Colonel William A. Phillips

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During the 1938–39 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League First Division. A six-match unbeaten run in February and March 1939 pulled the club clear of a near-certain relegation.

Season summary

After successive top-six finishes in Brentford's first three seasons in the First Division and with the club making a record £7,348 profit on the previous season (equivalent to £499,200 in 2024),[1][2] manager Harry Curtis again elected to not make any significant off-season signings,[3] stating "negotiations took place in an effort to get certain players of great repute, but the deals did not come off. During this close season the position still seems to be the same, the clubs being unwilling to part with players, irrespective of the price offered".[4] Enquiries for Manchester City's Peter Doherty, Blackpool's Danny Blair, Everton's Joe Mercer, Hull City's David Parker and Scots Jimmy Carabine and Andy Black were all rebuffed.[4]

Long-serving Scottish international wing half Duncan McKenzie was sold to Middlesbrough in May 1938 for a £6,000 fee.[5] After youngsters Les Smith and Gerry McAloon were promoted into the first team during the previous two seasons,[6] Curtis would again dip into the reserve and junior ranks and give debuts to left back Doug Anderson and forwards Len Townsend and George Wilkins during the season.[6] Brentford finished pre-season with a 2–1 Football League Jubilee Fund victory over neighbours Chelsea.[7]

Brentford started the First Division season with two wins and a draw – the second victory being played in front of a club record 38,535 home crowd versus London rivals Arsenal.[8][9] Just one point from the following seven matches dropped the Bees to the bottom of the First Division.[8] Scottish international forward David McCulloch's previous prolific goalscoring form had deserted him and reliable forwards Bobby Reid and Billy Scott also found goalscoring chances hard to come by.[6] Having scored just twice in 9 appearances, McCulloch departed Griffin Park to join Derby County for a £9,500 fee on 22 October 1938.[10] Brentford's form picked up slightly after McCulloch's departure, losing just three of the following 12 matches,[8] but two other regular starters departed in the midst of the run – forward George Eastham to Blackpool for £5,000 and long-serving captain Arthur Bateman was forced to retire.[11] Manager Curtis signed Irish international full back Bill Gorman to partner George Poyser in defence and promoted young forwards Len Townsend and George Wilkins to the first team.[12] In December 1938, he added former Fulham reserve team manager Joe Edelston to the coaching staff.[13]

Brentford's bad form continued through to February 1939 and again the team was hit by the loss of a key players, with Scottish international forward Bobby Reid moving to Sheffield United and Gerry McAloon departing for Wolverhampton Wanderers the following month.[14] Manager Curtis brought in two new forwards, Tommy Cheetham from local rivals Queens Park Rangers and Les Boulter from Charlton Athletic for £5,000 each.[15] Cheetham scored on his second appearance to begin a run of five wins and a draw,[6] which took the Bees up to 13th position and effectively saved the club's top-flight status.[8] Brentford lost seven of the remaining 10 matches and finished in 18th place.[8]

Despite the poor finish, the season ended on a high note, when on 24 May 1939, 21-year-old forward Les Smith became the second Brentford player to win a full England cap,[16] which came in a 2–0 friendly win over Romania in Bucharest.[17]

