| Club: | Brentford |
| Season: | 1942–43 |
| Manager: | Harry Curtis |
| Chairman: | Louis P. Simon |
| Stadium: | Griffin Park |
| League: | Football League South |
| League Result: | 9th |
| Cup1: | Football League South War Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Group stage |
| League Topscorer: | Townsend (18) |
| Season Topscorer: | Townsend (19) |
| Highest Attendance: | 23,180 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 3,210 |
| Average Attendance: | 25,768 |
| Pattern La1: | _red_stripes |
| Pattern B1: | _redstripes2 |
| Pattern Ra1: | _red_stripes |
| Pattern Sh1: | _whitesides |
| Pattern So1: | _redtop_2whitestripes |
| Shorts1: | 000000 |
| Socks1: | 000000 |
| Prevseason: | 1941–42 |
| Nextseason: | 1943–44 |
During the 1942–43 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League South, due to the cessation of competitive football for the duration of the Second World War. Early in a mid-table season for the club, inside forward Len Townsend notably scored six goals in a 9–4 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, the most-ever in any match by a Brentford player.
Brentford returned to the Football League South for the 1942–43 season with cause for optimism, having generated over £20,000 (equivalent to £ in) from the semi-finals and the final of the club's victorious 1941–42 London War Cup campaign. Again the first team squad would be hit by a lack of unavailability of players, with no goalkeeper available for the second season in succession. Despite averaging only 12 appearances per season since the war began, centre forward Len Townsend had been averaging nearly a goal a game and was in fantastic form, scoring 17 goals in a 17 match spell, including six in a 9–4 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on 12 September 1942. The record of six goals in a single match bettered the official club record of five, but due to the unofficial nature of wartime football, Townsend does not hold the club record outright.[1]
Brentford's league form held up until the turn of the year then fell apart, losing 10 of the final 15 matches of the season in all competitions. Guest forwards Eddie Perry and Douglas Hunt, who had scored the bulk of the team's goals since the beginning of the 1940–41 season failed to find the net with such regularity, though Albion Rovers' guest Tommy Kiernan notably scored 9 goals in his 10 appearances. The discontinuation of the London War Cup meant that the Bees would be unable to defend their crown, so the club were entered into the Football League South War Cup, which ended in elimination in the group stages. Brentford finished the league season in 9th place and Len Townsend scored 19 goals in 20 appearances.
See main article: article and 1942–43 in English football.
See main article: article and Football League War Cup.
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 August 1942 | Clapton Orient | H | 2–2 | 3,210 | Holliday, D. Hunt | |
| 2 | 5 September 1942 | Fulham | A | 1–3 | 4,600 | D. Hunt | |
| 3 | 12 September 1942 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 9–4 | 4,020 | Townsend (6), Kiernan (2), D. Hunt | |
| 4 | 19 September 1942 | Chelsea | H | 0–2 | 8,480 | ||
| 5 | 26 September 1942 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–4 | 8,000 | Kiernan | |
| 6 | 3 October 1942 | Watford | H | 3–0 | 3,590 | Wilkins, Hopkins, D. Hunt | |
| 7 | 10 October 1942 | West Ham United | H | 6–2 | 7,000 | Kiernan, Fenton (og), Townsend (2) | |
| 8 | 17 October 1942 | Arsenal | A | 2–0 | 16,700 | Smith, Kiernan | |
| 9 | 24 October 1942 | Aldershot | H | 4–1 | 5,000 | D. Hunt, Townsend, Aicken, Kiernan | |
| 10 | 31 October 1942 | Luton Town | H | 2–2 | 5,000 | Sneddon, Townsend | |
| 11 | 7 November 1942 | Millwall | A | 2–1 | 4,557 | D. Hunt, Perry | |
| 12 | 14 November 1942 | Charlton Athletic | A | 4–1 | 3,000 | Perry (2), Townsend, D. Hunt | |
| 13 | 21 November 1942 | Reading | H | 3–3 | 5,390 | Kiernan, D. Hunt (2) | |
| 14 | 28 November 1942 | Clapton Orient | A | 0–2 | 2,500 | ||
| 15 | 5 December 1942 | Fulham | H | 4–2 | 5,200 | Townsend (3), McKenzie | |
| 16 | 12 December 1942 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–7 | 4,000 | Townsend, D. Hunt | |
| 17 | 19 December 1942 | Chelsea | A | 4–2 | 8,154 | Townsend, McKenzie (2), Hopkins | |
| 18 | 25 December 1942 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | 14,621 | Townsend | |
| 19 | 26 December 1942 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | 12,540 | Townsend, Hopkins | |
| 20 | 2 January 1943 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–0 | 7,500 | D. Hunt (2) | |
| 21 | 9 January 1943 | Watford | A | 0–2 | 2,177 | ||
| 22 | 16 January 1943 | West Ham United | A | 1–4 | 7,500 | Perry | |
| 23 | 23 January 1943 | Arsenal | H | 0–1 | 23,180 | ||
| 24 | 30 January 1943 | Aldershot | A | 1–2 | 4,000 | Townsend | |
| 25 | 6 February 1943 | Luton Town | A | 1–1 | 3,000 | Hunt (og) | |
| 26 | 13 February 1943 | Millwall | H | 3–1 | 5,150 | McCulloch (2), Perry | |
| 27 | 20 February 1943 | Charlton Athletic | H | 3–5 | 4,680 | James, Armstrong, Smith | |
| 28 | 27 February 1943 | Reading | A | 1–7 | 4,000 | Henley |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grp | 6 March 1943 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–2 | 10,520 | O'Donnell | |
| Grp | 13 March 1943 | Clapton Orient | A | 1–1 | 3,707 | Hopkins | |
| Grp | 20 March 1943 | Southampton | H | 1–6 | 6,600 | Townsend | |
| Grp | 27 March 1943 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–2 | 9,954 | ||
| Grp | 3 April 1943 | Clapton Orient | H | 3–2 | 4,080 | D. Hunt (2, 1 pen), Hopkins | |
