1928–29 Brentford F.C. season

Brentford

1928–29 season
Chairman	Louis P. Simon
Manager	Harry Curtis
Stadium	Griffin Park
Third Division South	13th
FA Cup	Second round
Top goalscorer	League: Watkins (14) All: Watkins (14)
Average home league attendance	8,159
← 1927–28 1929–30 →

During the 1928–29 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South. An unbeaten start to the season was cancelled out by a run of 11 defeats in 12 games which left the Bees bottom of the Football League, but the team recovered to finish in mid-table.

Season summary

Still in search of a winning formula after two mid-table finishes, Brentford manager Harry Curtis elected to add to rather than remodel of his squad in the 1928 off-season, bringing in goalkeeper Freddie Fox, full back Baden Herod for a £1500 club record fee, half back Reginald Davies and a number of young forwards.^[1] He also brought in his former Gillingham trainer Bob Kane.^[2] Good goalscoring form from Jack Lane and Jack Phillips at the start of the season saw Brentford go seven matches unbeaten and rise to the top of the table,^[3][4] before Phillips was sold to Bristol Rovers and a run of 12 league matches without a win (including a club record-equalling 9 league defeats in a row) saw the club plummet to the bottom of the Football League.^[5][6][7]

Manager Harry Curtis pulled off a crucial £500 signing of Jimmy Bain from Manchester Central in November 1928 and the centre half galvanised the team.^[8] Just three defeats in 18 matches between Boxing Day 1928 and April Fools' Day 1929 averted any fears of having to campaign for re-election, with Brentford rising back to 11th in the table thanks to good goalscoring form from Ernie Watkins, Alfred Douglas and summer signing David Sherlaw.^[7] Manager Curtis decided to cash in on club record signing Baden Herod, who was sold for a club record outgoing fee of £4000 to Tottenham Hotspur in February 1929.^[1] Just one draw from the final five matches of the season dropped Brentford to a final placing of 13th.^[7]

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	Home					Away					F	A	GA	GD	Pts
			W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A
1	Charlton Athletic	42	14	5	2	51	22	9	3	9	35	38	86	60	1.433	+26	54
2	Crystal Palace	42	14	2	5	40	25	9	6	6	41	42	81	67	1.209	+14	54
3	Northampton Town	42	14	6	1	68	23	6	6	9	28	34	96	57	1.684	+39	52
4	Plymouth Argyle	42	14	6	1	51	13	6	6	9	32	38	83	51	1.627	+32	52
5	Fulham	42	14	3	4	60	31	7	7	7	41	40	101	71	1.423	+30	52
6	Queens Park Rangers	42	13	7	1	50	22	6	7	8	32	39	82	61	1.344	+21	52
7	Luton Town	42	16	3	2	64	28	3	8	10	25	45	89	73	1.219	+16	49
8	Watford	42	15	3	3	55	31	4	7	10	24	43	79	74	1.068	+5	48
9	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	42	14	4	3	54	31	5	5	11	30	46	84	77	1.091	+7	47
10	Swindon Town	42	12	5	4	48	27	3	8	10	27	45	75	72	1.042	+3	43
11	Coventry City	42	9	6	6	35	23	5	8	8	27	34	62	57	1.088	+5	42
12	Southend United	42	10	7	4	44	27	5	4	12	36	48	80	75	1.067	+5	41
13	Brentford	42	11	4	6	34	21	3	6	12	22	39	56	60	0.933	–4	38
14	Walsall	42	11	7	3	47	25	2	5	14	26	54	73	79	0.924	–6	38
15	Brighton & Hove Albion	42	14	2	5	39	28	2	4	15	19	48	58	76	0.763	–18	38
16	Newport County	42	8	6	7	37	28	5	3	13	32	58	69	86	0.802	–17	35
17	Norwich City	42	12	3	6	49	29	2	3	16	20	52	69	81	0.852	–12	34
18	Torquay United	42	10	3	8	46	36	4	3	14	20	48	66	84	0.786	–18	34
19	Bristol Rovers	42	9	6	6	39	28	4	1	16	21	51	60	79	0.759	–19	33
20	Merthyr Town	42	11	6	4	42	28	0	2	19	13	75	55	103	0.534	–48	30
21	Exeter City	42	7	6	8	49	40	2	5	14	18	48	67	88	0.761	–21	29
22	Gillingham	42	7	8	6	22	24	3	1	17	21	59	43	83	0.518	–40	29

