1981–82 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1981–82 season
ChairmanDan Tana
(until September 1981)
Martin Lange
(from September 1981)
ManagerFred Callaghan
StadiumGriffin Park
Third Division8th
FA CupSecond round
League CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Bowen,
G. Johnson,
Roberts (8)
All: Bowen (10)
Highest home attendance10,834
Lowest home attendance4,124
Average home league attendance5,692

During the 1981–82 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. After losing ground in January and February 1982, just one win from the final five matches of the season ended the Bees' hopes of promotion.

Season summary[edit]

Midfielder Chris Kamara was signed from Portsmouth in an exchange deal in October 1981 and was named captain of Brentford in March 1982.[1]

Aside from the club record signing of £65,000 central defender Alan Whitehead, Brentford manager Fred Callaghan presided over a quiet 1981 off-season at Griffin Park.[2] Goalkeeper Paul Priddy returned to the club for a third spell on a part-time contract as cover for David McKellar, but the club went into the season understaffed in the striking department, having lost Gary Johnson to injury in a car crash and a suitable replacement could not be found in time.[1] Bids for midfielders John Beck, Jeff Chandler, forward David Kemp and former Brentford player Andrew McCulloch had failed to yield any transfers.[1]

Despite going unbeaten in the first four Third Division matches of the season, a bad run of results in September and October 1981 dropped the club to just above the relegation places.[3] Manager Callaghan acted swiftly in the transfer market, signing midfielders Stan Bowles, Chris Kamara and finally bolstering the forward line with the acquisition of Keith Bowen.[1] The upturn in form was immediate and seven wins and one draw from a 10-match spell lifted the Bees from 18th place on 17 October to 4th on 28 December.[3] The run included five consecutive away league wins, which equalled the club record.[4]

Brentford began 1982 with a run in which the team took just two points from a possible 24, which dropped the club back into mid-table.[3] Former player Gordon Sweetzer briefly returned to Griffin Park in January, but scored just one goal in 9 appearances before returning to his native Canada.[2] The team recovered in March and things further improved after forward David Kemp was finally signed on loan in March,[3] but he succumbed to injury after just three appearances.[2] A 2–1 win over Chester on 24 April put the Bees in 7th position,[3] four points behind 3rd-place Lincoln City with five matches to play.[5] Brentford's outside chances of promotion were killed off in the following match versus Wimbledon at Griffin Park, losing 3–2, having been leading 2–0.[2] The Bees finished the season in 8th position.[2]

League table[edit]

Main article: 1981–82 Football League Third Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
6 Gillingham 46 20 11 15 64 56 +8 71
7 Southend United 46 18 15 13 63 51 +12 69
8 Brentford 46 19 11 16 56 47 +9 68
9 Millwall 46 18 13 15 62 62 0 67
10 Plymouth Argyle 46 18 11 17 64 56 +8 65
Source: rsssf.com (incorrect), source=11v11.com

Results[edit]

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend[edit]

Win Draw Loss

Pre-season and friendlies[edit]

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
5 August 1981 Wembley A 5–0 n/a Crown, Walker, Booker, Rowe, B. Bowen
8 August 1981 Hillingdon Borough A 2–0 n/a Booker, Roberts
11 August 1981 Woking A 3–0 n/a Tonge (2), Roberts
15 August 1981 Cambridge United H 5–0 1,195 Crown (3), Whitehead, Booker
18 August 1981 Brighton & Hove Albion H 1–3 n/a Booker
12 October 1981 San Jose Earthquakes H 8–2 3,970 Roberts (3), K. Bowen (3), G. Johnson, Booker
10 May 1982 Watford H 1–2 2,098 Roberts

Football League Third Division[edit]