| Grp | 10 April 1943 | Southampton | A | 1–2 | 13,000 | Holliday |
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1942–43 season.
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Curtis | Manager | |
| Jimmy Bain | Assistant Manager | |
| Bob Kane | Trainer | |
| Jack Cartmell | Assistant Trainer |
| Pos | Nat | Name | League | FL War Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| DF | Buster Brown | 28 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||
| DF | George Poyser | 25 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| HB | Joe James | 27 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
| HB | Ernest Muttitt | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| FW | Vic Aicken | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | |||
| FW | Tommy Cheetham | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| FW | Jack Holliday | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | ||
| FW | Idris Hopkins | 22 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 5 | ||
| FW | Billy Scott | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| FW | Les Smith | 20 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 2 | ||
| FW | Len Townsend | 19 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 19 | ||
| FW | George Wilkins | 4 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 | |||
| Players guested during the season | |||||||||
| GK | Harry Dukes | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| GK | Ken Groves | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| GK | John Jackson | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 0 | ||
| GK | Bill Mason | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| GK | Reg Saphin | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| DF | Alex Muir | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| HB | Ernie Collett | — | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| HB | Duncan McKenzie | 25 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 3 | ||
| HB | Tally Sneddon | 18 | 1 | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| HB | Bill Whittaker | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| FW | Matt Armstrong | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| FW | Albert Bonass | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Walter Boyes | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| FW | Edwin Cunningham | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Harry Dooley | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Allenby Driver | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Jack Finch | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| FW | Dick Foss | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Pat Gallacher | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Les Henley | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| FW | Dennis Hillman | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Douglas Hunt | 24 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 29 | 14 | ||
| FW | Tommy Kiernan | 10 | 9 | — | 10 | 9 | |||
| FW | David McCulloch | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | |||
| FW | Milton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| FW | Frank O'Donnell | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| FW | Reg Pugh | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Eddie Perry | 13 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 5 | ||
| FW | Jack Vidler | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Pos. | Nat | Player | FLS | FLC | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FW | Len Townsend | 18 | 1 | 19 | ||
| FW | Douglas Hunt | 12 | 2 | 14 | ||
| FW | Tommy Kiernan | 9 | — | 9 | ||
| FW | Eddie Perry | 5 | 0 | 5 | ||
| FW | Idris Hopkins | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
| HB | Duncan McKenzie | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| FW | Jack Holliday | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| FW | David McCulloch | 2 | — | 2 | ||
| FW | Les Smith | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| FW | Vic Aicken | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| FW | Matt Armstrong | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| FW | Les Henley | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| FW | Frank O'Donnell | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| HB | Tally Sneddon | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| FW | George Wilkins | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| HB | Joe James | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Opponents | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||
| Total | 64 | 7 | 71 | |||
| Games played | 34 (28 London League, 6 Football League War Cup) | |
| Games won | 13 (12 London League, 1 Football League War Cup) | |
| Games drawn | 6 (5 London League, 1 Football League War Cup) | |
| Games lost | 15 (11 London League, 4 Football League War Cup) | |
| Goals scored | 71 (64 London League, 7 Football League War Cup) | |
| Goals conceded | 78 (63 London League, 15 Football League War Cup) | |
| Clean sheets | 3 (3 London League, 0 Football League War Cup) | |
| Biggest league win | 9–4 versus Brighton & Hove Albion, 12 September 1942 | |
| Worst league defeat | 7–1 versus Reading, 27 February 1943 | |
| Most appearances | 34, Buster Brown (28 London League, 6 Football League War Cup) | |
| Top scorer (league) | 18, Len Townsend | |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 19, Len Townsend |
Guest players' arrival and departure dates correspond to their first and last appearances of the season.
