1924–25 Brentford F.C. season
# 1924–25 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1924–25 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South. After finishing in 21st place, the club successfully applied for re-election. The 41 goals scored during the season is the fewest in club history.

## Season summary

Brentford manager Archie Mitchell conducted an overhaul of his half back and forward lines during the 1924 off-season, releasing James Kerr, Freddy Capper, Bobby Hughes, Sidney Mulford and Henry Parkinson and signing 12 new players, which included new forward Jack Allen to partner Reginald Parker in attack. Aside from a three-match winning streak in September, which lifted the club as high as 9th, 10 defeats in the following 12 games saw Mitchell step down as manager after a 5–3 defeat to Isthmian League club St Albans City in the FA Cup fifth qualifying round on 29 November 1924. He was replaced by Fred Halliday, who stepped up from an administrative role to take over as Brentford manager for the third time.

At the time of Halliday's first match in charge, Brentford had been rooted to the bottom of the Third Division South for nearly a month. Halliday fared little better than his predecessor, despite a 10-match spell from mid-December to early February which saw the Bees lose just three times. Mid-season signings Jimmy McCree, Bert Young and new captain Alex Graham failed to strengthen the team, though four goals in 9 late-season appearances from new acquisition Jack Lane at least inspired the team to score 12 goals in the matches in which he played.

Brentford finished the 1924–25 season in 21st place and successfully applied for re-election to the Football League. Though statistically it was not Brentford's worst season, many Football League club records were set or equalled during the campaign, including fewest away victories (1), fewest victories (9), fewest draws (0), consecutive home draws (4), most away defeats (20), most defeats (26), fewest away goals scored (10), fewest goals scored (38) and most away goals conceded (65). A 7–0 defeat to Swansea Town on 8 November 1924 is Brentford's joint-worst league defeat and together with a 7–1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle on 6 September 1924, is a joint-club record for most goals conceded in an away league loss.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 18 | Aberdare Athletic | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 54 | 67 | 0.806 | 37 | |
| 19 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 42 | 63 | 0.667 | 36 | |
| 20 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 40 | 58 | 0.690 | 34 | |
| 21 | Brentford | 42 | 9 | 7 | 26 | 38 | 91 | 0.418 | 25 | Re-elected |
| 22 | Merthyr Town | 42 | 8 | 5 | 29 | 35 | 77 | 0.455 | 21 | Re-elected |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |
| - | - | - |