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 29 August 1981 Fulham A 2–1 7,632 Tucker (pen), Brown (og)
2 5 September 1981 Walsall H 0–0 5,353
3 12 September 1981 Portsmouth A 2–2 10,364 Crown, Booker
4 19 September 1981 Plymouth Argyle H 0–0 4,943
5 21 September 1981 Gillingham H 0–1 5,425
6 26 September 1981 Doncaster Rovers A 0–1 5,494
7 29 September 1981 Newport County A 1–0 4,040 Tucker
8 3 October 1981 Carlisle United H 1–2 4,587 G. Johnson
9 10 October 1981 Exeter City A 1–3 3,589 Crown
10 17 October 1981 Lincoln City H 3–1 4,187 Booker, Whitehead, Tucker
11 19 October 1981 Southend United H 0–1 5,043
12 24 October 1981 Chesterfield A 2–0 5,525 K. Bowen, Roberts
13 31 October 1981 Burnley H 0–0 6,929
14 3 November 1981 Swindon Town A 3–0 6,649 G. Johnson, K. Bowen, Kamara
15 7 November 1981 Bristol City H 0–1 6,758
16 14 November 1981 Oxford United A 2–1 5,693 G. Johnson (2)
17 28 November 1981 Chester H 1–0 5,201 McNichol
18 5 December 1981 Preston North End A 3–1 4,171 K. Bowen (2), G. Johnson
19 28 December 1981 Millwall A 1–0 7,474 Roberts
20 2 January 1982 Huddersfield Town H 0–1 5,438
21 19 January 1982 Walsall A 0–3 3,853
22 23 January 1982 Fulham H 0–1 10,834
23 27 January 1982 Reading A 1–4 3,710 Sweetzer
24 30 January 1982 Plymouth Argyle A 0–1 5,008
25 6 February 1982 Portsmouth H 2–2 5,947 Tucker (pen), Bowles
26 9 February 1982 Gillingham A 1–1 3,931 Bowles
27 13 February 1982 Carlisle United A 0–1 4,942
28 20 February 1982 Newport County H 2–0 4,297 Roberts, Kamara
29 27 February 1982 Exeter City H 2–0 4,934 Whitehead, K. Bowen
30 6 March 1982 Lincoln City A 0–1 2,880
31 8 March 1982 Southend United A 1–1 4,058 Kemp
32 13 March 1982 Chesterfield H 2–0 5,374 Roberts, Kamara
33 20 March 1982 Burnley A 0–0 7,906
34 22 March 1982 Bristol Rovers H 1–0 5,840 Bowles (pen)
35 27 March 1982 Bristol City A 1–0 6,243 K. Bowen
36 3 April 1982 Oxford United H 1–2 5,786 Booker
37 9 April 1982 Millwall H 4–1 7,460 G. Johnson, Booker, McNichol, Roberts
38 12 April 1982 Wimbledon A 2–1 4,513 Hurlock, Roberts
39 17 April 1982 Preston North End H 0–0 5,627
40 19 April 1982 Swindon Town H 4–2 5,374 Hurlock, K. Bowen, Bowles, McNichol
41 24 April 1982 Chester A 2–1 1,484 Kamara, G. Johnson
42 26 April 1982 Wimbledon H 2–3 6,612 Bowles, G. Johnson
43 1 May 1982 Doncaster Rovers H 2–2 4,124 K. Bowen, Whitehead
44 3 May 1982 Bristol Rovers A 2–1 4,314 Roberts, Kamara
45 8 May 1982 Huddersfield Town A 1–1 4,542 Bowles (pen)
46 15 May 1982 Reading H 1–2 4,502 Roberts

FA Cup[edit]

Main article: 1981–82 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 21 November 1981 Exeter City H 2–0 6,416 K. Bowen (2)
2R 16 December 1981 Colchester United H 1–1 5,448 Roberts
2R (replay) 30 December 1981 Colchester United A 0–1 5,532

Football League Cup[edit]

Main article: 1981–82 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance
1R (1st leg) 2 September 1981 Oxford United A 0–1 3,621
1R (2nd leg) 15 September 1981 Oxford United H 0–2 (lost 3–0 on aggregate) 5,490
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[6] The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,[7][8] Statto

Playing squad[edit]

