1917–18 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1917–18 season
ChairmanH. Jason-Saunders
Secretary-ManagerFred Halliday
StadiumGriffin Park
London Combination6th
Top goalscorerLeague: Cock (27)
All: Cock (27)
Highest home attendance6,000
Lowest home attendance1,500

During the 1917–18 English football season, Brentford competed in the London Combination, due to the cessation of competitive football for the duration of the First World War. In a patchy season, the Bees finished in mid-table.

Season summary[edit]

Former Brentford half back George Kennedy was killed on the Western Front in November 1917.

The wartime London Combination was streamlined for the 1917–18 season, with the clubs voting to expel Portsmouth, Watford, Southampton and Luton Town, which would reduce travelling expenses on Britain's congested railways.[1] Despite the entry of the United States into the First World War in April 1917, Britain was still mired in war and manager Fred Halliday again had trouble securing players to play.[1] Of Brentford's squad, goalkeeper Ted Price, defenders Jack Peart, Dusty Rhodes and forwards Albert Chester, Patsy Hendren and Henry White would appear in the majority of the matches during the season.[2] Half back Bill Stanton, previously with Watford, was a rare wartime signing and he too would be regularly available.[1]

Manager Fred Halliday struggled to field a settled side during the opening months of the season and Brentford suffered six defeats in eight matches between mid-September and mid-November 1917.[1] In late November, Halliday pulled off a transfer coup, re-signing former Brentford forward Jack Cock as a guest from Huddersfield Town,[1] to whom he had transferred in April 1914.[3] Cock went on to score 27 goals in 23 appearances, which included two hattricks and a five-goal haul versus rivals Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the season.[2] Henry White, frequently Brentford's top scorer during the First World War, supported ably with 17 goals.[2] The season was notable for some high scoring wins (4–0, 6–2, 6–1 versus Queens Park Rangers; 5–0 versus Clapton Orient and 5–2 versus Tottenham Hotspur) and crushing defeats (7–1 versus Millwall, 6–1 versus Tottenham Hotspur; 8–3, 7–3, 7–2 versus West Ham United and 4–0 on two occasions).[2]

A number of former Brentford players were killed during the season:[4]

League table[edit]

Main article: London Combination

London Combination[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
5 Arsenal 36 16 5 15 76 57 1.333 37
6 Brentford 36 16 3 17 81 94 0.862 35
7 Crystal Palace 36 13 4 19 54 83 0.651 30
Source: Football and the First World War

Results[edit]

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend[edit]

Win Draw Loss

London Combination[edit]

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer(s)
1 1 September 1917 Clapton Orient H 1–0 Keenor
2 8 September 1917 Millwall A 3–1 Hendren, Gregson (2)
3 15 September 1917 Tottenham Hotspur H 5–2 Hendren (2), White (3)
4 22 September 1917 Chelsea A 1–3 Hendren
5 29 September 1917 Crystal Palace A 0–4
6 6 October 1917 Arsenal H 2–2 Gregson, Sloley
7 13 October 1917 West Ham United A 3–8 Heydenrick, Green, Stanton
8 20 October 1917 Fulham H 1–3 Chester
9 27 October 1917 Clapton Orient A 3–1 White (2), Stanton
10 3 November 1917 Millwall H 0–4
11 10 November 1917 Tottenham Hotspur A 1–6 Chester
12 17 November 1917 Chelsea H 1–0 Hooper
13 24 November 1917 Crystal Palace H 3–0 Cock (3)
14 1 December 1917 Arsenal A 1–4 Cock
15 8 December 1917 West Ham United H 3–2 Cock, Denyer, White
16 15 December 1917 Fulham H 0–2
17 22 December 1917 Clapton Orient H 5–0 Edwards, White, Cock (2), Hendren
18 25 December 1917 Queens Park Rangers H 1–1 Cock
19 26 December 1917 Queens Park Rangers A 4–0 Hendren, Hanney, Stanton, White
20 29 December 1917 Millwall A 1–7 Cock
21 5 January 1918 Tottenham Hotspur H 2–3 White, Cock
22 12 January 1918 Chelsea A 1–4 Cock
23 19 January 1918 Crystal Palace A 4–3 Chester, E. Rhodes (3)
24 26 January 1918 Arsenal H 3–2 Cock (2), White
25 2 February 1918 West Ham United A 2–7 Corless, Chester
26 9 February 1918 Queens Park Rangers H 6–1 White (2), Cock (3), Hooper (pen)
27 16 February 1918 Clapton Orient A 1–1 Cock
28 23 February 1918 Millwall H 3–1 Cock (2), Sloley
29 2 March 1918 Tottenham Hotspur A 0–3
30 9 March 1918 Chelsea H 0–1
31 16 March 1918 Crystal Palace H 0–2
32 23 March 1918 Arsenal A 3–1 Cock, Chalmers, Cockerill (og)
33 29 March 1918 Fulham H 2–3 Chester, Hooper
34 30 March 1918 West Ham United H 3–7 White (2, 1 pen), Chester
35 1 April 1918 Fulham A 6–4 Cock (2), Allwright, White (2), Chester
36 6 April 1918 Queens Park Rangers A 6–2 Cock (5), White
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[2]

