1927–28 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1927–28 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South. A season of transition saw the Bees finish in mid-table and score 76 goals, which was at that time the club's best goalscoring tally since joining the Football League in 1920.

Brentford

1927–28 season
Chairman	Louis P. Simon
Manager	Harry Curtis
Stadium	Griffin Park
Third Division South	12th
FA Cup	Third round
Top goalscorer	League: Phillips (18) All: Phillips (18)
Highest home attendance	12,513
Lowest home attendance	2,024
Average home league attendance	7,331
Home colours

Season summary

Brentford's 1927–28 team photograph.

Despite a sizeable amount of money in the bank after the previous season's cup exploits and big money sales of Jack Allen, Archie Clark and George Anderson, Brentford manager Harry Curtis elected to add to, rather than rebuild, his squad for the 1927–28 season.[1] He invested in Scottish youngsters John Cairns, Jimmy Drinnan, William Hodge, Alexander Stevenson, Samuel Ward and English teenager Joe Wiggins.[1]

Three defeats in the opening 10 matches of the season put the Bees as high as second place,[2] with off-season signing Jack Phillips scoring 9 goals, Herbert Lawson five and Ernie Watkins four.[3] By mid-October 1927, the goals had dried up and the club dropped to mid-table.[2] During this period, Brentford suffered a club record 7–1 FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.[4][5] A 3–2 victory over Walsall at Griffin Park on 5 December (one of just two wins in the midst of the bad run) was witnessed by 2,024, the club record lowest for a home Football League match.[6] The Bees' form picked up again late January 1928 and the team secured a 12th-place finish.[2] Jack Phillips finished the season as he began it, with 9 goals in 10 matches, to finish as top-scorer with 18 goals.[3] Brentford's 76 goals was the highest since joining the Football League in 1920 and the club finished the season £171 in profit (equivalent to £10,400 in 2021).[7][8]

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts
10	Queens Park Rangers	42	17	9	16	72	71	1.014	43
11	Charlton Athletic	42	15	13	14	60	70	0.857	43
12	Brentford	42	16	8	18	76	74	1.027	40
13	Luton Town	42	16	7	19	94	87	1.080	39
14	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	42	13	12	17	72	79	0.911	38

Source:

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win

Draw

Loss

Football League Third Division South

No.	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorer(s)
1	27 August 1927	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	2–5	13,164	Phillips, Drinnan
2	29 August 1927	Northampton Town	H	3–0	8,280	Phillips (3)
3	3 September 1927	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	H	2–1	11,108	Fletcher, Douglas
4	5 September 1927	Northampton Town	A	2–3	7,220	Lane, Watkins
5	10 September 1927	Queens Park Rangers	A	3–2	18,826	Watkins, Phillips, Lane
6	14 September 1927	Bristol Rovers	A	3–1	2,578	Phillips, Lawson, Watkins
7	17 September 1927	Luton Town	A	2–5	9,182	Lawson (2)
8	24 September 1927	Millwall	H	6–1	12,513	Douglas, Watkins (pen), Lawson (2), Phillips
9	1 October 1927	Crystal Palace	A	2–0	11,552	Phillips, Lane
10	8 October 1927	Exeter City	H	1–1	11,326	Lawson
11	15 October 1927	Torquay United	A	1–2	4,185	Lawson
12	22 October 1927	Coventry City	H	4–1	4,666	Craddock (2), Hodge, Lane
13	29 October 1927	Newport County	A	0–3	5,790
14	5 November 1927	Swindon Town	H	1–4	9,527	Lane
15	12 November 1927	Gillingham	A	1–2	3,293	Lawson
16	3 December 1927	Plymouth Argyle	H	0–2	7,537
17	5 December 1927	Walsall	H	3–2	2,024	Watkins, Dearn (pen), Lane
18	10 December 1927	Merthyr Town	A	1–3	2,465	Craddock
19	17 December 1927	Charlton Athletic	H	1–1	5,245	Berry
20	24 December 1927	Watford	A	1–1	5,226	Craddock
21	26 December 1927	Southend United	A	2–3	3,540	Craddock (2)
22	31 December 1927	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	1–3	6,061	Lane
23	7 January 1928	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	A	0–1	4,796
24	21 January 1928	Queens Park Rangers	H	0–3	10,430
25	28 January 1928	Luton Town	H	4–2	3,291	Watkins (4)
26	4 February 1928	Millwall	A	0–3	16,885
27	11 February 1928	Crystal Palace	H	2–1	7,580	Beacham, Drinnan
28	18 February 1928	Exeter City	A	1–0	7,420	Drinnan
29	25 February 1928	Torquay United	H	1–2	8,355	Lane
30	3 March 1928	Coventry City	A	0–0	8,188
31	10 March 1928	Newport County	H	3–1	5,759	Berry (2), Phillips
32	17 March 1928	Swindon Town	A	1–1	6,500	Phillips
33	24 March 1928	Gillingham	H	2–0	6,107	Lane (2)
34	31 March 1928	Walsall	A	2–4	4,750	Phillips, Drinnan
35	6 April 1928	Norwich City	H	3–1	11,814	Berry, Price, Wiggins
36	7 April 1928	Bristol Rovers	H	5–1	7,894	Wiggins, Cairns, Drinnan (2), Lawson
37	9 April 1928	Norwich City	A	1–1	10,848	Berry (pen)
38	14 April 1928	Plymouth Argyle	A	0–1	5,940
39	21 April 1928	Merthyr Town	H	4–0	4,583	Phillips (2), Berry, Lane
40	23 April 1928	Southend United	H	2–2	4,889	Phillips (2)
41	28 April 1928	Charlton Athletic	A	2–3	7,122	Watkins, Phillips
42	5 May 1928	Watford	H	1–1	4,775	Phillips

FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorer(s)
3R	14 January 1928	Manchester United	A	1–7	18,538	Jones (og)

• Sources: Statto, 11v11, 100 Years of Brentford[3]

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1927–28 season.

Pos.	Name	Nat.	Date of birth (age)	Signed from	Signed in	Notes
Goalkeepers
GK	Henry Bailey		2 December 1897 (aged 29)	Exeter City	1927
Defenders
DF	Charlie Butler		10 October 1897 (aged 29)	Gillingham	1926
DF	James Donnelly		18 December 1893 (aged 33)	Southend United	1925
DF	Dick Hendrie		22 November 1895 (aged 31)	Grays Thurrock United	1927	Assistant trainer
DF	Alexander Stevenson		24 October 1903 (aged 23)	Armadale	1927
DF	Ted Winship		1900 (aged 26–27)	Kidderminster Harriers	1926
Midfielders
HB	Jack Beacham		15 August 1902 (aged 25)	Weymouth	1925
HB	Stephen Dearn (c)		March 1901 (aged 26)	Portsmouth	1926
HB	Albert Fletcher		1898 (aged 28–29)	West Ham United	1927
HB	William Hodge		31 August 1904 (aged 22)	Rangers	1927
HB	Samuel Ward		1 June 1906 (aged 21)	Morton	1927
Forwards
FW	Bill Berry		18 August 1904 (aged 23)	Gillingham	1926
FW	John Cairns		14 November 1902 (aged 24)	Charlton Athletic	1927
FW	Alfred Douglas		26 March 1899 (aged 28)	Washington Colliery	1925
FW	Jimmy Drinnan		28 May 1906 (aged 21)	Newport County	1927
FW	Jack Lane		29 May 1898 (aged 29)	Chesterfield	1925
FW	Herbert Lawson		12 April 1905 (aged 22)	Arsenal	1927
FW	Jim McCafferty		November 1900 (aged 26)	Halifax Town	1927
FW	Jack Phillips		28 May 1903 (aged 24)	Merthyr Town	1927
FW	William Price		4 December 1903 (aged 23)	Woking Town	1928	Amateur
FW	Ernie Watkins		3 April 1898 (aged 29)	Southend United	1926
FW	Joe Wiggins		1 April 1909 (aged 18)	Grays Thurrock United	1927
Players who left the club mid-season
GK	Jim Ferguson		30 August 1896 (aged 30)	St Roch's	1926	Transferred to Notts County
FW	Joe Craddock		3 August 1902 (aged 25)	Gillingham	1926	Transferred to Dundee

