67 26 9 6 11 034.62
Jess Willard (caretaker) England 18 January 1975 18 January 1975 1 0 1 0 000.00 1 0 1 0 000.00
John Docherty Scotland 25 January 1975 26 April 1975 19 9 6 4 047.37 19 9 6 4 047.37

Summary[]

Games played 50 (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Games won 20 (18 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Games drawn 13 (13 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games lost 17 (15 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored 61 (53 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 4 League Cup)
Goals conceded 49 (45 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Clean sheets 20 (19 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Biggest league win 3–0 on four occasions
Worst league defeat 3–0 on two occasions
Most appearances 50, Steve Sherwood (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Top scorer (league) 12, Dave Simmons
Top scorer (all competitions) 13, Dave Simmons

Transfers & loans[]

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
May 1974 DF England Keith Lawrence England Chelsea Free [1]
August 1974 MF England Graham Smith England Wimbledon Trial [1]
October 1974 GK England Barry Gordine England Southend United n/a [1]
November 1974 MF England Terry Johnson England Southend United £15,000 [1]
December 1974 FW Scotland Willie Brown Wales Newport County £4,000 [1]
March 1975 FW England Micky French England Queens Park Rangers £2,000 [1]
April 1975 DF England Nigel Smith England Queens Park Rangers n/a [1]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
August 1974 GK England Steve Sherwood England Chelsea End of season [1]
September 1974 MF England Ian Filby England Leicester City October 1974 [1]
November 1974 FW Scotland Willie Brown Wales Newport County December 1974 [1]
February 1975 FW England Micky French England Queens Park Rangers March 1975 [1]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
March 1975 FW Scotland Willie Brown England Torquay United £5,000 [1]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
February 1975 MF England Graham Smith England Wimbledon n/a [1]
April 1975 DF England Gary Smith England Wimbledon April 1975 [1]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
October 1974 GK England Paul Priddy England Wimbledon 1974 [1]
February 1975 FW England Andy Woon England Maidstone United 1975 [1]
April 1975 DF England Gary Smith England Wimbledon April 1975 [1]
May 1975 GK England Barry Gordine Retired [1]
May 1975 MF England Dave Metchick England Barnet 1975 [1]
May 1975 DF England Kevin Harding England Hayes 1975 [1]
May 1975 MF England Graham Smith England Wimbledon 1975 [1]
May 1975 FW England Billy Stagg England Wealdstone n/a [9]

Awards[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Match played at The Sports Ground, Walton-on-Thames.

References[]

  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 Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 108-111.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i White, p. 295-297.
  3. ^ a b "Brentford results for the 1974–1975 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b c White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 393. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 98-107.
  6. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 306.
  7. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  8. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  9. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 128.
  10. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 295.
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