League table

Main article: 1938–39 Football League First Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
16 Sunderland 42 13 12 17 54 67 0.806 38
17 Portsmouth 42 12 13 17 47 70 0.671 37
18 Brentford 42 14 8 20 53 74 0.716 36
19 Huddersfield Town 42 12 11 19 58 64 0.906 35
20 Chelsea 42 12 9 21 64 80 0.800 33
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 27 August 1938 Huddersfield Town H 2–1 26,638 Brown, McCulloch
2 3 September 1938 Everton A 1–2 35,989 Reid
3 8 September 1938 Arsenal H 1–0 38,535 McAloon
4 10 September 1938 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 0–1 28,027
5 17 September 1938 Aston Villa A 0–5 49,092
6 19 September 1938 Blackpool A 1–4 21,970 Scott
7 24 September 1938 Sunderland H 2–3 26,128 Eastham, McCulloch
8 1 October 1938 Grimsby Town A 0–0 12,106
9 8 October 1938 Derby County H 1–3 23,539 Scott
10 15 October 1938 Stoke City A 2–3 23,588 Holliday (pen), Hopkins
11 22 October 1938 Chelsea H 1–0 31,425 Reid
12 29 October 1938 Charlton Athletic A 1–1 32,191 Scott
13 5 November 1938 Bolton Wanderers H 2–2 24,594 Atkinson (og), Scott
14 12 November 1938 Leeds United A 2–3 22,555 Edelston, Brown
15 19 November 1938 Liverpool H 2–1 20,977 Holliday (2)
16 26 November 1938 Leicester City A 1–1 16,634 Scott
17 3 December 1938 Middlesbrough H 2–1 21,746 Holliday, Sneddon
18 10 December 1938 Birmingham A 1–5 23,333 Holliday
19 17 December 1938 Manchester United H 2–5 14,919 Gibbons, Vose (og)
20 24 December 1938 Huddersfield Town A 2–1 11,483 Smith, Townsend
21 27 December 1938 Portsmouth A 2–2 31,732 Townsend, McAloon
22 31 December 1938 Everton H 2–0 27,861 Townsend (2)
23 14 January 1939 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 2–5 23,944 Edelston (2)
24 28 January 1939 Sunderland A 1–1 19,591 Sneddon (pen)
25 4 February 1939 Grimsby Town H 1–2 17,380 Scott
26 8 February 1939 Aston Villa H 2–4 21,162 Edelston, Reid (pen)
27 11 February 1939 Derby County A 2–1 19,707 Hopkins, Cheetham
28 18 February 1939 Stoke City H 1–0 26,237 Cheetham
29 22 February 1939 Portsmouth H 2–0 14,290 McAloon, Scott
30 25 February 1939 Chelsea A 3–1 33,511 Cheetham (2), Smith
31 4 March 1939 Charlton Athletic H 1–0 24,440 Hopkins
32 11 March 1939 Bolton Wanderers A 1–1 15,161 Boulter
33 18 March 1939 Leeds United H 0–1 21,480
34 25 March 1939 Liverpool A 0–1 18,113
35 1 April 1939 Leicester City H 2–0 17,238 Smith, Hopkins
36 7 April 1939 Preston North End H 3–1 30,780 Cheetham (2), Edelston
37 8 April 1939 Middlesbrough A 1–3 18,191 Cheetham
38 10 April 1939 Preston North End A 0–2 22,350
39 15 April 1939 Birmingham H 0–1 15,298
40 22 April 1939 Manchester United A 0–3 15,353
41 29 April 1939 Blackpool H 1–1 12,761 Cheetham
42 6 May 1939 Arsenal A 0–2 30,928

FA Cup

Main article: 1938–39 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance
3R 7 January 1939 Newcastle United H 0–2 27,551

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1938–39 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Joe Crozier Scotland (1914-12-02)2 December 1914 (aged 23) East Fife 1937
Defenders
DF Doug Anderson Scotland (1914-03-25)25 March 1914 (aged 24) Hibernian 1937
DF Bill Gorman Republic of Ireland (1911-01-13)13 January 1911 (aged 27) Bury 1938
DF George Poyser England (1910-02-06)6 February 1910 (aged 28) Port Vale 1934
DF Joe Wilson England (1911-09-29)29 September 1911 (aged 26) Southend United 1935
Midfielders
HB Vic Aicken Ireland (1914-10-29)29 October 1914 (aged 23) Glentoran 1937
HB Sam Briddon England (1915-07-26)26 July 1915 (aged 23) Port Vale 1935
HB Buster Brown England (1910-09-06)6 September 1910 (aged 27) Huddersfield Town 1937
HB Joe James (c) England (1910-01-13)13 January 1910 (aged 28) Battersea Church 1929
HB Tally Sneddon Scotland (1914-04-01)1 April 1914 (aged 24) Falkirk 1937
Forwards
FW Les Boulter Wales (1913-08-31)31 August 1913 (aged 24) Charlton Athletic 1939
FW Tommy Cheetham England (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 27) Queens Park Rangers 1939
FW Maurice Edelston England (1918-04-27)27 April 1918 (aged 20) Wimbledon 1937 Amateur
FW Jackie Gibbons England (1914-04-10)10 April 1914 (aged 24) Tottenham Hotspur 1938 Amateur
FW Jack Holliday England (1908-12-19)19 December 1908 (aged 29) Middlesbrough 1932
FW Idris Hopkins Wales (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 27) Crystal Palace 1932
FW Ernest Muttitt England (1908-07-24)24 July 1908 (aged 30) Middlesbrough 1932
FW Billy Scott England (1907-12-06)6 December 1907 (aged 30) Middlesbrough 1932
FW Les Smith England (1918-03-13)13 March 1918 (aged 20) Petersham 1934
FW Len Townsend England (1917-08-31)31 August 1917 (aged 20) Hayes 1937
FW George Wilkins England (1919-10-27)27 October 1919 (aged 18) Hayes 1938
Players who left the club mid-season
DF Arthur Bateman England (1908-04-01)1 April 1908 (aged 30) Southend United 1934 Retired
FW George Eastham England (1914-08-13)13 August 1914 (aged 24) Bolton Wanderers 1937 Transferred to Blackpool
FW Gerry McAloon Scotland (1916-09-13)13 September 1916 (aged 21) St Francis 1934 Transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers
FW David McCulloch Scotland (1912-10-05)5 October 1912 (aged 25) Heart of Midlothian 1935 Transferred to Derby County
FW Bobby Reid Scotland (1911-02-19)19 February 1911 (aged 27) Hamilton Academical 1936 Transferred to Sheffield United
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[6] Timeless Bees,[18] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939[19]

