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Brentford
1948–49 season
ChairmanFrank Davis
Manager Harry Curtis
(until 14 February 1949)
Jackie Gibbons
(from 15 February 1949)
Stadium Griffin Park
Second Division 18th
FA Cup Sixth round
Top goalscorerLeague: Monk (11)
All: Monk (13)
Highest home attendance38,678
Lowest home attendance14,360
Average home league attendance22,755
←  1947–48
1949–50 →

During the 1948–49 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Second Division. It was Harry Curtis' final season as manager and he was replaced by Jackie Gibbons in February 1949. Brentford ended the season in 18th-place, just one point away from a second relegation in three seasons, though the Bees advanced to the sixth round of the FA Cup for the third time in the club's history.

Season summary

1948–49 was Harry Curtis' 24th and final season as Brentford manager.

Brentford manager Harry Curtis prepared conservatively for the 1948–49 Second Division season, with inside forward Viv Woodward and wing half Paddy Harris being his only veteran additions to the first team squad. [1] [2] The Essential Work Order made it almost impossible for the Bees to sign any player aged under 30, due to the club having spent £28,300 (almost double the club's net income, equivalent to £1,094,800 in 2024) on six new players during the previous financial year, with only Jack Chisholm and Fred Monk aged under 30. [3] Curtis elected to build for the future with the signings of young players Les Devonshire, Jimmy Anders, Micky Bull and Billy Dare, but Dare was the only one of the quartet who would go on to make an impact on the first team. [4] [5] [6] On the eve of the season, it was announced that Curtis would step down from the manager's position at the end of the campaign. [3]

After two wins from the opening seven matches, Curtis signed Leicester City forward Peter McKennan for £8,000. [3] He failed to have an immediate effect on the team's goalscoring problems, [7] but Brentford were able to stay afloat in mid-table due to the low number of goals conceded. [8] Amidst a dire run of form in league matches around the turn of the year, [8] McKennan finally came into form and scored 9 goals in a seven-match spell, [7] firing Brentford into the sixth round of the FA Cup for the second time in four seasons. [9] In the midst of the run was an 8–2 victory over Bury, in which McKennan became the third (and as of March 2024, most recent) Brentford player to score five goals in a Football League match. [8] [10] The Bury fixture also marked the first match in charge for player-manager Jackie Gibbons, having replaced Harry Curtis, who remained at Griffin Park until the end of the season as an adviser to Gibbons. [3] Brentford's FA Cup run ended with defeat to Leicester City in the sixth round, [8] with the 38,678 crowd setting a new club record, which still stands as of March 2024. [11]

Brentford's form deserted them in the wake of the FA Cup exit, with just two victories during the remaining 14 league matches of the season. [8] Centre half Ron Greenwood was bought from Bradford Park Avenue for £9,000 in February 1949, [12] with all of the money being recouped following the sale of captain Jack Chisholm to Sheffield United for £16,000 a month later. [13] Advanced preparations for the 1949–50 season continued in April, with the £7,000 purchase of Jackie Goodwin and Wally Quinton from Birmingham City. [3] Brentford slumped to an 18th-place finish, just one point above 21st-place Nottingham Forest. [8] Young forward Billy Dare was blooded in the final two months of the season and showed promise for the future with four goals in the final six matches. [7]

League table

Main article: 1948–49 Football League Second Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
16 Coventry City 42 15 7 20 55 64 0.859 37
17 Bradford Park Avenue 42 13 11 18 65 78 0.833 37
18 Brentford 42 11 14 17 42 53 0.792 36
19 Leicester City 42 10 16 16 62 79 0.785 36
20 Plymouth Argyle 42 12 12 18 49 64 0.766 36
Source: [ citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League Second Division

