| Club: | Brentford |
| Season: | 1943–44 |
| Manager: | Harry Curtis |
| Chairman: | Frank Davis |
| Stadium: | Griffin Park |
| League: | Football League South |
| League Result: | 7th |
| Cup1: | Football League South War Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Group stage |
| League Topscorer: | Hunt (15) |
| Season Topscorer: | Hunt (18) |
| Highest Attendance: | 20,270 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,340 |
| 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: | 1942–43 |
| Nextseason: | 1944–45 |
During the 1943–44 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. The Bees marginally improved on the previous season's 9th-place finish, ending in 7th.
Brentford returned for the 1943–44 Football League South season again with a shortage of first team players, with just 10 available who made a senior appearance for the club prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. The biggest boost for the squad came with the availability of goalkeeper Joe Crozier, who had not appeared since 21 October 1939. Reserve forwards Fred Durrant and Bob Thomas, signed before the war, would feature during the season, as would six junior and amateur players on the club's books. A whopping 36 guest players would be used during the campaign.
Despite an improved 7th-place finish in the Football League South,[1] 1943–44 proved to be as forgettable as the previous season, though there were a few memorable results – 7–2 versus Southampton on 18 December 1943, 4–1 versus Arsenal in front of 20,270 at Griffin Park on 4 February 1944 and 8–0 versus Brighton & Hove Albion a month later in the group stage of the Football League War Cup, from which Brentford failed to qualify for the knockout stages. Three players won wartime international caps during the season – Les Smith for England, Joe Crozier for Scotland and Idris Hopkins for Wales. Though he finished the season as second-leading scorer behind guest Douglas Hunt, Les Smith's 15 goals in 15 appearances led his case for a first international cap in over two years.
The 1943–44 season ended with the retirements of two players who had contributed to Brentford's rise from the Third Division South to the First Division between 1932 and 1935. 34-year-old centre half Joe James elected to retire six months after failing to recover from a wrist injury suffered in the match versus Charlton Athletic on 26 February 1944. He would return to football briefly with Colchester United in November 1945.[2] 35-year-old centre forward Jack Holliday, who moved to the half back line in his later years, retired at the end of the season, having scored 122 goals in 222 matches from his arrival in May 1932 to the outbreak of war in September 1939. He remained on the club's books as assistant trainer of the reserve team.
See main article: 1943–44 in English football.
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 August 1943 | Clapton Orient | H | 4–2 | 4,820 | Hunt, Smith (2), Stewart | |
| 2 | 4 September 1943 | Fulham | A | 3–4 | 7,737 | Stewart, Hunt (2) | |
| 3 | 11 September 1943 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 2–3 | 5,310 | Hopkins, Hunt | |
| 4 | 18 September 1943 | Chelsea | H | 3–1 | 6,400 | Smith, Hunt, Stewart | |
| 5 | 25 September 1943 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–1 | 5,131 | W. Watson | |
| 6 | 2 October 1943 | Watford | H | 4–1 | 6,720 | Durrant, Hunt (pen), McKennan (2) | |
| 7 | 9 October 1943 | West Ham United | A | 0–0 | 12,000 | ||
| 8 | 16 October 1943 | Arsenal | A | 3–3 | 17,658 | McKennan, Townsend, Hunt | |
| 9 | 23 October 1943 | Aldershot | H | 2–4 | 9,940 | McKennan (2) | |
| 10 | 30 October 1943 | Luton Town | A | 2–2 | 5,000 | Driver, McKennan | |
| 11 | 6 November 1943 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–2 | 9,650 | ||
| 12 | 13 November 1943 | Portsmouth | H | 2–0 | 6,880 | Smith, Hunt (pen) | |
| 13 | 27 November 1943 | Clapton Orient | A | 4–1 | 1,000 | Smith (2), Little, McKennan | |
| 14 | 4 December 1943 | Fulham | H | 0–0 | 7,510 | ||
| 15 | 11 December 1943 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–0 | 2,500 | Thomas, Stewart | |
| 16 | 18 December 1943 | Southampton | H | 7–2 | 3,000 | Smith (2), Hunt (2), McKennan (2), Stewart | |
| 17 | 25 December 1943 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–5 | 11,200 | Thomas, McKennan | |
| 18 | 27 December 1943 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 2–3 | 8,900 | Smith, Stewart | |
| 19 | 1 January 1944 | Chelsea | A | 3–0 | 12,000 | McKennan (2), Hunt | |
| 20 | 8 January 1944 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–1 | 16,917 | ||
| 21 | 22 January 1944 | Watford | A | 4–4 | 2,759 | Hunt (2, 1 pen), W. Watson, McKennan | |
| 22 | 29 January 1944 | West Ham United | H | 2–1 | 11,220 | Townsend, Hunt | |
| 23 | 5 February 1944 | Arsenal | H | 4–1 | 20,270 | Soo, Westcott, Townsend (2) | |
| 24 | 12 February 1944 | Aldershot | A | 2–4 | 4,000 | McKennan, Smith | |
| 25 | 1 April 1944 | Luton Town | H | 2–0 | 2,340 | Hopkins, Baynham | |
| 26 | 10 April 1944 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–0 | 4,440 | Stewart, Holliday | |