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

Key
	Division Champions, promoted
	New club in the league (none)
	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	25 August 1928	Exeter City	H	4–2	Phillips (2), Drinnan, Berry
2	1 September 1928	Southend United	A	1–1	McKinley
3	3 September 1928	Charlton Athletic	H	1–0	Lane
4	8 September 1928	Merthyr Town	H	2–1	Lane, Phillips
5	10 September 1928	Swindon Town	H	2–0	Lane, Phillips
6	15 September 1928	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	A	1–1	Watkins
7	22 September 1928	Queens Park Rangers	H	1–1	Lane
8	29 September 1928	Luton Town	H	0–1
9	6 October 1928	Coventry City	A	0–1
10	13 October 1928	Northampton Town	H	2–2	Watkins (2)
11	20 October 1928	Bristol Rovers	A	0–2
12	27 October 1928	Watford	H	0–1
13	3 November 1928	Walsall	A	0–2
14	10 November 1928	Newport County	H	1–3	Lane
15	17 November 1928	Crystal Palace	A	0–1
16	1 December 1928	Torquay United	A	1–4	Berry
17	15 December 1928	Plymouth Argyle	A	0–4
18	22 December 1928	Fulham	H	1–2	Watkins
19	25 December 1928	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	2–3	Douglas, Durnion
20	26 December 1928	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	5–1	Lane (4), Sherlaw
21	29 December 1928	Exeter City	A	3–2	Drinnan, Watkins, Sherlaw
22	5 January 1929	Southend United	H	1–0	Drinnan
23	12 January 1929	Gillingham	H	4–1	Douglas (2), Watkins, Sherlaw
24	19 January 1929	Merthyr Town	A	2–2	Drinnan, Sherlaw
25	26 January 1929	Gillingham	A	2–1	Watkins, Douglas
26	2 February 1929	Queens Park Rangers	A	2–2	Sherlaw (2)
27	9 February 1929	Luton Town	A	1–2	Lawson
28	16 February 1929	Coventry City	H	1–0	Watkins
29	23 February 1929	Northampton Town	A	1–1	Watkins
30	2 March 1929	Bristol Rovers	H	2–0	Sherlaw, Drinnan
31	9 March 1929	Watford	A	0–2
32	13 March 1929	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	H	0–0
33	16 March 1929	Walsall	H	1–0	Douglas
34	23 March 1929	Newport County	A	1–1	Douglas
35	29 March 1929	Norwich City	H	4–0	Stone (2), Watkins (2)
36	30 March 1929	Crystal Palace	H	2–4	Watkins, Berry
37	1 April 1929	Norwich City	A	4–2	Berry (2), Watkins (2)
38	6 April 1929	Swindon Town	A	1–3	Gamble
39	13 April 1929	Torquay United	H	0–0
40	22 April 1929	Charlton Athletic	A	0–1
41	27 April 1929	Plymouth Argyle	H	0–2
42	4 May 1929	Fulham	A	0–1

FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorer(s)
1R	24 November 1928	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	4–1	Drinnan, Lane (2), Sherlaw
2R	8 December 1928	Plymouth Argyle	H	0–1

• Sources: Statto, 100 Years of Brentford^[9]

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1928–29 season.