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 21 August 1948 Coventry City H 2–2 26,090 Nelson, Monk
2 25 August 1948 Leeds United A 0–0 26,625
3 28 August 1948 Sheffield Wednesday A 0–0 35,116
4 1 September 1948 Leeds United H 1–3 19,212 Woodward
5 4 September 1948 Lincoln City H 2–1 22,414 Manley, Girling
6 6 September 1948 Leicester City A 0–0 24,151
7 11 September 1948 Chesterfield A 1–0 11,057 Girling
8 15 September 1948 Leicester City H 1–2 17,986 Buchanan
9 18 September 1948 West Bromwich Albion H 0–0 28,212
10 25 September 1948 Bury A 2–1 22,473 Monk (2)
11 2 October 1948 West Ham United A 0–0 31,369
12 9 October 1948 Queens Park Rangers A 0–2 25,814
13 16 October 1948 Luton Town H 2–0 23,211 Gibbons, Buchanan
14 23 October 1948 Bradford Park Avenue A 1–3 14,906 Blakeman
15 30 October 1948 Southampton H 0–0 29,887
16 6 November 1948 Barnsley A 2–1 20,883 Nelson ( pen), Monk
17 13 November 1948 Grimsby Town H 2–0 24,992 Keene, Monk
18 20 November 1948 Nottingham Forest A 2–1 19,278 Gibbons, Monk
19 4 December 1948 Plymouth Argyle A 0–1 25,611
20 11 December 1948 Blackburn Rovers H 0–1 21,421
21 18 December 1948 Coventry City A 1–2 21,280 Manley
22 25 December 1948 Cardiff City H 1–1 22,813 Monk
23 27 December 1948 Cardiff City A 0–2 49,236
24 1 January 1949 Sheffield Wednesday H 2–1 16,753 Buchanan, Monk
25 15 January 1949 Lincoln City A 1–3 13,125 McKennan
26 22 January 1949 Chesterfield H 1–1 25,549 Monk
27 5 February 1949 West Bromwich Albion A 0–2 39,482
28 19 February 1949 Bury H 8–2 23,249 McKennan (5, 1 pen), Gibbons, Monk
29 5 March 1949 Queens Park Rangers H 0–3 29,420
30 12 March 1949 Luton Town A 1–2 16,682 Chisholm
31 19 March 1949 Bradford Park Avenue H 1–0 18,413 Manley ( pen)
32 26 March 1949 Southampton A 0–2 25,217
33 2 April 1949 Barnsley H 0–0 18,485
34 6 April 1949 Fulham H 0–0 29,160
35 9 April 1949 Grimsby Town A 0–3 15,695
36 15 April 1949 Tottenham Hotspur A 0–2 39,050
37 16 April 1949 Nottingham Forest H 2–1 15,857 Gager ( og), Dare
38 18 April 1949 Tottenham Hotspur H 1–1 19,004 Dare
39 23 April 1949 Fulham A 1–2 39,149 Dare
40 25 April 1949 West Ham United A 1–1 15,553 Smith
41 30 April 1949 Plymouth Argyle H 2–2 14,360 Buchanan (2)
42 7 May 1949 Blackburn Rovers A 1–2 15,453 Gray ( og), Dare

FA Cup

Main article: 1948–49 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
3R 8 January 1949 Middlesbrough H 3–2 ( a.e.t.) 30,000 Harper, Monk, McKennan
4R 29 January 1949 Torquay United H 1–0 24,500 McKennan
5R 12 February 1949 Burnley H 4–2 34,000 McKennan (2), Gibbons, Monk
6R 26 February 1949 Leicester City H 0–2 38,678