| 27 | 15 April 1944 | Reading | H | 1–0 | 6,040 | Smith | |
| 28 | 22 April 1944 | Southampton | A | 2–2 | 9,000 | Townsend, Stewart | |
| 29 | 29 April 1944 | Portsmouth | A | 2–3 | 8,000 | Baynham, Townsend | |
| 30 | 6 May 1944 | Reading | A | 3–0 | 3,500 | Townsend (2), Hunt |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grp | 19 February 1944 | Crystal Palace | H | 3–4 | 4,110 | Townsend, Stevens | |
| Grp | 26 February 1944 | Charlton Athletic | A | 3–5 | 5,023 | Townsend, Hunt (2) | |
| Grp | 4 March 1944 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 8–0 | 5,020 | Westcott (4), Townsend (3), Hunt | |
| Grp | 11 March 1944 | Crystal Palace | A | 2–1 | 8,659 | Westcott, Shepherd | |
| Grp | 18 March 1944 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–2 | 10,000 | Townsend, Smith | |
| Grp | 25 March 1944 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0–5 | 3,000 |
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1943–44 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 | ||||
| GK | Joe Crozier | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| GK | Reg Saunders | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| DF | Buster Brown | 30 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| DF | Bernard Floodgate | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| DF | George Poyser | 24 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| HB | Jack Holliday | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| HB | Joe James | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| HB | Tom Manley | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| HB | Ernest Muttitt | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| FW | Johnny Baynham | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | |||
| FW | Fred Durrant | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| FW | Idris Hopkins | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 2 | ||
| FW | Maurice Richfield | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Les Smith | 21 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 13 | ||
| FW | Bob Thomas | 8 | 2 | — | 8 | 2 | |||
| FW | Len Townsend | 10 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 15 | ||
| Players guested during the season | |||||||||
| GK | Gordon Bentley | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| GK | Charlie Briggs | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| GK | Harry Dukes | 4 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| GK | Freddie Houldsworth | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| GK | John Jones | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| GK | Bill Mason | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| GK | Alec Roxburgh | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| DF | Ralph Cowan | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| DF | Frank Jenner | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| DF | Fred Lester | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| DF | George Taylor | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| HB | Len Jones | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| HB | Duncan McKenzie | 18 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| HB | David Nelson | 5 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| HB | Frank Soo | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| HB | Jimmy Watson | 14 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 2 | ||
| HB | Jack Watson | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| HB | Bill Whittaker | 20 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| FW | Dickie Davis | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| FW | Johnny Deakin | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Allenby Driver | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| FW | Bobby Flavell | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Dickie Girling | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Douglas Hunt | 26 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 30 | 18 | ||
| FW | Tommy Kiernan | 4 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| FW | Charlie Leyfield | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | George Little | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | |||
| FW | Peter McKennan | 18 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 14 | ||
| FW | Ernie Shepherd | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| FW | Arthur Stevens | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| FW | George Stewart | 22 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 8 | ||
| FW | Harry Thompson | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| FW | Dennis Westcott | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | ||
| Pos. | Nat | Player | FLS | FLC | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FW | Douglas Hunt | 15 | 3 | 18 | ||
| FW | Len Townsend | 8 | 7 | 15 | ||
| FW | Peter McKennan | 14 | 0 | 14 | ||
| FW | Les Smith | 12 | 1 | 13 | ||
| FW | George Stewart | 8 | 0 | 8 | ||
| FW | Dennis Westcott | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
