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1946–47 Brentford F.C. season

January 01, 1970

During the 1946–47 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League First Division. The Bees' 12-year run in the First Division ended with relegation to the Second Division after a disastrous season, which tied the club record for fewest league victories and most league defeats. The club did not play again in the top-tier until 2021–22, 74 years later.

Brentford
1946–47 season
ChairmanFrank Davis
ManagerHarry Curtis
StadiumGriffin Park
First Division21st
FA CupFourth round
Top goalscorerLeague: Townsend (8)
All: Townsend (9)
Highest home attendance35,604
Lowest home attendance17,976
Average home league attendance25,768

Season summary edit

After three successive top-six finishes in the First Division beginning in 1935–36, Brentford's decline began with the departure of key players during the 1938–39 season,[1] which culminated with a near-relegation.[2] For 1946–47, the first Football League season since the end of the Second World War, manager Harry Curtis was able to call on many of his regular players from the final pre-war seasons, though the elder players, such as Irish international full back Bill Gorman, utility man Buster Brown and former Wales forward Idris Hopkins, were all at age 35.[3] Long-serving forward and once-capped England international Billy Scott had remained with the club and was then aged 38.[3] The team fielded versus Aston Villa on 1 February 1947 was the oldest in club history, with an average age of over 31.5 years.[4] Curtis supplemented the squad by bringing in wing half Cyril Toulouse and forwards John Gillies, Maurice Roberts and George Stewart. As in the final pre-war seasons, Curtis would also promote players from the Bees' reserve ranks, signing amateur Roddy Munro to a professional contract and handing debuts to Frank Latimer, John Moore and Wally Bragg, with Bragg going on to become the youngest-ever Brentford debutant at that time.[5]

Brentford had a good start to the season, winning four of the first five matches and going top on the opening day.[6] The majority of the team's goals were scored by forwards Gerry McAloon, Fred Durrant and George Wilkins,[7] but when the goals dried up in September 1946, Brentford's form took a turn for the worse.[6] Matters were made worse when McAloon and Durrant were quickly sold to Celtic and Queens Park Rangers respectively.[8] A supporter, writing to The Brentford & Chiswick Times, commented "it would seem that Brentford were unaware when they allowed them to go that Thomas, Durrant and McAloon had scored very nearly all the side’s goals in the previous season".[9] Manager Curtis received half back George Paterson from Celtic in part exchange for McAloon and also strengthened the team with full back Malky Macdonald and forward Archie Macaulay.[10] By December, Brentford had dropped into the relegation places and a run of 11 losses in 15 matches culminated in the heaviest defeat of the season – 6–1 away to Sheffield United on Christmas Day.[6]

Brentford's form improved after the Christmas Day thrashing, going undefeated in four of the following five matches to climb out of the relegation places, but from February 1947 onwards, the team's form evaporated.[6] Despite Len Townsend coming into form and going on to become the Bees' top scorer for the season,[7] the goalscoring problem was compounded by the transfer request and subsequent sale of George Wilkins in February.[11] Bill Naylor and Dickie Girling were signed in February to bolster the forward line,[12] but scored just three goals between them before the end of the season.[7] On 24 May, defeat to Sunderland and a draw for 20th-place Charlton Athletic away to Everton consigned the Bees to relegation to the Second Division.[13][14] By the time of the final day of the season on 14 June, Brentford had lost 14 of the final 19 matches.[6]

The relegation was the first suffered by the club since it joined the Football League in 1920 and it was the club's final top-flight season until 2021–22, 74 years later.[2] A number of club Football League records were equalled or broken during the season, including fewest victories (9), fewest home victories (5), most defeats (26), most home defeats (11), fewest home goals scored (19) and highest average attendance (25,768).[15][16]

League table edit

Main article: 1946–47 Football League First Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Relegation
18 Bolton Wanderers 42 13 8 21 57 69 0.826 34
19 Charlton Athletic 42 11 12 19 57 71 0.803 34
20 Huddersfield Town 42 13 7 22 53 79 0.671 33
21 Brentford (R) 42 9 7 26 45 88 0.511 25 Relegation to the Second Division
22 Leeds United (R) 42 6 6 30 45 90 0.500 18
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(R) Relegated

