During the
1937–38 English football season,
Brentford competed in the
Football League First Division. In the league, the Bees matched the previous season's finish of 6th and advanced to the 6th round of the
FA Cup for the first time in club history. In 2013, the Brentford supporters voted 1937–38 as the club's second-best season.[1]
Despite an opening-day defeat to
Bolton Wanderers which left Brentford bottom of the First Division, the team rallied in mid-September 1937 and with forward
David McCulloch in outstanding goalscoring form,[2] the Bees went on a six-match undefeated run which took them from 13th to the top of the table on 16 October.[3] With
Bobby Reid and
Billy Scott also supplementing McCulloch's goals up front,[2] Brentford remained unmoved from the top of the table between 30 September 1937 and 19 February 1938, only dropping back to 3rd position after a second defeat in three matches.[3] In the midst of the run, Brentford had advanced to the sixth round of the
FA Cup for the first time in club history,[4] exiting after a 3–0 defeat to
Preston North End,[3] which was played in front of a then-club record crowd of 37,586 at
Griffin Park.[5]
Brentford won just four of the final 16 matches of the season and finished in 6th place,[3] matching the previous season's position.[6] The Bees took part in the one-off
Empire Exhibition Trophy after the season, replacing
Arsenal (who had dropped out of the competition), but fell at the first hurdle after being defeated 1–0 by
Heart of Midlothian at
Ibrox.[7] In 2013, the Brentford supporters voted 1937–38 as the club's second-best season.[1]