Coaching staff

Name Role
England Harry Curtis Manager
Scotland Jimmy Bain Assistant Manager
England Bob Kane Trainer
England Jack Cartmell Assistant Trainer
England Joe Edelston Assistant Trainer

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Football League season.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Scotland Joe Crozier 42 0 1 0 43 0
DF Scotland Doug Anderson 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF England Arthur Bateman 7 0 0 0 7 0
DF Republic of Ireland Bill Gorman 24 0 1 0 25 0
DF England George Poyser 33 0 1 0 34 0
DF England Joe Wilson 10 0 0 0 10 0
HB Ireland Vic Aicken 3 0 0 0 3 0
HB England Sam Briddon 6 0 1 0 7 0
HB England Buster Brown 33 2 1 0 34 2
HB England Joe James 39 0 1 0 40 0
HB Scotland Tally Sneddon 27 2 0 0 27 2
FW Wales Les Boulter 16 1 — 16 1
FW England Tommy Cheetham 17 8 — 17 8
FW England George Eastham 11 1 — 11 1
FW England Maurice Edelston 19 5 0 0 19 5
FW England Jackie Gibbons 11 1 0 0 11 1
FW England Jack Holliday 10 5 0 0 10 5
FW Wales Idris Hopkins 32 4 1 0 33 4
FW Scotland Gerry McAloon 14 3 1 0 15 3
FW Scotland David McCulloch 9 2 — 9 2
FW England Ernest Muttitt 13 0 0 0 13 0
FW Scotland Bobby Reid 17 3 0 0 17 3
FW England Billy Scott 28 7 1 0 29 7
FW England Les Smith 33 3 1 0 34 3
FW England Len Townsend 4 4 1 0 5 4
FW England George Wilkins 3 0 0 0 3 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[6]

Goalscorers

Pos. Nat Player FL1 FAC Total
FW England Tommy Cheetham 8 0 8
FW England Billy Scott 7 0 7
FW England Maurice Edelston 5 0 5
FW England Jack Holliday 5 0 5
FW Wales Idris Hopkins 4 0 4
FW England Len Townsend 4 0 4
FW Scotland Gerry McAloon 3 0 3
FW Scotland Bobby Reid 3 0 3
FW England Les Smith 3 0 3
FW Scotland David McCulloch 2 — 2
HB England Buster Brown 2 0 2
HB Scotland Tally Sneddon 2 0 2
FW England George Eastham 1 — 1
FW Wales Les Boulter 1 0 1
FW England Jackie Gibbons 1 0 1
Opponents 2 0 2
Total 53 0 53
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[6]

International caps

Full

Pos. Nat Player Caps Goals Ref
DF Republic of Ireland Bill Gorman 1 0 [20]
FW Wales Les Boulter 1 1 [21]
FW Wales Idris Hopkins 3 1 [22]
FW England Les Smith 1 0 [17]

Amateur

Pos. Nat Player Caps Goals Ref
FW England Maurice Edelston 3 4 [23]
FW England Jackie Gibbons 3 4 [23]

Management

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Harry Curtis England 27 August 1938 6 May 1939 43 14 8 21 032.56 42 14 8 20 033.33

Summary

Games played 43 (42 First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games won 14 (14 First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games drawn 8 (8 First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost 21 (20 First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 53 (53 First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 76 (74 First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 8 (8 First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 2–0 on three occasions; 3–1 versus Preston North End, 7 April 1939
Worst league defeat 5–0 versus Aston Villa, 17 September 1938
Most appearances 43, Joe Crozier (42 First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 8, Tommy Cheetham
Top scorer (all competitions) 8, Tommy Cheetham

