| Club: | Brentford |
| Season: | 1974–75 |
| Manager: | (until 16 January 1975) Jess Willard (16–20 January 1975) John Docherty (from 20 January 1975) |
| Chairman: | (until November 1974) Dan Tana (from November 1974) |
| Stadium: | Griffin Park |
| League: | Fourth Division |
| League Result: | 8th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Second round |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Second round |
| League Topscorer: | Simmons (12) |
| Season Topscorer: | Simmons (13) |
| Highest Attendance: | 6,485 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 3,983 |
| Average Attendance: | 5,172 |
| Pattern La1: | _red_stripes |
| Pattern B1: | _brentford_home_7375 |
| Pattern Ra1: | _red_stripes |
| Pattern Sh1: | _white stripes |
| Pattern So1: | _redtop_2whitestripes |
| Shorts1: | 000000 |
| Socks1: | 000000 |
| Pattern B2: | _brentford_away_74-75 |
| Rightarm2: | fff600 |
| Leftarm2: | fff600 |
| Shorts2: | 072cb3 |
| Pattern So2: | _brentford_away_74-75 |
| Prevseason: | 1973–74 |
| Nextseason: | 1975–76 |
During the 1974–75 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. After a poor first half of the season, manager Mike Everitt was sacked and replaced by John Docherty, who produced a strong run of results to finish the campaign in 8th place.
Off the back of Brentford's lowest finish in the Football League since the 1925–26 season, only three players were signed – defender Keith Lawrence on a permanent deal from Chelsea, goalkeeper Steve Sherwood on a season-long loan from Chelsea and Wimbledon midfield trialist Graham Smith. Two long-serving players were released, winger John Docherty and full back Alan Hawley.[1] New chairman Les Davey announced that the club would move to a new stadium in West London and that there was talk of a £1,000,000 takeover bid by local firm Brentford Nylons, but nothing came of either plan.
Brentford began the season poorly and after eight league matches were just two points above the Fourth Division re-election zone,[2] though one early season highlight was a League Cup second round tie versus First Division giants Liverpool at Anfield, where Roger Cross scored the opener in a 2–1 defeat. The Liverpool match was also notable for it being the final appearance made by centre half Peter Gelson, then the club's second-highest appearance-maker, who had his contract cancelled and departed the club shortly afterwards. Under recently appointed chairman Dan Tana, manager Mike Everitt was given a vote of confidence in November 1974 and strengthened the team by signing forward Willie Brown on loan from Newport County (and later permanently for £4,000) and midfielder Terry Johnson from Southend United for £15,000.
The signings had the desired effect and Brentford rose into mid-table after winning four and drawing one of a seven-match spell from late November through to mid-January 1975, but on 16 January, manager Mike Everitt was sacked. Trainer Jess Willard took over as caretaker manager for the following match, before the appointment of former player John Docherty on 20 January. Docherty turned Brentford's season around, losing just four of the remaining 19 matches of the season to finish in 8th place. Four wins, two draws and just one defeat in April won Docherty the Football League Manager of the Month award.