Results edit

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend edit

Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division edit

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 31 August 1946 Everton A 2–1 55,338 Wilkins (pen), McAloon
2 2 September 1946 Blackpool A 2–4 24,230 Durrant, Wilkins (pen)
3 7 September 1946 Huddersfield Town H 2–0 31,407 Wilkins, McAloon
4 14 September 1946 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 2–1 34,446 Durrant (2)
5 18 September 1946 Blackpool H 2–1 25,621 McAloon, G. Smith
6 21 September 1946 Sunderland H 0–3 33,766
7 28 September 1946 Aston Villa A 2–5 45,350 Wilkins (pen), McAloon
8 5 October 1946 Derby County H 0–3 34,746
9 12 October 1946 Arsenal A 2–2 43,367 Blakeman (2)
10 19 October 1946 Preston North End H 2–3 25,303 Blakeman (2)
11 26 October 1946 Liverpool A 0–1 43,892
12 2 November 1946 Bolton Wanderers H 1–0 23,782 Howe (og)
13 9 November 1946 Chelsea A 2–3 50,242 Hopkins (2)
14 16 November 1946 Charlton Athletic H 1–4 26,648 Townsend
15 23 November 1946 Grimsby Town A 2–2 16,750 Macaulay, Townsend
16 30 November 1946 Leeds United H 1–1 20,352 Townsend
17 7 December 1946 Manchester United A 1–4 31,956 Macaulay
18 14 December 1946 Stoke City H 1–5 30,189 Macdonald
19 21 December 1946 Middlesbrough A 0–2 28,750
20 25 December 1946 Sheffield United A 1–6 36,156 Townsend
21 26 December 1946 Sheffield United H 2–1 29,535 A. Smith, Wilkins
22 28 December 1946 Everton H 1–1 29,360 Hopkins
23 1 January 1947 Blackburn Rovers A 3–0 29,067 Townsend, Wilkins, Stewart
24 4 January 1947 Huddersfield Town A 0–3 27,759
25 18 January 1947 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 4–1 35,604 Wilkins, Stewart, Townsend, A. Smith
26 1 February 1947 Aston Villa H 0–2 21,692
27 22 February 1947 Preston North End A 2–5 25,591 Townsend, A. Smith
28 1 March 1947 Derby County A 1–2 18,691 Leuty (og)
29 15 March 1947 Chelsea H 0–2 33,498
30 22 March 1947 Charlton Athletic A 0–3 29,327
31 29 March 1947 Grimsby Town H 0–1 19,778
32 4 April 1947 Portsmouth H 1–3 24,570 Hopkins
33 5 April 1947 Leeds United A 2–1 23,962 Naylor, Girling
34 7 April 1947 Portsmouth A 0–3 33,409
35 12 April 1947 Manchester United H 0–0 22,035
36 19 April 1947 Stoke City A 1–3 28,966 Naylor
37 26 April 1947 Middlesbrough H 0–0 19,020
38 3 May 1947 Blackburn Rovers H 0–3 18,022
39 10 May 1947 Bolton Wanderers A 0–1 19,887
40 17 May 1947 Liverpool H 1–1 18,228 Stewart
41 24 May 1947 Sunderland A 1–2 20,160 Townsend
42 26 May 1947 Arsenal H 0–1 17,976

FA Cup edit

Main article: 1946–47 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s) Notes
3R 11 January 1947 Cardiff City H 1–0 32,894 Townsend
4R 25 January 1947 Leicester City H 0–0 32,112
4R (replay) 30 January 1947 Leicester City A 0–0 20,339
4R (2nd replay) 3 February 1947 Leicester City N 1–4 7,500 Scott [nb 1]
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[7] 11v11,

Playing squad edit

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1946–47 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Joe Crozier   (1914-12-02)2 December 1914 (aged 31) East Fife 1937
Defenders
DF Bill Gorman   (1911-01-13)13 January 1911 (aged 35) Bury 1938
DF Frank Latimer   (1923-10-03)3 October 1923 (aged 22) Snowdown Colliery Welfare 1945
DF Malky MacDonald   (1913-10-26)26 October 1913 (aged 32) Kilmarnock 1946 Coach
DF Roddy Munro   (1920-07-27)27 July 1920 (aged 26) Rangers 1946
DF Harry Oliver   (1921-02-16)16 February 1921 (aged 25) Hartlepools United 1938
Midfielders
HB Wally Bragg   (1929-07-08)8 July 1929 (aged 17) Twickenham Celtic 1946 Loaned to Hounslow Town
HB Buster Brown   (1910-09-06)6 September 1910 (aged 35) Huddersfield Town 1937
HB Tom Manley   (1912-10-07)7 October 1912 (aged 33) Manchester United 1939
HB John Moore   (1923-09-25)25 September 1923 (aged 22) Unattached 1938
HB George Paterson (c)   (1914-09-26)26 September 1914 (aged 31) Celtic 1946
HB Arthur Shaw   (1924-04-09)9 April 1924 (aged 22) Hayes 1946
HB George Smith   (1915-04-23)23 April 1915 (aged 31) Charlton Athletic 1945
HB Cyril Toulouse   (1923-12-24)24 December 1923 (aged 22) St Cuthberts 1946
Forwards
FW Alec Blakeman   (1918-06-11)11 June 1918 (aged 28) Oxford City 1946
FW José Gallego   (1923-04-08)8 April 1923 (aged 23) Cambridge City 1947
FW John Gillies   (1918-10-22)22 October 1918 (aged 27) St Mirren 1946
FW Dickie Girling   (1922-05-24)24 May 1922 (aged 24) Crystal Palace 1947
FW Idris Hopkins   (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 35) Crystal Palace 1932
FW Archie Macaulay   (1915-07-30)30 July 1915 (aged 31) West Ham United 1946
FW Bill Naylor   (1919-11-23)23 November 1919 (aged 26) Crystal Palace 1947
FW Maurice Roberts   (1922-07-05)5 July 1922 (aged 24) Unattached 1946 Loaned to Guildford City
FW Billy Scott   (1907-12-06)6 December 1907 (aged 38) Middlesbrough 1932
FW Alan Smith   (1921-10-15)15 October 1921 (aged 24) Arsenal 1946
FW George Stewart   (1920-10-18)18 October 1920 (aged 25) Hamilton Academical 1946
FW Len Townsend   (1917-08-31)31 August 1917 (aged 29) Hayes 1937
Players who left the club mid-season
FW Fred Durrant   (1921-06-19)19 June 1921 (aged 25) Folkestone 1938 Transferred to Queens Park Rangers
FW Gerry McAloon   (1916-09-13)13 September 1916 (aged 29) Wolverhampton Wanderers 1945 Transferred to Celtic
FW George Wilkins   (1919-10-27)27 October 1919 (aged 26) Hayes 1938 Transferred to Bradford Park Avenue
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[7] Timeless Bees,[17] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939[18]

