1987–88 season of Brentford F.C.
Brentford 1987–88 football season
During the 1987–88 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division . The Bees contended for a place in the play-offs until a run of just two wins from the final 17 matches of the season dropped the club into mid-table.
Season summary [ ]
After taking over as Brentford manager in January 1987, Steve Perryman continued the remodelling of his squad through the 1987 off-season.[1] Transferred out were defender Phil Bater , midfielder Paul Maddy and forward Francis Joseph , with the deals raising £37,000.[2] In came a number of players on free transfers or a trial basis, the most notable of whom being former Chelsea midfielder Colin Lee, in a dual player/Youth Development Officer role.[2] After beginning the Third Division season in and around the relegation places,[3] manager Perryman continued to buy and sell players, raising another £10,000 from the sale of defender Jamie Murray and winger Ian Holloway and bringing in former Chelsea midfielder Keith Jones for a £40,000 fee.[2] With forward Gary Blissett failing to show form in front of goal and Andy Sinton almost single-handedly leading the attack from midfield, the loan signing of Paul Williams in October 1987 galvanised the team,[2] with Williams scoring six goals in eight appearances before being recalled by Charlton Athletic .[4] An eight-match unbeaten run from mid-November 1987 to 2 January 1988, despite the £30,000 sale of forward Robbie Cooke ,[2] put Brentford as high as 6th position, once place outside the play-off zone.[3] The December loan signing of Arsenal midfielder Graham Rix proved key to the continued good form.[1]
A 1–0 win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on 16 January 1988, courtesy of a Keith Millen goal, raised Brentford into the play-off zone.[3] After 3–1 victory over rivals Fulham in the following league match and the recall of Graham Rix to Highbury , the Bees' form disintegrated.[3] The team lost four consecutive matches in February without scoring a goal and would win just two of the final 17 matches of the season to finish in 12th place.[3] Manager Steve Perryman had attempted to rectify the slump by signing midfielder Ian Stewart and forward Les Ferdinand on loan, but both proved to be a disappointment.[1] Right back Roger Joseph 's performances earned him a place in the Third Division PFA Team of the Year , the first time a Brentford player had been recognised by the PFA .[5]
League table [ ]
Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
10
Blackpool
46
17
14
15
71
62
+9
65
11
Port Vale
46
18
11
17
58
56
+2
65
12
Brentford
46
16
14
16
53
59
−6
62
13
Gillingham
46
14
17
15
77
61
+16
59
14
Bury
46
15
14
17
58
57
+1
59
Results [ ]
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
Legend [ ]
Pre-season and friendlies [ ]
[ ]
No.
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
Scorer(s)
1
15 August 1987
Sunderland
H
0–1
7,509
2
29 August 1987
Bristol City
H
0–2
4,328
3
31 August 1987
Grimsby Town
A
1–0
3,361
Blissett
4
5 September 1987
Rotherham United
H
1–1
3,604
Jones
5
9 September 1987
Northampton Town
A
1–2
5,748
Cooke (pen )
6
12 September 1987
Southend United
A
3–2
4,418
Blissett , Cooke , Sinton
7
15 September 1987
Chesterfield
H
2–0
3,183
Benjamin (og ), Cooke (pen )
8
19 September 1987
Blackpool
H
2–1
3,886
Sinton , Smith
9
26 September 1987
Aldershot
A
1–4
3,651
Sinton
10
29 September 1987
Preston North End
A
2–1
4,241
Sinton , Carroll
11
3 October 1987
Port Vale
H
1–0
4,007
Sinton
12
10 October 1987
Bury
A
2–2
2,300
Bates , Sinton
13
17 October 1987
Walsall
H
0–0
5,056
14
20 October 1987
Chester City
H
1–1
4,027
Cooke
15
24 October 1987
Brighton & Hove Albion
A
1–2
7,600
Stanislaus
16
31 October 1987
Bristol Rovers
H
1–1
4,487
Williams
17
3 November 1987
Gillingham
A
1–0
4,513
Thorne
18
7 November 1987
Notts County
A
0–3
5,634
19
21 November 1987
Wigan Athletic
H
2–1
3,625
Sinton (pen ), Williams
20
