1975–76 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1975–76 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. A poor middle third of the season led to an 18th-place finish, just three points above the re-election zone.

Brentford
1975–76 season
ChairmanDan Tana
ManagerJohn Docherty
StadiumGriffin Park
Fourth Division18th
FA CupThird round
League CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Cross (14)
All: Cross (16)
Highest home attendance12,452
Lowest home attendance3,453
Average home league attendance5,096

Season summary
Forward Andrew McCulloch joined Brentford for a club-record £25,000 fee in March 1976.

Despite a strong finish to the previous campaign, only one incoming transfer (veteran goalkeeper Bill Glazier for £4,000) did not raise the belief around Griffin Park that Brentford would challenge for promotion from the Fourth Division during the 1975–76 season.[1] Instead, manager John Docherty made up the numbers with members of the club's youth team,[1] with teenagers Gordon Sweetzer, Danis Salman, Paul Walker and Graham Cox all joining the club.[2]

Brentford had a strong start to the season, winning three and drawing three of the first six league matches of the season and advancing to the second round of the League Cup, where the run was brought to an end at Old Trafford by Manchester United.[3] With goalkeeper Bill Glazier quitting the club after just 12 appearances,[4] Brentford would tread water in the lower reaches of mid-table throughout the season, in which a run to the third round of the FA Cup became the focus.[1] Having reached that stage of the competition for the first time since the 1970–71 season,[1] the Bees took Second Division club Bolton Wanderers to a replay before losing 2–0 at Burnden Park.[3] A slight upturn in form towards the end of the season was inspired by the signing of Oxford United forward Andrew McCulloch for a club record £25,000 fee.[4]

Two club records were set during the season:

  • Youngest Football League debutant: Danis Salman, 15 years, 8 months, 3 days (versus Watford, 15 November 1975)[5]
  • Lowest away Football League attendance: 894 versus Rochdale, 27 March 1976[5]

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
16 Crewe Alexandra 46 13 15 18 58 57 1.018 41
17 Bradford City 46 12 17 17 63 65 0.969 41
18 Brentford 46 14 13 19 56 60 0.933 41
19 Scunthorpe United 46 14 10 22 50 59 0.847 38
20 Darlington 46 14 10 22 48 57 0.842 38
Source:

Results
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend
Win Draw Loss

Pre-season
DateOpponentVenueResult AttendanceScorer(s)
2 August 1975Oxford UnitedH1–5 1,420Lawrence
4 August 1975WaltonA0–0 n/a
6 August 1975PortsmouthH0–1 955
7 August 1975Hayes A2–1 n/aGraham, Bartlett
9 August 1975AldershotH1–1 1,490Cross
11 August 1975BexleyA5–0 n/aCross (2), Simmons, French, untraced (og)

Football League Fourth Division
No. DateOpponentVenueResult AttendanceScorer(s)
1 16 August 1975Bradford CityA1–1 2,385Johnson
2 23 August 1975HartlepoolH1–1 4,948Cross
3 30 August 1975Torquay UnitedA3–2 3,179Cross, Allen, Graham
4 6 September 1975BarnsleyH1–0 5,605Cross
5 15 September 1975Doncaster RoversA1–1 6,353Johnson
6 20 September 1975Stockport CountyH2–1 6,282Simmons, Riddick
7 24 September 1975BournemouthA0–3 4,113
8 27 September 1975Huddersfield Town A1–2 4,160Sweetzer
9 4 October 1975Newport CountyH1–3 5,678Graham
10 11 October 1975Lincoln CityA1–3 6,312Graham
11 18 October 1975SouthportH1–0 4,515Johnson
12 21 October 1975Northampton TownA1–3 6,225Scales
13 25 October 1975Cambridge UnitedA1–2 2,596French
14 1 November 1975Scunthorpe UnitedH5–2 4,227French, Johnson, Cross (2), Graham
15 3 November 1975Workington H4–0 5,379French, Sweetzer, Johnson (pen), Cross
16 7 November 1975Tranmere RoversA1–5 4,326Cross
17 15 November 1975WatfordH1–0 6,934Scales
18 29 November 1975Crewe Alexandra A0–1 2,248
19 6 December 1975RochdaleH3–0 4,853Johnson (pen), Cross, Riddick
20 20 December 1975DarlingtonH3–0 4,193Sweetzer (2), Cross
21 26 December 1975Exeter CityA0–0 4,912
22 27 December 1975ReadingH2–2 10,612Johnson, Scales
23 10 January 1976 Torquay United H 1–1 5,687 Johnson
24 16 January 1976Stockport County A0–2 2,267
25 24 January 1976Doncaster Rovers H0–1 4,885
26 31 January 1976Northampton TownH2–1 4,114Johnson (pen), Cross
27 7 February 1976Workington A1–1 1,231French
28 14 February 1976 Tranmere Rovers H 0–1 4,725
29 21 February 1976WatfordA2–3 6,223Bristow (og), Sweetzer
30 23 February 1976BournemouthH1–2 4,585Graham
31 28 February 1976Cambridge UnitedH0–0 4,095
32 6 March 1976Scunthorpe UnitedA1–2 3,377Sharp
33 8 March 1976Newport County A0–1 1,150
34 13 March 1976Lincoln CityH1–0 5,386Cross
35 16 March 1976SouthportA0–2 1,506
36 20 March 1976Crewe AlexandraH0–0 3,851
37 27 March 1976RochdaleA2–1 894McCulloch, French
38 29 March 1976 Darlington A 0–2 1,758
39 3 April 1976Bradford City H2–2 3,453McCulloch, Cross
40 5 April 1976Huddersfield TownH0–0 4,413
41 10 April 1976Barnsley A1–1 3,877Cross
42 16 April 1976Swansea CityH1–0 4,623Johnson
43 17 April 1976Exeter CityH5–1 4,175Bence, French (2), McCulloch, Cross
44 19 April 1976ReadingA0–1 12,972
45 24 April 1976Hartlepool A0–1 1,276
46 26 April 1976 Swansea City A 2–2 1,480 French, Johnson