Coaching staff edit

Name Role
  Harry Curtis Manager
  Jimmy Bain Assistant Manager
  Malky MacDonald Coach
  Bill Lane Coach
  Bob Kane Trainer
  Jack Cartmell Assistant Trainer

Statistics edit

Appearances and goals edit

Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Football League season.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK   Joe Crozier 42 0 4 0 46 0
DF   Wally Bragg 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF   Bill Gorman 34 0 4 0 38 0
DF   Frank Latimer 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF   Malky MacDonald 16 1 0 0 16 1
DF   Roddy Munro 34 0 4 0 38 0
DF   Harry Oliver 14 0 0 0 14 0
HB   Wally Bragg 1 0 0 0 1 0
HB   Buster Brown 8 0 0 0 8 0
HB   Tom Manley 9 0 0 0 9 0
HB   John Moore 2 0 0 0 2 0
HB   George Paterson 27 0 4 0 31 0
HB   Arthur Shaw 4 0 0 0 4 0
HB   George Smith 41 1 4 0 45 1
HB   Cyril Toulouse 10 0 0 0 10 0
FW   Alec Blakeman 8 4 0 0 8 4
FW   Fred Durrant 4 3 — 4 3
FW   José Gallego 1 0 0 0 1 0
FW   John Gillies 5 0 0 0 5 0
FW   Dickie Girling 15 1 — 15 1
FW   Idris Hopkins 39 4 4 0 43 4
FW   Gerry McAloon 7 4 — 7 4
FW   Archie Macaulay 26 2 4 0 30 2
FW   Bill Naylor 11 2 — 11 2
FW   Maurice Roberts 10 0 0 0 10 0
FW   Billy Scott 12 0 3 1 15 1
FW   Alan Smith 10 3 4 0 14 3
FW   George Stewart 16 3 1 0 17 3
FW   Len Townsend 29 8 4 1 33 9
FW   George Wilkins 26 7 4 0 30 7
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[7]

Goalscorers edit

Pos. Nat Player FL1 FAC Total
FW   Len Townsend 8 1 9
FW   George Wilkins 7 0 7
FW   Gerry McAloon 4 — 4
FW   Alec Blakeman 4 0 4
FW   Idris Hopkins 4 0 4
FW   Fred Durrant 3 — 3
FW   Alan Smith 3 0 3
FW   George Stewart 3 0 3
FW   Bill Naylor 2 — 2
FW   Archie Macaulay 2 0 2
FW   Dickie Girling 1 — 1
DF   Malky MacDonald 1 0 1
HB   George Smith 1 0 1
FW   Billy Scott 0 1 1
Opponents 2 0 2
Total 45 2 47
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[7]

International caps edit

Pos. Nat Player Caps Goals Ref
DF  
  		Bill Gorman 2
3 		0
0 		[19]
[20]
FW   Archie Macaulay 1 0 [21]

Management edit

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Harry Curtis   31 August 1946 14 June 1947 46 10 9 27 021.74 42 9 7 26 021.43

Summary edit

Games played 46 (42 First Division, 4 FA Cup)
Games won 10 (9 First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games drawn 9 (7 First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Games lost 27 (26 First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 47 (45 First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 92 (88 First Division, 4 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 8 (5 First Division, 3 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 3–0 versus Blackburn Rovers, 1 January 1947; 4–1 versus Wolverhampton Wanderers, 18 January 1947
Worst league defeat 6–1 versus Sheffield United, 25 December 1946
Most appearances 46, Joe Crozier (42 First Division, 4 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 8, Len Townsend
Top scorer (all competitions) 9, Len Townsend

Transfers & loans edit

Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
May 1946 FW   Alec Blakeman   Oxford City Free [22]
May 1946 FW   John Gillies   St Mirren Nominal [23]
May 1946 HB   Arthur Shaw   Hayes n/a [24]
May 1946 HB   Cyril Toulouse   St Cuthberts Free [25]
30 July 1946 FW   George Stewart   Hamilton Academical n/a [26]
30 July 1946 FW   J. A. Fyffe n/a n/a [26]
23 August 1946 FW   Robert Ross   Murton Colliery Welfare n/a [27]
August 1946 FW   Maurice Roberts Unattached Free [28]
October 1946 DF   Malky MacDonald   Kilmarnock £1,500 [10]
October 1946 HB   George Paterson   Celtic Exchange [10]
November 1946 FW   Archie Macaulay   West Ham United n/a [10]
December 1946 FW   Alan Smith   Arsenal Free [29]
1946 HB   Wally Bragg   Twickenham Celtic Amateur [5]
January 1947 FW   José Gallego   Cambridge City Free [30]
January 1947 DF   William Gibson   Arsenal n/a [31]
10 February 1947 FW   Dickie Girling   Crystal Palace n/a [23]
10 February 1947 FW   Bill Naylor   Crystal Palace n/a [32]
March 1947 FW   Percy Gleeson   Hounslow Town n/a [33]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
19 June 1946 DF   Harry Bamford   Brighton & Hove Albion n/a [34]
19 June 1946 FW   Jim Gotts   Brighton & Hove Albion n/a [34]
19 June 1946 FW   Albert Hammond   Exeter City n/a [35]
26 June 1946 HB   Eric Jones   Crewe Alexandra n/a [36]
September 1946 FW   Fred Durrant   Queens Park Rangers £4,500 [8]
4 October 1946 FW   Gerry McAloon   Celtic Exchange [37]
October 1946 DF   Jimmy Anderson   Carlisle United Nominal [38]
10 February 1947 FW   George Wilkins   Bradford Park Avenue £7,000 [39]
February 1947 DF   Fred Mansfield   Norwich City n/a [40]
Players loaned out
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Date to Ref.
1946 HB   Wally Bragg   Hounslow Town 1947 [5]
November 1946 FW   Maurice Roberts   Guildford City 1947 [28]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
April 1947 FW   Les Boulter   Yeovil Town 1947 [41]
April 1947 HB   Buster Brown   Leyton Orient May 1947 [42]
April 1947 HB Collier n/a n/a [43]
April 1947 FW   J. A. Fyffe n/a n/a [43]
April 1947 FW   John Gillies   Morton 1947 [23]
April 1947 FW   Idris Hopkins   Bristol City May 1947 [44]
April 1947 FW   Ernest Muttitt   Dover 1947 [45]
April 1947 FW   Maurice Roberts   Bristol City May 1947 [28]
April 1947 FW T. Ryder n/a n/a [43]
April 1947 FW   Billy Scott   Aldershot July 1947 [46]
April 1947 FW   John Sutton n/a n/a [43]
April 1947 FW   Len Townsend   Bristol City June 1947 [47]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Match played at Villa Park, Birmingham.

