| Club: | Brentford |
| Season: | 1992–93 |
| Manager: | Phil Holder |
| Chairman: | Martin Lange |
| Stadium: | Griffin Park |
| League: | First Division |
| League Result: | 22nd (relegated) |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Third round |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Second round |
| Cup3: | Anglo-Italian Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Semi-final |
| League Topscorer: | Blissett (21) |
| Season Topscorer: | Blissett (29) |
| Highest Attendance: | 11,912 |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,607 |
| Average Attendance: | 8,476 |
| Pattern La1: | _brentford_home_92-94 |
| Pattern B1: | _brentford_home_92-94 |
| Pattern Ra1: | _brentford_home_92-94 |
| Pattern So1: | _brentford_home_92-94 |
| Pattern Sh1: | _brentford_home_92-94 |
| Leftarm1: | FFFFFF |
| Body1: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm1: | FFFFFF |
| Shorts1: | 000000 |
| Socks1: | FF0000 |
| Pattern La2: | _brentford_away_92-94 |
| Pattern B2: | _brentford_away_92-94 |
| Pattern Ra2: | _brentford_away_92-94 |
| Pattern So2: | _brentford_away_92-94 |
| Pattern Sh2: | _brentford_away_92-94 |
| Socks2: | FFD700 |
| Prevseason: | 1991–92 |
| Nextseason: | 1993–94 |
During the 1992–93 English football season, Brentford competed in the second tier of English football for the first time since 1953–54. After rising to mid-table by December 1992, just four wins from the final 24 matches relegated the Bees straight back to the Second Division. Brentford played in the Anglo-Italian Cup for the first and only time during the season and lost to Derby County in the semi-finals.
Brentford's 1992–93 First Division season was the club's first in the second tier of English football since 1953–54.[1] Manager Phil Holder kept faith with the squad which won the 1991–92 Third Division title, with Jamie Bates, Paul Buckle, Keith Millen, Neil Smillie, Simon Ratcliffe, Chris Hughton, Kevin Godfrey and Lee Luscombe all signing new contracts. The club was hit by the departure of star striker Dean Holdsworth, who refused to sign a new contract and joined Premier League club Wimbledon on 20 July 1992 for a fee which rose to £720,000. As a replacement, Holder signed Grimsby Town forward Murray Jones for a £75,000 fee. Other new signings were midfielders Mickey Bennett and Detzi Kruszyński from Wimbledon (as makeweights in the Holdsworth transfer) and Channel Islands midfielder Grant Chalmers.
As soon as the season began, Brentford suffered an injury hoodoo, losing centre back Terry Evans, goalkeeper Graham Benstead and midfielders Bob Booker and Wilf Rostron to long-term knee injuries. Just two wins from the opening 12 matches left the club in the relegation places and manager Phil Holder was forced to strengthen the team with loanee goalkeeper Gerry Peyton,[2] centre back Shane Westley (purchased from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £100,000) and forward Joe Allon from Chelsea for a club-record £275,000 fee. Brentford came into form in late October 1992, losing just two of 11 matches to rise to 10th place and within three points of the playoff positions by 28 December,[3] with Holder winning the December First Division Manager of the Month award.
A catalogue of injuries to Chris Hughton, Simon Ratcliffe, Neil Smillie and Marcus Gayle in early 1993 saw Brentford lose 11 of 13 league matches and drop to 22nd place. Some solace was found in the Anglo-Italian Cup, with the Bees winning six consecutive matches before falling to Derby County over two legs in the semi-finals. In February and March, manager Holder strengthened the squad by bringing in former England left back Kenny Sansom, midfielder Alan Dickens, winger Paul Stephenson and former loan goalkeeper Gerry Peyton in on permanent deals. The signings and the return to fitness of Terry Evans, Bob Booker, Neil Smillie and Wilf Rostron led to a revival in late March, with Brentford winning twice and drawing three times in a six-match spell.
Successive defeats to West Ham United and Watford in late April put Brentford back into the relegation places, before a 3–1 victory over Barnsley at Griffin Park in the penultimate match of the season elevated the club to 21st place. 4,000 Brentford supporters travelled to Ashton Gate for the final match of the season versus Bristol City, knowing that at the very least, defeat for 22nd place Cambridge United and a draw for 23rd place Birmingham City would see the Bees retain their First Division status.[4] A 4–1 defeat and victory for Birmingham City relegated Brentford back to the Second Division.[5] Manager Phil Holder and assistant manager Wilf Rostron lost their jobs in the wake of the relegation and it wasn't until the 2014–15 season that Brentford again played second-tier football.
See main article: 1992–93 FA Cup.
See main article: 1992–93 Football League Cup.
See main article: 1992–93 Anglo-Italian Cup.