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 August 1974 | Portsmouth | H | 0–4 | 1,790 | ||
| 6 August 1974 | Aldershot | H | 1–3 | 1,440 | Simmons | |
| 9 August 1974 | Millwall | H | 2–0 | 1,190 | Woon, untraced (og) | |
| 12 August 1974 | Stevenage Borough | A | 3–0 | n/a | Woon, Cross | |
| 16 March 1975 | Guernsey XI | A | 1–0 | n/a | Lawrence | |
| 28 April 1975 | Millwall | H | 0–0 | 2,262 |
| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 August 1974 | Northampton Town | H | 1–0 | 5,147 | Woon | |
| 2 | 24 August 1974 | Southport | A | 0–3 | 1,285 | ||
| 3 | 31 August 1974 | Swansea City | H | 1–0 | 4,908 | Cross | |
| 4 | 7 September 1974 | Chester | A | 0–2 | 2,625 | ||
| 5 | 14 September 1974 | Cambridge United | H | 1–0 | 5,313 | Simmons | |
| 6 | 16 September 1974 | Rotherham United | H | 3–4 | 5,979 | Simmons, Metchick, Bence | |
| 7 | 21 September 1974 | Newport County | A | 0–1 | 3,022 | ||
| 8 | 23 September 1974 | Rochdale | A | 0–0 | 1,587 | ||
| 9 | 28 September 1974 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 1–0 | 5,442 | Simmons | |
| 10 | 30 September 1974 | Stockport County | A | 1–1 | 1,982 | Woon | |
| 11 | 5 October 1974 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 1–2 | 1,692 | Simmons | |
| 12 | 12 October 1974 | Lincoln City | H | 1–1 | 4,973 | Lawrence | |
| 13 | 19 October 1974 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 0–1 | 4,099 | ||
| 14 | 23 October 1974 | Bradford City | A | 0–1 | 2,932 | ||
| 15 | 26 October 1974 | Torquay United | H | 3–1 | 4,496 | Simmons (2), Graham | |
| 16 | 2 November 1974 | Barnsley | A | 1–1 | 4,158 | Simmons | |
| 17 | 4 November 1974 | Bradford City | H | 0–0 | 5,131 | ||
| 18 | 9 November 1974 | Mansfield Town | H | 2–3 | 5,553 | Foster (og), Simmons | |
| 19 | 16 November 1974 | Hartlepool | A | 2–3 | 2,864 | Simmons, Johnson | |
| 20 | 30 November 1974 | Workington | A | 1–0 | 1,325 | Brown | |
| 21 | 7 December 1974 | Darlington | H | 3–0 | 4,925 | Johnson, Brown (2) | |
| 22 | 21 December 1974 | Scunthorpe United | H | 2–0 | 4,364 | Brown (2) | |
| 23 | 26 December 1974 | Cambridge United | A | 0–2 | 3,959 | ||
| 24 | 28 December 1974 | Exeter City | H | 2–0 | 5,608 | Simmons, Johnson | |
| 25 | 4 January 1975 | Northampton Town | A | 0–0 | 4,735 | ||
| 26 | 11 January 1975 | Darlington | A | 1–2 | 2,095 | Johnson | |
| 27 | 18 January 1975 | Workington | H | 2–2 | 9,983 | Brown, Simmons | |
| 28 | 25 January 1975 | Reading | H | 1–0 | 6,485 | Brown | |
| 29 | 1 February 1975 | Mansfield Town | A | 1–1 | 11,362 | Graham | |
| 30 | 4 February 1975 | Rotherham United | A | 0–3 | 4,541 | ||
| 31 | 8 February 1975 | Barnsley | H | 3–0 | 5,080 | Simmons, French, Brown | |
| 32 | 15 February 1975 | Reading | A | 0–1 | 6,013 | ||
| 33 | 22 February 1975 | Hartlepool | H | 1–0 | 5,516 | Johnson | |
| 34 | 28 February 1975 | Swansea City | A | 1–0 | 1,706 | Brown | |
| 35 | 8 March 1975 | Rochdale | H | 3–0 | 4,460 | Johnson, Graham, Cross | |
| 36 | 15 March 1975 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1–1 | 2,356 | Johnson | |
| 37 | 22 March 1975 | Chester | H | 1–1 | 5,827 | Cross | |
| 38 | 31 March 1975 | Exeter City | A | 0–1 | 3,301 | ||
| 39 | 1 April 1975 | Newport County | H | 0–0 | 5,569 | ||
| 40 | 5 April 1975 | Torquay United | A | 2–3 | 2,555 | Cross, Scales | |
| 41 | 7 April 1975 | Stockport County | H | 3–0 | 4,434 | Riddick, French (2) | |
| 42 | 12 April 1975 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 1–1 | 5,147 | French | |
| 43 | 15 April 1975 | Scunthorpe United | A | 2–1 | 1,556 | Cross, Johnson | |
| 44 | 19 April 1975 | Lincoln City | A | 1–1 | 6,956 | Cross | |
| 45 | 21 April 1975 | Southport | H | 1–0 | 4,796 | Cross | |
| 46 | 26 April 1975 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–1 | 5,810 | Graham, Cross |
See main article: 1974–75 FA Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1R | 23 November 1974 | Slough Town | A | 4–1 | 3,394 | Graham, Simmons, Woon (2) | [3] | |
| 2R | 14 December 1974 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0–1 | 13,287 |
See main article: 1974–75 Football League Cup.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1R | 21 August 1974 | Aldershot | H | 3–0 | 5,702 | Cross (pen), Scales, Woon | |
| 2R | 10 September 1974 | Liverpool | A | 1–2 | 21,413 | Cross |
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1974–75 season.