References edit

  1. ^ White 1989, p. 162-165.
  2. ^ a b Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  3. ^ a b White 1989, p. 179-184.
  4. ^ Haynes 1998, p. 99.
  5. ^ a b c Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 25-26.
  6. ^ a b c d e . Statto.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 379. ISBN 0951526200.
  8. ^ a b Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 51, 102–103.
  9. ^ "Brentford Needs Goal Scorers. Mcaloon's Transfer "Disastrous." Reader's View". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 20 December 1946.
  10. ^ a b c d Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 98, 105, 121–122.
  11. ^ "Moment in time: Wolverhampton Wanderers". Brentford FC. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  12. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 168.
  13. ^ "11v11 league table generator". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  14. ^ . Statto.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  15. ^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Harefield, Middlesex: Yore Publications. pp. 78–79. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
  16. ^ Haynes 1998, p. 13.
  17. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  18. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  19. ^ "Bill Gorman". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  20. ^ "Bill Gorman". NIFG. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  21. ^ "Archie MacAulay". 11v11.com. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  22. ^ "Captures". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 10 May 1946.
  23. ^ a b c Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 65.
  24. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 144.
  25. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 161-162.
  26. ^ a b "Stewart Signs For Brentford. Bees Report For Training On Wednesday". Middlesex Chronicle. 3 August 1946.
  27. ^ "Transfer Blow. Housing Snag Stops "Bees" Getting Pivot. Private Trial". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 23 August 1946.
  28. ^ a b c "Maurice Roberts". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  29. ^ "Alan Smith". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  30. ^ "Refugee Footballers in Britain" (PDF). Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  31. ^ "Bill Gibson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  32. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 114.
  33. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 66.
  34. ^ a b "Bamford and Gotts for Brighton". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 21 June 1946.
  35. ^ Western Morning News. Plymouth, Devon. 1946.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  36. ^ "Jones Gets Off At Crewe". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 28 June 1946.
  37. ^ "McAloon, Gerald". The Celtic Wiki. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  38. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 11-12.
  39. ^ "Wilkins: Ernest George (George)". Leeds United F.C. History. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  40. ^ "Fred Mansfield". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  41. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 24.
  42. ^ "Billy Brown". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  43. ^ a b c d "The Sportsman's Roundabout – Retained List". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 25 April 1947.
  44. ^ "Dai Hopkins". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  45. ^ Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 113.
  46. ^ "Billy Scott". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  47. ^ "Len Townsend". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 June 2016.