### Football League Third Division South

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 30 August 1924 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 2–4 | 8,500 | Garnish, Parker |
| 2 | 3 September 1924 | Gillingham | A | 0–1 | 5,000 | |
| 3 | 6 September 1924 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–7 | 9,000 | Parker |
| 4 | 8 September 1924 | Gillingham | H | 2–1 | 6,000 | Parker, Allen |
| 5 | 13 September 1924 | Bristol City | H | 1–0 | 9,000 | Allen |
| 6 | 15 September 1924 | Newport County | H | 2–0 | 7,000 | Parker (2) |
| 7 | 20 September 1924 | Swindon Town | A | 0–2 | 4,000 | |
| 8 | 27 September 1924 | Aberdare Athletic | H | 2–2 | 9,000 | Parker, H. Williams |
| 9 | 4 October 1924 | Norwich City | A | 0–3 | 6,000 | |
| 10 | 11 October 1924 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 0–1 | 8,000 | |
| 11 | 18 October 1924 | Millwall | H | 1–0 | 11,000 | R. Williams |
| 12 | 22 October 1924 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | A | 0–2 | 6,000 | |
| 13 | 25 October 1924 | Merthyr Town | A | 0–4 | 5,000 | |
| 14 | 1 November 1924 | Reading | H | 0–1 | 2,500 | |
| 15 | 8 November 1924 | Swansea Town | A | 0–7 | 5,000 | |
| 16 | 15 November 1924 | Exeter City | H | 2–5 | 2,500 | Garnish, Parker |
| 17 | 22 November 1924 | Bristol Rovers | A | 0–2 | 5,000 | |
| 18 | 6 December 1924 | Southend United | A | 1–6 | 4,000 | Relph |
| 19 | 13 December 1924 | Watford | H | 0–0 | 4,000 | |
| 20 | 20 December 1924 | Northampton Town | A | 2–0 | 6,000 | Allen (2) |
| 21 | 25 December 1924 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–3 | 7,000 | |
| 22 | 26 December 1924 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1–0 | 10,000 | Allen |
| 23 | 27 December 1924 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1–4 | 2,500 | Parker |
| 24 | 3 January 1925 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 1–0 | 8,000 | Graham (pen) |
| 25 | 10 January 1925 | Southend United | H | 2–2 | 7,000 | Garnish, V. Rowe |
| 26 | 17 January 1925 | Bristol City | A | 0–3 | 8,500 | |
| 27 | 24 January 1925 | Swindon Town | H | 0–0 | 7,000 | |
| 28 | 7 February 1925 | Norwich City | H | 1–1 | 7,000 | Allen |
| 29 | 14 February 1925 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–1 | 10,000 | |
| 30 | 16 February 1925 | Aberdare Athletic | A | 1–2 | 3,000 | Hughes |
| 31 | 21 February 1925 | Millwall | A | 0–3 | 14,000 | |
| 32 | 28 February 1925 | Merthyr Town | H | 2–2 | 7,000 | Isaac, H. Williams |
| 33 | 7 March 1925 | Reading | A | 1–3 | 6,312 | Allen |
| 34 | 14 March 1925 | Swansea Town | H | 3–1 | 9,000 | Allen (2), Lane |
| 35 | 21 March 1925 | Exeter City | A | 1–5 | 3,000 | Lane |
| 36 | 28 March 1925 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–1 | 4,000 | Allen |
| 37 | 4 April 1925 | Newport County | A | 0–1 | 5,000 | |
| 38 | 10 April 1925 | Luton Town | H | 3–0 | 7,000 | Allen (2), Lane |
| 39 | 13 April 1925 | Luton Town | A | 1–3 | 6,000 | Garnish |
| 40 | 18 April 1925 | Watford | A | 1–3 | 4,000 | Allen |
| 41 | 25 April 1925 | Northampton Town | H | 1–3 | 5,000 | Lane |
| 42 | 2 May 1925 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | H | 1–2 | 4,000 | Allen |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5QR | 29 November 1924 | St Albans City | A | 3–5 | 8,825 | Parker, H. Williams, Garnish |

* Sources: Statto, 100 Years of Brentford, The Complete History

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1924–25 season.

| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Albert Gilbert | (1892-02-09)9 February 1892 (aged 32) | Civil Service | 1924 | |
| GK | William Young | (1892-08-04)4 August 1892 (aged 32) | South Shields | 1920 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Charles Alton | (1891-12-24)24 December 1891 (aged 32) | Rotherham County | 1921 | |
| DF | Edwin Cooke | (1903-02-26)26 February 1903 (aged 21) | Barnsley | 1924 | |
| DF | George Kell | (1896-07-13)13 July 1896 (aged 28) | The Wednesday | 1922 | |
| DF | Edward Shepherd | (1903-05-18)18 May 1903 (aged 21) | Harrow Weald | 1924 | |
| DF | John Steel | 1895 (aged 28–29) | Arsenal | 1925 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Billy Broadbent | (1901-11-20)20 November 1901 (aged 22) | Oldham Athletic | 1924 | |
| HB | Tommy Cain | (1892-11-10)10 November 1892 (aged 31) | Sheppey United | 1924 | |
| HB | Alex Graham (c) | (1889-07-11)11 July 1889 (aged 35) | Arsenal | 1924 | |
| HB | Frank Henderson | (1900-09-24)24 September 1900 (aged 23) | Stockport County | 1924 | |
| HB | Bill Inglis | (1899-09-04)4 September 1899 (aged 24) | Derby County | 1922 | |
| HB | Gordon Johnstone | (1900-04-21)21 April 1900 (aged 24) | Houghton Rovers | 1922 | |
| HB | Horace Jones | n/a | Ton Pentre | 1922 | |
| HB | Ronald Rowe | (1902-10-11)11 October 1902 (aged 21) | Wimbledon | 1924 | Amateur |
| HB | Jimmy Walton | (1898-11-03)3 November 1898 (aged 25) | Bristol Rovers | 1924 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Jack Allen | (1903-01-31)31 January 1903 (aged 21) | Leeds United | 1924 | |
| FW | Billy Clayson | (1897-07-12)12 July 1897 (aged 27) | Wellingborough Town | 1922 | |
| FW | Tom Garnish | (1900-05-03)3 May 1900 (aged 24) | Wandsworth | 1923 | |
| FW | Harold Hughes | 1902 (aged 21–22) | Aberdare Athletic | 1924 | |
| FW | Arthur Isaac | 1902 (aged 21–22) | Cambridge Town | 1923 | Amateur |
| FW | Jack Lane | (1898-05-29)29 May 1898 (aged 26) | Chesterfield | 1925 | |
| FW | Jimmy McCree | (1902-11-16)16 November 1902 (aged 21) | London Caledonians | 1925 | Amateur |
| FW | Charles McGuigan | (1900-12-13)13 December 1900 (aged 23) | Newcastle United | 1924 | |
| FW | Reginald Parker | (1902-07-08)8 July 1902 (aged 22) | Boldon Comrades | 1922 | |
| FW | William Relph | (1900-01-26)26 January 1900 (aged 24) | Ashington | 1924 | |
| FW | Vivian Rowe | (1901-02-18)18 February 1901 (aged 23) | Dulwich Hamlet | 1924 | Amateur |
| FW | Harry Williams | (1898-07-29)29 July 1898 (aged 26) | Manchester United | 1923 | |
| FW | Ralph Williams | (1905-10-02)2 October 1905 (aged 18) | Aberdare Athletic | 1924 | |
| FW | Bert Young | (1899-09-04)4 September 1899 (aged 24) | Aberdare Athletic | 1925 | |

* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Timeless Bees, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939

## Coaching staff

### Archie Mitchell (30 August–2 December 1924)

| Name | Role |
| - | - |
| Archie Mitchell | Manager |
| Dusty Rhodes | Trainer |

### Fred Halliday (3 December 1924 – 2 May 1925)

| Name | Role |
| - | - |
| Fred Halliday | Manager |
| Dusty Rhodes | Trainer |

## Statistics

### Appearances and goals

| Pos | Nat | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Pos | Nat | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | | Albert Gilbert | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| GK | | William Young | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| DF | | Charles Alton | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| DF | | Edwin Cooke | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| DF | | George Kell | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| DF | | Edward Shepherd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| DF | | John Steel | 16 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 |
| HB | | Billy Broadbent | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| HB | | Tommy Cain | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| HB | | Alex Graham | 22 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 1 |
| HB | | Frank Henderson | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| HB | | Bill Inglis | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| HB | | Gordon Johnstone | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | Horace Jones | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| HB | | Ronald Rowe | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| HB | | Jimmy Walton | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| FW | | Jack Allen | 36 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 14 |
| FW | | Billy Clayson | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| FW | | Tom Garnish | 25 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 5 |
| FW | | Harold Hughes | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| FW | | Arthur Isaac | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| FW | | Jack Lane | 9 | 4 | — | — | 9 | 4 |
| FW | | Jimmy McCree | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | | Charles McGuigan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Reginald Parker | 41 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 9 |
| FW | | William Relph | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| FW | | Vivian Rowe | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| FW | | Harry Williams | 27 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 3 |
| FW | | Ralph Williams | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| FW | | Bert Young | 11 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 |

* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| FW | | Jack Allen | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| FW | | Reginald Parker | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| FW | | Tom Garnish | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| FW | | Jack Lane | 4 | — | 4 |
| FW | | Harry Williams | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| HB | | Alex Graham | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Harold Hughes | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Arthur Isaac | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | William Relph | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Vivian Rowe | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Ralph Williams | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 38 | 3 | 41 |

* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Management

| Name | Nat | From | To | Record All Comps | Record All Comps | Record All Comps | Record All Comps | Record All Comps | Record League | Record League | Record League | Record League | Record League |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Name | Nat | From | To | P | W | D | L | W % | P | W | D | L | W % |
| Archie Mitchell | | 30 August 1924 | 29 November 1924 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 022.22| | 17 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 023.53 |
| Fred Halliday | | 6 November 1924 | 2 May 1925 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 020.00| | 25 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 020.00 |

### Summary

| Games played | 43 (42 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| - | - |
| Games won | 9 (9 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 7 (7 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 27 (26 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 41 (38 Third Division South, 3 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 96 (91 Third Division South, 5 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 9 (9 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 3–0 versus Luton Town, 10 April 1925 |
| Worst league defeat | 7–0 versus Swansea Town, 8 November 1924 |
| Most appearances | 42, Reginald Parker (42 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 14, Jack Allen |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 14, Jack Allen |

## Transfers & loans

    Cricketers are not included in this list.

Players transferred in :

| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| June 1924 | DF | Edward Shepherd | Harrow Weald | Amateur | |
| June 1924 | FW | Ralph Williams | Aberdare Athletic | Free | |
| July 1924 | HB | Tommy Cain | Sheppey United | Free | |
| August 1924 | FW | Jack Allen | Leeds United | Free | |
| August 1924 | HB | Billy Broadbent | Oldham Athletic | Free | |
| August 1924 | DF | Edwin Cooke | Barnsley | Free | |
| August 1924 | HB | Frank Henderson | Stockport County | Free | |
| August 1924 | FW | Harold Hughes | Aberdare Athletic | Free | |
| August 1924 | FW | Jimmy McCree | London Caledonians | Amateur | |
| August 1924 | FW | William Relph | Ashington | Free | |
| August 1924 | FW | Vivian Rowe | Dulwich Hamlet | Amateur | |
| September 1924 | GK | Albert Gilbert | Civil Service | Amateur | |
| 18 November 1924 | HB | Jimmy Walton | Bristol Rovers | £125 | |
| 3 December 1924 | HB | Alex Graham | Arsenal | £450 | |
| 1924 | HB | Charles Kelly | n/a | Amateur | |
| 1924 | FW | Charles McGuigan | Newcastle United | Free | |
| 1924 | HB | Ronald Rowe | Wimbledon | Amateur | |
| January 1925 | DF | John Steel | Arsenal | Free | |
| 7 February 1925 | n/a | John Stock | Arthurlie | n/a | |
| February 1925 | FW | Bert Young | Aberdare Athletic | n/a | |
| March 1925 | FW | Jack Lane | Chesterfield | £115 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| May 1925 | HB | Billy Broadbent | Clapton Orient | June 1925 | |
| May 1925 | FW | Billy Clayson | Crewe Alexandra | 1925 | |
| May 1925 | DF | Edwin Cooke | Grantham | 1925 | |
| May 1925 | FW | Tom Garnish | Fulham | September 1925 | |
| May 1925 | HB | Frank Henderson | Retired | | |
| May 1925 | FW | Harold Hughes | n/a | | |
| May 1925 | HB | Bill Inglis | Reading | May 1925 | |
| May 1925 | FW | Arthur Isaac | Corinthian | 1925 | |
| May 1925 | FW | Gordon Johnstone | Felling Colliery | 1925 | |
| May 1925 | HB | Horace Jones | Hednesford Town | n/a | |
| May 1925 | DF | George Kell | Hartlepools United | 1925 | |
| May 1925 | HB | Charles Kelly | n/a | n/a | |
| May 1925 | FW | Jimmy McCree | London Caledonians | 1925 | |
| May 1925 | FW | Charles McGuigan | Wheatley Hill Colliery | 1925 | |
| May 1925 | HB | Ronald Rowe | Wimbledon | 1925 | |
| May 1925 | FW | Vivian Rowe | Wimbledon | 1925 | |
| May 1925 | DF | Edward Shepherd | Retired | | |
| May 1925 | n/a | John Stock | n/a | | |
| May 1925 | FW | Harry Williams | Retired | | |
| May 1925 | FW | Ralph Williams | Aberaman Athletic | 1925 | |
| May 1925 | GK | William Young | Retired | | |
