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Brentford
1953–54 season
ChairmanFrank Davis
Manager Tommy Lawton
(until September 1953)
Fred Monk
( – 1 September October 1953
Bill Dodgin Sr.
(from 1 October 1953)
Stadium Griffin Park
Second Division 21st (relegated)
FA Cup Third round
Top goalscorerLeague: Dudley (10)
All: Dudley (11)
Highest home attendance22,845
Lowest home attendance10,652
Average home league attendance15,626
←  1952–53
1954–55 →

During the 1953–54 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Second Division. With Brentford in the relegation places, player-manager Tommy Lawton transferred out of the club in September 1953 and his replacement Bill Dodgin Sr. was unable to turn things round, which culminated in relegation to the Third Division South on the final day of the season. Brentford did not return to the second-tier of English football until the 1992–93 season.

Season summary

Without a transfer budget to speak of, Brentford player-manager Tommy Lawton could not rely entirely on filling his squad with the products of Alf Bew's youth team, which had reached the semi-finals of the inaugural FA Youth Cup during the previous season. [1] Lawton again relied on Wally Bragg and Ken Coote to hold two of the half back berths alongside Tony Harper. [2] He signed ageing forwards Frank Broome and Ian McPherson from his previous club Notts County as replacements for Les Smith and the injured Jimmy D'Arcy. [1]

Six defeats and just one win from the opening 9 Second Division matches saw Tommy Lawton quit the club in favour of a £10,000 transfer to Arsenal, a deal which saw James Robertson arrive at Griffin Park in part-exchange. [1] Full back Fred Monk took over as caretaker manager until the appointment of Bill Dodgin Sr. on 1 October 1953. [1] Dodgin's arrival heralded three consecutive wins, which lifted the Bees out of the relegation places. [3] Ineffective forwards Broome and McPherson were transferred out and replaced by Cardiff City's Johnny Rainford and Frank Dudley. [1] Despite their arrivals, Brentford showed poor form over the Christmas and New Year period and a money-raising FA Cup run ended in a third round replay defeat to Hull City. [3] Gerry Gazzard arrived on loan from West Ham United in January 1954 and despite Gazzard and Dudley forming something of a strike partnership during the final 10 weeks of the season, [1] Brentford were relegated in 21st-place after the club's final match on 24 April. [4]

The solitary away league win during the season tied the club record for fewest away league wins in a season. [5] In addition, Brentford were the joint-lowest scorers in the Second Division during the season. [4] Long-serving trainer Jack Cartmell retired at the end of the season, after over 30 years on the staff at Griffin Park. [6]

League table

Main article: 1953–54 Football League Second Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Qualification or relegation
18 Derby County 42 12 11 19 64 82 0.780 35
19 Plymouth Argyle 42 9 16 17 65 82 0.793 34
20 Swansea Town 42 13 8 21 58 82 0.707 34
21 Brentford (R) 42 10 11 21 40 78 0.513 31 Relegation to the Third Division South
22 Oldham Athletic (R) 42 8 9 25 40 89 0.449 25 Relegation to the Third Division North
Source: [ citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(R) Relegated