28 November 1987
Doncaster Rovers
A
1–0
1,360
Williams
21
12 December 1987
Mansfield Town
H
2–2
3,729
Carroll , Blissett
22
18 December 1987
York City
A
1–1
1,801
Turner
23
26 December 1987
Aldershot
H
3–0
5,578
Millen , Sinton , Birch
24
28 December 1987
Fulham
A
2–2
9,369
Evans , Birch
25
1 January 1988
Bristol City
A
3–2
12,877
Blissett (2), Sinton
26
2 January 1988
Southend United
H
1–0
5,752
Stanislaus
27
9 January 1988
Northampton Town
H
0–1
6,025
28
16 January 1988
Blackpool
A
1–0
3,911
Millen
29
14 February 1988
Fulham
H
3–1
8,712
Blissett , Elkins (og ), Millen
30
17 February 1988
Rotherham United
A
0–2
2,572
31
20 February 1988
Sunderland
A
0–2
15,458
32
23 February 1988
Grimsby Town
H
0–2
3,534
33
27 February 1988
Port Vale
A
0–1
3,876
34
1 March 1988
Preston North End
H
2–0
3,505
35
5 March 1988
Walsall
A
2–4
4,548
Blissett , Evans
36
12 March 1988
Bury
H
0–3
3,920
37
19 March 1988
Bristol Rovers
A
0–0
3,380
38
26 March 1988
Brighton & Hove Albion
H
1–1
5,331
Lee
39
2 April 1988
Notts County
H
1–0
4,388
Blissett
40
4 April 1988
Wigan Athletic
A
1–1
3,297
Evans
41
9 April 1988
Gillingham
H
2–2
3,875
Sinton (2)
42
19 April 1988
Chesterfield
A
1–2
2,010
Turner
43
23 April 1988
Chester City
A
1–1
1,793
Cockram
44
30 April 1988
Doncaster Rovers
H
1–1
3,122
Cockram
45
2 May 1988
Mansfield Town
A
1–2
2,664
Carroll
46
7 May 1988
York City
H
1–2
4,180
Carroll
FA Cup [ ]
[ ]
Round
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
Scorer(s)
R1 (1st leg)
18 August 1987
Southend United
H
2–1
2,837
Sinton , Blissett
R1 (2nd leg)
25 August 1987
Southend United
A
2–4 (lost 4–5 on aggregate)
2,111
Carroll , Cooke
[ ]
Round
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
Scorer
SPR (match 1)
28 October 1987
Northampton Town
A
0–1
3,076
SPR (match 2)
24 November 1987
Notts County
H
3–2
2,005
Williams (3)
SR1
19 January 1988
Wolverhampton Wanderers
A
0–4
6,298
Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[4] The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,[7] [8] Statto
Playing squad [ ]
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1987–88 season.
Pos.
Name
Nat.
Date of birth (age)
Signed from
Signed in
Notes
Goalkeepers
GK
Tony Oliver
(1967-09-22 ) 22 September 1967 (aged 19)
Portsmouth
1987
GK
Gary Phillips
(1961-09-20 ) 20 September 1961 (aged 25)
Barnet
1984
Defenders
DF
Jamie Bates
(1968-02-24 ) 24 February 1968 (aged 19)
Youth
1986
DF
Terry Evans
(1965-04-12 ) 12 April 1965 (aged 22)
Hillingdon
1985
DF
Matthew Howard
(1970-12-05 ) 5 December 1970 (aged 16)
Youth
1988
DF
Roger Joseph
(1965-12-24 ) 24 December 1965 (aged 21)
Southall
1984
DF
Keith Millen
(1966-09-26 ) 26 September 1966 (aged 20)
Youth
1985
DF
Roger Stanislaus
(1968-11-02 ) 2 November 1968 (aged 18)
Arsenal
1987
Midfielders
MF
Paul Buckle
(1970-12-16 ) 16 December 1970 (aged 16)
Youth
1988
MF
Robbie Carroll
(1968-02-15 ) 15 February 1968 (aged 19)
Gosport Borough
1986
MF
Allan Cockram
(1963-10-08 ) 8 October 1963 (aged 23)
St Albans City
1988
MF
Andy Feeley
(1961-09-30 ) 30 September 1961 (aged 25)
Leicester City
1987
MF
Keith Jones
(1965-10-14 ) 14 October 1965 (aged 21)
Chelsea
1987
MF
Colin Lee
(1956-06-12 ) 12 June 1956 (aged 31)
Chelsea
1987
Youth Development Officer
MF
Steve Perryman
(1951-12-21 ) 21 December 1951 (aged 35)
Oxford United
1986
Manager
MF
Andy Sinton
(1966-03-19 ) 19 March 1966 (aged 21)
Cambridge United
1985
MF
Paul Smith
(1967-10-05 ) 5 October 1967 (aged 19)
Arsenal
1987
MF
Wayne Turner (c )
(1961-03-09 ) 9 March 1961 (aged 26)
Coventry City
1986
Forwards
FW
Paul Birch
(1968-12-03 ) 3 December 1968 (aged 18)
Portsmouth
1987
Loaned from Portsmouth before transferring permanently
FW
Gary Blissett
(1964-05-29 ) 29 May 1964 (aged 23)
Crewe Alexandra
1987
FW
Bob Booker
(1958-01-25 ) 25 January 1958 (aged 29)
Bedmond Sports & Social
1978
Players who left the club mid-season
DF
Jamie Murray
(1958-12-27 ) 27 December 1958 (aged 28)
Cambridge United
1984
Transferred to Cambridge United
MF
Ian Holloway
