1928–29 Brentford F.C. season

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.

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)
Highest home attendance	20,783
Lowest home attendance	3,366
Average home league attendance	8,159
Home colours

Season summary

Brentford's 1928–29 team photograph.

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 during the 1928 off-season.[1] In came goalkeeper Freddie Fox, full back Baden Herod for a £1,500 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] Youngster Joe Wiggins broke Brentford's outgoing transfer record in May 1928, with Leicester City paying £1,400 for a centre forward who had made just four senior appearances and scored two goals.[3]

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.[4] Phillips was then 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) plummeted the club to the bottom of the Football League.[5][6][7] Manager Curtis was offered the manager's job of an unnamed Second Division club in mid-October, but elected to stay at Griffin Park.[8]

In November 1928, Manager Harry Curtis pulled off a crucial £500 signing of Jimmy Bain from Manchester Central and the centre half galvanised the team.[9] 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.[7] Manager Curtis decided to cash in on club record signing Baden Herod, who was sold for a then-club record outgoing fee of £4,000 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] A minor competition, the London Charity Fund, was won in November 1928 and gold medals were presented to the players involved.[10]

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts
11	Coventry City	42	14	14	14	62	57	1.088	42
12	Southend United	42	15	11	16	80	75	1.067	41
13	Brentford	42	14	10	18	56	60	0.933	38
14	Walsall	42	13	12	17	73	79	0.924	38
15	Brighton & Hove Albion	42	16	6	20	58	76	0.763	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	25 August 1928	Exeter City	H	4–2	11,158	Phillips (2), Drinnan, Berry
2	1 September 1928	Southend United	A	1–1	8,082	McKinley
3	3 September 1928	Charlton Athletic	H	1–0	6,850	Lane
4	8 September 1928	Merthyr Town	H	2–1	9,153	Lane, Phillips
5	10 September 1928	Swindon Town	H	2–0	7,231	Lane, Phillips
6	15 September 1928	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	A	1–1	7,573	Watkins
7	22 September 1928	Queens Park Rangers	H	1–1	20,783	Lane
8	29 September 1928	Luton Town	H	0–1	13,758
9	6 October 1928	Coventry City	A	0–1	16,993
10	13 October 1928	Northampton Town	H	2–2	9,260	Watkins (2)
11	20 October 1928	Bristol Rovers	A	0–2	9,316
12	27 October 1928	Watford	H	0–1	8,301
13	3 November 1928	Walsall	A	0–2	7,937
14	10 November 1928	Newport County	H	1–3	5,395	Lane
15	17 November 1928	Crystal Palace	A	0–1	11,323
16	1 December 1928	Torquay United	A	1–4	4,614	Berry
17	15 December 1928	Plymouth Argyle	A	0–4	10,940
18	22 December 1928	Fulham	H	1–2	8,876	Watkins
19	25 December 1928	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	2–3	8,600	Douglas, Durnion
20	26 December 1928	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	5–1	5,117	Lane (4), Sherlaw
21	29 December 1928	Exeter City	A	3–2	6,124	Drinnan, Watkins, Sherlaw
22	5 January 1929	Southend United	H	1–0	4,588	Drinnan
23	12 January 1929	Gillingham	H	4–1	5,042	Douglas (2), Watkins, Sherlaw
24	19 January 1929	Merthyr Town	A	2–2	2,500	Drinnan, Sherlaw
25	26 January 1929	Gillingham	A	2–1	3,756	Watkins, Douglas
26	2 February 1929	Queens Park Rangers	A	2–2	10,590	Sherlaw (2)
27	9 February 1929	Luton Town	A	1–2	8,148	Lawson
28	16 February 1929	Coventry City	H	1–0	3,950	Watkins
29	23 February 1929	Northampton Town	A	1–1	8,555	Watkins
30	2 March 1929	Bristol Rovers	H	2–0	6,991	Sherlaw, Drinnan
31	9 March 1929	Watford	A	0–2	10,453
32	13 March 1929	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	H	0–0	3,366
33	16 March 1929	Walsall	H	1–0	7,111	Douglas
34	23 March 1929	Newport County	A	1–1	3,090	Douglas
35	29 March 1929	Norwich City	H	4–0	10,049	Stone (2), Watkins (2)
36	30 March 1929	Crystal Palace	H	2–4	13,314	Watkins, Berry
37	1 April 1929	Norwich City	A	4–2	9,713	Berry (2), Watkins (2)
38	6 April 1929	Swindon Town	A	1–3	3,107	Gamble
39	13 April 1929	Torquay United	H	0–0	4,507
40	22 April 1929	Charlton Athletic	A	0–1	8,017
41	27 April 1929	Plymouth Argyle	H	0–2	6,532
42	4 May 1929	Fulham	A	0–1	16,524

FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorer(s)
1R	24 November 1928	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	4–1	10,000	Drinnan, Lane (2), Sherlaw
2R	8 December 1928	Plymouth Argyle	H	0–1	10,681

• Sources: Statto, 11v11, 100 Years of Brentford[4]

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 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		28 May 1903 (aged 25)	Merthyr Town	1927	Transferred to Bristol Rovers

• Sources: Timeless Bees,[11] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939,[12] 100 Years Of Brentford[4]

Coaching staff

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

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Bailey

Herod

Winship

Bain

Davies (C)

Ware

Lane

Drinnan

Watkins

Sherlaw

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	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[4]

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		Frederick Gamble	1	—	1
FW		Andy Durnion	1	0	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[4]

Amateur international caps

Pos.	Nat	Player	Caps	Goals	Ref
HB		Martin Woosnam	1	0	[13]

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	034.09|	42	14	10	18	033.33

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.
May 1928	HB	Andrew Heeps	Airdrieonians	Free	[14]
May 1928	FW	Charles McKinley	Leyton	Free	[14]
June 1928	HB	Reginald Davies	Portsmouth	£250	[15]
June 1928	HB	Albert Purdy	Southend United	Free	[15]
July 1928	DF	Baden Herod	Charlton Athletic	£1,500	[1]
September 1928	FW	David Sherlaw	Charlton Athletic	n/a	[16]
November 1928	HB	Jimmy Bain	Manchester Central	£500	[9]
November 1928	FW	Norman Stone	Corinthian	Amateur	[17]
1928	DF	George Dumbrell	Dartford	Free	[18]
1928	FW	Frederick Gamble	Southall	Free	[19]
1928	FW	Albert Richards	Chatham Town	Free	[20]
1928	FW	Alexander Wood	Airdrieonians	Free	[21]
1928	HB	Martin Woosnam	Ealing Association	Amateur	[22]
Players transferred out
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Fee	Ref.
May 1928	FW	Joe Wiggins	Leicester City	£1,400	[3]
26 September 1928	FW	Jack Phillips	Bristol Rovers	n/a	[5]
December 1928	HB	Albert Purdy	Dartford	n/a	[23]
February 1929	DF	Baden Herod	Tottenham Hotspur	£4,000	[1]
Players released
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Join date	Ref.
14 July 1928	HB	Frank Marshall	Died of tuberculosis		[24]
February 1929	HB	Andrew Heeps	Camelon Juniors	n/a	[25]
May 1929	GK	Henry Bailey	Thames	1929	[26]
May 1929	HB	Jack Beacham	Gillingham	1929	[27]
May 1929	FW	Thomas Brennan	Gillingham	n/a	[15]
May 1929	FW	Stephen Dearn	Retired		[28]
May 1929	FW	Jimmy Drinnan	Luton Town	1929	[29]
May 1929	FW	Dick Hendrie	Retired		[30]
May 1929	FW	Jim McCafferty	Shieldmuir Celtic	1929	[31]
May 1929	FW	Charles McKinley	Retired		[32]
May 1929	FW	Len Ramsell	Retired		[33]
May 1929	FW	Albert Richards	Dartford	1929	[20]
May 1929	FW	Norman Stone	Retired		[34]
May 1929	FW	Alexander Wood	Charlton Athletic	1929	[21]

References

1. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 76.
2. Haynes 1998, p. 129.
3. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 168.
4. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 370. ISBN 0951526200.
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. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
8. "Brentford's Secretary Manager – Offer By Second Division Club". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 19 October 1928.
9. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 14-15.
10. Argus (16 November 1928). "A Changed Brentford". The Brentford & Chiswick Times.
11. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
12. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
13. "FORGOTTEN GLORIES – British Amateur Internationals 1901–1974" (PDF). p. 81. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
14. "Brentford's New Players – Charlton Outside Right Secured As Professional". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 11 May 1928.
15. Dorey, F.W. (1928). Brentford Football Club Season 1928–29 Official Handbook. pp. 21–23.
16. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 144.
17. Argus (2 November 1928). "The London Cup". The Brentford & Chiswick Times.
18. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 50-51.
19. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 62.
20. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 133.
21. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 171.
22. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 172.
23. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 129.
24. "Brentford Player Dead. FRANK MARSHALL SUCCUMBS TO LONG ILLNESS IN SCOTLAND". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 20 July 1928.
25. "By mutual consent the agreement between A. Heeps and Brentford has been cancelled". The Athletic News. 4 February 1929.
26. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 14.
27. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 18.
28. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 47.
29. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 50.
30. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 75.
31. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 103.
32. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 106-107.
33. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 165.
34. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 155.