1978–79 season of Brentford F.C.
Brentford 1978–79 football season
During the 1978–79 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division . After a rude awakening to third-tier football, the Bees ended the season strongly to finish in 10th position.
Season summary [ ]
After Brentford 's promotion to the Third Division at the end of the previous season, manager Bill Dodgin Jr. stated that his squad would only need one or two more new players to be able to compete during the club's first season in the third tier since 1972–73 .[1] He managed to keep prolific forwards Steve Phillips and Andrew McCulloch at Griffin Park , but aside from goalkeeping trialist Trevor Porter (brought in to cover for car crash -victim Len Bond and the suspended Graham Cox ),[2] Dodgin made no significant signings.[3]
Fears that Brentford's largely-unchanged squad would be out of its depth in the Third Division were heightened after the season began with a 7–1 aggregate defeat to fellow third-tier side Watford in the first round of the League Cup .[3] A dire start to the league season, which had seen Brentford sink into the relegation places by the end of September 1978,[4] led manager Bill Dodgin Jr. to act in the transfer market.[3] Potentially club-record breaking bids for Watford's Alan Mayes , Queens Park Rangers ' Tony Hazell and Bristol City 's John Bain were all rejected, but Dodgin did manage to sign defender Jim McNichol and forward Dean Smith , with McNichol's transfer from Luton Town setting a new club-record incoming fee of £30,000.[3] While McNichol would instantly impress and go on to be voted the Supporters' Player of the Year ,[5] Smith (who had been signed to support the misfiring Steve Phillips and Andrew McCulloch) would only score sporadically during the rest of the season.[6]
Between late-October 1978 and mid-March 1979, the Bees stabilised with a run of just two defeats in 17 league matches.[4] The run ended with the club's biggest win of the season – a 6–0 thrashing of Chester at Griffin Park, with Steve Phillips scoring a hattrick to boost his tally to six goals in four matches.[6] A failure to win any of the following four matches dropped the Bees back to 18th position, but a strong run of 9 wins in 12 matches to close out the season elevated the club to a 10th-place finish.[4]
League table [ ]
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
8
Hull City
46
19
11
16
66
61
+5
49
9
Exeter City
46
17
15
14
61
56
+5
49
10
Brentford
46
19
9
18
53
49
+4
47
11
Oxford United
46
14
18
14
44
50
−6
46
12
Blackpool
46
18
9
19
61
59
+2
45
Results [ ]
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
Legend [ ]
Pre-season and friendlies [ ]
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
Scorer(s)
1 August 1978
Charlton Athletic
H
1–1
2,500
Phillips
3 August 1978
Chesham United
A
0–0
n/a
7 August 1978
Brighton & Hove Albion
H
1–4
2,800
J. Graham
8 August 1978
Woking
A
0–3
n/a
9 August 1978
Aldershot
A
2–1
n/a
Phillips , Kruse
15 December 1978
Northampton Town
A
0–3
n/a
[ ]
No.
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
Scorer(s)
1
19 August 1978
Shrewsbury Town
A
0–1
2,346
2
21 August 1978
Colchester United
H
1–0
6,802
Kruse
3
26 August 1978
Chesterfield
H
0–3
6,162
4
2 September 1978
Exeter City
A
2–2
3,645
McCulloch (2)
5
9 September 1978
Hull City
H
1–0
6,528
Phillips
6
12 September 1978
Swindon Town
A
0–2
6,902
7
16 September 1978
Peterborough United
A
1–3
5,884
Kruse
8
23 September 1978
Gillingham
H
0–2
6,977
9
25 September 1978
Lincoln City
H
2–1
6,107
J. Graham , Eames
10
30 September 1978
Swansea City
A
1–2
11,370
McCulloch
11
7 October 1978
Bury
H
0–1
5,855
12
14 October 1978
Watford
A
0–2
15,180
13
17 October 1978
Rotherham United
