1949–50 Brentford F.C. season explained

Club:	Brentford
Season:	1949–50
Manager:	Jackie Gibbons
Chairman:	Frank Davis
Stadium:	Griffin Park
League:	Second Division
League Result:	9th
Cup1:	FA Cup
Cup1 Result:	Fourth round
League Topscorer:	Dare (14)
Mgrtitle:	Secretary-Manager
Season Topscorer:	Dare (14)
Highest Attendance:	38,000
Lowest Attendance:	16,514
Average Attendance:	22,613
Pattern La1:	_red_stripes
Pattern B1:	_redstripes2
Pattern Ra1:	_red_stripes
Pattern Sh1:	_whitesides
Pattern So1:	_redtop_2whitestripes
Shorts1:	000000
Socks1:	000000
Prevseason:	1948–49
Nextseason:	1950–51

During the 1949–50 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Second Division. In his first season as manager, Jackie Gibbons guided the club to a 9th-place finish, a marked improvement on near-relegations in the previous two seasons.

Season summary

1949–50 marked the first season since 1925–26 that Brentford would play a full season under the management of someone other than Harry Curtis, with former player Jackie Gibbons having taken over as manager in February 1949. A new-look squad toured Sweden under Gibbons in pre-season, with new forward signings Ken Coote, Jimmy Hill and Dennis Rampling in attendance. Joe Crozier, the club's near-ever-present goalkeeper since September 1937, elected to retire from full-time football and was replaced by his backups, firstly Ted Gaskell and then Alf Jefferies.

Brentford had a mixed season in the Second Division, with just three victories in the opening 15 matches leaving the club out of contention for challenging for promotion.^[1] A turnaround in form elevated the Bees from 21st place on 5 November 1949, to a season-high 7th on 8 April 1950. Two losses, a win and a draw from the final four matches dropped the club a final position of 9th. Brentford finished the campaign having conceded only 12 league goals at Griffin Park, the best home record in each of the top two divisions.

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win

Draw

Loss

Football League Second Division

No.	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorer(s)
1	20 August 1949	Tottenham Hotspur	H	1–4	32,702	Manley (pen)
2	24 August 1949	Queens Park Rangers	A	3–3	20,931	Dare (2), Monk
3	27 August 1949	Bury	A	2–1	16,116	Woodward, Dare
4	31 August 1949	Queens Park Rangers	H	0–2	25,741
5	3 September 1949	Leicester City	H	0–1	20,302
6	10 September 1949	Bradford Park Avenue	A	2–0	12,754	Goodwin, Paton
7	14 September 1949	Blackburn Rovers	H	2–0	19,889	Dare, Paton
8	17 September 1949	Chesterfield	H	0–0	25,270
9	19 September 1949	Blackburn Rovers	A	1–4	18,613	Coote
10	24 September 1949	Plymouth Argyle	A	0–2	17,088
11	1 October 1949	Sheffield Wednesday	H	1–1	25,270	Goodwin
12	8 October 1949	Preston North End	A	0–2	30,178
13	15 October 1949	Swansea Town	H	0–0	23,871
14	22 October 1949	Leeds United	A	0–1	27,342
15	29 October 1949	Southampton	H	0–1	21,694
16	5 November 1949	Coventry City	A	1–1	16,110	Woodward
17	12 November 1949	Luton Town	H	1–0	20,520	Sperrin
18	19 November 1949	Barnsley	A	1–0	14,942	Woodward
19	26 November 1949	West Ham United	H	0–2	21,887
20	3 December 1949	Sheffield United	A	1–1	20,649	Dare
21	10 December 1949	Grimsby Town	A	1–0	16,384	Girling
22	17 December 1949	Tottenham Hotspur	A	1–1	49,297	Sperrin
23	24 December 1949	Bury	H	2–0	17,401	Dare (2)
24	26 December 1949	Hull City	H	3–1	33,791	Dare, Sperrin, Goodwin
25	27 December 1949	Hull City	A	0–2	48,447
26	31 December 1949	Leicester City	A	1–1	31,919	Dare
27	14 January 1950	Bradford Park Avenue	H	2–0	19,781	Coote, Paton
28	21 January 1950	Chesterfield	A	1–3	12,075	Coote
29	4 February 1950	Plymouth Argyle	H	0–0	22,313
30	18 February 1950	Sheffield Wednesday	A	3–3	37,923	Pointon, Hill, Dare
31	25 February 1950	Preston North End	H	1–0	25,387	Goodwin
32	4 March 1950	Swansea Town	A	0–3	21,239
33	11 March 1950	Leeds United	H	0–0	22,231
34	18 March 1950	Southampton	A	3–2	22,429	Paton, Dare, Mallett (og)
35	25 March 1950	Coventry City	H	2–0	16,921	Goodwin, Dare
36	1 April 1950	West Ham United	A	2–2	18,826	Manley (pen), Pointon
37	7 April 1950	Cardiff City	H	1–0	24,584	Goodwin
38	8 April 1950	Sheffield United	H	1–0	22,411	Dare
39	10 April 1950	Cardiff City	A	0–0	16,260
40	15 April 1950	Luton Town	A	0–1	13,991
41	22 April 1950	Barnsley	H	3–0	16,514	Pointon, Hill, Dare
42	29 April 1950	Grimsby Town	A	1–4	11,253	Garneys

