1978–79 Brentford F.C. season
First round | |||
Top goalscorer | League: McCulloch, Phillips (14) All: McCulloch, Phillips (14) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Highest home attendance | 13,873 | ||
Lowest home attendance | 5,140 | ||
Average home league attendance | 7,455 | ||
| |||
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
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
Between late-October 1978 and mid-March 1979, the Bees stabilised with a run of just two defeats in 17 league matches.
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
Win | Draw | Loss |
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 |
Football League Third Division
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 |
Football League Cup
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 |
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 | 12 January 1954 (aged 24) | Bristol City | 1977 | ||
GK | Trevor Porter | 16 October 1956 (aged 21) | Slough Town | 1978 | ||
Defenders | ||||||
DF | Michael Allen | 30 March 1949 (aged 29) | Middlesbrough | 1971 | ||
DF | John Fraser | 12 July 1953 (aged 25) | Fulham | 1976 | ||
DF | Pat Kruse | 30 November 1953 (aged 24) | Torquay United | 1977 | ||
DF | Jim McNichol | 9 June 1958 (aged 20) | Luton Town | 1978 | ||
DF | Danis Salman | 12 March 1960 (aged 18) | Youth | 1975 | ||
DF | David Silman | 28 October 1959 (aged 18) | Unattached | 1978 | ||
DF | Barry Tucker | 28 August 1952 (aged 25) | Northampton Town | 1978 | ||
Midfielders | ||||||
MF | Doug Allder | 30 December 1951 (aged 26) | Unattached | 1977 | ||
MF | Bob Booker | 25 January 1958 (aged 20) | Bedmond Sports & Social
|
1978 | ||
MF | Dave Carlton | 24 November 1952 (aged 25) | Northampton Town | 1976 | ||
MF | Allan Glover | 21 October 1950 (aged 27) | Orient | 1978 | ||
MF | Jackie Graham (c) | 16 July 1946 (aged 32) | Guildford City | 1970 | ||
MF | Willie Graham | 14 February 1959 (aged 19) | Northampton Town | 1977 | ||
MF | Paul Shrubb | 1 August 1955 (aged 23) | Hellenic | 1977 | ||
MF | Paul Walker | 17 December 1960 (aged 17) | Youth | 1976 | ||
Forwards | ||||||
FW | Tommy Baldwin | 10 June 1945 (aged 33) | Unattached | 1977 | Assistant manager | |
FW | Andrew McCulloch | 3 January 1950 (aged 28) | Oxford United | 1976 | Loaned to Oakland Stompers | |
FW | Gary Rolph | 24 February 1960 (aged 18) | Youth | 1976 | ||
FW | Steve Phillips | 4 August 1954 (aged 24) | Northampton Town | 1977 | ||
FW | Dean Smith | 28 November 1958 (aged 19) | Leicester City | 1977 | ||
Players who left the club mid-season | ||||||
DF | Nigel Smith | 3 July 1958 (aged 20) | Queens Park Rangers | 1975 | Released | |
DF | Stephen Wilkins | 31 August 1959 (aged 18) | Chelsea | 1978 | Released | |
FW | Billy Eames | 20 September 1957 (aged 20) | Waterlooville | 1978 | Released | |
FW | Lee Frost | 4 December 1957 (aged 20) | Chelsea | 1978 | Returned to Chelsea after loan |
Coaching staff
Name | Role |
---|---|
Bill Dodgin Jr. | Manager |
Tommy Baldwin | Assistant Manager |
Eddie Lyons | Physiotherapist |
Gordon Quinn | 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 | |||
GK | Len Bond | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
GK | Trevor Porter | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
DF | Michael Allen | 5 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (2) | 0 | |
DF | John Fraser | 21 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 21 (3) | 0 | |
DF | Pat Kruse | 44 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 4 | |
DF | Jim McNichol | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 4 | ||
DF | Danis Salman | 39 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 (1) | 1 | |
DF | David Silman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
DF | Nigel Smith | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | |
DF | Barry Tucker | 43 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
DF | Stephen Wilkins | 0 | 0 | — | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | ||
MF | Doug Allder | 18 (12) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 (12) | 0 | |
MF | Bob Booker | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 (1) | 0 | ||
MF | Dave Carlton | 36 (1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 (1) | 2 | |
MF | Allan Glover | 18 (1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 (1) | 2 | ||