Pos.	Name	Nat.	Date of birth (age)	Signed from	Signed in	Notes
Goalkeepers
GK	Henry Bailey		2 December 1897 (aged 30)	Exeter City	1927
GK	Freddie Fox		22 November 1898 (aged 29)	Halifax Town	1928
Defenders
DF	George Dumbrell		23 September 1906 (aged 21)	Dartford	1928
DF	Alexander Stevenson		24 October 1903 (aged 24)	Armadale	1927
DF	Ted Winship		1900 (aged 27–28)	Kidderminster Harriers	1926
Midfielders
HB	Jimmy Bain		6 February 1899 (aged 29)	Manchester Central	1928
HB	Jack Beacham		15 August 1902 (aged 26)	Weymouth	1925
HB	Reginald Davies (c)		30 September 1897 (aged 30)	Portsmouth	1928
HB	Stephen Dearn		March 1901 (aged 26–27)	Portsmouth	1926
HB	William Hodge		31 August 1904 (aged 23)	Rangers	1927
HB	Charlie Reddock		1902 (aged 25–26)	Gillingham	1926
HB	Teddy Ware		17 September 1906 (aged 21)	Chatham Town	1928
HB	Martin Woosnam		1903 (aged 24–25)	Ealing Association	1928	Amateur
Forwards
FW	Bill Berry		18 August 1904 (aged 24)	Gillingham	1926
FW	Alfred Douglas		26 March 1899 (aged 29)	Washington Colliery	1925
FW	Jimmy Drinnan		28 May 1906 (aged 22)	Newport County	1927
FW	Andy Durnion		18 February 1907 (aged 21)	St Joseph's	1928
FW	Frederick Gamble		29 May 1905 (aged 23)	Southall	1928
FW	Jack Lane		29 May 1898 (aged 30)	Chesterfield	1925
FW	Herbert Lawson		12 April 1905 (aged 23)	Arsenal	1927
FW	Charles McKinley		13 September 1902 (aged 25)	Leyton	1928
FW	Albert Richards		18 July 1903 (aged 25)	Chatham Town	1928
FW	David Sherlaw		17 September 1901 (aged 26)	Charlton Athletic	1928
FW	Norman Stone		1904 (aged 23–24)	Corinthian	1928	Amateur
FW	Ernie Watkins		3 April 1898 (aged 30)	Southend United	1926
FW	Alexander Wood		1906 (aged 21–22)	Airdrieonians	1928
Players who left the club mid-season
DF	Baden Herod		16 May 1900 (aged 28)	Charlton Athletic	1928	Transferred to Tottenham Hotspur
HB	Andrew Heeps		15 December 1899 (aged 28)	Airdrieonians	1928	Transferred to Camelon Juniors
HB	Albert Purdy		15 March 1899 (aged 29)	Southend United	1928	Transferred to Dartford
FW	Jack Phillips		1903 (aged 24–25)	Merthyr Town	1927	Transferred to Bristol Rovers

• Sources: Brentford Football Club History, Timeless Bees,^[10] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939,^[11] 100 Years Of Brentford^[9]

Coaching staff

Name	Role
Harry Curtis	Manager
Bob Kane	Trainer
Jack Cartmell	Assistant Trainer
Dick Hendrie	Assistant Trainer

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Pos	Nat	Name	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK		Henry Bailey	29	0	1	0	30	0
GK		Freddie Fox	13	0	1	0	14	0
DF		George Dumbrell	3	0	0	0	3	0
DF		Baden Herod	28	0	2	0	30	0
DF		Alexander Stevenson	21	0	0	0	21	0
DF		Ted Winship	34	0	2	0	36	0
HB		Jimmy Bain	25	0	1	0	26	0
HB		Jack Beacham	15	0	0	0	15	0
HB		Reginald Davies	36	0	2	0	38	0
HB		Stephen Dearn	12	0	0	0	12	0
HB		Andrew Heeps	2	0	0	0	2	0
HB		William Hodge	3	0	2	0	5	0
HB		Albert Purdy	1	0	0	0	1	0
HB		Charlie Reddock	3	0	0	0	3	0
HB		Teddy Ware	25	0	0	0	25	0
HB		Martin Woosnam	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW		Bill Berry	23	5	1	0	24	5
FW		Alfred Douglas	24	6	1	0	25	6
FW		Jimmy Drinnan	25	5	2	1	27	6
FW		Andy Durnion	2	1	0	0	2	1
FW		Frederick Gamble	7	1	—		7	1
FW		Jack Lane	32	9	1	2	33	11
FW		Herbert Lawson	8	1	1	0	9	1
FW		Charles McKinley	14	1	1	0	15	1
FW		Jack Phillips	6	4	—		6	4
FW		Albert Richards	2	0	0	0	2	0
FW		David Sherlaw	27	7	2	1	29	8
FW		Norman Stone	4	2	0	0	4	2
FW		Ernie Watkins	36	14	2	0	38	14
FW		Alexander Wood	1	0	0	0	1	0

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: 100 Years of Brentford^[9]

Goalscorers

Pos.	Nat	Player	FL3	FAC	Total
FW		Ernie Watkins	14	0	14
FW		Jack Lane	9	2	11
FW		David Sherlaw	7	1	8
FW		Alfred Douglas	6	0	6
FW		Jimmy Drinnan	5	1	6
FW		Bill Berry	5	0	5
FW		Jack Phillips	4	—	4
FW		Norman Stone	2	0	2
FW		Andy Durnion	1	0	1
FW		Frederick Gamble	1	—	1
FW		Herbert Lawson	1	0	1
FW		Charles McKinley	1	0	1
Total			56	4	60