A
0–1
3,881
14
21 October 1978
Tranmere Rovers
H
2–1
5,883
McCulloch (2)
15
28 October 1978
Chester
A
1–3
4,495
McCulloch
16
4 November 1978
Oxford United
H
3–0
6,863
McCulloch , D. Smith (2)
17
11 November 1978
Exeter City
H
0–0
6,387
18
18 November 1978
Chesterfield
A
0–0
4,584
19
2 December 1978
Walsall
H
1–0
5,140
McCulloch
20
9 December 1978
Mansfield Town
A
1–2
4,003
McCulloch
21
23 December 1978
Southend United
A
1–1
13,703
Phillips
22
26 December 1978
Plymouth Argyle
H
2–1
7,367
D. Smith (2)
23
30 December 1978
Carlisle United
H
0–0
6,477
24
20 January 1979
Peterborough United
H
0–0
5,760
25
27 January 1979
Gillingham
A
0–0
6,899
26
10 February 1979
Swansea City
H
1–0
7,264
Carlton
27
24 February 1979
Watford
H
3–3
13,873
D. Smith , Phillips (2, 1 pen )
28
3 March 1979
Tranmere Rovers
A
1–0
1,882
Phillips
29
6 March 1979
Hull City
A
0–1
3,418
30
10 March 1979
Chester
H
6–0
6,421
Phillips (3), Glover (2), McCulloch
31
13 March 1979
Sheffield Wednesday
A
0–1
10,383
32
21 March 1979
Lincoln City
A
0–1
2,060
33
24 March 1979
Colchester United
A
1–1
3,528
Shrubb
34
26 March 1979
Shrewsbury Town
H
2–3
7,756
McCulloch , D. Smith
35
31 March 1979
Blackpool
H
3–2
6,364
McNichol (2), Phillips
36
4 April 1979
Oxford United
A
1–0
5,242
Shrubb
37
7 April 1979
Walsall
A
3–2
3,840
Kruse , Phillips (2)
38
13 April 1979
Southend United
H
3–2
11,509
McCulloch , Kruse , Salman
39
14 April 1979
Plymouth Argyle
A
1–2
6,344
Carlton
40
17 April 1979
Sheffield Wednesday
H
2–1
9,050
McNichol (2)
41
21 April 1979
Carlisle United
A
0–1
3,967
42
23 April 1979
Rotherham United
H
1–0
6,758
D. Smith
43
28 April 1979
Mansfield Town
H
1–0
6,838
Phillips
44
5 May 1979
Blackpool
A
1–0
3,464
McCulloch
45
8 May 1979
Swindon Town
H
1–2
13,320
D. Smith
46
15 May 1979
Bury
A
3–2
2,512
Phillips (2), McCulloch
FA Cup [ ]
Round
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
1R
25 November 1978
Exeter City
A
0–1
3,810
[ ]
Round
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
Scorer
1R (1st leg)
12 August 1978
Watford
A
0–4
9,292
1R (2nd leg)
12 August 1978
Watford
H
1–3 (lost 7–1 on aggregate)
7,414
Rolph
Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[6] The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[7] [8] Statto
Playing squad [ ]
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1978–79 season.
Pos.
Name
Nat.
Date of birth (age)
Signed from
Signed in
Notes
Goalkeepers
GK
Len Bond
(1954-01-12 ) 12 January 1954 (aged 24)
Bristol City
1977
GK
Trevor Porter
(1956-10-16 ) 16 October 1956 (aged 21)
Slough Town
1978
Defenders
DF
Michael Allen
(1949-03-30 ) 30 March 1949 (aged 29)
Middlesbrough
1971
DF
John Fraser
(1953-07-12 ) 12 July 1953 (aged 25)
Fulham
1976
DF
Pat Kruse
(1953-11-30 ) 30 November 1953 (aged 24)
Torquay United
1977
DF
Jim McNichol
(1958-06-09 ) 9 June 1958 (aged 20)
Luton Town
1978
DF
Danis Salman
(1960-03-12 ) 12 March 1960 (aged 18)
Youth
1975
DF
David Silman
(1959-10-28 ) 28 October 1959 (aged 18)
Unattached
1978
DF
Barry Tucker
(1952-08-28 ) 28 August 1952 (aged 25)
Northampton Town
1978
Midfielders
MF
Doug Allder
(1951-12-30 ) 30 December 1951 (aged 26)
Unattached
1977
MF
Bob Booker
(1958-01-25 ) 25 January 1958 (aged 20)
Bedmond Sports & Social
1978
MF
Dave Carlton
(1952-11-24 ) 24 November 1952 (aged 25)
Northampton Town
1976
MF
Allan Glover
(1950-10-21 ) 21 October 1950 (aged 27)
Orient
1978
MF
Jackie Graham (c )
(1946-07-16 ) 16 July 1946 (aged 32)
Guildford City
1970
MF
Willie Graham
(1959-02-14 ) 14 February 1959 (aged 19)
Northampton Town
1977
MF
Paul Shrubb
(1955-08-01 ) 1 August 1955 (aged 23)
Hellenic
1977
MF
Paul Walker
(1960-12-17 ) 17 December 1960 (aged 17)
Youth
1976
Forwards
FW
Tommy Baldwin
(1945-06-10 ) 10 June 1945 (aged 33)