• Sources: Timeless Bees,[9] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939,[10] 100 Years Of Brentford[3]

Coaching staff

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

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Ferguson

Butler

Winship

Beacham

Hodge

Dearn (C)

Lane

Watkins

Phillips

Lawson

Douglas

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		Henry Bailey	15	0	0	0	15	0
GK		Jim Ferguson	27	0	1	0	28	0
DF		Charlie Butler	40	0	0	0	40	0
DF		James Donnelly	1	0	0	0	1	0
DF		Dick Hendrie	0	0	1	0	1	0
DF		Alexander Stevenson	2	0	0	0	2	0
DF		Ted Winship	41	0	1	0	42	0
HB		Jack Beacham	29	1	1	0	30	1
HB		Stephen Dearn	40	1	1	0	41	1
HB		Albert Fletcher	33	1	0	0	33	1
HB		William Hodge	19	1	1	0	20	1
HB		Samuel Ward	7	0	0	0	7	0
FW		Bill Berry	25	6	1	0	26	6
FW		John Cairns	1	1	0	0	1	1
FW		Joe Craddock	11	6	1	0	12	6
FW		Alfred Douglas	24	2	1	0	25	2
FW		Jimmy Drinnan	18	6	0	0	18	6
FW		Jack Lane	37	11	1	0	38	11
FW		Herbert Lawson	34	9	0	0	34	9
FW		Jim McCafferty	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW		Jack Phillips	23	18	0	0	23	18
FW		William Price	1	1	0	0	1	1
FW		Ernie Watkins	29	10	1	0	30	10
FW		Joe Wiggins	4	2	0	0	4	2

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: 100 Years of Brentford[3]

Goalscorers

Pos.	Nat	Player	FL3	FAC	Total
FW		Jack Phillips	18	0	18
FW		Jack Lane	11	0	11
FW		Ernie Watkins	10	0	10
FW		Herbert Lawson	9	0	9
FW		Bill Berry	6	0	6
FW		Joe Craddock	6	0	6
FW		Jimmy Drinnan	6	0	6
FW		Alfred Douglas	2	0	2
FW		Joe Wiggins	2	0	2
HB		Jack Beacham	1	0	1
FW		John Cairns	1	0	1
HB		Stephen Dearn	1	0	1
HB		Albert Fletcher	1	0	1
HB		William Hodge	1	0	1
FW		William Price	1	0	1
Opponent			0	1	1
Total			76	1	77

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: 100 Years of Brentford[3]

Management

Name	Nat	From	To	Record All Comps					Record League
				P	W	D	L	W %	P	W	D	L	W %
Harry Curtis		27 August 1927	5 May 1928	43	16	8	19	037.21|	42	16	8	18	038.10

Summary

Games played	43 (42 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Games won	16 (16 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Games drawn	8 (8 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost	19 (18 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored	77 (76 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Goals conceded	81 (74 Third Division South, 7 FA Cup)
Clean sheets	6 (6 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win	6–1 versus Millwall, 24 September 1927
Worst league defeat	3–0 on two occasions; 4–1 versus Swindon Town, 5 November 1927; 5–2 on two occasions
Most appearances	42, Ted Winship (41 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league)	18, Jack Phillips
Top scorer (all competitions)	18, Jack Phillips

Transfers & loans

Cricketers are not included in this list.