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

Football League Second Division

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 19 August 1953 Stoke City A 1–1 22,413 Broome
2 22 August 1953 Derby County A 1–4 18,927 Lawton
3 27 August 1953 Blackburn Rovers H 1–4 16,682 Ledgerton
4 29 August 1953 Fulham H 2–1 21,689 Monk ( pen), Goodwin
5 31 August 1953 Blackburn Rovers A 2–2 11,793 Dare (2)
6 5 September 1953 Bristol Rovers H 0–3 21,158
7 10 September 1953 Doncaster Rovers H 1–4 14,047 Lawton
8 12 September 1953 Lincoln City A 1–2 16,592 Harper
9 16 September 1953 Doncaster Rovers A 0–3 19,463
10 19 September 1953 Notts County H 0–0 12,770
11 26 September 1953 Hull City A 0–2 19,501
12 3 October 1953 Everton H 1–0 17,367 Dare
13 10 October 1953 West Ham United A 1–0 24,934 Bloomfield
14 17 October 1953 Leeds United H 2–1 18,329 Dare, Bloomfield
15 24 October 1953 Birmingham City A 1–5 23,582 Dare
16 31 October 1953 Nottingham Forest H 1–1 15,384 Rainford
17 7 November 1953 Luton Town A 1–1 15,167 Robertson
18 14 November 1953 Plymouth Argyle H 1–0 17,327 Dare
19 21 November 1953 Swansea Town A 0–1 16,627
20 28 November 1953 Rotherham United H 0–1 16,740
21 5 December 1953 Leicester City A 0–6 24,036
22 12 December 1953 Stoke City H 0–0 11,848
23 19 December 1953 Derby County H 0–0 10,652
24 25 December 1953 Oldham Athletic H 3–1 15,309 Rainford, Dudley, Bloomfield
25 26 December 1953 Oldham Athletic A 0–2 14,414
26 2 January 1954 Fulham A 1–4 24,372 Dudley
27 16 January 1954 Bristol Rovers A 0–0 20,541
28 23 January 1954 Lincoln City H 0–1 11,431
29 30 January 1954 Bury A 1–1 9,035 Robertson
30 6 February 1954 Notts County A 0–2 10,507
31 13 February 1954 Hull City H 2–2 11,522 Gazzard (2)
32 24 February 1954 Everton A 1–6 23,145 Gazzard
33 27 February 1954 West Ham United H 3–1 16,458 Gazzard, Dudley, Dare
34 6 March 1954 Leeds United A 0–4 16,501
35 13 March 1954 Birmingham City H 2–0 12,584 Dudley (2)
36 20 March 1954 Nottingham Forest A 1–2 15,700 Dudley
37 27 March 1954 Swansea Town H 3–1 14,023 Gazzard, Robertson, Dudley
38 3 April 1954 Rotherham United A 1–1 9,198 Bragg
39 10 April 1954 Luton Town H 0–1 14,204
40 16 April 1954 Bury H 2–1 15,768 Gazzard ( pen), Dudley
41 17 April 1954 Plymouth Argyle A 2–3 23,405 Dudley, Robertson
42 24 April 1954 Leicester City H 1–3 22,845 Dudley

FA Cup

Main article: 1953–54 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s) Notes
3R 9 January 1954 Hull City H 0–0 16,000
3R (replay) 14 January 1954 Hull City A 2–2 16,000 Dudley, Rainford
3R (2nd replay) 18 January 1954 Hull City N 2–5 10,150 Bly ( og), Sperrin [nb 1]