Playing squad[edit]

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1917–18 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Ted Price England (1883-06-13)13 June 1883 (aged 34) Croydon Common 1912
Defenders
DF Alf Amos England (1893-02-09)9 February 1893 (aged 24) Old Kingstonians 1913
DF Jack Peart England (1884-10-13)13 October 1884 (aged 32) Croydon Common 1916
DF Frank Price England (1885-02-28)28 February 1885 (aged 32) Shepherds Bush 1914
DF Dusty Rhodes (c) England (1882-08-16)16 August 1882 (aged 35) Sunderland 1908 Trainer
Midfielders
HB Charles Allwright England (1888-06-11)11 June 1888 (aged 29) Kingston upon Thames 1914
HB George Curtis England (1888-10-22)22 October 1888 (aged 28) Kingston upon Thames 1914
HB Mick O'Brien Ireland (1893-08-10)10 August 1893 (aged 24) Celtic 1915
HB Bill Stanton England (1890-05-09)9 May 1890 (aged 27) Watford 1917
Forwards
FW Albert Chester England (1886-03-17)17 March 1886 (aged 31) Millwall 1916
FW Patsy Hendren England (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 28) Queens Park Rangers 1911 Played when his cricket commitments allowed
FW Richard Sloley England (1891-08-20)20 August 1891 (aged 26) Cambridge University 1914 Amateur
FW Henry White England (1895-08-08)8 August 1895 (aged 22) Whamcliffe Athletic 1913 Amateur
Guest players
GK Fred Craig Scotland (1891-01-16)16 January 1891 (aged 26) Plymouth Argyle 1917 Guest from Plymouth Argyle
GK W. Griffiths n/a n/a West Ham United 1917 Guest from West Ham United
GK Jimmy Morris England n/a Clapton Orient 1917 Guest from Clapton Orient
GK Walter Scott England (1886-01-21)21 January 1886 (aged 31) Worksop Town 1917 Guest from Worksop Town
DF Fred Bullock England (1886-07-01)1 July 1886 (aged 31) Huddersfield Town 1917 Guest from Huddersfield Town
HB Sam Blott England (1886-06-19)19 June 1886 (aged 31) Plymouth Argyle 1917 Guest from Plymouth Argyle
HB Jimmy Brandham England (1890-01-22)22 January 1890 (aged 27) Fulham 1918 Guest from Fulham
HB Walter Frisby England (1893-03-08)8 March 1893 (aged 24) Southampton 1917 Guest from Southampton
HB Ted Hanney England (1889-01-19)19 January 1889 (aged 28) Manchester City 1917 Guest from Manchester City
HB E. Heydenrick South Africa n/a Unattached 1917 Guest
HB Bill Hooper England (1884-02-20)20 February 1884 (aged 33) Southport Central 1917 Guest from Southport Central
HB George Hunter England (1885-06-01)1 June 1885 (aged 32) Manchester United 1917 Guest from Manchester United
HB James Lockwood England (1887-02-20)20 February 1887 (aged 30) Queens Park Rangers 1918 Guest from Queens Park Rangers
HB Mansell England n/a The Wednesday 1917 Guest from The Wednesday
HB J. Mee n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
HB Sam Morris England (1886-10-20)20 October 1886 (aged 30) Bristol Rovers 1917 Guest from Bristol Rovers
HB Robert Nash England n/a Unattached 1917 Guest
HB Cecil Rhodes England (1894-04-01)1 April 1894 (aged 23) Stockton 1918 Guest
HB T. Roberts n/a n/a Luton Town 1917 Guest from Luton Town
HB T. Smith n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
HB Talbot n/a n/a n/a 1918 Guest
HB Maurice Woodward England (1891-10-12)12 October 1891 (aged 25) Southend United 1917 Guest from Southend United
HB Billy Yenson England 1880 (aged 36–37) Croydon Common 1917 Guest from Croydon Common
FW Billy Brawn England (1878-08-01)1 August 1878 (aged 39) Unattached 1917 Guest
FW David Chalmers Scotland (1891-07-22)22 July 1891 (aged 26) Grimsby Town 1918 Guest from Grimsby Town
FW Jack Cock England (1893-11-14)14 November 1893 (aged 23) Huddersfield Town 1917 Guest from Huddersfield Town
FW Albert Corless England (1886-04-25)25 April 1886 (aged 31) West Ham United 1918 Guest from West Ham United
FW Jack Curtis England (1888-12-13)13 December 1888 (aged 28) Stockport County 1917 Guest from Stockport County
FW A. Davis n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
FW Bertie Denyer England (1893-04-09)9 April 1893 (aged 24) Swindon Town 1917 Guest from Swindon Town
FW James Dillimore England (1894-12-19)19 December 1894 (aged 22) n/a 1917 Guest
FW Billy Edwards Wales (1895-10-24)24 October 1895 (aged 21) n/a 1917 Guest
FW W. Elliott n/a n/a n/a 1918 Guest
FW Thomas Graham England (1887-07-20)20 July 1887 (aged 30) Castleford Town 1917 Guest from Castleford Town
FW John Green England (1893-10-04)4 October 1893 (aged 23) Wolverhampton Wanderers 1917 Guest from Wolverhampton Wanderers
FW Alf Gregson England (1889-03-02)2 March 1889 (aged 28) Grimsby Town 1917 Guest from Grimsby Town
FW W. Harrison n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
FW H. James n/a n/a n/a 1918 Guest
FW A. Jones n/a n/a Unattached 1917 Guest
FW Fred Keenor Wales (1894-07-31)31 July 1894 (aged 23) Cardiff City 1917 Guest from Cardiff City
FW W. Ramsay n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
FW B. N. Sidney n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[2] Timeless Bees,[11] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939[12]