| Guest players in | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date from | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Date to | Ref. | |
| 29 August 1942 | FW | Albert Bonass | Queens Park Rangers | 29 August 1942 | ||
| 29 August 1942 | FW | Douglas Hunt | Sheffield Wednesday | End of season | ||
| 29 August 1942 | GK | Bill Mason | Queens Park Rangers | 29 August 1942 | ||
| 29 August 1942 | HB | Duncan McKenzie | Middlesbrough | End of season | ||
| 5 September 1942 | FW | Edwin Cunningham | Bristol City | 5 September 1942 | ||
| 5 September 1942 | GK | John Jackson | Chelsea | 20 March 1943 | ||
| 5 September 1942 | HB | Tally Sneddon | Swansea Town | 27 February 1943 | ||
| 5 September 1942 | HB | Bill Whittaker | Charlton Athletic | End of season | ||
| 12 September 1942 | FW | Tommy Kiernan | Albion Rovers | 19 December 1942 | ||
| 26 September 1942 | FW | Pat Gallacher | Portsmouth | 26 September 1942 | ||
| 26 September 1942 | FW | Reg Pugh | Cardiff City | 26 September 1942 | ||
| 10 October 1942 | FW | Matt Armstrong | Aberdeen | 20 February 1943 | ||
| 31 October 1942 | FW | Eddie Perry | Doncaster Rovers | 3 April 1943 | ||
| 12 December 1942 | GK | Harry Dukes | Norwich City | 12 December 1942 | ||
| 19 December 1942 | FW | Dick Foss | Chelsea | 19 December 1942 | ||
| 25 December 1942 | DF | Alex Muir | Albion Rovers | 26 December 1942 | ||
| 2 January 1943 | FW | Allenby Driver | Sheffield Wednesday | 2 January 1943 | ||
| 2 January 1943 | FW | Jack Finch | Fulham | 6 March 1943 | ||
| 9 January 1943 | FW | Jack Vidler | Bristol City | 9 January 1943 | ||
| 23 January 1943 | FW | David McCulloch | Derby County | 13 February 1943 | ||
| 6 February 1943 | FW | Walter Boyes | Everton | 13 February 1943 | ||
| 20 February 1943 | FW | Milton | Unattached | 13 March 1943 | ||
| 27 February 1943 | FW | Les Henley | Arsenal | 27 February 1943 | ||
| 27 February 1943 | FW | Dennis Hillman | Brighton & Hove Albion | 27 February 1943 | ||
| 6 March 1943 | FW | Frank O'Donnell | Blackpool | 6 March 1943 | ||
| 20 March 1943 | HB | Ernie Collett | Arsenal | 3 April 1943 | ||
| 27 March 1943 | FW | Harry Dooley | Unattached | End of season | ||
| 27 March 1943 | GK | Ken Groves | Preston North End | 27 March 1943 | ||
| 3 April 1943 | GK | Reg Saphin | Walthamstow Avenue | End of season | ||
| Guest players out | ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. | |
| 8 August 1942 | GK | Joe Crozier | Hibernian | 5 September 1942 | [6] | |
| 12 December 1942 | HB | Vic Aicken | Watford | 19 December 1942 | [7] | |
| 9 January 1943 | HB | Ernest Muttitt | West Ham United | 9 January 1943 | [8] | |
| 27 March 1943 | HB | Ernest Muttitt | Chelsea | 10 April 1943 | [9] | |
| n/a | FW | Len Townsend | Belfast Celtic | 1943 | ||