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1953–54 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Alf Jefferies England (1922-02-09)9 February 1922 (aged 31) Oxford City 1945
GK Reg Newton England (1926-06-30)30 June 1926 (aged 27) Leyton Orient 1949
Defenders
DF Alan Bassham England (1933-10-03)3 October 1933 (aged 19) Youth 1953
DF Ken Horne England (1926-06-25)25 June 1926 (aged 27) Blackpool 1950
DF Frank Latimer England (1923-10-03)3 October 1923 (aged 29) Snowdown Colliery Welfare 1945
DF George Lowden England (1933-03-02)2 March 1933 (aged 20) Unattached 1951
DF Fred Monk ( c) England (1920-10-09)9 October 1920 (aged 32) Guildford City 1948 Caretaker manager
Midfielders
HB Wally Bragg England (1929-07-08)8 July 1929 (aged 24) Twickenham Celtic 1946
HB George Bristow England (1933-06-25)25 June 1933 (aged 20) Youth 1950
HB Ken Coote England (1928-05-19)19 May 1928 (aged 25) Wembley 1949
HB Ian Dargie England (1931-10-03)3 October 1931 (aged 21) Tonbridge 1952
HB Tony Harper England (1925-05-26)26 May 1925 (aged 28) Headington United 1948
Forwards
FW Vernon Avis England (1935-10-24)24 October 1935 (aged 17) Youth 1952
FW Jimmy Bloomfield England (1934-02-15)15 February 1934 (aged 19) Hayes 1952
FW Billy Dare England (1927-02-14)14 February 1927 (aged 26) Hendon 1948
FW Frank Dudley England (1925-05-09)9 May 1925 (aged 28) Cardiff City 1953
FW Gerry Gazzard England (1925-03-15)15 March 1925 (aged 28) West Ham United 1954 On loan from West Ham United
FW Jackie Goodwin England (1920-09-29)29 September 1920 (aged 32) Birmingham City 1949
FW Terry Ledgerton England (1930-10-07)7 October 1930 (aged 22) Huyton 1950
FW Johnny Rainford England (1930-12-11)11 December 1930 (aged 22) Cardiff City 1953
FW James Robertson Scotland (1929-02-20)20 February 1929 (aged 24) Arsenal 1953
FW Billy Sperrin England (1922-04-09)9 April 1922 (aged 31) Guildford City 1949
Players who left the club mid-season
FW Frank Broome England (1915-06-11)11 June 1915 (aged 38) Notts County 1953 Transferred to Crewe Alexandra
FW Tommy Lawton ( c) England (1919-10-06)6 October 1919 (aged 33) Notts County 1952 Manager, transferred to Arsenal
FW Ian McPherson Scotland (1920-07-26)26 July 1920 (aged 33) Notts County 1953 Transferred to Bedford Town
  • Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, [2] Timeless Bees [7]

Coaching staff

Tommy Lawton (19 August – September 1953)

Name Role
England Tommy Lawton Player-Manager
Scotland Jimmy Bain Assistant Manager
England David Richards Trainer
England Jack Cartmell Assistant Trainer

Fred Monk (September – 1 October 1953)

Name Role
England Fred Monk Player-Manager
Scotland Jimmy Bain Assistant Manager
England David Richards Trainer
England Jack Cartmell Assistant Trainer

Bill Dodgin Sr. (1 October 1953 – 24 April 1954)

Name Role
England Bill Dodgin Sr. Manager
Scotland Jimmy Bain Assistant Manager
England David Richards Trainer
England Jack Cartmell 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 England Alf Jefferies 3 0 0 0 3 0
GK England Reg Newton 39 0 3 0 42 0
DF England Alan Bassham 2 0 0 0 2 0
DF England Ken Horne 10 0 0 0 10 0
DF England Frank Latimer 36 0 3 0 39 0
DF England George Lowden 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF England Fred Monk 23 1 2 0 25 1
HB England Wally Bragg 41 1 3 0 44 1
HB England George Bristow 24 0 3 0 27 0
HB England Ken Coote 40 0 3 0 43 0
HB England Ian Dargie 14 0 1 0 15 0
HB England Tony Harper 26 1 0 0 26 1
FW England Vernon Avis 1 0 0 0 1 0
FW England Jimmy Bloomfield 27 3 2 0 29 3
FW England Frank Broome 6 1 — 6 1
FW England Billy Dare 38 7 2 0 40 7
FW England Frank Dudley 20 10 3 1 23 11
FW England Jackie Goodwin 19 1 1 0 20 1
FW England Tommy Lawton 6 2 — 6 2
FW England Terry Ledgerton 7 1 3 0 10 1
FW Scotland Ian McPherson 4 0 — 4 0
FW England Johnny Rainford 29 2 3 1 32 3
FW Scotland James Robertson 31 4 0 0 31 4
FW England Billy Sperrin 2 0 1 1 3 1
Players loaned in during the season
FW England Gerry Gazzard 13 6 — 13 6
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford [2]