January 01, 1970
1946, brentford, season, during, 1946, english, football, season, brentford, competed, football, league, first, division, bees, year, first, division, ended, with, relegation, second, division, after, disastrous, season, which, tied, club, record, fewest, leag. During the 1946 47 English football season Brentford competed in the Football League First Division The Bees 12 year run in the First Division ended with relegation to the Second Division after a disastrous season which tied the club record for fewest league victories and most league defeats The club did not play again in the top tier until 2021 22 74 years later Brentford1946 47 seasonChairmanFrank DavisManagerHarry CurtisStadiumGriffin ParkFirst Division21stFA CupFourth roundTop goalscorerLeague Townsend 8 All Townsend 9 Highest home attendance35 604Lowest home attendance17 976Average home league attendance25 768Home colours 1945 461947 48 Contents 1 Season summary 2 League table 3 Results 3 1 Legend 3 2 Football League First Division 3 3 FA Cup 4 Playing squad 5 Coaching staff 6 Statistics 6 1 Appearances and goals 6 2 Goalscorers 6 3 International caps 6 4 Management 6 5 Summary 7 Transfers amp loans 8 Notes 9 ReferencesSeason summary editAfter three successive top six finishes in the First Division beginning in 1935 36 Brentford s decline began with the departure of key players during the 1938 39 season 1 which culminated with a near relegation 2 For 1946 47 the first Football League season since the end of the Second World War manager Harry Curtis was able to call on many of his regular players from the final pre war seasons though the elder players such as Irish international full back Bill Gorman utility man Buster Brown and former Wales forward Idris Hopkins were all at age 35 3 Long serving forward and once capped England international Billy Scott had remained with the club and was then aged 38 3 The team fielded versus Aston Villa on 1 February 1947 was the oldest in club history with an average age of over 31 5 years 4 Curtis supplemented the squad by bringing in wing half Cyril Toulouse and forwards John Gillies Maurice Roberts and George Stewart As in the final pre war seasons Curtis would also promote players from the Bees reserve ranks signing amateur Roddy Munro to a professional contract and handing debuts to Frank Latimer John Moore and Wally Bragg with Bragg going on to become the youngest ever Brentford debutant at that time 5 Brentford had a good start to the season winning four of the first five matches and going top on the opening day 6 The majority of the team s goals were scored by forwards Gerry McAloon Fred Durrant and George Wilkins 7 but when the goals dried up in September 1946 Brentford s form took a turn for the worse 6 Matters were made worse when McAloon and Durrant were quickly sold to Celtic and Queens Park Rangers respectively 8 A supporter writing to The Brentford amp Chiswick Times commented it would seem that Brentford were unaware when they allowed them to go that Thomas Durrant and McAloon had scored very nearly all the side s goals in the previous season 9 Manager Curtis received half back George Paterson from Celtic in part exchange for McAloon and also strengthened the team with full back Malky Macdonald and forward Archie Macaulay 10 By December Brentford had dropped into the relegation places and a run of 11 losses in 15 matches culminated in the heaviest defeat of the season 6 1 away to Sheffield United on Christmas Day 6 Brentford s form improved after the Christmas Day thrashing going undefeated in four of the following five matches to climb out of the relegation places but from February 1947 onwards the team s form evaporated 6 Despite Len Townsend coming into form and going on to become the Bees top scorer for the season 7 the goalscoring problem was compounded by the transfer request and subsequent sale of George Wilkins in February 11 Bill Naylor and Dickie Girling were signed in February to bolster the forward line 12 but scored just three goals between them before the end of the season 7 On 24 May defeat to Sunderland and a draw for 20th place Charlton Athletic away to Everton consigned the Bees to relegation to the Second Division 13 14 By the time of the final day of the season on 14 June Brentford had lost 14 of the final 19 matches 6 The relegation was the first suffered by the club since it joined the Football League in 1920 and it was the club s final top flight season until 2021 22 74 years later 2 A number of club Football League records were equalled or broken during the season including fewest victories 9 fewest home victories 5 most defeats 26 most home defeats 11 fewest home goals scored 19 and highest average attendance 25 768 15 16 League table editMain article 1946 47 Football League First Division Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Relegation 18 Bolton Wanderers 42 13 8 21 57 69 0 826 34 19 Charlton Athletic 42 11 12 19 57 71 0 803 34 20 Huddersfield