FA Cup
Main article: 1975–76 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 22 November 1975 Northampton Town H 2–0 6,645 Sweetzer (2)
2R 13 December 1975 Wimbledon A 2–1 8,375 Johnson (2, 1 pen)
3R 3 January 1976 Bolton Wanderers H 0–0 12,452
3R (replay)6 January 1976Bolton Wanderers A0–2 18,538

Football League Cup
Main article: 1975–76 Football League Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance Scorer(s)
1R (1st leg) 19 August 1975 Brighton & Hove Albion H 2–1 5,360 Johnson (pen), Cross
1R (2nd leg) 27 August 1975 Brighton & Hove Albion A 1–1 (won 3–2 on aggregate) 11,016 Cross
2R10 September 1974Manchester United A1–2 25,286 Lawrence
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[6] The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[7] Statto

Playing squad
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1975–76 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Paul Priddy (1953-01-11)11 January 1953 (aged 22) Walton & Hersham 1975
Defenders
DF Michael Allen (1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 26) Middlesbrough 1971
DF Paul Bence (c) (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 26) Reading 1970
DF Keith Lawrence (1954-03-25)25 March 1954 (aged 21) Chelsea 1974
DF Alan Nelmes (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 26) Chelsea 1967
DF Gordon Riddick (1943-11-06)6 November 1943 (aged 31) Northampton Town 1973
DF Tom Sharp (1957-07-30)30 July 1957 (aged 18) Everton 1976 Loaned from Everton before transferring permanently
DF Nigel Smith (1958-07-03)3 July 1958 (aged 17) Queens Park Rangers 1975
Midfielders
MF Jackie Graham (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 29) Guildford City 1970
MF Terry Johnson (1949-08-30)30 August 1949 (aged 25) Southend United 1974
MF Danis Salman (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 15) Youth 1975
MF Terry Scales (1951-01-18)18 January 1951 (aged 24) West Ham United 1971
Forwards
FW Roger Cross (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 26) Fulham 1973
FW Micky French (1955-05-07)7 May 1955 (aged 20) Queens Park Rangers 1975
FW Andrew McCulloch (1950-01-03)3 January 1950 (aged 25) Oxford United 1976
FW Richard Poole (1957-07-03)3 July 1957 (aged 18) Youth 1972
FW Gordon Sweetzer (1957-01-27)27 January 1957 (aged 18) Queens Park Rangers 1975
Players who left the club mid-season
GK Bill Glazier (1943-08-02)2 August 1943 (aged 32) Coventry City 1975 Released
GK Graham Horn (1954-08-23)23 August 1954 (aged 20) Luton Town 1975 Returned to Luton Town after loan
FW Dave Simmons (1948-10-24)24 October 1948 (aged 26) Cambridge United 1974 Transferred to Cambridge United
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[8] Timeless Bees[9]

Coaching staff
Name Role
John Docherty Manager
Eddie Lyons Trainer
Bob Pearson Chief Scout