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: 100 Years of Brentford^[9]

Management

Name	Nat	From	To	Record All Comps					Record League
				P	W	D	L	W %	P	W	D	L	W %
Harry Curtis		25 August 1928	4 May 1929	44	15	10	19	34.09|	42	14	10	18	33.33

Summary

Games played	44 (42 Third Division South, 2 FA Cup)
Games won	15 (14 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Games drawn	10 (10 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost	19 (18 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored	60 (56 Third Division South, 4 FA Cup)
Goals conceded	62 (60 Third Division South, 2 FA Cup)
Clean sheets	9 (9 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win	4–0 versus Norwich City, 29 March 1929; 5–1 versus Brighton & Hove Albion, 26 December 1928
Worst league defeat	4–0 versus Plymouth Argyle, 15 December 1928
Most appearances	38, Reginald Davies, Ernie Watkins (36 Third Division South, 2 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league)	14, Ernie Watkins
Top scorer (all competitions)	14, Ernie Watkins

Transfers & loans

Cricketers are not included in this list.

Players transferred in
Date	Pos.	Name	Previous Club	Fee	Ref.
June 1928	HB	Reginald Davies	Portsmouth	£250	[12]
June 1928	HB	Albert Purdy	Southend United	Free	[12]
July 1928	DF	Baden Herod	Charlton Athletic	£1,500	[1]
September 1928	FW	David Sherlaw	Charlton Athletic	n/a	[13]
November 1928	HB	Jimmy Bain	Manchester Central	£500	[8]
1928	DF	George Dumbrell	Dartford	Free	[14]
1928	FW	Frederick Gamble	Southall	Free	[15]
1928	HB	Andrew Heeps	Airdrieonians	Free	[16]
1928	FW	Charles McKinley	Leyton	Free	[17]
1928	FW	Albert Richards	Chatham Town	Free	[18]
1928	FW	Norman Stone	Corinthian	Amateur	[19]
1928	FW	Alexander Wood	Airdrieonians	Free	[20]
1928	HB	Martin Woosnam	Ealing Association	Amateur	[21]
Players transferred out
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Fee	Ref.
1928	FW	Jack Phillips	Bristol City	n/a	[5]
December 1928	HB	Albert Purdy	Dartford	n/a	[22]
February 1929	DF	Baden Herod	Tottenham Hotspur	£4,000	[1]
1929	HB	Andrew Heeps	Camelon Juniors	n/a	[16]
Players released
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Join date	Ref.
August 1928	HB	Frank Marshall	Died of tuberculosis		[23]
May 1929	GK	Henry Bailey	Thames	1929	[24]
May 1929	HB	Jack Beacham	Gillingham	1929	[25]
May 1929	FW	Thomas Brennan	Gillingham	n/a	[26]
May 1929	FW	Stephen Dearn	Retired		[27]
May 1929	FW	Jimmy Drinnan	Luton Town	1929	[28]
May 1929	FW	Dick Hendrie	Retired		[29]
May 1929	FW	Jim McCafferty	Shieldmuir Celtic	1929	[30]
May 1929	FW	Charles McKinley	Retired		[17]
May 1929	FW	Len Ramsell	Retired		[31]
May 1929	FW	Albert Richards	Dartford	1929	[18]
May 1929	FW	Norman Stone	Retired		[19]
May 1929	FW	Alexander Wood	Charlton Athletic	1929	[20]

References

1. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 76.
2. Haynes 1998, p. 129.
3. "Brentford Football Club History". www.brentfordfchistory.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
4. "Brentford Football Club History". www.brentfordfchistory.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
5. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 125.
6. Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Harefield, Middlesex: Yore Publications. p. 79. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
7. Ltd, Statto Organisation. "Brentford results for the 1928-1929 season - Statto.com". Statto.com. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
8. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 14-15.
9. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 370. ISBN 0951526200.
10. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920-2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
11. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
12. Brentford FC Handbook 1928–29. 1928. pp. 21–23.
13. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 144.
14. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 50-51.
15. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 62.
16. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 74.
17. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 106-107.
18. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 133.
19. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 155.
20. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 171.
21. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 172.
22. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 129.
23. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 100-101.
24. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 14.
25. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 18.
26. Dorey, F.W. (1928). Brentford Football Club Season 1928–29 Official Handbook. pp. 21–23.
27. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 47.
28. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 50.
29. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 75.
30. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 103.
31. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 165.