(1963-03-12 ) 12 March 1963 (aged 24)
Wimbledon
1986
Transferred to Bristol Rovers
MF
Sean Priddle
(1965-12-14 ) 14 December 1965 (aged 21)
Exeter City
1987
Released
MF
Graham Rix
(1957-10-23 ) 23 October 1957 (aged 29)
Portsmouth
1987
Returned to Portsmouth after loan
MF
Ian Stewart
(1961-09-10 ) 10 September 1961 (aged 25)
Arsenal
1988
Returned to Arsenal after loan
MF
Steve Thorne
(1968-09-15 ) 15 September 1968 (aged 18)
Watford
1987
Released
FW
Robbie Cooke
(1957-02-16 ) 16 February 1957 (aged 30)
Cambridge United
1984
Transferred to Millwall
FW
Les Ferdinand
(1966-12-08 ) 8 December 1966 (aged 20)
Queens Park Rangers
1987
Returned to Queens Park Rangers after loan
FW
Warren Gravette
(1968-09-13 ) 13 September 1968 (aged 18)
Tottenham Hotspur
1987
Released
FW
Paul Williams
(1965-04-16 ) 16 April 1965 (aged 22)
Charlton Athletic
1987
Returned to Charlton Athletic after loan
Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,[9] Timeless Bees[10]
Coaching staff [ ]
Statistics [ ]
Appearances and goals [ ]
Substitute appearances in brackets.
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties[11]
Goalscorers [ ]
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties[11]
Management [ ]
Name
Nat
From
To
Record All Comps
Record League
P
W
D
L
W %
P
W
D
L
W %
Steve Perryman
15 August 1987
7 May 1988
52
18
14
20
0 34.62
46
16
14
16
0 34.78
Summary [ ]
Games played
52 (46 Third Division , 1 FA Cup , 2 League Cup , 3 Football League Trophy )
Games won
18 (16 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy)
Games drawn
14 (14 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy)
Games lost
20 (16 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy)
Goals scored
60 (53 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy)
Goals conceded
73 (59 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 7 Football League Trophy)
Clean sheets
13 (13 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy)
Biggest league win
3–0 versus Aldershot , 26 December 1987
Worst league defeat
3–0 on two occasions; 4–1 versus Aldershot, 26 September 1987
Most appearances
52, Andy Sinton (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy)
Top scorer (league)
11, Andy Sinton
Top scorer (all competitions)
12, Andy Sinton
Transfers & loans [ ]
Awards [ ]
References [ ]
^ a b c White, p. 334-336.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 218-222.
^ a b c d e "Brentford results for the 1987–1988 season" . Statto.com . Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2017 .
^ a b White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford . Brentford FC. p. 399. ISBN 0951526200 .
^ a b c d Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 383.
^ Edward Ackers. "Season 1987-88" . English Football League Tables . Retrieved 6 August 2019 .
^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 204-217.
^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 404-406.
^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties . Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796716 .
^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 . Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914 .
^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 429.
^ Keith Jones at Soccerbase
National teams
League competitions
Levels 1–4 Level 5 Levels 6–7 Levels 8–9
Isthmian League (Two North , Two South )
Combined Counties League (level 8 only )
Eastern Counties League (level 8 only )
Essex Senior League (level 8 only )
Hellenic League (Premier , One )
Kent League (level 8 only )
Midland Football Combination (level 8 only )
North West Counties League (One , Two )
Northern Counties East League (Premier , One )
Northern League (One , Two )
South Midlands League (Premier , One )
(, )
Sussex County League (One , Two )
United Counties League (Premier , One )
Wessex League (level 8 only )
West Midlands (Regional) League (level 8 only )
Western League (Premier , One )
Cup competitions
FA cups Football League cups