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1992–93 season.
| Pos. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||
| GK | Tamer Aouf | August 15, 1992 | Youth | 1993 | |||
| GK | Ashley Bayes | August 15, 1992 | Youth | 1990 | Loaned to Kingsbury Town | ||
| GK | Graham Benstead | August 15, 1992 | Sheffield United | 1990 | |||
| GK | Gerry Peyton |  | August 15, 1992 | Everton | 1993 | Loaned from Everton before transferring permanently | |
| Defenders | |||||||
| DF | Jamie Bates | August 15, 1992 | Youth | 1986 | |||
| DF | Terry Evans (c) | August 15, 1992 | Hillingdon | 1985 | |||
| DF | Billy Manuel | August 15, 1992 | Gillingham | 1991 | |||
| DF | Keith Millen | August 15, 1992 | Youth | 1985 | |||
| DF | Kenny Sansom | August 15, 1992 | Everton | 1993 | |||
| DF | Chris Sparks | August 15, 1992 | Youth | 1992 | |||
| DF | Brian Statham | August 15, 1992 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1992 | |||
| DF | Danny Tripp | August 15, 1992 | Youth | 1992 | |||
| DF | Shane Westley | August 15, 1992 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1992 | |||
| Midfielders | |||||||
| MF | Bob Booker | August 15, 1992 | Sheffield United | 1991 | |||
| MF | Paul Buckle | August 15, 1992 | Youth | 1988 | Loaned to Wycombe Wanderers | ||
| MF | Grant Chalmers | August 15, 1992 | Northerners | 1992 | |||
| MF | Alan Dickens | August 15, 1992 | Chelsea | 1993 | |||
| MF | Kevin Godfrey | August 15, 1992 | Leyton Orient | 1988 | |||
| MF | Detzi Kruszyński |  | August 15, 1992 | Wimbledon | 1992 | ||
| MF | Robbie Peters | August 15, 1992 | Youth | 1989 | Loaned to Woking | ||
| MF | Simon Ratcliffe | August 15, 1992 | Norwich City | 1989 | |||
| MF | Wilf Rostron | August 15, 1992 | Sheffield United | 1991 | Assistant manager | ||
| MF | Neil Smilie | August 15, 1992 | Reading | 1988 | |||
| MF | Paul Stephenson | August 15, 1992 | Millwall | 1993 | |||
| Forwards | |||||||
| FW | Joe Allon | August 15, 1992 | Chelsea | 1992 | |||
| FW | Mickey Bennett | August 15, 1992 | Wimbledon | 1992 | |||
| FW | Gary Blissett | August 15, 1992 | Crewe Alexandra | 1987 | |||
| FW | Marcus Gayle | August 15, 1992 | Youth | 1988 | |||
| FW | Murray Jones | August 15, 1992 | Grimsby Town | 1992 | |||
| FW | Lee Luscombe | August 15, 1992 | Southampton | 1991 | |||
| Players who left the club mid-season | |||||||
| DF | Chris Hughton | | August 15, 1992 | West Ham United | 1992 | Coach, retired | |
| DF | Paul Mortimer | August 15, 1992 | Crystal Palace | 1993 | Returned to Crystal Palace after loan | ||
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Holder | Manager | |
| Wilf Rostron | Assistant manager | |
| Chris Hughton | Coach | |
| Graham Pearce | Coach | |
| Fergus Dignan | Medical officer | |
| Eric Radley-Smith | Medical consultant | |
| Roy Clare | Physiotherapist |
Substitute appearances in brackets.
| Pos | Nat | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | A-I Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| GK | Ashley Bayes | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| GK | Graham Benstead | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 0 | ||
| GK | | Gerry Peyton | 19 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |||
| DF | Jamie Bates | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 35 | 2 | ||
| DF | Terry Evans | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| DF | | Chris Hughton | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| DF | Billy Manuel | 39 (2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 46 (3) | 1 | ||
| DF | Keith Millen | 43 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 54 | 5 | ||
| DF | Kenny Sansom | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||||
| DF | Brian Statham | 45 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 58 | 0 | ||
| DF | Shane Westley | 15 (2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 (2) | 1 | |||
| MF | Bob Booker | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 (3) | 1 | ||
| MF | Paul Buckle | 4 (1) | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | 0 | 4 (4) | 0 | |||
| MF | Grant Chalmers | 9 (2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 15 (2) | 1 | ||
| MF | Alan Dickens | 13 (2) | 1 | — | — | — | 13 (2) | 1 | |||||
| MF | Kevin Godfrey | 9 (12) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 4 (3) | 2 | 14 (17) | 2 | ||
| MF | | Detzi Kruszyński | 5 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 (1) | 0 | |
| MF | Robbie Peters | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | ||
| MF | Simon Ratcliffe | 25 (5) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 33 (5) | 3 | ||
| MF | Wilf Rostron | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | ||
| MF | Neil Smilie | 18 (3) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 25 (4) | 1 | ||
| MF | Paul Stephenson | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||||
| FW | Joe Allon | 17 (7) | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 5 | 23 (7) | 11 | |||
| FW | Mickey Bennett | 34 (4) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 6 (1) | 0 | 43 (6) | 4 | ||
