1927–28 Brentford F.C. season

Brentford

1927–28 season
Chairman	Louis P. Simon
Manager	Harry Curtis
Stadium	Griffin Park
Third Division South	12th
FA Cup	Third round
Top goalscorer	League: Phillips (18) All: Phillips (18)
Highest home attendance	12,335
Lowest home attendance	2,024
Average home league attendance	7,331
← 1926–27 1928–29 →

During the 1927–28 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South. A season of transition saw the Bees finish in mid-table and score 76 goals, which was at that time the club's best goalscoring tally since joining the Football League in 1920.

Season summary

Despite a sizeable amount of money in the bank after the previous season's cup exploits and big money sales of Jack Allen, Archie Clark and George Anderson, Brentford manager Harry Curtis elected to add to rather than rebuild his squad for the 1927–28 season, investing in Scottish youngsters John Cairns, Jimmy Drinnan, William Hodge, Alexander Stevenson, Samuel Ward and English teenager Joe Wiggins.^[1] Three defeats in the opening 10 matches of the season sent the Bees as high as second place,^[2] with summer signing Jack Phillips scoring 9 goals,^[3] Herbert Lawson five and Ernie Watkins four.^[4][5] The goals had dried up by mid-October 1927 and Brentford lost 11 of 15 matches in all competitions,^[2] sinking to 15th in the table and suffering a club record FA Cup defeat to Manchester United,^[6] losing 7–1 after having received a bye to the third round.^[7] A 3–2 victory over Walsall at Griffin Park on 5 December (one of just two wins in the midst of the bad run) was witnessed by 2,024, the club record lowest for a home Football League match.^[8]

The Bees' form picked up again late January 1928, though the club could not finish any higher than 12th.^[2] Youngster Joe Wiggins broke Brentford's outgoing transfer record in April, with Leicester City paying £1,400 for a centre forward who had made just four senior appearances, scoring two goals.^[8] Jack Phillips finished the season as he began it, with 9 goals in 10 matches, to finish as top-scorer with 18 goals.^[3] Brentford's 76 goals was the highest since joining the Football League in 1920.^[9]

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	Home					Away					F	A	GA	GD	Pts
			W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A
1	Millwall	42	19	2	0	87	15	11	3	7	40	35	127	50	2.540	+77	65
2	Northampton Town	42	17	3	1	67	23	6	6	9	35	41	102	64	1.594	+38	55
3	Plymouth Argyle	42	17	2	2	60	19	6	5	10	25	35	85	54	1.574	+31	53
4	Brighton & Hove Albion	42	14	4	3	51	24	5	6	10	30	45	81	69	1.174	+12	48
5	Crystal Palace	42	15	3	3	46	23	3	9	9	33	49	79	72	1.097	+7	48
6	Swindon Town	42	12	6	3	60	26	7	3	11	30	43	90	69	1.304	+21	47
7	Southend United	42	14	2	5	48	19	6	4	11	32	45	80	64	1.250	+16	46
8	Exeter City	42	11	6	4	49	27	6	6	9	21	33	70	60	1.167	+10	46
9	Newport County	42	12	5	4	52	38	6	4	11	29	46	81	84	0.964	–3	45
10	Queens Park Rangers	42	8	5	8	37	35	9	4	8	35	36	72	71	1.014	+1	43
11	Charlton Athletic	42	12	5	4	34	27	3	8	10	26	43	60	70	0.857	–10	43
12	Brentford	42	12	4	5	49	30	4	4	13	27	44	76	74	1.027	+2	40
13	Luton Town	42	13	5	3	56	27	3	2	16	38	60	94	87	1.080	+7	39
14	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	42	12	6	3	44	24	1	6	14	28	55	72	79	0.911	–7	38
15	Watford	42	10	5	6	42	34	4	5	12	26	44	68	78	0.872	–10	38
16	Gillingham	42	10	3	8	33	26	3	8	10	29	55	62	81	0.765	–19	37
17	Norwich City	42	9	8	4	41	26	1	8	12	25	44	66	70	0.943	–4	36
18	Walsall	42	9	6	6	52	35	3	3	15	23	66	75	101	0.743	–26	33
19	Bristol Rovers	42	11	3	7	41	36	3	1	17	26	57	67	93	0.720	–26	32
20	Coventry City	42	5	8	8	40	36	6	1	14	27	60	67	96	0.698	–29	31
21	Merthyr Town	42	7	6	8	38	40	2	7	12	15	51	53	91	0.582	–38	31
22	Torquay United	42	4	10	7	27	36	4	4	13	26	67	53	103	0.515	–50	30

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against;
GA = Goal average; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

• Walsall had been transferred to Third Division South for this season.