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1948–49 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 33) East Fife 1937
GK Ted Gaskell England (1916-12-19)19 December 1916 (aged 31) Buxton 1937
Defenders
DF Bill Gorman Republic of Ireland (1911-01-13)13 January 1911 (aged 37) Bury 1938
DF Malky MacDonald Scotland (1913-10-26)26 October 1913 (aged 34) Kilmarnock 1946 Coach
DF Roddy Munro Scotland (1920-07-27)27 July 1920 (aged 28) Rangers 1946
DF Wally Quinton England (1917-12-13)13 December 1917 (aged 30) Birmingham City 1949
Midfielders
HB Ron Greenwood England (1921-11-11)11 November 1921 (aged 26) Bradford Park Avenue 1949
HB Tom Manley England (1912-10-07)7 October 1912 (aged 35) Manchester United 1939
HB David Nelson Scotland (1918-02-03)3 February 1918 (aged 30) Fulham 1947
HB George Paterson Scotland (1914-09-26)26 September 1914 (aged 33) Celtic 1946
HB Alan Smith England (1921-10-15)15 October 1921 (aged 26) Arsenal 1946
Forwards
FW Peter Buchanan Scotland (1915-10-13)13 October 1915 (aged 32) Fulham 1947
FW Billy Dare England (1927-02-14)14 February 1927 (aged 21) Hendon 1948
FW Jackie Gibbons England (1914-04-10)10 April 1914 (aged 34) Bradford Park Avenue 1947 Manager
FW Dickie Girling England (1922-05-24)24 May 1922 (aged 26) Crystal Palace 1947
FW Tony Harper England (1925-05-26)26 May 1925 (aged 23) Headington United 1948
FW Peter McKennan Scotland (1918-07-16)16 July 1918 (aged 30) Leicester City 1948
FW Doug Keene England (1928-08-30)30 August 1928 (aged 19) Kingsbury Town 1946
FW Fred Monk England (1920-10-09)9 October 1920 (aged 27) Guildford City 1948
FW Viv Woodward Wales (1914-05-25)25 May 1914 (aged 34) Millwall 1948
Players who left the club mid-season
HB Jack Chisholm ( c) England (1924-10-09)9 October 1924 (aged 23) Tottenham Hotspur 1947 Transferred to Sheffield United
HB Paddy Harris Republic of Ireland (1918-02-20)20 February 1918 (aged 30) Notts County 1948 Released
FW Alec Blakeman England (1918-06-11)11 June 1918 (aged 30) Oxford City 1946 Transferred to Sheffield United
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, [7] Timeless Bees [14]

Coaching staff

Harry Curtis (21 August 1948 – 14 February 1949)

Name Role
England Harry Curtis Manager
Scotland Jimmy Bain Assistant Manager
Scotland Malky MacDonald Trainer-Coach
England Jack Cartmell Trainer

Jackie Gibbons (15 February – 7 May 1949)

Name Role
England Jackie Gibbons Manager
Scotland Jimmy Bain Assistant Manager
Scotland Malky MacDonald Coach
England Jack Cartmell Trainer
England Harry Curtis Advisory Manager

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 41 0 4 0 45 0
GK England Ted Gaskell 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF Republic of Ireland Bill Gorman 42 0 4 0 46 0
DF Scotland Malky MacDonald 30 0 4 0 34 0
DF Scotland Roddy Munro 13 0 0 0 13 0
DF England Wally Quinton 1 0 — 1 0
HB England Jack Chisholm 30 1 4 0 34 1
HB England Ron Greenwood 12 0 — 12 0
HB Republic of Ireland Paddy Harris 4 0 — 4 0
HB England Tom Manley 42 3 4 0 46 3
HB Scotland David Nelson 40 2 4 0 44 2
HB Scotland George Paterson 6 0 0 0 6 0
HB England Alan Smith 3 1 0 0 3 1
FW England Alec Blakeman 9 1 — 9 1
FW Scotland Peter Buchanan 34 5 4 0 38 5
FW England Billy Dare 13 4 0 0 13 4
FW England Jackie Gibbons 15 3 2 1 17 4
FW England Dickie Girling 24 2 2 0 26 2
FW England Tony Harper 19 0 2 1 21 1
FW England Doug Keene 12 1 2 0 14 1
FW Scotland Peter McKennan 24 6 4 3 28 9
FW England Fred Monk 37 11 4 2 41 13
FW Wales Viv Woodward 10 1 0 0 10 1
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford [7]

Goalscorers

Pos. Nat Player FL2 FAC Total
FW England Fred Monk 11 2 13
FW Scotland Peter McKennan 6 3 9
FW Scotland Peter Buchanan 5 0 5
FW England Billy Dare 4 0 4
FW England Jackie Gibbons 3 1 4
HB England Tom Manley 3 0 3
FW England Dickie Girling 2 0 2
HB Scotland David Nelson 2 0 2
FW England Alec Blakeman 1 — 1
HB England Jack Chisholm 1 0 1
FW England Doug Keene 1 0 1
HB England Alan Smith 1 0 1
FW Wales Viv Woodward 1 0 1
FW England Tony Harper 0 1 1
Opponents 2 0 2
Total 42 8 50
  • 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 %
Harry Curtis England 21 August 1948 14 February 1949 30 11 9 10 036.67 27 8 9 10 029.63
Jackie Gibbons England 15 February 1949 7 May 1949 16 3 5 8 018.75 15 3 5 7 020.00