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1981–82 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK David McKellar Scotland (1956-05-22)22 May 1956 (aged 25) Derby County 1980
GK Paul Priddy England (1953-07-11)11 July 1953 (aged 28) Hayes 1981
Defenders
DF Mark Hill England (1961-01-21)21 January 1961 (aged 20) Queens Park Rangers 1980
DF Robbie Johnson England (1962-03-30)30 March 1962 (aged 19) Arsenal 1981
DF Jim McNichol Scotland (1958-06-09)9 June 1958 (aged 23) Luton Town 1978
DF Terry Rowe England (1964-06-08)8 June 1964 (aged 17) Youth 1982
DF Danis Salman England (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 21) Youth 1975
DF Tony Spencer England (1965-04-23)23 April 1965 (aged 16) Youth 1982
DF Barry Tucker Wales (1952-08-28)28 August 1952 (aged 29) Northampton Town 1978
DF Alan Whitehead England (1956-11-20)20 November 1956 (aged 24) Bury 1981
Midfielders
MF Stan Bowles England (1948-12-24)24 December 1948 (aged 32) Orient 1981
MF Ron Harris England (1944-11-13)13 November 1944 (aged 36) Chelsea 1980 Assistant manager
MF Terry Hurlock England (1958-11-22)22 November 1958 (aged 22) Leytonstone/Ilford 1980
MF Chris Kamara (c) England (1957-12-25)25 December 1957 (aged 23) Portsmouth 1981
MF Gary Roberts Wales (1960-04-05)5 April 1960 (aged 21) Wembley 1980
MF Paul Shrubb England (1955-08-01)1 August 1955 (aged 26) Hellenic 1977
MF Keith Tonge England (1964-11-06)6 November 1964 (aged 16) Youth 1982
MF Paul Walker England (1960-12-17)17 December 1960 (aged 20) Youth 1976
Forwards
FW Bob Booker England (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 23) Bedmond Sports & Social 1978
FW Keith Bowen Wales (1958-02-26)26 February 1958 (aged 23) Northampton Town 1981
FW Gary Johnson England (1959-09-14)14 September 1959 (aged 21) Chelsea 1980
Players who left the club mid-season
DF Pat Kruse England (1953-11-30)30 November 1953 (aged 27) Torquay United 1977 Loaned to Northampton Town, released
MF David Crown England (1958-02-16)16 February 1958 (aged 23) Walthamstow Avenue 1980 Transferred to Portsmouth
FW David Kemp England (1953-02-20)20 February 1953 (aged 28) Plymouth Argyle 1982 Returned to Plymouth Argyle after loan
FW Gordon Sweetzer Canada (1957-01-27)27 January 1957 (aged 24) Toronto Blizzard 1982 Released
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,[9] Timeless Bees[10]

Coaching staff[edit]

Name Role
England Fred Callaghan Manager
England Ron Harris Assistant manager
England Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals[edit]

Substitute appearances in brackets.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Scotland David McKellar 45 0 3 0 2 0 50 0
GK England Paul Priddy 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
DF England Mark Hill 17 (1) 0 0 0 2 0 19 (1) 0
DF England Robbie Johnson 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
DF England Pat Kruse 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
DF Scotland Jim McNichol 26 3 3 0 0 0 29 3
DF England Terry Rowe 10 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
DF England Danis Salman 40 0 2 0 2 0 44 0
DF England Tony Spencer 3 0 — — 3 0
DF Wales Barry Tucker 38 4 3 0 2 0 43 4
DF England Alan Whitehead 42 (1) 3 3 0 2 0 47 (1) 3
MF England Stan Bowles 31 6 2 0 — 33 6
MF England David Crown 7 (1) 2 — 2 0 9 (1) 2
MF England Ron Harris 19 (1) 0 1 0 2 0 22 (1) 0
MF England Terry Hurlock 40 2 3 0 2 0 45 2
MF England Chris Kamara 31 5 3 0 — 34 5
MF Wales Gary Roberts 39 (1) 8 2 1 2 0 43 (1) 9
MF England Paul Shrubb 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 0
MF England Keith Tonge 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 0
MF England Paul Walker 7 (2) 0 0 0 1 0 8 (2) 0
FW England Bob Booker 27 (11) 4 2 0 2 0 31 (11) 4
FW Wales Keith Bowen 37 (1) 8 3 2 — 40 (1) 10
FW England Gary Johnson 29 (1) 8 3 0 0 0 32 (1) 8
FW Canada Gordon Sweetzer 8 (1) 1 — — 8 (1) 1
Players loaned in during the season
FW England David Kemp 3 1 — — 3 1
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties[11]

