1977–78 Brentford F.C. season
# 1977–78 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1977–78 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. 58 goals from Steve Phillips and Andrew McCulloch helped the club to a 4th-place finish and promotion to the Third Division. Phillips' 36 goals was the most in English league football by any player during the season.

## Season summary

Having spent much of the previous season rebuilding the unbalanced squad left by his predecessor John Docherty, Brentford manager Bill Dodgin Jr. shrugged off two off-season disappointments (failing to agree a fee with Bristol City for John Bain and Terry Johnson's refusal to sign a new contract) by bringing in goalkeeper Len Bond for £8,000 and midfielders Barry Lloyd and Willie Graham. Expectations were high going into the 1977–78 Fourth Division season, with Dodgin's attractive brand of attacking football having led to 14 wins from the final 18 matches of the previous season.

After a what was then becoming traditional first round exit of the League Cup, Brentford had a strong start to the league season, going top on 22 August 1977 after a 4–1 victory over Fourth Division newcomers Wimbledon. The three-pronged attack of forwards Gordon Sweetzer, Andrew McCulloch and midfielder Steve Phillips proved fruitful after 10 league matches and Phillips and Sweetzer topped the Fourth Division goalscoring chart with eight apiece. Injuries to Gordon Sweetzer, Dave Carlton, John Fraser, captain Jackie Graham and a suspension suffered by Andrew McCulloch nullified Brentford's threat through the Christmas period and the club dropped back into the upper reaches of mid-table.

By mid-January 1978, Brentford began to recover and the £10,000 signing of full back Barry Tucker would prove to be the final piece of the jigsaw in manager Bill Dodgin Jr.'s starting XI. A 4–0 win over Rochdale at Griffin Park on 6 March put the Bees back on the cusp of the promotion places for the first time since mid-December, but the shock transfer of forward Gordon Sweetzer to Cambridge United two days later for a £30,000 fee was seen as a massive risk. Sweetzer had scored 40 goals from his 72 appearances for the club over 18 months, but manager Dodgin felt that with Steve Phillips having scored 16 goals from midfield so far in the season, Phillips could move up to the forward line to partner Andrew McCulloch. In addition, Phillips was allowed to play a free role in matches, roaming between midfield, the wings and the forward line. Dodgin's decision proved to be a masterstroke, with Phillips scoring 16 goals in the final 15 matches of the season and promotion to the Third Division was secured with two matches still to play.

Phillips' 36 goals meant that he finished the season as the top scorer in English league football, while Andrew McCulloch and the departed Gordon Sweetzer supported ably with 22 and 14 goals respectively. The 58 goals Phillips' and McCulloch's strike partnership yielded equated to just under 63% of the club's total scored in league matches.

One club record was equalled during the season:

* Highest away Football League aggregate score: 10 (6–4 versus Crewe Alexandra, 3 September 1977)

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | Southend United | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 66 | 39 | +27 | 60 | Promoted |
| 3 | Swansea City | 46 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 87 | 47 | +40 | 56 | Promoted |
| 4 | Brentford | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 86 | 54 | +32 | 56 | Promoted |
| 5 | Aldershot | 46 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 67 | 47 | +20 | 54 | |
| 6 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 57 | 51 | +6 | 53 | |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

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

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 August 1977 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 2–3 | 2,501 | Sweetzer, Phillips |
| 8 August 1977 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–2 | 2,260 | Sweetzer (2) |
| 10 August 1977 | Barnet | A | 4–1 | n/a | Glynn (2), McCulloch, Phillips |
| 30 August 1977 | Kuwait | H | 0–2 | n/a | |
| 2 May 1978 | Staines Town | A | 2–1 | n/a | Rolph, Walker |
| 3 May 1978 | Folkestone | A | 0–0 | n/a | |
| 9 May 1978 | Chelsea | H | 2–8 | 7,400 | Allder, Kruse |