Summary

Games played 46 (42 Second Division, 4 FA Cup)
Games won 14 (11 Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Games drawn 14 (14 Second Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost 18 (17 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 50 (42 Second Division, 8 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 59 (53 Second Division, 6 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 17 (16 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 8–2 versus Bury, 19 February 1949
Worst league defeat 3–0 on two occasions
Most appearances 46, Bill Gorman, Tom Manley (42 Second Division, 4 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 11, Fred Monk
Top scorer (all competitions) 13, Fred Monk

Transfers & loans

Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
1 May 1948 FW England Les Devonshire England Queens Park Rangers n/a [15]
July 1948 FW Ireland Ron Brown England Blackburn Rovers n/a [16]
July 1948 HB Republic of Ireland Paddy Harris England Notts County n/a [16]
July 1948 FW Wales Viv Woodward England Millwall Free [1]
August 1948 n/a England Ray Jefferies England Oxford City n/a [17]
September 1948 FW England Jimmy Anders England Preston North End n/a [4]
September 1948 FW England Micky Bull n/a n/a [5]
September 1948 FW Scotland Peter McKennan England Leicester City £8,000 [3]
19 November 1948 FW England Billy Dare England Hendon n/a [18]
1948 FW England Jim Towers n/a n/a [19]
February 1949 HB England Ron Greenwood England Bradford Park Avenue £9,000 [12]
May 1949 FW England Ken Coote England Wembley Amateur [17]
29 April 1949 FW England Jackie Goodwin England Birmingham City £3,500 [17]
5 May 1949 DF England Wally Quinton England Birmingham City £3,500 [20]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
May 1948 FW England Tommy Dawson England Swindon Town n/a [21]
May 1948 DF England Harry Oliver England Watford £2,000 [22]
September 1948 n/a Scotland Tommy Connors Scotland Celtic n/a [23]
November 1948 FW England Alec Blakeman England Middlesbrough n/a [24]
November 1948 FW Scotland Tommy Dougall England Sunderland n/a [25]
March 1949 HB England Jack Chisholm England Sheffield United £16,000 [13]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
1949 HB Republic of Ireland Paddy Harris Retired [2]
May 1949 FW Scotland Peter Buchanan England Headington United 1949 [5]
May 1949 GK Scotland Joe Crozier England Chelmsford City 1949 [26]
May 1949 FW England Les Devonshire England Wealdstone 1949 [27]
May 1949 FW England Jackie Gibbons Retired [28]
May 1949 FW England Robert Sherwood England Queens Park Rangers May 1949 [29]

References

  1. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 171.
  2. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 72.
  3. ^ a b c d e f White 1989, p. 190-193.
  4. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 11.
  5. ^ a b c Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 30.
  6. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 45.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 380. ISBN  0951526200.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Brentford results for the 1948–1949 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  9. ^ Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  10. ^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Yore Publications. p. 62. ISBN  1 874427 57 7.
  11. ^ Haynes 1998, p. 14.
  12. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 70.
  13. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 36-37.
  14. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN  978-0955294914.
  15. ^ ""Bees" Beat Rangers For Outside-left". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 7 May 1948.
  16. ^ a b "Brown Of Blackburn Signed By Bees". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 23 July 1948.
  17. ^ a b c Handbook 1949, p. 36.
  18. ^ Handbook 1949, p. 35.
  19. ^ Lane, David (2005). Cult Bees & Legends: Volume Two. Hampton Hill: Legends Publishing. pp. 118–129. ISBN  0954368282.
  20. ^ Brentford Football Supporters And Social Club Official Handbook – 1949–50. 1949. p. 30.
  21. ^ Lucas, Eric (21 May 1948). "Jimmy Hogan Will Be Leaving Brentford – Famous Coach's Contract Not To Be Renewed – Four Teams Next Season – Junior Side For Up To Eighteen Will Compete In Hounslow League". The Brentford & Chiswick Times.
  22. ^ "Players – O'Brien to Patching" (PDF). Watford Football Club archive 1881–2016. p. 6. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  23. ^ "Player Appearances and goalscoring records – C". Scottish Football Historical Archive. p. 137. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  24. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 21.
  25. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 49-50.
  26. ^ "Joe Crozier". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  27. ^ "Les Devonshire". 7 March 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  28. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 64.
  29. ^ "Seasonal Stats – 1949–50". QPRnet. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
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