Players transferred in
Date	Pos.	Name	Previous Club	Fee	Ref.
August 1927	HB	William Hodge	Rangers	Free	[11]
1 September 1927	HB	Stewart Low	Montrose	Free	[12]
1927	GK	Henry Bailey	Exeter City	Free	[13]
1927	FW	John Cairns	Charlton Athletic	Free	[14]
1927	DF	Bill Dempsey	London Prison OS	Free	[15]
1927	FW	Jimmy Drinnan	Newport County	Exchange	[16]
1927	HB	Albert Fletcher	West Ham United	Free	[17]
1927	FW	Dick Hendrie	Grays Thurrock United	Free	[18]
1927	FW	Jim McCafferty	Halifax Town	Free	[19]
1927	FW	Jack Phillips	Merthyr Town	Free	[7]
1927	DF	Alexander Stevenson	Armadale	Free	[20]
1927	HB	Samuel Ward	Morton	Free	[21]
1927	FW	Joe Wiggins	Grays Thurrock United	n/a	[6]
March 1928	FW	Thomas Brennan	Longriggend Rob Roy	n/a	[22]
March 1928	FW	Andy Durnion	St Joseph's	n/a	[23]
March 1928	GK	Freddie Fox	Halifax Town	n/a	[24]
March 1928	FW	Len Ramsell	Chatham Town	n/a	[21]
March 1928	HB	Teddy Ware	Chatham Town	Amateur	[22]
1928	FW	William Price	Woking Town	Amateur	[25]
Players transferred out
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Fee	Ref.
May 1927	FW	George Anderson	Chelsea	n/a	[26]
May 1927	HB	Archie Clark	Arsenal	£700	[27]
24 November 1927	HB	Harry Rae	Hamilton Academical	n/a	[12]
January 1928	HB	Evan Evans	Chatham Town	n/a	[28]
11 February 1928	FW	Joe Craddock	Dundee	n/a	[12]
March 1928	GK	Jim Ferguson	Notts County	n/a	[29]
Players released
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Join date	Ref.
May 1928	DF	Charlie Butler	Montreal Carsteel	1928	[30]
May 1928	FW	John Cairns	Leicester City	1928	[14]
May 1928	DF	Bill Dempsey	Queens Park Rangers	1928	[31]
May 1928	DF	James Donnelly	Thames	1928	[32]
May 1928	HB	Albert Fletcher	Norwich City	1928	[17]
May 1928	HB	Stewart Low	n/a		[12]
May 1928	FW	William Price	Fulham	June 1928	[33]
May 1928	HB	Samuel Ward	Retired		[21]

References

1. White 1989, p. 123-125.
2. Ltd, Statto Organisation. "Brentford results for the 1927-1928 season - Statto.com". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
3. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 369. ISBN 0951526200.
4. Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Harefield, Middlesex: Yore Publications. p. 42. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
5. "England – FA Challenge Cup 1927–1928". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
6. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 168.
7. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 125.
8. "BRENTFORD MAKE A SMALL PROFIT. TRANSFER FEES BALANCE BIG LOSS IN GATE RECEIPTS. SEVEN NEW PLAYERS. DIRECTORS LOOK FORWARD WITH CONFIDENCE TO THE COMING SEASON". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 6 July 1928.
9. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
10. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
11. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 77.
12. Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
13. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 14.
14. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 33.
15. Joyce 2012, p. 79.
16. "BRENTFORD'S BRIGHT PROSPECTS. A BIG BID FOR PROMOTION IN THE COMING SEASON. FULL LIST OF PLAYERS. ILLNESS OF MARSHALL: COMPETITION FOR FORWARD POSITIONS". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 12 August 1927.
17. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 58.
18. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 75.
19. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 103.
20. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 154-155.
21. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 165.
22. Dorey, F.W. (1928). Brentford Football Club Season 1928–29 Official Handbook. pp. 21–23.
23. "Ferguson Joins Notts County". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 16 March 1928.
24. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 59-60.
25. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 128.
26. "George Anderson | Chelsea Player Profile | Stamford-Bridge.com The History of Chelsea FC". www.stamford-bridge.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
27. Group, Arsenal Media. "Archie Clark | Arsenal.com". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
28. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 53.
29. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 55.
30. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 32.
31. "Of last season's players known to have fixed up elsewhere, Wiggins and Cairns have gone to Leicester City, Dempsey to Queens Park Rangers". The Athletic News. 6 August 1928.
32. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 49.
33. "Brentford Lose W.J. Price. SURPRISE SIGNATURE FOR FULHAM AS A PROFESSIONAL". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 22 June 1928.