Town 42 13 7 22 53 79 0 671 33 21 Brentford R 42 9 7 26 45 88 0 511 25 Relegation to the Second Division 22 Leeds United R 42 6 6 30 45 90 0 500 18Source World FootballRules for classification 1 Points 2 Goal average 3 Goals scored R RelegatedResults editBrentford s goal tally listed first Legend edit Win Draw Loss Football League First Division edit No Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer s 1 31 August 1946 Everton A 2 1 55 338 Wilkins pen McAloon 2 2 September 1946 Blackpool A 2 4 24 230 Durrant Wilkins pen 3 7 September 1946 Huddersfield Town H 2 0 31 407 Wilkins McAloon 4 14 September 1946 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 2 1 34 446 Durrant 2 5 18 September 1946 Blackpool H 2 1 25 621 McAloon G Smith 6 21 September 1946 Sunderland H 0 3 33 766 7 28 September 1946 Aston Villa A 2 5 45 350 Wilkins pen McAloon 8 5 October 1946 Derby County H 0 3 34 746 9 12 October 1946 Arsenal A 2 2 43 367 Blakeman 2 10 19 October 1946 Preston North End H 2 3 25 303 Blakeman 2 11 26 October 1946 Liverpool A 0 1 43 892 12 2 November 1946 Bolton Wanderers H 1 0 23 782 Howe og 13 9 November 1946 Chelsea A 2 3 50 242 Hopkins 2 14 16 November 1946 Charlton Athletic H 1 4 26 648 Townsend 15 23 November 1946 Grimsby Town A 2 2 16 750 Macaulay Townsend 16 30 November 1946 Leeds United H 1 1 20 352 Townsend 17 7 December 1946 Manchester United A 1 4 31 956 Macaulay 18 14 December 1946 Stoke City H 1 5 30 189 Macdonald 19 21 December 1946 Middlesbrough A 0 2 28 750 20 25 December 1946 Sheffield United A 1 6 36 156 Townsend 21 26 December 1946 Sheffield United H 2 1 29 535 A Smith Wilkins 22 28 December 1946 Everton H 1 1 29 360 Hopkins 23 1 January 1947 Blackburn Rovers A 3 0 29 067 Townsend Wilkins Stewart 24 4 January 1947 Huddersfield Town A 0 3 27 759 25 18 January 1947 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 4 1 35 604 Wilkins Stewart Townsend A Smith 26 1 February 1947 Aston Villa H 0 2 21 692 27 22 February 1947 Preston North End A 2 5 25 591 Townsend A Smith 28 1 March 1947 Derby County A 1 2 18 691 Leuty og 29 15 March 1947 Chelsea H 0 2 33 498 30 22 March 1947 Charlton Athletic A 0 3 29 327 31 29 March 1947 Grimsby Town H 0 1 19 778 32 4 April 1947 Portsmouth H 1 3 24 570 Hopkins 33 5 April 1947 Leeds United A 2 1 23 962 Naylor Girling 34 7 April 1947 Portsmouth A 0 3 33 409 35 12 April 1947 Manchester United H 0 0 22 035 36 19 April 1947 Stoke City A 1 3 28 966 Naylor 37 26 April 1947 Middlesbrough H 0 0 19 020 38 3 May 1947 Blackburn Rovers H 0 3 18 022 39 10 May 1947 Bolton Wanderers A 0 1 19 887 40 17 May 1947 Liverpool H 1 1 18 228 Stewart 41 24 May 1947 Sunderland A 1 2 20 160 Townsend 42 26 May 1947 Arsenal H 0 1 17 976 FA Cup edit Main article 1946 47 FA Cup Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer s Notes 3R 11 January 1947 Cardiff City H 1 0 32 894 Townsend 4R 25 January 1947 Leicester City H 0 0 32 112 4R replay 30 January 1947 Leicester City A 0 0 20 339 4R 2nd replay 3 February 1947 Leicester City N 1 4 7 500 Scott nb 1 Sources 100 Years of Brentford 7 11v11 Brentford Football Club HistoryPlaying squad editPlayers ages are as of the opening day of the 1946 47 season Pos Name Nat Date of birth age Signed from Signed in Notes Goalkeepers GK Joe Crozier nbsp 1914 12 02 2 December 1914 aged 31 East Fife 1937 Defenders DF Bill Gorman nbsp 1911 01 13 13 January 1911 aged 35 Bury 1938 DF Frank Latimer nbsp 1923 10 03 3 October 1923 aged 22 Snowdown Colliery Welfare 1945 DF Malky MacDonald nbsp 1913 10 26 26 October 1913 aged 32 Kilmarnock 1946 Coach DF Roddy Munro nbsp 1920 07 27 27 July 1920 aged 26 Rangers 1946 DF Harry Oliver nbsp 1921 02 16 16 February 1921 aged 25 Hartlepools United 1938 Midfielders HB Wally Bragg nbsp 1929 07 08 8 July 1929 aged 17 Twickenham Celtic 1946 Loaned to Hounslow Town HB Buster Brown nbsp 1910 09 06 6 September 1910 aged 35 Huddersfield Town 1937 HB Tom Manley nbsp 1912 10 07 7 October 1912 aged 33 Manchester United 1939 HB John Moore nbsp 1923 09 25 25 September 1923 aged 22 Unattached 1938 HB George Paterson c nbsp 1914 09 26 26 September 1914 aged 31 Celtic 1946 HB Arthur Shaw nbsp 1924 04 09 9 April 1924 aged 22 Hayes 1946 HB George Smith nbsp 1915 04 23 23 April 1915 aged 31 Charlton Athletic 1945 HB Cyril Toulouse nbsp 1923 12 24 24 December 1923 aged 22 St Cuthberts 1946 Forwards FW Alec Blakeman nbsp 1918 06 11 11 June 1918 aged 28 Oxford City 1946 FW Jose Gallego nbsp 1923 04 08 8 April 1923 aged 23 Cambridge City 1947 FW John Gillies nbsp 1918 10 22 22 October 1918 aged 27 St Mirren 1946 FW Dickie Girling nbsp 1922 05 24 24 May 1922 aged 24 Crystal Palace 1947 FW Idris Hopkins nbsp 1910 10 11 11 October 1910 aged 35 Crystal Palace 1932 FW Archie Macaulay nbsp 1915 07 30 30 July 1915 aged 31 West Ham United 1946 FW Bill Naylor nbsp 1919 11 23 23 November 1919 aged 26 Crystal Palace 1947 FW Maurice Roberts nbsp 1922 07 05 5 July 1922 aged 24 Unattached 1946 Loaned to Guildford City FW Billy Scott nbsp 1907 