Goalscorers

Pos. Nat Player FL2 FAC Total
FW England Frank Dudley 10 1 11
FW England Billy Dare 7 0 7
FW England Gerry Gazzard 6 — 6
FW Scotland James Robertson 4 0 4
FW England Jimmy Bloomfield 3 0 3
FW England Johnny Rainford 2 1 3
FW England Tommy Lawton 2 — 2
FW England Frank Broome 1 — 1
HB England Wally Bragg 1 0 1
FW England Jackie Goodwin 1 0 1
HB England Tony Harper 1 0 1
FW England Terry Ledgerton 1 0 1
DF England Fred Monk 1 0 1
FW England Billy Sperrin 0 1 1
Opponents 0 1 1
Total 40 4 44
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford [2]

Management

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Tommy Lawton England 19 August 1953 16 September 1953 9 1 2 6 011.11 9 1 2 6 011.11
Fred Monk (caretaker) England 19 September 1953 26 September 1953 2 0 1 1 000.00 2 0 1 1 000.00
Bill Dodgin Sr. England 3 October 1953 24 April 1954 34 9 10 15 026.47 31 9 8 14 029.03

Summary

Games played 45 (42 Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Games won 10 (10 Second Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games drawn 13 (11 Second Division, 2 FA Cup)
Games lost 22 (21 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 44 (40 Second Division, 4 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 85 (78 Second Division, 7 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 9 (8 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 2–0 versus Birmingham City, 13 March 1954; 3–1 on three occasions
Worst league defeat 6–0 versus Leicester City, 5 December 1953
Most appearances 44, Wally Bragg (41 Second Division, 3 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 10, Frank Dudley
Top scorer (all competitions) 11, Frank Dudley

Transfers & loans

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
July 1953 FW England Frank Broome England Notts County n/a [8]
July 1953 FW Scotland Ian McPherson England Notts County n/a [9]
August 1953 DF England Ken Moffitt Scotland Berwick Rangers n/a [10]
September 1953 FW Scotland James Robertson England Arsenal Part-exchange [11]
October 1953 FW England Johnny Rainford Wales Cardiff City n/a [12]
December 1953 FW England Frank Dudley Wales Cardiff City n/a [13]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
January 1954 FW England Gerry Gazzard England West Ham United End of season [14]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
June 1953 FW England Micky Bull England Swindon Town n/a [15]
July 1953 GK Wales Dave Jones England Reading n/a [16]
July 1953 DF Wales Tecwyn Jones Wales Wrexham n/a [17]
August 1953 FW England Les Smith England Kidderminster Harriers n/a [18]
September 1953 FW England Tommy Lawton England Arsenal £10,000 [19]
October 1953 FW England Frank Broome England Crewe Alexandra n/a [8]
1953 FW Scotland Ian McPherson England Bedford Town n/a [9]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
January 1954 FW Northern Ireland Jimmy D'Arcy Retired [20]
April 1954 FW England Verdi Godwin England Southport July 1954 [21]
April 1954 FW England Jackie Goodwin England Dartford n/a [22]
April 1954 DF England Fred Monk England Aldershot July 1954 [23]

Notes

  1. ^ Match played at Belle Vue, Doncaster.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f White 1989, p. 212-214.
  2. ^ a b c d e White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 382. ISBN  0951526200.
  3. ^ a b "Brentford results for the 1953–1954 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Brentford League Table 1953-1954". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  5. ^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Yore Publications. pp. 78–79. ISBN  1 874427 57 7.
  6. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 35.
  7. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN  978-0955294914.
  8. ^ a b "Frank Broome". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  9. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 107-108.
  10. ^ "Ken Moffitt". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  11. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 136.
  12. ^ "Johnny Rainford". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  13. ^ "Frank Dudley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  14. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 63.
  15. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 30.
  16. ^ "Dave Jones". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  17. ^ "Tecwyn Jones". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  18. ^ "Les Smith". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Tommy Lawton". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  20. ^ "Jimmy D'Arcy". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  21. ^ "Verdi Godwin". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  22. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 67.
  23. ^ "Fred Monk". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
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