Key
	Division Champions, promoted
	New club in the league, see Torquay United
	Re-elected
	Failed re-election (none)

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win

Draw

Loss

Football League Third Division South

No.	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorer(s)
1	27 August 1927	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	2–5	Phillips, Drinnan
2	29 August 1927	Northampton Town	H	3–0	Phillips (3)
3	3 September 1927	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	H	2–1	Fletcher, Douglas
4	5 September 1927	Northampton Town	A	2–3	Lane, Watkins
5	10 September 1927	Queens Park Rangers	A	3–2	Watkins, Phillips, Lane
6	14 September 1927	Bristol Rovers	A	3–1	Phillips, Lawson, Watkins
7	17 September 1927	Luton Town	A	2–5	Lawson (2)
8	24 September 1927	Millwall	H	6–1	Douglas, Watkins (pen), Lawson (2), Phillips
9	1 October 1927	Crystal Palace	A	2–0	Phillips, Lane
10	8 October 1927	Exeter City	H	1–1	Lawson
11	15 October 1927	Torquay United	A	1–2	Lawson
12	22 October 1927	Coventry City	H	4–1	Craddock (2), Hodge, Lane
13	29 October 1927	Newport County	A	0–3
14	5 November 1927	Swindon Town	H	1–4	Lane
15	12 November 1927	Gillingham	A	1–2	Lawson
16	3 December 1927	Plymouth Argyle	H	0–2
17	5 December 1927	Walsall	H	3–2	Watkins, Dearn (pen), Lane
18	10 December 1927	Merthyr Town	A	1–3	Craddock
19	17 December 1927	Charlton Athletic	H	1–1	Berry
20	24 December 1927	Watford	A	1–1	Craddock
21	26 December 1927	Southend United	A	2–3	Craddock (2)
22	31 December 1927	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	1–3	Lane
23	7 January 1928	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	A	0–1
24	21 January 1928	Queens Park Rangers	H	0–3
25	28 January 1928	Luton Town	H	4–2	Watkins (4)
26	4 February 1928	Millwall	A	0–3
27	11 February 1928	Crystal Palace	H	2–1	Beacham, Drinnan
28	18 February 1928	Exeter City	A	1–0	Drinnan
29	25 February 1928	Torquay United	H	1–2	Lane
30	3 March 1928	Coventry City	A	0–0
31	10 March 1928	Newport County	H	3–1	Berry (2), Phillips
32	17 March 1928	Swindon Town	A	1–1	Phillips
33	24 March 1928	Gillingham	H	2–0	Lane (2)
34	31 March 1928	Walsall	A	2–4	Phillips, Drinnan
35	6 April 1928	Norwich City	H	3–1	Berry, Price, Wiggins
36	7 April 1928	Bristol Rovers	H	5–1	Wiggins, Cairns, Drinnan (2), Lawson
37	9 April 1928	Norwich City	A	1–1	Berry (pen)
38	14 April 1928	Plymouth Argyle	A	0–1
39	21 April 1928	Merthyr Town	H	4–0	Phillips (2), Berry, Lane
40	23 April 1928	Southend United	H	2–2	Phillips (2)
41	28 April 1928	Charlton Athletic	A	2–3	Watkins, Phillips
42	5 May 1928	Watford	H	1–1	Phillips

FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorer(s)
3R	14 January 1928	Manchester United	A	1–7	Jones (og)

• Sources: Statto, 100 Years of Brentford^[10]

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1927–28 season.