Statistics

Appearances and goals
Substitute appearances in brackets.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Bill Glazier 19 0 — 3 0 12 0
GK Paul Priddy 34 0 4 0 — 38 0
DF Michael Allen 45 1 4 0 3 0 52 1
DF Paul Bence 46 1 4 0 3 0 53 1
DF Keith Lawrence 35 0 4 0 3 1 42 1
DF Alan Nelmes 28 (1) 0 3 (1) 0 3 0 34 (2) 0
DF Gordon Riddick 23 (3) 2 1 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 24 (5) 2
DF Tom Sharp 2 (10) 1 — — 2 (10) 1
DF Nigel Smith 37 0 4 0 3 0 44 0
MF Jackie Graham 38 5 4 0 3 0 45 5
MF Terry Johnson 46 11 4 2 3 1 53 14
MF Danis Salman 3 (3) 0 0 0 0 0 3 (3) 0
MF Terry Scales 43 3 4 0 3 0 50 3
FW Roger Cross 37 14 3 0 2 (1) 2 42 (1) 16
FW Micky French 27 (4) 8 1 (1) 0 2 0 30 (5) 8
FW Andrew McCulloch 13 3 — — 13 3
FW Richard Poole 2 (5) 0 0 0 0 0 2 (5) 0
FW Dave Simmons 10 1 — 2 (1) 0 12 (1) 1
FW Gordon Sweetzer 25 (2) 5 4 2 0 0 29 (2) 7
Players loaned in during the season
GK Graham Horn 3 0 — — 3 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[6]

Goalscorers
Pos. Nat Player FL4 FAC FLC Total
FW Roger Cross 14 0 2 16
MF Terry Johnson 11 2 1 14
FW Micky French 8 0 0 8
FW Gordon Sweetzer 5 2 0 7
MF Jackie Graham 5 0 0 5
FW Andrew McCulloch 3 — — 3
MF Terry Scales 3 0 0 3
DF Gordon Riddick 2 0 0 2
DF Tom Sharp 1 — — 1
FW Dave Simmons 1 0 — 1
DF Michael Allen 1 0 0 1
DF Paul Bence 1 0 0 1
DF Keith Lawrence 0 0 1 1
Opponents 1 0 0 1
Total564 464
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[6]

Management
Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
PWDLW %PWDLW %
John Docherty 16 August 1975 26 April 1976 53 17 15 21 032.08 46 14 13 19 030.43

Summary
Games played53 (46 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Games won17 (14 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Games drawn15 (13 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Games lost21 (19 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored64 (56 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 4 League Cup)
Goals conceded67 (60 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 4 League Cup)
Clean sheets14 (12 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Biggest league win4–0 versus Workington, 3 November 1975
Worst league defeat5–1 versus Tranmere Rovers, 7 November 1975
Most appearances53, Paul Bence, Terry Johnson (46 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Top scorer (league)14, Roger Cross
Top scorer (all competitions)16, Roger Cross

Transfers & loans
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
June 1975 GK Bill Glazier Coventry City £4,000 [2]
September 1975 GK Paul Priddy Walton & Hersham n/a [2]
September 1975 MF Danis Salman Queens Park Rangers n/a [1]
September 1975 FW Gordon Sweetzer Queens Park Rangers Trial [2]
September 1975 MF Paul Walker n/a n/a [1]
1975 GK Graham Cox n/a n/a [2]
January 1976 MF Larry McGettigan Unattached Non-contract [10]
January 1976 n/a David Oxley Dundee Trial [2]
March 1976 FW Andrew McCulloch Oxford United £25,000 [2]
March 1976 DF Tom Sharp Everton n/a [2]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
November 1975 GK Graham Horn Luton Town December 1975 [2]
January 1976 DF Tom Sharp Everton March 1976 [2]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
November 1975 FW Dave Simmons Cambridge United Nominal [2]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
October 1975 GK Bill Glazier St. Louis Stars 1977 [2]
1975 MF Barry Salvage Millwall August 1975 [2]
May 1976 DF Keith Lawrence Wealdstone 1976 [2]
May 1976 MF Larry McGettigan Emeralds n/a [10]
May 1976 DF Alan Nelmes Hillingdon Borough 1976 [2]
May 1976 n/a David Oxley n/a n/a [2]
May 1976 FW Richard Poole Watford July 1976 [2]

Awards

References
  1. White, p. 298-300.
  2. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 128-130.
  3. "Brentford results for the 1975-1976 season - Statto.com". Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  4. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 114.
  5. "Celebrating 4,000 EFL Games: 1920–2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  6. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 393. ISBN 0951526200.
  7. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 116-126.
  8. Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  9. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  10. "Watford Football Club archive 1881–2017 » Players – Mackay to McGuire" (PDF). p. 39. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  11. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 295.
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