Unattached
1977
Assistant manager
FW
Andrew McCulloch
(1950-01-03 ) 3 January 1950 (aged 28)
Oxford United
1976
Loaned to Oakland Stompers
FW
Gary Rolph
(1960-02-24 ) 24 February 1960 (aged 18)
Youth
1976
FW
Steve Phillips
(1954-08-04 ) 4 August 1954 (aged 24)
Northampton Town
1977
FW
Dean Smith
(1958-11-28 ) 28 November 1958 (aged 19)
Leicester City
1977
Players who left the club mid-season
DF
Nigel Smith
(1958-07-03 ) 3 July 1958 (aged 20)
Queens Park Rangers
1975
Released
DF
Stephen Wilkins
(1959-08-31 ) 31 August 1959 (aged 18)
Chelsea
1978
Released
FW
Billy Eames
(1957-09-20 ) 20 September 1957 (aged 20)
Waterlooville
1978
Released
FW
Lee Frost
(1957-12-04 ) 4 December 1957 (aged 20)
Chelsea
1978
Returned to Chelsea after loan
Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[9] Timeless Bees[10]
Coaching staff [ ]
Statistics [ ]
Appearances and goals [ ]
Substitute appearances in brackets.
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: 100 Years of Brentford[6]
Goalscorers [ ]
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 %
Bill Dodgin, Jr.
12 August 1978
15 May 1979
49
19
9
21
0 38.78
46
19
9
18
0 41.30
Summary [ ]
Games played
49 (46 Third Division , 1 FA Cup , 2 League Cup )
Games won
19 (19 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games drawn
9 (9 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games lost
21 (18 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Goals scored
54 (53 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals conceded
57 (49 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 7 League Cup)
Clean sheets
16 (16 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Biggest league win
6–0 versus Chester , 10 March 1979
Worst league defeat
3–0 versus Chesterfield , 26 August 1978
Most appearances
49, Steve Phillips (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Top scorer (league)
14, Andrew McCulloch , Steve Phillips
Top scorer (all competitions)
14, Andrew McCulloch, Steve Phillips
Transfers & loans [ ]
Awards [ ]
References [ ]
^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 175.
^ "They played for both: Bristol City" . Brentford FC . Retrieved 9 July 2017 .
^ a b c d White, p. 309-311.
^ a b c "Brentford results for the 1978–1979 season" . Statto.com . Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2017 .
^ a b c Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 295.
^ a b c d e White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford . Brentford FC. p. 395. ISBN 0951526200 .
^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 158-169.
^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 314.
^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies . Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796709 .
^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 . Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 190-194.
^ Haynes & Coumbe, p. 147.
^ "Graham Cox" . Retrieved 12 February 2017 .
^ Haynes & Coumbe, p. 41-42.
National teams
League competitions
Levels 1–4 Levels 5–6 Levels 7–9
Isthmian League (Two )
Athenian League (level 7 only )
Cheshire County League (One , Two )
Eastern Counties League (level 7 only )
Essex Senior League (level 7 only )
Hellenic League (Premier , One )
Home Counties League (level 7 only )
Kent League (level 7 only )
(level 7 only )
(, )
Midland Football Combination (level 7 only )
Midland League (Premier , One )
Northern League (level 7 only )
(, )
Sussex County League (One , Two )
United Counties League (Premier , One , Two )
West Midlands (Regional) League (level 7 only )
Western League (Premier , One )
Yorkshire League (One , Two , Three )
Cup competitions
FA cups Football League cups
European competitions Other