### Football League Fourth Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 20 August 1977 | Northampton Town | H | 3–0 | 5,492 | Lloyd, McCulloch, Phillips |
| 2 | 22 August 1977 | Wimbledon | H | 4–1 | 11,001 | McCulloch, Phillips, Sweetzer, Lloyd |
| 3 | 27 August 1977 | Reading | H | 1–1 | 8,176 | Sweetzer (pen) |
| 4 | 3 September 1977 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 6–4 | 1,837 | Collier (og), Carlton (2), Sweetzer (3) |
| 5 | 10 September 1977 | Bournemouth | H | 1–1 | 7,702 | Phillips |
| 6 | 13 September 1977 | Rochdale | A | 2–1 | 1,164 | McCulloch, Kruse |
| 7 | 17 September 1977 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 1–3 | 3,044 | Phillips |
| 8 | 24 September 1977 | Scunthorpe United | H | 2–0 | 6,115 | McCulloch, Phillips |
| 9 | 26 September 1977 | Stockport County | A | 1–1 | 4,121 | Sweetzer |
| 10 | 1 October 1977 | Halifax Town | H | 4–1 | 6,239 | Phillips (2, 1 pen), J. Graham, Lloyd |
| 11 | 3 October 1977 | Watford | H | 0–3 | 14,496 | |
| 12 | 8 October 1977 | Torquay United | A | 1–2 | 2,538 | McCulloch |
| 13 | 15 October 1977 | Southport | H | 0–0 | 6,141 | |
| 14 | 22 October 1977 | Hartlepool United | A | 1–3 | 2,470 | Phillips |
| 15 | 29 October 1977 | Southend United | H | 1–0 | 7,435 | McCulloch |
| 16 | 5 November 1977 | York City | H | 1–0 | 5,985 | Phillips |
| 17 | 12 November 1977 | Barnsley | A | 0–0 | 4,209 | |
| 18 | 19 November 1977 | Swansea City | H | 0–2 | 6,337 | |
| 19 | 2 December 1977 | Darlington | A | 3–1 | 2,058 | McCulloch, Phillips, Rolph |
| 20 | 10 December 1977 | Grimsby Town | H | 3–1 | 5,762 | McCulloch (2), Phillips |
| 21 | 26 December 1977 | Aldershot | A | 0–1 | 8,175 | |
| 22 | 27 December 1977 | Newport County | H | 3–3 | 8,972 | Phillips (pen), Allder, Baldwin |
| 23 | 31 December 1977 | York City | A | 2–3 | 2,329 | McCulloch, Phillips |
| 24 | 2 January 1978 | Huddersfield Town | H | 1–1 | 9,475 | Shrubb |
| 25 | 7 January 1978 | Wimbledon | A | 1–1 | 5,411 | Sweetzer |
| 26 | 14 January 1978 | Northampton Town | A | 2–2 | 4,050 | McCulloch (2) |
| 27 | 28 January 1978 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 5–1 | 6,871 | McCulloch, Phillips (2, 1 pen), W. Graham, Sweetzer |
| 28 | 4 February 1978 | Bournemouth | A | 2–3 | 3,417 | McCulloch, Sweetzer |
| 29 | 25 February 1978 | Halifax Town | A | 1–1 | 1,764 | Carlton |
| 30 | 4 March 1978 | Torquay United | H | 3–0 | 6,551 | Sweetzer (2, 1 pen), Darke (og) |
| 31 | 6 March 1978 | Rochdale | H | 4–0 | 7,215 | McCulloch, Phillips (2, 1 pen), Sweetzer, Lloyd |
| 32 | 11 March 1978 | Southport | A | 3–1 | 1,691 | Phillips (2), McCulloch |
| 33 | 14 March 1978 | Scunthorpe United | A | 1–1 | 3,053 | Murray |
| 34 | 18 March 1978 | Hartlepool United | H | 2–0 | 7,499 | McCulloch, Phillips |
| 35 | 24 March 1978 | Southend United | A | 1–2 | 11,810 | Phillips |
| 36 | 25 March 1978 | Newport County | A | 2–1 | 4,953 | J. Graham, McCulloch |
| 37 | 27 March 1978 | Aldershot | H | 2–0 | 12,579 | Phillips (2, 1 pen) |
| 38 | 1 April 1978 | Huddersfield Town | A | 3–1 | 6,345 | Phillips (3) |
| 39 | 3 April 1978 | Stockport County | H | 4–0 | 11,674 | Phillips (2), McCulloch (2) |
| 40 | 8 April 1978 | Barnsley | H | 2–0 | 12,139 | Allder, Phillips (pen) |
| 41 | 12 April 1978 | Reading | A | 0–0 | 7,384 | |
| 42 | 15 April 1978 | Swansea City | A | 1–2 | 16,152 | W. Graham |
| 43 | 18 April 1978 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 2–2 | 11,512 | Phillips (2) |
| 44 | 22 April 1978 | Darlington | H | 2–0 | 11,934 | McCulloch, Phillips (pen) |
| 45 | 25 April 1978 | Watford | A | 1–1 | 16,544 | McCulloch |
| 46 | 29 April 1978 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–2 | 4,712 | Phillips |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1R | 26 November 1977 | Folkestone & Shepway | H | 2–0 | 5,981 | Phillips (2) |
| 2R | 17 December 1977 | Swindon Town | A | 1–2 | 8,447 | Phillips (pen) |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1R (1st leg) | 13 August 1977 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–1 | 8,929 | Sweetzer (2) |
| 1R (2nd leg) | 16 August 1977 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–5 (lost 6–3 on aggregate) | 11,586 | Phillips |

* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies, Statto

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1977–78 season.

| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Len Bond | (1954-01-12)12 January 1954 (aged 23) | Bristol City | 1977 | |
| GK | Graham Cox | (1959-04-30)30 April 1959 (aged 18) | Youth | 1975 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Michael Allen | (1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 28) | Middlesbrough | 1971 | |
| DF | John Fraser | (1953-07-12)12 July 1953 (aged 24) | Fulham | 1976 | |
| DF | Pat Kruse | (1953-11-30)30 November 1953 (aged 23) | Torquay United | 1977 | |
| DF | Danis Salman | (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 17) | Youth | 1975 | |
| DF | Nigel Smith | (1958-07-03)3 July 1958 (aged 19) | Queens Park Rangers | 1975 | |
| DF | Barry Tucker | (1952-08-28)28 August 1952 (aged 24) | Northampton Town | 1978 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Doug Allder | (1951-12-30)30 December 1951 (aged 25) | Unattached | 1977 | |
| MF | Steve Aylott | (1951-09-03)3 September 1951 (aged 25) | Oxford United | 1976 | |
| MF | Dave Carlton | (1952-11-24)24 November 1952 (aged 24) | Northampton Town | 1976 | |
| MF | Jackie Graham (c) | (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 31) | Guildford City | 1970 | |
| MF | Willie Graham | (1959-02-14)14 February 1959 (aged 18) | Northampton Town | 1977 | |
| MF | Barry Lloyd | (1949-02-19)19 February 1949 (aged 28) | Hereford United | 1977 | |
| MF | Gary Rolph | (1960-02-24)24 February 1960 (aged 17) | Youth | 1976 | |
| MF | Paul Shrubb | (1955-08-01)1 August 1955 (aged 22) | Hellenic | 1977 | |
| MF | Paul Walker | (1960-12-17)17 December 1960 (aged 16) | Youth | 1976 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Tommy Baldwin | (1945-06-10)10 June 1945 (aged 32) | Unattached | 1977 | |
| FW | Andrew McCulloch | (1950-01-03)3 January 1950 (aged 27) | Oxford United | 1976 | |
| FW | John Murray | (1948-03-02)2 March 1948 (aged 29) | Reading | 1978 | |
| FW | Steve Phillips | (1954-08-04)4 August 1954 (aged 23) | Northampton Town | 1977 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| MF | Terry Glynn | (1958-12-17)17 December 1958 (aged 18) | Orient | 1977 | Released |
| FW | Gordon Sweetzer | (1957-01-27)27 January 1957 (aged 20) | Queens Park Rangers | 1975 | Transferred to Cambridge United |

* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| - | - |
| Bill Dodgin Jr. | Manager |
| Eddie Lyons | Physiotherapist |
| Gordon Quinn | Chief Scout |

## Statistics

### Appearances and goals

    Substitute appearances in brackets.