Transfers & loans

Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
May 1938 HB England William Gibbons Wales Wrexham n/a [24]
May 1938 DF England Harry Oliver England Hartlepools United £1,500 [25]
19 June 1938 FW England Fred Durrant England Folkestone n/a [26]
June 1938 DF England Bob Allen England Doncaster Rovers n/a [27]
July 1938 HB Ireland Ray Ferris Ireland Glentoran Amateur [28]
July 1938 FW England Fred Rowell England Sunderland n/a [29]
16 August 1938 FW England Jackie Gibbons England Tottenham Hotspur Amateur [30]
December 1938 DF Republic of Ireland Bill Gorman England Bury £7,000 [31]
1938 GK James Bayne n/a n/a [32]
1938 HB England John Moore Unattached Free [33]
1938 DF England Robert Smith Unattached n/a [34]
January 1939 FW England Cyril Brown England Felixstowe n/a [35]
7 February 1939 FW Wales Les Boulter England Charlton Athletic £5,000 [36]
7 February 1939 FW England Tommy Cheetham England Queens Park Rangers £5,000 [37]
April 1939 DF England Fred Mansfield England Cambridge Town n/a [38]
n/a FW Scotland Albert Degnan England Charlton Athletic n/a [39]
n/a FW England Ron Griffin England Lincoln City n/a [39]
n/a FW Scotland Johnny Kay n/a n/a [40]
n/a n/a Archie Waddell n/a n/a [40]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
May 1938 HB Scotland Duncan McKenzie England Middlesbrough £6,000 [5]
21 October 1938 FW Scotland David McCulloch England Derby County £9,500 [10]
November 1938 FW England George Eastham England Blackpool £5,000 [11]
February 1939 FW Scotland Bobby Reid England Sheffield United £6,000 [41]
16 March 1939 FW Scotland Gerry McAloon England Wolverhampton Wanderers £5,000 [39]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
May 1939 DF England Bob Allen England Dartford June 1939 [27]
May 1939 DF England Arthur Bateman Retired [42]
May 1939 FW Scotland Albert Degnan Scotland Albion Rovers 15 June 1939 [39]
May 1939 FW England Maurice Edelston England Corinthian May 1939 [43]
May 1939 HB Ireland Ray Ferris England Cambridge Town 1939 [44]
May 1939 FW England Jackie Gibbons England Tottenham Hotspur 1939 [25]
May 1939 FW England Ron Griffin England Watford August 1939 [39]

References

  1. ^ Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  2. ^ ""Bees'" Record Profit". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 1 July 1938.
  3. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 64-65.
  4. ^ a b "Star Players For Brentford? Fruitless Offers Made For Doherty And Blair. Harry Curtis's Disclosures. Shortage Of First-Class Players: What The Club Is Willing To Pay". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 15 July 1938.
  5. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 106.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h White 1989, p. 375.
  7. ^ "Brentford v Chelsea – 20/08/1938". Stamford-Bridge.com The History of Chelsea FC. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Brentford results for the 1938–1939 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  9. ^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Harefield, Middlesex: Yore Publications. p. 15. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  10. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 104.
  11. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 17, 52.
  12. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 67-68.
  13. ^ Moore, Tom (25 May 2017). "In pictures: Brentford FC in the 1920s and 1930s". getwestlondon. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  14. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 104, 131–134, 166.
  15. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 24, 37.
  16. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 149.
  17. ^ a b "Les Smith". 11v11.com. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  18. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  19. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
  20. ^ "Bill Gorman". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  21. ^ "Leslie Boulter". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  22. ^ "Dai Hopkins". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  23. ^ a b "England Matches – The Amateurs 1906–1939". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  24. ^ Argus (20 May 1938). ""Bees'" Fixtures. List Of Games For Next Season. Two New Players". The Brentford & Chiswick Times.
  25. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 64.
  26. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 51.
  27. ^ a b "Bob Allen". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  28. ^ Ray Ferris at WorldFootball.net
  29. ^ "Fred Rowell". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  30. ^ ""Bees'" Capture. A. H. Gibbons Signed On Amateur Forms. Playing To-Morrow. When He Nearly Turned Professional". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 19 August 1938.
  31. ^ "Bill Gorman". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  32. ^ Argus (1938). "Bees" Reveal Their Finds." New Young Goalkeeper Impresses With Sound Display. A Bright Outlook. Anderson Shines: Briddon Waiting His Chance: Strong Reserve Strength". The Brentford & Chiswick Times.
  33. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 110.
  34. ^ Souvenir of the Football League Jubilee. 1938. p. 3.
  35. ^ "Cyril Brown". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  36. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 24.
  37. ^ White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 162–165. ISBN 0951526200.
  38. ^ "Fred Mansfield". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  39. ^ a b c d e Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  40. ^ a b "New Stars Were On Show. But Two "Unknowns" Stole Trial Match Limelight. Brentford Well Equipped. New Players Impress: Brilliance Of Young Kay And Waddell: Team For To-Morrow". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 18 August 1939.
  41. ^ White 1989, p. 165.
  42. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 17.
  43. ^ "Maurice Edelston". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  44. ^ "Ray Ferris". NIFG. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938%E2%80%9339_Brentford_F.C._season