12 06 6 December 1907 aged 38 Middlesbrough 1932 FW Alan Smith nbsp 1921 10 15 15 October 1921 aged 24 Arsenal 1946 FW George Stewart nbsp 1920 10 18 18 October 1920 aged 25 Hamilton Academical 1946 FW Len Townsend nbsp 1917 08 31 31 August 1917 aged 29 Hayes 1937 Players who left the club mid season FW Fred Durrant nbsp 1921 06 19 19 June 1921 aged 25 Folkestone 1938 Transferred to Queens Park Rangers FW Gerry McAloon nbsp 1916 09 13 13 September 1916 aged 29 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1945 Transferred to Celtic FW George Wilkins nbsp 1919 10 27 27 October 1919 aged 26 Hayes 1938 Transferred to Bradford Park Avenue Sources 100 Years of Brentford 7 Timeless Bees 17 Football League Players Records 1888 to 1939 18 Coaching staff editName Role nbsp Harry Curtis Manager nbsp Jimmy Bain Assistant Manager nbsp Malky MacDonald Coach nbsp Bill Lane Coach nbsp Bob Kane Trainer nbsp Jack Cartmell Assistant TrainerStatistics editAppearances and goals edit nbsp CrozierGormanMunroG SmithMacaulayPaterson c StewartWilkinsHopkinsGirlingTownsendBrentford s highest appearance makers in each position during the Football League season Pos Nat Name League FA Cup Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals GK nbsp Joe Crozier 42 0 4 0 46 0 DF nbsp Wally Bragg 1 0 0 0 1 0 DF nbsp Bill Gorman 34 0 4 0 38 0 DF nbsp Frank Latimer 1 0 0 0 1 0 DF nbsp Malky MacDonald 16 1 0 0 16 1 DF nbsp Roddy Munro 34 0 4 0 38 0 DF nbsp Harry Oliver 14 0 0 0 14 0 HB nbsp Wally Bragg 1 0 0 0 1 0 HB nbsp Buster Brown 8 0 0 0 8 0 HB nbsp Tom Manley 9 0 0 0 9 0 HB nbsp John Moore 2 0 0 0 2 0 HB nbsp George Paterson 27 0 4 0 31 0 HB nbsp Arthur Shaw 4 0 0 0 4 0 HB nbsp George Smith 41 1 4 0 45 1 HB nbsp Cyril Toulouse 10 0 0 0 10 0 FW nbsp Alec Blakeman 8 4 0 0 8 4 FW nbsp Fred Durrant 4 3 4 3 FW nbsp Jose Gallego 1 0 0 0 1 0 FW nbsp John Gillies 5 0 0 0 5 0 FW nbsp Dickie Girling 15 1 15 1 FW nbsp Idris Hopkins 39 4 4 0 43 4 FW nbsp Gerry McAloon 7 4 7 4 FW nbsp Archie Macaulay 26 2 4 0 30 2 FW nbsp Bill Naylor 11 2 11 2 FW nbsp Maurice Roberts 10 0 0 0 10 0 FW nbsp Billy Scott 12 0 3 1 15 1 FW nbsp Alan Smith 10 3 4 0 14 3 FW nbsp George Stewart 16 3 1 0 17 3 FW nbsp Len Townsend 29 8 4 1 33 9 FW nbsp George Wilkins 26 7 4 0 30 7 Players listed in italics left the club mid season Source 100 Years of Brentford 7 Goalscorers edit Pos Nat Player FL1 FAC Total FW nbsp Len Townsend 8 1 9 FW nbsp George Wilkins 7 0 7 FW nbsp Gerry McAloon 4 4 FW nbsp Alec Blakeman 4 0 4 FW nbsp Idris Hopkins 4 0 4 FW nbsp Fred Durrant 3 3 FW nbsp Alan Smith 3 0 3 FW nbsp George Stewart 3 0 3 FW nbsp Bill Naylor 2 2 FW nbsp Archie Macaulay 2 0 2 FW nbsp Dickie Girling 1 1 DF nbsp Malky MacDonald 1 0 1 HB nbsp George Smith 1 0 1 FW nbsp Billy Scott 0 1 1 Opponents 2 0 2 Total 45 2 47 Players listed in italics left the club mid season Source 100 Years of Brentford 7 International caps edit Pos Nat Player Caps Goals Ref DF nbsp nbsp Bill Gorman 23 00 19 20 FW nbsp Archie Macaulay 1 0 21 Management edit Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League P W D L W P W D L W Harry Curtis nbsp 31 August 1946 14 June 1947 46 10 9 27 0 21 74 42 9 7 26 0 21 43 Summary edit Games played 46 42 First Division 4 FA Cup Games won 10 9 First Division 1 FA Cup Games drawn 9 7 First Division 2 FA Cup Games lost 27 26 First Division 1 FA Cup Goals scored 47 45 First Division 2 FA Cup Goals conceded 92 88 First Division 4 FA Cup Clean sheets 8 5 First Division 3 FA Cup Biggest league win 3 0 versus Blackburn Rovers 1 January 1947 4 1 versus Wolverhampton Wanderers 18 January 1947 Worst league defeat 6 1 versus Sheffield United 25 December 1946 Most appearances 46 Joe Crozier 42 First Division 4 FA Cup Top scorer league 8 Len Townsend Top scorer all competitions 9 Len TownsendTransfers amp loans editCricketers are not included in this list Players transferred in Date Pos Name Previous Club Fee Ref May 1946 FW nbsp Alec Blakeman nbsp Oxford City Free 22 May 1946 FW nbsp John Gillies nbsp St Mirren Nominal 23 May 1946 HB nbsp Arthur Shaw nbsp Hayes n a 24 May 1946 HB nbsp Cyril Toulouse nbsp St Cuthberts Free 25 30 July 1946 FW nbsp George Stewart nbsp Hamilton Academical n a 26 30 July 1946 FW nbsp J A Fyffe n a n a 26 23 August 1946 FW nbsp Robert Ross nbsp Murton Colliery Welfare n a 27 August 1946 FW nbsp Maurice Roberts Unattached Free 28 October 1946 DF nbsp Malky MacDonald nbsp Kilmarnock 1 500 10 October 1946 HB nbsp George Paterson nbsp Celtic Exchange 10 November 1946 FW nbsp Archie Macaulay nbsp West Ham United n a 10 December 1946 FW nbsp Alan Smith nbsp Arsenal Free 29 1946 HB nbsp Wally Bragg nbsp Twickenham Celtic Amateur 5 January 1947 FW nbsp Jose Gallego nbsp Cambridge City Free 30 January 1947 DF nbsp William Gibson nbsp Arsenal n a 31 10 February 1947 FW nbsp Dickie Girling nbsp Crystal Palace n a 23 10 February 1947 FW nbsp Bill Naylor nbsp Crystal Palace n a 32 March 1947 FW nbsp Percy Gleeson nbsp Hounslow Town n a 33 Players