MF | Jackie Graham | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
MF | Willie Graham | 8 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 (3) | 0 | |
MF | Paul Shrubb | 39 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 2 | |
MF | Paul Walker | 2 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (5) | 0 | |
FW | Tommy Baldwin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
FW | Billy Eames | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
FW | Andrew McCulloch | 39 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 14 | |
FW | Gary Rolph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
FW | Steve Phillips | 46 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 14 | |
FW | Dean Smith | 22 (3) | 8 | 0 (1) | 0 | — | 22 (4) | 8 | ||
Players loaned in during the season | ||||||||||
FW | Lee Frost | 5 (1) | 0 | — | — | 5 (1) | 0 |
- Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
- Source: 100 Years of Brentford[7]
Goalscorers
Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | FLC | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FW | Andrew McCulloch | 14 | 0 | — | 14 | |
FW | Steve Phillips | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
FW | Dean Smith | 8 | 0 | — | 8 | |
DF | Pat Kruse | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
DF | Jim McNichol | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
MF | Dave Carlton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
MF | Allan Glover | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
MF | Paul Shrubb | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
FW | Billy Eames | 1 | — | 0 | 1 | |
MF | Jackie Graham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
FW | Gary Rolph | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
DF | Danis Salman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Total | 53 | 0 | 1 | 54 |
- Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
- Source: 100 Years of Brentford[7]
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 | 38.78 | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 41.30 |
Summary
Games played | 49 (46 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
Players transferred in | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
August 1978 | FW | Billy Eames | Portsmouth | Trial | [13] |
August 1978 | GK | Trevor Porter | Slough Town | Trial | [13] |
September 1978 | MF | Bob Booker | Bedmond Sports & Social
|
Non-contract | [13] |
October 1978 | DF | Jim McNichol | Luton Town | £30,000 | [13] |
October 1978 | FW | Dean Smith | Leicester City | £20,000 | [14] |
November 1978 | MF | Allan Glover | Orient
|
Free | [13] |
1978 | DF | Stephen Wilkins | Chelsea | n/a | [13] |
April 1979 | FW | Bradley Walsh | n/a | Non-contract | [13] |
Players loaned in | |||||
Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
October 1978 | FW | Lee Frost | Chelsea | November 1978 | [13] |
Players loaned out | |||||
Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
May 1978 | FW | Andrew McCulloch | Oakland Stompers | August 1978 | [13] |
October 1978 | GK | Graham Cox | Margate | n/a | [15] |
Players released | |||||
Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
August 1978 | DF | Stephen Wilkins | Dagenham | 1978 | [13] |
October 1978 | FW | Billy Eames | n/a | n/a | [13] |
October 1978 | DF | Nigel Smith | Cambridge United | November 1978 | [13] |
December 1978 | FW | John Murray | Retired | [13] | |
May 1979 | DF | Michael Allen | Whitby Town | 1979 | [13] |
May 1979 | GK | Graham Cox | Wokingham Town | 1979 | [16] |
May 1979 | FW | Gary Rolph | Woking | 1979 | [13] |
May 1979 | DF | David Silman | Walthamstow Avenue | 1979 | [13] |
Awards
- Supporters' Player of the Year: Jim McNichol[6]
- Players' Player of the Year: Len Bond[6]
References
- ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 175.
- ^ a b c d e f White, p. 309-311.
- ^ "Kings of the Castle: Steve Phillips". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ "They played for both: Bristol City". Brentford FC. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ ISBN 0951526200.
- ^ "Kings of the Castle: Jim McNichol". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 158-169.
- ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 314.
- ISBN 978-1906796709.
- 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.