Coaching staff[edit]

Name Role
England Fred Halliday Secretary-Manager
England Dusty Rhodes Trainer

Statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals[edit]

Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the London Combination season.
Pos Nat Name Total
Apps Goals
GK England Ted Price 20 0
DF England Alf Amos 8 0
DF England Jack Peart 26 0
DF England Frank Price 1 0
DF England Dusty Rhodes 23 3
HB England Charles Allwright 3 1
HB England George Curtis 1 0
HB Ireland Mick O'Brien 2 0
HB England Bill Stanton 25 3
FW England Albert Chester 30 7
FW England Patsy Hendren 34 6
FW England Richard Sloley 1 0
FW England Henry White 24 17
Players guested during the season
GK Scotland Fred Craig 1 0
GK n/a W. Griffiths 1 0
GK England Jimmy Morris 11 0
GK England Walter Scott 3 0
DF England Fred Bullock 6 0
HB England Sam Blott 1 0
HB England Jimmy Brandham 9 0
HB England Walter Frisby 2 0
HB England Ted Hanney 10 1
HB South Africa E. Heydenrick 1 1
HB England Bill Hooper 22 3
HB England George Hunter 17 0
HB England James Lockwood 1 0
HB England Mansell 1 0
HB n/a J. Mee 1 0
HB England Sam Morris 5 0
HB England Robert Nash 1 0
HB England Cecil Rhodes 1 0
HB n/a T. Roberts 1 0
HB n/a T. Smith 1 0
HB n/a Talbot 1 0
HB England Maurice Woodward 7 0
HB England Billy Yenson 15 0
FW England Billy Brawn 1 0
FW Scotland David Chalmers 1 1
FW England Jack Cock 23 27
FW England Albert Corless 2 1
FW England Jack Curtis 3 0
FW n/a A. Davis 1 0
FW England Bertie Denyer 2 1
FW England James Dillimore 1 0
FW Wales Billy Edwards 10 1
FW n/a W. Elliott 1 0
FW England Thomas Graham 1 0
FW England John Green 9 1
FW England Alf Gregson 5 3
FW n/a W. Harrison 1 0
FW n/a H. James 2 0
FW n/a A. Jones 1 0
FW Wales Fred Keenor 9 1
FW n/a W. Ramsay 1 0
FW n/a B. N. Sidney 1 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[2]

Goalscorers[edit]

Pos. Nat Player Total
FW England Jack Cock 27
FW England Henry White 17
FW England Albert Chester 7
FW England Patsy Hendren 6
FW England Alf Gregson 3
HB England Bill Hooper 3
DF England Dusty Rhodes 3
HB England Bill Stanton 3
HB England Charles Allwright 1
FW Scotland David Chalmers 1
FW England Albert Corless 1
FW England Bertie Denyer 1
FW Wales Billy Edwards 1
FW England John Green 1
HB England Ted Hanney 1
HB South Africa E. Heydenrick 1
FW Wales Fred Keenor 1
Opponents 1
Total 81
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[2]

Management[edit]

Name Nat From To Record
P W D L W %
Fred Halliday England 1 September 1917 6 April 1918 36 16 3 17 044.44

Summary[edit]

Games played 36
Games won 16
Games drawn 3
Games lost 17
Goals scored 81
Goals conceded 94
Clean sheets 5
Biggest win 5–0 versus Clapton Orient, 22 December 1917
Worst defeat 7–1 versus Millwall, 29 December 1917
Most appearances 39, Patsy Hendren
Top scorer 27, Jack Cock