transferred out Date Pos Name Subsequent club Fee Ref 19 June 1946 DF nbsp Harry Bamford nbsp Brighton amp Hove Albion n a 34 19 June 1946 FW nbsp Jim Gotts nbsp Brighton amp Hove Albion n a 34 19 June 1946 FW nbsp Albert Hammond nbsp Exeter City n a 35 26 June 1946 HB nbsp Eric Jones nbsp Crewe Alexandra n a 36 September 1946 FW nbsp Fred Durrant nbsp Queens Park Rangers 4 500 8 4 October 1946 FW nbsp Gerry McAloon nbsp Celtic Exchange 37 October 1946 DF nbsp Jimmy Anderson nbsp Carlisle United Nominal 38 10 February 1947 FW nbsp George Wilkins nbsp Bradford Park Avenue 7 000 39 February 1947 DF nbsp Fred Mansfield nbsp Norwich City n a 40 Players loaned out Date Pos Name Previous Club Date to Ref 1946 HB nbsp Wally Bragg nbsp Hounslow Town 1947 5 November 1946 FW nbsp Maurice Roberts nbsp Guildford City 1947 28 Players released Date Pos Name Subsequent club Join date Ref April 1947 FW nbsp Les Boulter nbsp Yeovil Town 1947 41 April 1947 HB nbsp Buster Brown nbsp Leyton Orient May 1947 42 April 1947 HB Collier n a n a 43 April 1947 FW nbsp J A Fyffe n a n a 43 April 1947 FW nbsp John Gillies nbsp Morton 1947 23 April 1947 FW nbsp Idris Hopkins nbsp Bristol City May 1947 44 April 1947 FW nbsp Ernest Muttitt nbsp Dover 1947 45 April 1947 FW nbsp Maurice Roberts nbsp Bristol City May 1947 28 April 1947 FW T Ryder n a n a 43 April 1947 FW nbsp Billy Scott nbsp Aldershot July 1947 46 April 1947 FW nbsp John Sutton n a n a 43 April 1947 FW nbsp Len Townsend nbsp Bristol City June 1947 47 Notes edit Match played at Villa Park Birmingham References edit White 1989 p 162 165 a b Brentford F C at the Football Club History Database a b White 1989 p 179 184 Haynes 1998 p 99 a b c Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 25 26 a b c d e Brentford results for the 1946 1947 season Statto com Archived from the original on 24 March 2016 Retrieved 25 May 2016 a b c d e f g White Eric ed 1989 100 Years Of Brentford Brentford FC p 379 ISBN 0951526200 a b Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 51 102 103 Brentford Needs Goal Scorers Mcaloon s Transfer Disastrous Reader s View The Brentford amp Chiswick Times 20 December 1946 a b c d Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 98 105 121 122 Moment in time Wolverhampton Wanderers Brentford FC Retrieved 3 January 2018 Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 168 11v11 league table generator www 11v11 com Retrieved 5 September 2019 All of the results on Saturday 24th May 1947 Statto com Archived from the original on 2 April 2016 Retrieved 25 May 2016 Haynes Graham 1998 A Z Of Bees Brentford Encyclopedia Harefield Middlesex Yore Publications pp 78 79 ISBN 1 874427 57 7 Haynes 1998 p 13 Haynes Graham Coumbe Frank 2006 Timeless Bees Brentford F C Who s Who 1920 2006 Yore Publications ISBN 978 0955294914 Joyce Michael 2012 Football League Players Records 1888 to 1939 Nottingham Tony Brown ISBN 978 1905891610 Bill Gorman 11v11 com Retrieved 23 May 2016 Bill Gorman NIFG Retrieved 24 May 2016 Archie MacAulay 11v11 com Retrieved 25 May 2016 Captures The Brentford amp Chiswick Times 10 May 1946 a b c Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 65 Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 144 Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 161 162 a b Stewart Signs For Brentford Bees Report For Training On Wednesday Middlesex Chronicle 3 August 1946 Transfer Blow Housing Snag Stops Bees Getting Pivot Private Trial The Brentford amp Chiswick Times 23 August 1946 a b c Maurice Roberts Barry Hugman s Footballers Retrieved 9 June 2016 Alan Smith www arsenal com Retrieved 6 December 2021 Refugee Footballers in Britain PDF Retrieved 9 May 2018 Bill Gibson Barry Hugman s Footballers Retrieved 19 June 2016 Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 114 Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 66 a b Bamford and Gotts for Brighton The Brentford amp Chiswick Times 21 June 1946 Western Morning News Plymouth Devon 1946 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Jones Gets Off At Crewe The Brentford amp Chiswick Times 28 June 1946 McAloon Gerald The Celtic Wiki Retrieved 9 June 2016 Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 11 12 Wilkins Ernest George George Leeds United F C History Retrieved 9 June 2016 Fred Mansfield Barry Hugman s Footballers Retrieved 29 June 2016 Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 24 Billy Brown Barry Hugman s Footballers Retrieved 9 June 2016 a b c d The Sportsman s Roundabout Retained List The Brentford amp Chiswick Times 25 April 1947 Dai Hopkins Barry Hugman s Footballers Retrieved 9 June 2016 Haynes amp Coumbe 2006 p 113 Billy Scott Barry Hugman s Footballers Retrieved 9 June 2016 Len Townsend Barry Hugman s Footballers Retrieved 9 June 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1946 47 Brentford F C season amp oldid 1220375913, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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