Pos.	Name	Nat.	Date of birth (age)	Signed from	Signed in	Notes
Goalkeepers
GK	Henry Bailey		2 December 1897 (aged 29)	Exeter City	1927
Defenders
DF	Charlie Butler		10 October 1897 (aged 29)	Gillingham	1926
DF	James Donnelly		18 December 1899 (aged 27)	Southend United	1925
DF	Dick Hendrie		22 November 1895 (aged 31)	Grays Thurrock United	1927	Assistant trainer
DF	Alexander Stevenson		24 October 1903 (aged 23)	Armadale	1927
DF	Ted Winship		1900 (aged 26–27)	Kidderminster Harriers	1926
Midfielders
HB	Jack Beacham		15 August 1902 (aged 25)	Weymouth	1925
HB	Stephen Dearn		March 1901 (aged 25–26)	Portsmouth	1926
HB	Albert Fletcher		1898 (aged 28–29)	West Ham United	1927
HB	William Hodge		31 August 1904 (aged 22)	Rangers	1927
HB	Samuel Ward		1 June 1906 (aged 21)	Morton	1927
Forwards
FW	Bill Berry		18 August 1904 (aged 23)	Gillingham	1926
FW	John Cairns		14 November 1902 (aged 24)	Charlton Athletic	1927
FW	Alfred Douglas		26 March 1899 (aged 28)	Washington Colliery	1925
FW	Jimmy Drinnan		28 May 1906 (aged 21)	Newport County	1927
FW	Jack Lane (c)		29 May 1898 (aged 29)	Chesterfield	1925
FW	Herbert Lawson		12 April 1905 (aged 22)	Arsenal	1927
FW	Jim McCafferty		November 1900 (aged 26)	Halifax Town	1927
FW	Jack Phillips		1903 (aged 23–24)	Merthyr Town	1927
FW	William Price		4 December 1903 (aged 23)	Woking Town	1928	Amateur
FW	Ernie Watkins		3 April 1898 (aged 29)	Southend United	1926
Players who left the club mid-season
GK	Jim Ferguson		30 August 1896 (aged 30)	St Roch's	1926	Transferred to Notts County
FW	Joe Craddock		3 August 1902 (aged 25)	Gillingham	1926	Transferred to Dundee
FW	Joe Wiggins		1 April 1909 (aged 18)	Grays Thurrock United	1927	Transferred to Leicester City

• Sources: Timeless Bees,^[11] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939,^[12] 100 Years Of Brentford^[10]

Coaching staff

Name	Role
Harry Curtis	Manager
Dick Hendrie	Assistant Manager
Tom Ratcliff	Trainer
Jack Cartmell	Assistant Trainer

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Pos	Nat	Name	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK		Henry Bailey	15	0	0	0	15	0
GK		Jim Ferguson	27	0	1	0	28	0
DF		Charlie Butler	40	0	0	0	40	0
DF		James Donnelly	1	0	0	0	1	0
DF		Dick Hendrie	0	0	1	0	1	0
DF		Alexander Stevenson	2	0	0	0	2	0
DF		Ted Winship	41	0	1	0	42	0
HB		Jack Beacham	29	1	1	0	30	1
HB		Stephen Dearn	40	1	1	0	41	1
HB		Albert Fletcher	33	1	0	0	33	1
HB		William Hodge	19	1	1	0	20	1
HB		Samuel Ward	7	0	0	0	7	0
FW		Bill Berry	25	6	1	0	26	6
FW		John Cairns	1	1	0	0	1	1
FW		Joe Craddock	11	6	1	0	12	6
FW		Alfred Douglas	24	2	1	0	25	2
FW		Jimmy Drinnan	18	6	0	0	18	6
FW		Jack Lane	37	11	1	0	38	11
FW		Herbert Lawson	34	9	0	0	34	9
FW		Jim McCafferty	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW		Jack Phillips	23	18	0	0	23	18
FW		William Price	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW		Ernie Watkins	29	10	1	0	30	10
FW		Joe Wiggins	4	2	0	0	4	2

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: 100 Years of Brentford^[10]

Goalscorers

Pos.	Nat	Player	FL3	FAC	Total
FW		Jack Phillips	18	0	18
FW		Jack Lane	11	0	11
FW		Ernie Watkins	10	0	10
FW		Herbert Lawson	9	0	9
FW		Bill Berry	6	0	6
FW		Joe Craddock	6	0	6
FW		Jimmy Drinnan	6	0	6
FW		Alfred Douglas	2	0	2
FW		Joe Wiggins	2	0	2
HB		Jack Beacham	1	0	1
FW		John Cairns	1	0	1
HB		Stephen Dearn	1	0	1
HB		Albert Fletcher	1	0	1
HB		William Hodge	1	0	1
Opponent			0	1	1
Total			76	1	77

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: 100 Years of Brentford^[10]

