| Club: | Brentford |
| Season: | 1897–98 |
| Chairman: | Bill Stephenson |
| Stadium: | Shotter's Field |
| League: | London League First Division |
| League Result: | 2nd |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Second qualifying round |
| Cup2: | London Senior Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Winners |
| Cup3: | Middlesex Senior Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Winners |
| League Topscorer: | Field (11) |
| Season Topscorer: | Field (26) |
| Prevseason: | 1896–97 |
| Nextseason: | 1898–99 |
During the 1897–98 English football season, Brentford competed in the London League First Division. A hugely successful season saw the Bees win the London Senior Cup, the Middlesex Senior Cup and finish as runners-up in the league.
After winning promotion from the London League Second Division at the first attempt, the Brentford committee bolstered the team's firepower for its first season in the First Division by signing forwards Thomas Knapman, John Richardson and Ernest Booth.[1] Goalkeeper Jack Foster, then one of the club's highest appearance-makers, elected to retire from football and Arthur Charlton, one of the club's first great players,[2] moved to Nottingham and was succeeded as captain by Herbert Edney – though Charlton would return to play for Brentford sporadically through the season.
Brentford obliterated all opposition throughout the season, with the goals of forward Oakey Field providing the firepower to help the club win the London Senior Cup and the Middlesex Senior Cup. The pileup of London League fixtures meant that the Bees had to close the season with seven matches in just over three weeks, which included two matches in one day on 16 April. Brentford went into the final day of the season knowing that a victory over strugglers Barking Woodville would seal the league title, but the best the jaded team could manage was a 0–0 draw, which allowed Thames Ironworks, who won their final match, to finish the season as champions.
See main article: article and London League (football).
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 September 1897 | Thames Ironworks | A | 0–1 | |||
| 2 | 18 September 1897 | 2nd Grenadier Guards | H | 4–2 | Untraced, Dailley, Wade, Field | ||
| 3 | 9 October 1897 | Ilford | A | 2–2 | Dailley, Field | ||
| 4 | 6 November 1897 | Stanley | A | 1–0 | Booth | ||
| 5 | 4 December 1897 | Barking Woodville | A | 2–1 | Untraced | ||
| 6 | 11 December 1897 | Bromley | A | 1–0 | Booth | ||
| 7 | 8 January 1898 | Leyton | H | 8–4 | Dailley, Field (6), Booth | ||
| 8 | 15 January 1898 | 3rd Grenadier Guards | A | 5–1 | Dailley, Field (3), Knapman | ||
| 9 | 10 March 1898 | 2nd Grenadier Guards | A | 2–1 | Wade (2) | [3] | |
| 10 | 7 April 1898 | Bromley | H | 9–1 | Untraced | ||
| 11 | 9 April 1898 | Stanley | H | 1–0 | Knapman | ||
| 12 | 16 April 1898 | Leyton | A | 1–2 | Knapman | ||
| 13 | 16 April 1898 | Ilford | H | 2–1 | Fox, Butcher | ||
| 14 | 23 April 1898 | Thames Ironworks | H | 1–0 | Lloyd | ||
| 15 | 27 April 1898 | 3rd Grenadier Guards | H | 4–1 | Booth (2), Richardson, Butcher | ||
| 16 | 30 April 1898 | Barking Woodville | H | 0–0 |
See main article: article and 1897–98 FA Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1QR | 25 September 1897 | 1st Coldstream Guards | H | 6–1 | Wade (3), Knapman, Field, untraced | |
| 2QR | 16 October 1897 | 3rd Grenadier Guards | H | 1–1 | Swann (pen) | |
| 2QR (replay) | 20 October 1897 | 3rd Grenadier Guards | A | 1–4 | Richardson |
See main article: article and London Senior Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1R | 22 January 1898 | Stanley | H | 4–2 | Field (3), Dailley | ||
| 2R | 19 February 1898 | Clapton | H | 4–1 | Dailley, Earle (og), Field, Swann (pen) | ||
| SF | 12 March 1898 | Casuals | N | 4–3 | Field (3), Knapman | [4] | |
| F | 2 April 1898 | Ilford | N | 5–1 | Lloyd (2), Field (2), Booth |
See main article: article and Middlesex Senior Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1R | 29 January 1898 | 1st Scots Guards | H | 4–2 | Field (2), Booth, Knapman | ||
| 2R | 26 February 1898 | 2nd Grenadier Guards | H | 0–0 | |||
| 2R (replay) | 5 March 1898 | 2nd Grenadier Guards | H | 3–1 | Newman (2), Booth | ||
| SF | 19 March 1898 | 3rd Grenadier Guards | N | 4–1 | Field (2), Booth, Richardson | [5] | |
| F | 28 April 1898 | 2nd Scots Guards | N | 3–2 | Field, Charlton, Knapman | [6] |
| Games played | 28 (16 London League First Division, 3 FA Cup, 4 London Senior Cup, 5 Middlesex Senior Cup) | |
| Games won | 21 (12 London League First Division, 1 FA Cup, 4 London Senior Cup, 4 Middlesex Senior Cup) | |
| Games drawn | 4 (2 London League First Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 London Senior Cup, 1 Middlesex Senior Cup) | |
| Games lost | 3 (2 London League First Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 London Senior Cup, 0 Middlesex Senior Cup) | |
| Goals scored | 82 (43 London League First Division, 8 FA Cup, 17 London Senior Cup, 14 Middlesex Senior Cup) | |
| Goals conceded | 36 (17 London League First Division, 6 FA Cup, 7 London Senior Cup, 6 Middlesex Senior Cup) | |
| Clean sheets | 6 (5 London League First Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 London Senior Cup, 1 Middlesex Senior Cup) | |
| Biggest league win | 9–1 versus Bromley, 7 April 1898 | |
| Worst league defeat | 1–0 versus Thames Ironworks, 11 September 1897; 2–1 versus Leyton, 16 April 1898 | |
| Most appearances (where traced) | 25, Richard Dailley (13 London League First Division, 3 FA Cup, 4 London Senior Cup, 5 Middlesex Senior Cup) | |
| Top scorer (league, where traced) | 11, Oakey Field | |
| Top scorer (all competitions, where traced) | 26, Oakey Field |