Transfers & loans[edit]

Guest players' arrival and departure dates correspond to their first and last appearances of the season.
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
1 September 1917 HB England Bill Stanton England Watford Free [2]
Guest players in
Date from Pos. Name Previous Club Date to Ref.
1 September 1917 DF England Fred Bullock England Huddersfield Town 6 October 1917 [2]
1 September 1917 FW England Jack Curtis England Stockport County 24 November 1917 [2]
1 September 1917 FW England Alf Gregson England Grimsby Town 6 October 1917 [2]
1 September 1917 DF England Ted Hanney England Manchester City End of season [2]
1 September 1917 HB England George Hunter England Manchester United 19 January 1918 [2]
1 September 1917 FW Wales Fred Keenor Wales Cardiff City 23 March 1918 [2]
1 September 1917 GK England Jimmy Morris England Clapton Orient 1 April 1918 [2]
22 September 1917 FW England John Green England Wolverhampton Wanderers 5 January 1918 [2]
22 September 1917 FW A. Jones Unattached 22 September 1917 [2]
22 September 1917 HB T. Roberts England Luton Town 22 September 1917 [2]
22 September 1917 GK England Walter Scott England Worksop Town 6 October 1917 [2]
13 October 1917 GK W. Griffiths England West Ham United 13 October 1917 [2]
13 October 1917 HB South Africa E. Heydenrick Unattached 13 October 1917 [2]
13 October 1917 HB J. Mee n/a 13 October 1917 [2]
13 October 1917 FW B. N. Sidney n/a 13 October 1917 [2]
13 October 1917 HB T. Smith n/a 13 October 1917 [2]
20 October 1917 HB England Sam Morris England Bristol Rovers 26 December 1917 [2]
20 October 1917 HB England Maurice Woodward England Southend United End of season [2]
3 November 1917 FW England Billy Brawn Unattached 3 November 1917 [2]
3 November 1917 FW W. Harrison n/a 3 November 1917 [2]
3 November 1917 HB England Mansell England The Wednesday 3 November 1917 [2]
3 November 1917 HB England Robert Nash Unattached 3 November 1917 [13]
10 November 1917 HB England Sam Blott England Plymouth Argyle 10 November 1917 [2]
10 November 1917 GK Scotland Fred Craig England Plymouth Argyle 10 November 1917 [14]
10 November 1917 FW England James Dillimore n/a 10 November 1917 [2]
10 November 1917 FW W. Ramsay n/a 10 November 1917 [2]
17 November 1917 FW England Bertie Denyer England Swindon Town 8 December 1917 [2]
17 November 1917 FW England Thomas Graham England Castleford Town 17 November 1917 [2]
17 November 1917 FW England Bill Hooper England Southport Central End of season [2]
24 November 1917 FW England Jack Cock England Huddersfield Town End of season [2]
24 November 1917 HB England Billy Yenson England Croydon Common 30 March 1918 [15]
1 December 1917 FW A. Davis n/a 1 December 1917 [2]
8 December 1917 HB England Walter Frisby England Southampton 15 December 1917 [2]
15 December 1917 FW Wales Billy Edwards n/a 23 March 1918 [2]
5 January 1918 FW H. James n/a End of season [2]
12 January 1918 HB England Cecil Rhodes England Stockton 12 January 1918 [2]
19 January 1918 HB Talbot n/a 19 January 1918 [2]
2 February 1918 FW England Albert Corless England West Ham United 16 February 1918 [2]
2 February 1918 FW W. Elliott n/a 2 February 1918 [2]
16 February 1918 HB England Jimmy Brandham England Fulham 1 April 1918 [2]
23 February 1918 HB England James Lockwood England Queens Park Rangers 23 February 1918 [2]
23 March 1918 FW Scotland David Chalmers England Grimsby Town 23 March 1918 [2]
Guest players out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
1917 HB Scotland Jimmy Kennedy Scotland Airdrieonians 1918 [16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e White 1989, p. 108-109.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 364. ISBN 0951526200.
  3. ^ White 1989, p. 101-103.
  4. ^ Bees Review: Brentford Official Matchday Programme vs Hull City. Milton Keynes: Regal Sports Press. 3 November 2015. pp. 61–67.
  5. ^ "James Greechan | Service Record". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  6. ^ "The Magazine of Highams Park Baptist Church – October/November 2017" (PDF). p. 21. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Casualty Details: George William Kennedy". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  8. ^ "William Kirby" (PDF). Croydon Common Football Club. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  9. ^ "Casualty Details: William Allwright". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Casualty Details: Harry Dutfield". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  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. ^ "Robert Nash" (PDF). Croydon Common Football Club. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  14. ^ Scallan, Trevor. "Fred Craig". www.greensonscreen.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  15. ^ "William Yenson" (PDF). Croydon Common Football Club. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  16. ^ Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
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