| Pos. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||
| GK | Steve Sherwood | August 17, 1974 | Chelsea | 1974 | On loan from Chelsea | ||
| Defenders | |||||||
| DF | Michael Allen | August 17, 1974 | Middlesbrough | 1971 | |||
| DF | Paul Bence | August 17, 1974 | Reading | 1970 | |||
| DF | Kevin Harding | August 17, 1974 | Youth | 1974 | |||
| DF | Keith Lawrence | August 17, 1974 | Chelsea | 1974 | |||
| DF | Alan Nelmes | August 17, 1974 | Chelsea | 1967 | |||
| DF | Terry Scales | August 17, 1974 | West Ham United | 1971 | |||
| DF | Graham Smith | August 17, 1974 | Wimbledon | 1974 | Loaned to Wimbledon | ||
| DF | Nigel Smith | August 17, 1974 | Queens Park Rangers | 1975 | |||
| Midfielders | |||||||
| MF | Jackie Graham | August 17, 1974 | Guildford City | 1970 | |||
| MF | Terry Johnson | August 17, 1974 | Southend United | 1974 | |||
| MF | Dave Metchick | August 17, 1974 | Atlanta Apollos | 1973 | |||
| MF | Gordon Riddick (c) | August 17, 1974 | Northampton Town | 1973 | |||
| MF | Barry Salvage | August 17, 1974 | Queens Park Rangers | 1973 | |||
| Forwards | |||||||
| FW | Roger Cross | August 17, 1974 | Fulham | 1973 | |||
| FW | Micky French | August 17, 1974 | Queens Park Rangers | 1975 | Loaned from Queens Park Rangers before transferring permanently | ||
| FW | Richard Poole | August 17, 1974 | Youth | 1974 | |||
| FW | Dave Simmons | August 17, 1974 | Cambridge United | 1974 | |||
| FW | Billy Stagg | August 17, 1974 | Youth | 1974 | |||
| Players who left the club mid-season | |||||||
| DF | Peter Gelson | August 17, 1974 | Youth | 1961 | Released | ||
| DF | Gary Smith | August 17, 1974 | Youth | 1974 | Loaned to Wimbledon, transferred to Wimbledon | ||
| MF | Ian Filby | August 17, 1974 | Orient | 1974 | Returned to Orient after loan | ||
| FW | Willie Brown | August 17, 1974 | Newport County | 1974 | Loaned from Newport County before transferring permanently Transferred to Torquay United | ||
| FW | Andy Woon | August 17, 1974 | Bognor Regis Town | 1973 | Released | ||
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Everitt | Manager | |
| Jess Willard | Trainer | |
| Alan Humphries | Chief Scout |
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Jess Willard | Caretaker Manager | |
| Alan Humphries | Chief Scout |
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| John Docherty | Manager | |
| Eddie Lyons | Trainer | |
| Bob Pearson | Chief Scout |
Substitute appearances in brackets.