| FW | Gary Blissett | 46 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 59 | 29 | ||
| FW | Marcus Gayle | 31 (7) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 (2) | 0 | 5 (3) | 2 | 39 (12) | 6 | ||
| FW | Murray Jones | 6 (10) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 7 (13) | 0 | ||
| FW | Lee Luscombe | 19 (10) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 (2) | 1 | 28 (12) | 4 | ||
| Players loaned in during the season | |||||||||||||
| DF | Paul Mortimer | 6 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL1 | FAC | FLC | AIC | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FW | Gary Blissett | 21 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 29 | ||
| FW | Joe Allon | 6 | 0 | — | 5 | 11 | ||
| FW | Marcus Gayle | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| DF | Keith Millen | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| FW | Mickey Bennett | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| FW | Lee Luscombe | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| MF | Simon Ratcliffe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| DF | Jamie Bates | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| MF | Kevin Godfrey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| MF | Alan Dickens | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | ||
| DF | Shane Westley | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 1 | ||
| MF | Grant Chalmers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| DF | Billy Manuel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| MF | Neil Smilie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| MF | Bob Booker | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Opponents | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| Total | 52 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 75 | |||
| Games played | 59 (46 First Division, 1 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 8 Anglo-Italian Cup) | |
| Games won | 22 (13 First Division, 0 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 7 Anglo-Italian Cup) | |
| Games drawn | 10 (10 First Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Anglo-Italian Cup) | |
| Games lost | 27 (13 First Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 1 Anglo-Italian Cup) | |
| Goals scored | 75 (52 First Division, 0 FA Cup, 7 League Cup, 16 Anglo-Italian Cup) | |
| Goals conceded | 88 (71 First Division, 2 FA Cup, 7 League Cup, 8 Anglo-Italian Cup) | |
| Clean sheets | 15 (10 First Division, 0 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 3 Anglo-Italian Cup) | |
| Biggest league win | 5–1 versus Bristol City, 31 October 1992 | |
| Worst league defeat | 6–1 versus Millwall, 17 January 1993 | |
| Most appearances | 59, Gary Blissett (46 First Division, 1 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 8 Anglo-Italian Cup) | |
| Top scorer (league) | 21, Gary Blissett | |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 29, Gary Blissett |
| Players transferred in | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. | |
| 14 July 1992 | FW | Mickey Bennett | Wimbledon | n/a | [6] | |
| July 1992 | FW | Murray Jones | Grimsby Town | £75,000 | [7] | |
| July 1992 | MF | Detzi Kruszyński | Wimbledon | £60,000 | ||
| August 1992 | MF | Grant Chalmers | Northerners | n/a | ||
| 30 October 1992 | DF | Shane Westley | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £100,000 | [8] | |
| 19 November 1992 | FW | Joe Allon | Chelsea | £275,000 | ||
| February 1993 | DF | Alan Dickens | Chelsea | Non-contract | ||
| 4 March 1993 | MF | Paul Stephenson | Millwall | £30,000 | ||
| March 1993 | GK | Gerry Peyton | Everton | Free | ||
| March 1993 | DF | Kenny Sansom | Everton | Free | ||
| Players loaned in | ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. | |
| September 1992 | GK | Gerry Peyton | Everton | December 1992 | ||
| 22 January 1993 | DF | Paul Mortimer | Crystal Palace | 22 February 1993 | ||
| Players transferred out | ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. | |
| 20 July 1992 | FW | Dean Holdsworth | Wimbledon | £720,000 | ||
| Players loaned out | ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. | |
| December 1992 | GK | Ashley Bayes | Kingsbury Town | January 1993 | ||
| December 1992 | MF | Paul Buckle | Wycombe Wanderers | January 1993 | ||
| March 1993 | MF | Robbie Peters | Woking | End of season | ||
| Players released | ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. | |
| April 1993 | DF | Chris Hughton | Retired | |||
| May 1993 | GK | Ashley Bayes | Torquay United | 13 August 1993 | ||
| May 1993 | MF | Bob Booker | Retired | |||
| May 1993 | DF | Alan Dickens | Colchester United | 4 September 1993 | [9] | |
| May 1993 | MF | Kevin Godfrey | Yeading | 1993 | ||
| May 1993 | FW | Lee Luscombe | Millwall | June 1993 | ||
| May 1993 | MF | Wilf Rostron | Retired | |||
| May 1993 | DF | Kenny Sansom | Chertsey Town | 1993 | ||
| May 1993 | DF | Chris Sparks | Chertsey Town | 1993 | ||
| May 1993 | DF | Danny Tripp | Grays Athletic | 1993 | ||
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