FA Cup

See main article: 1949–50 FA Cup.

• Sources: Statto, 11v11, 100 Years Of Brentford^[2]

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1949–50 season.

Pos.	Name	Nat.	Date of birth (age)	Signed from	Signed in	Notes
Goalkeepers
GK	Ted Gaskell		August 20, 1949	Buxton	1937
GK	Alf Jefferies		August 20, 1949	Oxford City	1945
GK	Reg Newton		August 20, 1949	Leyton Orient	1949
Defenders
DF	Bill Gorman		August 20, 1949	Bury	1938
DF	Fred Monk		August 20, 1949	Guildford City	1948
DF	Roddy Munro		August 20, 1949	Rangers	1946
DF	Wally Quinton		August 20, 1949	Birmingham City	1949
Midfielders
HB	Ron Greenwood		August 20, 1949	Bradford Park Avenue	1949
HB	Frank Latimer		August 20, 1949	Snowdown Colliery Welfare	1945
HB	Tom Manley		August 20, 1949	Manchester United	1939
Forwards
FW	Jimmy Anders		August 20, 1949	Preston North End	1948
FW	Ken Coote		August 20, 1949	Wembley	1949
FW	Billy Dare		August 20, 1949	Hendon	1948
FW	Tom Garneys		August 20, 1949	Chingford Town	1949
FW	Dickie Girling		August 20, 1949	Crystal Palace	1947
FW	Jackie Goodwin		August 20, 1949	Birmingham City	1949
FW	Jimmy Hill		August 20, 1949	Reading	1949
FW	Doug Keene		August 20, 1949	Kingsbury Town	1946
FW	Kevin O'Flanagan		August 20, 1949	Barnet	1949	Amateur
FW	Johnny Paton		August 20, 1949	Celtic	1949
FW	Bill Pointon		August 20, 1949	Queens Park Rangers	1950
FW	Dennis Rampling		August 20, 1949	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	1949
FW	Billy Sperrin		August 20, 1949	Guildford City	1949
Players who left the club mid-season
HB	David Nelson		August 20, 1949	Fulham	1947	Transferred to Queens Park Rangers
HB	George Paterson		August 20, 1949	Celtic	1946	Transferred to Yeovil Town
FW	Viv Woodward		August 20, 1949	Millwall	1948	Transferred to Aldershot

• Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Timeless Bees^[3]

Coaching staff

Name	Role
Jackie Gibbons	Secretary-Manager
Jimmy Bain	Assistant Manager
Malky MacDonald	Trainer
Jack Cartmell	Assistant Trainer

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Pos	Nat	Name	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK		Ted Gaskell	14	0	0	0	14	0
GK		Alf Jefferies	26	0	1	0	27	0
GK		Reg Newton	2	0	0	0	2	0
DF		Bill Gorman	8	0	0	0	8	0
DF		Fred Monk	25	1	1	0	26	1
DF		Roddy Munro	19	0	0	0	19	0
DF		Wally Quinton	36	0	1	0	37	0
HB		Ron Greenwood	42	0	1	0	43	0
HB		Frank Latimer	22	0	1	0	23	0
HB		Tom Manley	33	2	0	0	33	2
HB		David Nelson	26	0	1	0	27	0
HB		George Paterson	3	0	—		3	0
FW		Jimmy Anders	9	0	1	0	10	0
FW		Ken Coote	20	3	0	0	20	3
FW		Billy Dare	41	14	1	0	42	14
FW		Tom Garneys	1	1	0	0	1	1
FW		Dickie Girling	14	1	0	0	14	1
FW		Jackie Goodwin	36	6	1	0	37	6
FW		Jimmy Hill	18	2	0	0	18	2
FW		Doug Keene	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW		Kevin O'Flanagan	6	0	1	0	7	0
FW		Johnny Paton	23	5	0	0	23	5
FW		Bill Pointon	12	2	0	0	12	2
FW		Dennis Rampling	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW		Billy Sperrin	14	3	1	0	15	3
FW		Viv Woodward	10	3	0	0	10	3