| Pos | Nat | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| DF | Michael Allen | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| DF | Paul Bence | 43 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 1 | ||
| DF | Peter Gelson | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| DF | Kevin Harding | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| DF | Keith Lawrence | 43 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 1 | ||
| DF | Alan Nelmes | 10 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 (3) | 0 | ||
| DF | Terry Scales | 40 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 2 | ||
| DF | Gary Smith | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| DF | Graham Smith | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| DF | Nigel Smith | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| MF | Jackie Graham | 43 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 5 | ||
| MF | Terry Johnson | 28 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | 30 | 8 | |||
| MF | Dave Metchick | 24 (3) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 (3) | 1 | ||
| MF | Gordon Riddick | 42 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 1 | ||
| MF | Barry Salvage | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
| FW | Willie Brown | 16 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 9 | |||
| FW | Roger Cross | 25 (2) | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 27 (2) | 10 | ||
| FW | Micky French | 14 (1) | 4 | — | — | 14 (1) | 4 | ||||
| FW | Richard Poole | 5 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (3) | 0 | ||
| FW | Dave Simmons | 25 (5) | 12 | 1 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 (6) | 13 | ||
| FW | Billy Stagg | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| FW | Andy Woon | 13 (4) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 (1) | 1 | 16 (5) | 5 | ||
| Players loaned in during the season | |||||||||||
| GK | Steve Sherwood | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 0 | ||
| MF | Ian Filby | 1 (2) | 0 | — | — | 1 (2) | 0 | ||||
| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL4 | FAC | FLC | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FW | Dave Simmons | 12 | 1 | 0 | 13 | ||
| FW | Roger Cross | 8 | 0 | 2 | 10 | ||
| FW | Willie Brown | 9 | 0 | — | 9 | ||
| MF | Terry Johnson | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| MF | Jackie Graham | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| FW | Andy Woon | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| FW | Micky French | 4 | — | — | 4 | ||
| DF | Terry Scales | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| DF | Paul Bence | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| DF | Keith Lawrence | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| MF | Dave Metchick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| MF | Gordon Riddick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Opponents | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Total | 53 | 4 | 4 | 61 | |||
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record All Comps | Record League | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | W % | P | W | D | L | W % | ||||
| Mike Everitt | 17 August 1974 | 11 January 1975 | |||||||||||
| Jess Willard (caretaker) | 18 January 1975 | 18 January 1975 | |||||||||||
| John Docherty | 25 January 1975 | 26 April 1975 | |||||||||||
| Games played | 50 (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup) | |
| Games won | 20 (18 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) | |
| Games drawn | 13 (13 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) | |
| Games lost | 17 (15 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) | |
| Goals scored | 61 (53 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 4 League Cup) | |
| Goals conceded | 49 (45 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup) | |
| Clean sheets | 20 (19 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) | |
| Biggest league win | 3–0 on four occasions | |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 on two occasions | |
| Most appearances | 50, Steve Sherwood (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup) | |
| Top scorer (league) | 12, Dave Simmons | |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 13, Dave Simmons |
| Players transferred in | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. | |
| May 1974 | DF | Keith Lawrence | Chelsea | Free | [9] | |
| August 1974 | MF | Graham Smith | Wimbledon | Trial | ||
| October 1974 | GK | Barry Gordine | Southend United | n/a | ||
| November 1974 | MF | Terry Johnson | Southend United | £15,000 | ||
| December 1974 | FW | Willie Brown | Newport County | £4,000 | ||
| March 1975 | FW | Micky French | Queens Park Rangers | £2,000 | ||
| April 1975 | DF | Nigel Smith | Queens Park Rangers | n/a | ||
| Players loaned in | ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. | |
| August 1974 | GK | Steve Sherwood | Chelsea | End of season | ||
| September 1974 | MF | Ian Filby | Leicester City | October 1974 | ||
| November 1974 | FW | Willie Brown | Newport County | December 1974 | ||
| February 1975 | FW | Micky French | Queens Park Rangers | March 1975 | ||
| Players transferred out | ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. | |
| March 1975 | FW | Willie Brown | Torquay United | £5,000 | ||
| Players loaned out | ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. | |
| February 1975 | MF | Graham Smith | Wimbledon | n/a | ||
| April 1975 | DF | Gary Smith | Wimbledon | April 1975 | ||
| Players released | ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. | |
| October 1974 | GK | Paul Priddy | Wimbledon | 1974 | ||
| February 1975 | FW | Andy Woon | Maidstone United | 1975 | ||
| April 1975 | DF | Gary Smith | Wimbledon | April 1975 | ||
| May 1975 | GK | Barry Gordine | Retired | |||
| May 1975 | MF | Dave Metchick | Barnet | 1975 | ||
| May 1975 | DF | Kevin Harding | Hayes | 1975 | ||
| May 1975 | MF | Graham Smith | Wimbledon | 1975 | ||
| May 1975 | FW | Billy Stagg | Wealdstone | n/a | [10] | |