Goalscorers[edit]

Pos. Nat Player FL3 FAC FLC Total
FW Wales Keith Bowen 8 2 — 10
MF Wales Gary Roberts 8 1 0 9
FW England Gary Johnson 8 0 0 8
MF England Stan Bowles 6 0 — 6
MF England Chris Kamara 5 0 — 5
FW England Bob Booker 4 0 0 4
DF Wales Barry Tucker 4 0 0 4
DF Scotland Jim McNichol 3 0 0 3
DF England Alan Whitehead 3 0 0 3
MF England David Crown 2 — 0 2
MF England Terry Hurlock 2 0 0 2
FW England David Kemp 1 — — 1
FW Canada Gordon Sweetzer 1 — — 1
Opponents 1 0 0 1
Total 56 3 0 59
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties[11]

Management[edit]

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Fred Callaghan England 29 August 1981 15 May 1982 51 20 12 19 039.22 46 19 11 16 041.30

Summary[edit]

Games played 51 (46 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Games won 20 (19 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games drawn 12 (11 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games lost 19 (16 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Goals scored 59 (56 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Goals conceded 52 (47 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Clean sheets 16 (15 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Biggest league win 3–0 versus Swindon Town, 3 November 1981; 4–1 versus Millwall, 9 April 1982
Worst league defeat 3–0 versus Walsall, 19 January 1982; 4–1 versus Reading, 27 January 1982
Most appearances 50, David McKellar (45 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Top scorer (league) 8, Keith Bowen, Gary Johnson, Gary Roberts
Top scorer (all competitions) 10, Keith Bowen

Transfers & loans[edit]

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
August 1981 GK England Paul Priddy England Hayes n/a [1]
August 1981 DF England Alan Whitehead England Bury £65,000 [1]
September 1981 FW Wales Keith Bowen England Northampton Town n/a [1]
October 1981 MF England Stan Bowles England Orient £25,000 [1]
October 1981 MF England Chris Kamara England Portsmouth Exchange [1]
1981 MF England Keith Tonge n/a n/a [1]
January 1982 FW Canada Gordon Sweetzer Canada Toronto Blizzard Trial [1]
March 1982 DF England Tony Spencer n/a n/a [1]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
March 1982 FW England David Kemp England Plymouth Argyle March 1982 [1]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
September 1981 FW England Tony Funnell England Bournemouth £5,000 [1]
October 1981 MF England David Crown England Portsmouth Exchange [1]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
February 1982 DF England Pat Kruse England Northampton Town April 1982 [1]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
March 1982 FW Canada Gordon Sweetzer Canada Edmonton Drillers 1982 [1]
April 1982 DF England Pat Kruse England Barnet 1982 [1]
May 1982 DF England Mark Hill England Wycombe Wanderers 1982 [1]
May 1982 DF England Robbie Johnson England Hayes 1982 [1]
May 1982 GK England Paul Priddy Retired [1]
May 1982 MF England Paul Shrubb England Aldershot August 1982 [1]
May 1982 DF England Kevin Teer n/a n/a [1]

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 60-65.
  2. ^ a b c d e White, p. 316-317.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Brentford results for the 1981–1982 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Brentford scoring and sequence records". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  5. ^ "English Division Three (old) 1981–1982 Table". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  6. ^ White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 396. ISBN 0951526200.
  7. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 48-59.
  8. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 390-391.
  9. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796716.
  10. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  11. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 423.
  12. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 383.
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