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

Goalscorers

Pos.	Nat	Player	FL2	FAC	Total
FW		Billy Dare	14	0	14
FW		Jackie Goodwin	6	0	6
FW		Johnny Paton	5	0	5
FW		Ken Coote	3	0	3
FW		Billy Sperrin	3	0	3
FW		Viv Woodward	3	0	3
FW		Jimmy Hill	2	0	2
HB		Tom Manley	2	0	2
FW		Bill Pointon	2	0	2
FW		Tom Garneys	1	0	1
FW		Dickie Girling	1	0	1
DF		Fred Monk	1	0	1
Opponents			1	0	1
Total			44	0	44

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

Summary

Games played	43 (42 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games won	15 (15 Second Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games drawn	13 (13 Second Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost	15 (14 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored	44 (44 Second Division, 0 FA Cup)
Goals conceded	51 (49 Second Division, 2 FA Cup)
Clean sheets	17 (17 Second Division, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win	3–0 versus Barnsley, 22 April 1950
Worst league defeat	4–1 on three occasions
Most appearances	43, Ron Greenwood (42 Second Division, 1 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league)	14, Billy Dare
Top scorer (all competitions)	14, Billy Dare

Transfers & loans

Cricketers are not included in this list.

Players transferred in
Date	Pos.	Name	Previous Club	Fee	Ref.
9 May 1949	FW	Dennis Rampling	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	n/a	^[5]
May 1949	FW	Jimmy Hill	Reading	n/a
July 1949	GK	Reg Newton	Leyton Orient	Part-exchange
September 1949	FW	Jack Jordan	Reading	n/a
September 1949	FW	Johnny Paton	Celtic	£5,000	^[6]
September 1949	FW	Billy Sperrin	Guildford City	n/a
November 1949	FW	Kevin O'Flanagan	Barnet	Amateur
24 December 1949	FW	Tom Garneys	Chingford Town	£750	^[7]
1949	FW	George Francis	Unattached	n/a	^[8]
1949	FW	Dennis Heath	Alexandra Villa	n/a	^[9]
February 1950	FW	Eddie Brown	n/a	n/a
February 1950	FW	Bill Pointon	Queens Park Rangers	Exchange
March 1950	DF	Tecwyn Jones	Holywell Town	Free
Players transferred out
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Fee	Ref.
May 1949	FW	Peter McKennan	Middlesbrough	£9,000
July 1949	FW	Alan Smith	Leyton Orient	Part-exchange
1949	HB	George Paterson	Queens Park Rangers	n/a
February 1950	HB	David Nelson	Queens Park Rangers	Exchange
February 1950	FW	Viv Woodward	Aldershot	n/a
Players released
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Join date	Ref.
September 1949	DF	Malky MacDonald	Retired
May 1950	FW	Eddie Brown	Torquay United	August 1950
May 1950	FW	Les Devonshire	Chester	June 1950
May 1950	DF	Doug Keene	Brighton & Hove Albion	June 1950
May 1950	FW	Kevin O'Flanagan	Retired
May 1950	FW	Dennis Rampling	Weymouth	1950

Notes and References

1. Web site: Brentford results for the 1949–1950 season . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160805222003/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/brentford/1949-1950/results . 5 August 2016 . 23 June 2016 . Statto.com.
2. Book: 100 Years Of Brentford . Brentford FC . 1989 . 0951526200 . White . Eric . 380.
3. Book: Haynes, Graham . Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 . Coumbe . Frank . Yore Publications . 2006 . 978-0955294914.
4. Web site: England Matches – The Amateurs 1947–1962 . 21 November 2016 . www.englandfootballonline.com.
5. Book: Brentford Football Supporters And Social Club Official Handbook – 1949–50 . 1949 . 35.
6. Web site: Player: John Paton . 1 June 2024 . Watford Football Club Archive . en.
7. Web site: Former Bee Passes Away . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180623033131/http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk.p.preprod.performgroup.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10421~995935,00.html . 23 June 2018 . 12 February 2018 . brentfordfc.co.uk.
8. Book: Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Watford . 24 January 1998 . Quay Design of Poole . 25.
9. Book: Lane, David . Cult Bees & Legends: Volume Two . Legends Publishing . 2005 . 0954368282 . Hampton Hill . 8–21 . B00NPZL58S.