| Pos | Nat | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Pos | Nat | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | | Len Bond | 45 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| GK | | Graham Cox | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Michael Allen | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| DF | | John Fraser | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| DF | | Pat Kruse | 40 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 1 |
| DF | | Danis Salman | 36 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 (1) | 0 |
| DF | | Nigel Smith | 8 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (1) | 0 |
| DF | | Barry Tucker | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 0 |
| MF | | Doug Allder | 31 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 2 |
| MF | | Steve Aylott | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 |
| MF | | Dave Carlton | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 3 |
| MF | | Terry Glynn | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| MF | | Jackie Graham | 35 (1) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 (1) | 2 |
| MF | | Willie Graham | 28 (3) | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 (3) | 2 |
| MF | | Barry Lloyd | 26 (5) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 (5) | 4 |
| MF | | Gary Rolph | 1 (3) | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (4) | 1 |
| MF | | Paul Shrubb | 45 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 1 |
| MF | | Paul Walker | 3 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (2) | 0 |
| FW | | Tommy Baldwin | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 1 |
| FW | | Andrew McCulloch | 45 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 22 |
| FW | | John Murray | 2 (3) | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 (3) | 1 |
| FW | | Steve Phillips | 46 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 36 |
| FW | | Gordon Sweetzer | 18 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 14 |

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

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL4 | FAC | FLC | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| FW | | Steve Phillips | 32 | 3 | 1 | 36 |
| FW | | Andrew McCulloch | 22 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| FW | | Gordon Sweetzer | 12 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| MF | | Barry Lloyd | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| MF | | Dave Carlton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| MF | | Doug Allder | 2 | 0 | — | 2 |
| MF | | Willie Graham | 2 | 0 | — | 2 |
| MF | | Jackie Graham | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | John Murray | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| FW | | Tommy Baldwin | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| DF | | Pat Kruse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Gary Rolph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Paul Shrubb | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | Total | Total | 86 | 3 | 3 | 92 |

* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* 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 % |
| Bill Dodgin, Jr. | | 13 August 1977 | 29 April 1978 | 50 | 23 | 14 | 13 | 046.00 | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 045.65 |

### Summary

| Games played | 50 (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup) |
| - | - |
| Games won | 23 (21 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Games drawn | 14 (14 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games lost | 13 (11 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals scored | 92 (86 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 3 League Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 62 (54 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 6 League Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 15 (14 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 4–0 on two occasions; 5–1 versus Crewe Alexandra, 28 January 1978 |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 versus Watford, 3 October 1977 |
| Most appearances | 50, Steve Phillips (42 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 32, Steve Phillips |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 36, Steve Phillips |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :

| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| June 1977 | MF | Barry Lloyd | Hereford United | Free | |
| August 1977 | GK | Len Bond | Bristol City | £8,000 | |
| August 1977 | MF | Willie Graham | Northampton Town | Free | |
| October 1977 | MF | Doug Allder | Unattached | Trial | |
| October 1977 | FW | Tommy Baldwin | Unattached | Non-contract | |
| 1977 | MF | Terry Glynn | Orient | Trial | |
| January 1978 | MF | Dave Metchick | n/a | Non-contract | |
| February 1978 | FW | John Murray | Reading | Nominal | |
| February 1978 | DF | David Silman | Unattached | Trial | |
| February 1978 | DF | Barry Tucker | Northampton Town | £10,000 | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 8 March 1978 | FW | Gordon Sweetzer | Cambridge United | £30,000 | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| May 1978 | FW | Andrew McCulloch | Oakland Stompers | August 1978 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| September 1977 | MF | Terry Glynn | Ilford | 1977 | |
| 1977 | MF | Terry Johnson | Blyth Spartans | 1977 | |
| January 1978 | MF | Dave Metchick | n/a | n/a | |
| May 1978 | MF | Steve Aylott | Retired | | |
| May 1978 | MF | Barry Lloyd | Houston Hurricane | 1978 | |

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Andrew McCulloch
* Players' Player of the Year: Andrew McCulloch
* Adidas Golden Boot: Steve Phillips
* Evening Standard Player of the Month: Steve Phillips (March 1978)
* Football League Fourth Division Manager of the Month: Bill Dodgin Jr. (March 1978)