| FW | Johnny Baynham | 2 | — | 2 | ||
| FW | Bob Thomas | 2 | — | 2 | ||
| FW | Idris Hopkins | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| HB | Jimmy Watson | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| FW | Allenby Driver | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| FW | Fred Durrant | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| HB | Jack Holliday | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| FW | George Little | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| HB | Frank Soo | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| FW | Ernie Shepherd | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| FW | Arthur Stevens | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Total | 71 | 18 | 89 | |||
| Pos. | Nat | Player | Caps | Goals | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Joe Crozier | 3 | 0 | [6] | ||
| FW | Idris Hopkins | 1 | 0 | [7] | ||
| FW | Les Smith | 3 | 1 | [8] |
| Games played | 36 (30 Football League South, 6 Football League War Cup) | |
| Games won | 16 (14 Football League South, 2 Football League War Cup) | |
| Games drawn | 8 (7 Football League South, 1 Football League War Cup) | |
| Games lost | 12 (9 Football League South, 3 Football League War Cup) | |
| Goals scored | 89 (71 Football League South, 18 Football League War Cup) | |
| Goals conceded | 68 (51 Football League South, 17 Football League War Cup) | |
| Clean sheets | 10 (9 Football League South, 1 Football League War Cup) | |
| Biggest league win | 7–2 versus Southampton, 18 December 1943 | |
| Worst league defeat | 5–2 versus Queens Park Rangers, 25 December 1943 | |
| Most appearances | 35, Buster Brown (30 Football League South, 5 Football League War Cup) | |
| Top scorer (league) | 15, Douglas Hunt | |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 18, Douglas Hunt |
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. | |
| 28 August 1943 | FW | Douglas Hunt | Sheffield Wednesday | End of season | ||
| 28 August 1943 | HB | Len Jones | Plymouth Argyle | 28 August 1943 | ||
| 28 August 1943 | HB | Duncan McKenzie | Middlesbrough | 22 January 1944 | ||
| 28 August 1943 | FW | George Stewart | Hamilton Academical | End of season | ||
| 28 August 1943 | HB | Jimmy Watson | Bristol Rovers | 22 April 1944 | ||
| 4 September 1943 | GK | John Jones | Northampton Town | 11 September 1943 | ||
| 4 September 1943 | HB | Bill Whittaker | Charlton Athletic | End of season | ||
| 11 September 1943 | FW | Harry Thompson | Sunderland | 11 September 1943 | ||
| 18 September 1943 | FW | Peter McKennan | Partick Thistle | 10 April 1944 | ||
| 18 September 1943 | HB | Frank Soo | Stoke City | 18 March 1944 | ||
| 16 October 1943 | GK | Charlie Briggs | Halifax Town | 19 December 1942 | ||
| 23 October 1943 | DF | Fred Lester | Sheffield Wednesday | 23 October 1943 | ||
| 23 October 1943 | FW | Charlie Leyfield | Doncaster Rovers | 23 October 1943 | ||
| 30 October 1943 | FW | Allenby Driver | Sheffield Wednesday | 30 October 1943 | ||
| 6 November 1943 | FW | Dickie Davis | Sunderland | 13 November 1943 | ||
| 6 November 1943 | GK | Harry Dukes | Norwich City | 27 December 1943 | ||
| 6 November 1943 | FW | Bobby Flavell | Airdrieonians | 6 November 1943 | ||
| 6 November 1943 | FW | George Little | Doncaster Rovers | 27 November 1943 | ||
| 13 November 1943 | HB | David Nelson | Arsenal | 8 January 1944 | ||
| 4 December 1943 | FW | Tommy Kiernan | Albion Rovers | 22 January 1944 | ||
| 27 December 1943 | DF | George Taylor | Bolton Wanderers | 27 December 1943 | ||
| 1 January 1944 | GK | Gordon Bentley | Burnley | 11 March 1944 | ||
| 22 January 1944 | FW | Ernie Shepherd | Fulham | 11 March 1944 | ||
| 29 January 1944 | FW | Johnny Deakin | St Mirren | 29 January 1944 | ||
| 5 February 1944 | FW | Dennis Westcott | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 18 March 1944 | ||
| 19 February 1944 | GK | Freddie Houldsworth | Reading | 19 February 1944 | ||
| 19 February 1944 | FW | Arthur Stevens | Fulham | 19 February 1944 | ||
| 26 February 1944 | GK | Alec Roxburgh | Blackpool | 27 March 1943 | ||
| 4 March 1944 | DF | Ralph Cowan | Rangers | 4 March 1944 | ||
| 1 April 1944 | GK | Bill Mason | Queens Park Rangers | 1 April 1944 | ||
| 1 April 1944 | HB | Jack Watson | Bury | 1 April 1944 | ||
| 10 April 1944 | HB | Frank Jenner | St Mirren | 10 April 1944 | ||
| 6 May 1944 | FW | Dickie Girling | Crystal Palace | End of season | ||
| Guest players out | ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. | |
| 9 October 1943 | HB | Ernest Muttitt | Watford | 9 October 1943 | [9] | |
| 4 December 1943 | HB | Ernest Muttitt | Chelsea | 4 December 1943 | [10] | |
| 22 January 1944 | HB | Tom Manley | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 January 1944 | [11] | |
| 5 February 1944 | HB | Ernest Muttitt | West Ham United | 5 February 1944 | [12] | |
| n/a | DF | Jimmy Anderson | Hamilton Academical | n/a | [13] | |
| Players released | ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. | |
| May 1944 | FW | Jack Holliday | Retired | |||
| May 1944 | HB | Joe James | Retired | |||