Management

Name	Nat	From	To	Record All Comps					Record League
				P	W	D	L	W %	P	W	D	L	W %
Harry Curtis		27 August 1927	5 May 1928	43	16	8	19	37.21|	42	16	8	18	38.10

Summary

Games played	43 (42 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Games won	16 (16 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Games drawn	8 (8 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost	19 (18 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored	77 (76 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Goals conceded	81 (74 Third Division South, 7 FA Cup)
Clean sheets	6 (6 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win	6–1 versus Millwall, 24 September 1927
Worst league defeat	3–0 on two occasions; 4–1 versus Swindon Town, 5 November 1927; 5–2 on two occasions
Most appearances	42, Ted Winship (41 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league)	18, Jack Phillips
Top scorer (all competitions)	18, Jack Phillips

Transfers & loans

Cricketers are not included in this list.

Players transferred in
Date	Pos.	Name	Previous Club	Fee	Ref.
August 1927	HB	William Hodge	Rangers	Free	[13]
1927	GK	Henry Bailey	Exeter City	Free	[14]
1927	FW	John Cairns	Charlton Athletic	Free	[15]
1927	FW	Jimmy Drinnan	Newport County	Free	[16]
1927	HB	Albert Fletcher	West Ham United	Free	[17]
1927	FW	Dick Hendrie	Grays Thurrock United	Free	[18]
1927	FW	Jim McCafferty	Halifax Town	Free	[19]
1927	FW	Jack Phillips	Merthyr Town	Free	[9]
1927	FW	William Price	Woking Town	Amateur	[20]
1927	DF	Alexander Stevenson	Armadale	Free	[21]
1927	HB	Samuel Ward	Morton	Free	[22]
March 1928	FW	Thomas Brennan	Longriggend Rob Roy	n/a	[23]
March 1928	GK	Freddie Fox	Halifax Town	n/a	[24]
March 1928	FW	Len Ramsell	Chatham Town	n/a	[22]
March 1928	HB	Teddy Ware	Chatham Town	Amateur	[23]
1928	FW	Andy Durnion	St Joseph's	n/a	[1]
Players transferred out
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Fee	Ref.
May 1927	FW	George Anderson	Chelsea	n/a	[25]
May 1927	HB	Archie Clark	Arsenal	£700	[26]
November 1927	HB	Harry Rae	Hamilton Academical	n/a	[27]
January 1928	HB	Evan Evans	Chatham Town	n/a	[28]
March 1928	GK	Jim Ferguson	Notts County	n/a	[29]
April 1928	FW	Joe Craddock	Dundee	n/a	[1]
April 1928	FW	Joe Wiggins	Leicester City	£1,400	[8]
Players released
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Join date	Ref.
May 1928	DF	Charlie Butler	Montreal Carsteel	1928	[30]
May 1928	FW	John Cairns	Leicester City	1928	[15]
May 1928	GK	Arthur Collins	Scarborough	1928	[31]
May 1928	HB	Albert Fletcher	Norwich City	1928	[17]
May 1928	FW	William Price	Fulham	1928	[20]
May 1928	HB	Samuel Ward	Retired		[22]

References

1. White 1989, p. 123-125.
2. Ltd, Statto Organisation. "Brentford results for the 1927-1928 season - Statto.com". Statto.com. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
3. "Brentford Football Club History". www.brentfordfchistory.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
4. "Brentford Football Club History". www.brentfordfchistory.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
5. "Brentford Football Club History". www.brentfordfchistory.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
6. Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Harefield, Middlesex: Yore Publications. p. 42. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
7. "England - FA Challenge Cup 1927-1928". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
8. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 168.
9. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 125.
10. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 369. ISBN 0951526200.
11. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920-2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
12. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
13. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 77.
14. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 14.
15. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 33.
16. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 50.
17. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 58.
18. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 75.
19. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 103.
20. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 128.
21. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 154-155.
22. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 165.
23. Dorey, F.W. (1928). Brentford Football Cub Season 1928–29 Official Handbook. pp. 21–23.
24. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 59-60.
25. "George Anderson | Chelsea Player Profile | Stamford-Bridge.com The History of Chelsea FC". www.stamford-bridge.com. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
26. Group, Arsenal Media. "Archie Clark | Arsenal.com". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
27. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 129.
28. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 53.
29. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 55.
30. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 32.
31. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 39.