1992–93 Brentford F.C. season
# 1992–93 Brentford F.C. season

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.

## Season summary

Brentford's 1992–93 First Division season was the club's first in the second tier of English football since 1953–54. 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, 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, 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. A 4–1 defeat and victory for Birmingham City relegated Brentford back to the Second Division. 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.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 20 | Luton Town | 46 | 10 | 21 | 15 | 48 | 62 | −14 | 51 | |
| 21 | Sunderland | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 50 | 64 | −14 | 50 | |
| 22 | Brentford (R) | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 52 | 71 | −19 | 49 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 23 | Cambridge United (R) | 46 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 48 | 69 | −21 | 49 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 24 | Bristol Rovers (R) | 46 | 10 | 11 | 25 | 55 | 87 | −32 | 41 | Relegation to the Second Division |

## Football League First Division results

### League results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

Source: Statto

### Results and position by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ground | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A |
| Result | L | L | W | W | L | L | D | D | L | D | D | L | W | W | W | L | L | W | W | W | D | W | D | L | L | L | L | W | D | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | W | D | W | D | L | D | L | L | W | L |
| Position | 23 | 21 | 18 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 22 |

### Matches

**May**

* Source: Statto, 11v11, The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

## Cup results

### Anglo-Italian Cup

* Source: Statto, 11v11, The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1992–93 season.

| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Tamer Aouf | (1974-12-07)7 December 1974 (aged 17) | Youth | 1993 | |
| GK | Ashley Bayes | (1972-04-19)19 April 1972 (aged 20) | Youth | 1990 | Loaned to Kingsbury Town |
| GK | Graham Benstead | (1963-08-20)20 August 1963 (aged 28) | Sheffield United | 1990 | |
| GK | Gerry Peyton | (1956-05-20)20 May 1956 (aged 36) | Everton | 1993 | Loaned from Everton before transferring permanently |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Jamie Bates | (1968-02-24)24 February 1968 (aged 24) | Youth | 1986 | |
| DF | Terry Evans (c) | (1965-04-12)12 April 1965 (aged 27) | Hillingdon | 1985 | |
| DF | Billy Manuel | (1969-06-28)28 June 1969 (aged 23) | Gillingham | 1991 | |
| DF | Keith Millen | (1966-09-26)26 September 1966 (aged 25) | Youth | 1985 | |
| DF | Kenny Sansom | (1958-09-26)26 September 1958 (aged 33) | Everton | 1993 | |
| DF | Chris Sparks | (1973-12-28)28 December 1973 (aged 18) | Youth | 1992 | |
| DF | Brian Statham | (1969-05-21)21 May 1969 (aged 23) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1992 | |
| DF | Danny Tripp | (1974-08-11)11 August 1974 (aged 18) | Youth | 1992 | |
| DF | Shane Westley | (1965-06-16)16 June 1965 (aged 27) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1992 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Bob Booker | (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 34) | Sheffield United | 1991 | |
| MF | Paul Buckle | (1970-12-16)16 December 1970 (aged 21) | Youth | 1988 | Loaned to Wycombe Wanderers |
| MF | Grant Chalmers | (1969-09-12)12 September 1969 (aged 22) | Northerners | 1992 | |
| MF | Alan Dickens | (1964-09-03)3 September 1964 (aged 27) | Chelsea | 1993 | |
| MF | Kevin Godfrey | (1960-02-24)24 February 1960 (aged 32) | Leyton Orient | 1988 | |
| MF | Detzi Kruszyński | (1960-10-14)14 October 1960 (aged 31) | Wimbledon | 1992 | |
| MF | Robbie Peters | (1971-05-18)18 May 1971 (aged 21) | Youth | 1989 | Loaned to Woking |
| MF | Simon Ratcliffe | (1967-02-08)8 February 1967 (aged 25) | Norwich City | 1989 | |
| MF | Wilf Rostron | (1956-09-29)29 September 1956 (aged 35) | Sheffield United | 1991 | Assistant manager |
| MF | Neil Smilie | (1958-07-19)19 July 1958 (aged 34) | Reading | 1988 | |
| MF | Paul Stephenson | (1968-01-02)2 January 1968 (aged 24) | Millwall | 1993 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Joe Allon | (1966-01-12)12 January 1966 (aged 26) | Chelsea | 1992 | |
| FW | Mickey Bennett | (1969-07-27)27 July 1969 (aged 23) | Wimbledon | 1992 | |
| FW | Gary Blissett | (1964-06-29)29 June 1964 (aged 28) | Crewe Alexandra | 1987 | |
| FW | Marcus Gayle | (1970-09-27)27 September 1970 (aged 21) | Youth | 1988 | |
| FW | Murray Jones | (1964-10-07)7 October 1964 (aged 27) | Grimsby Town | 1992 | |
| FW | Lee Luscombe | (1971-07-16)16 July 1971 (aged 21) | Southampton | 1991 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Chris Hughton | (1958-12-11)11 December 1958 (aged 33) | West Ham United | 1992 | Coach, retired |
| DF | Paul Mortimer | (1968-05-08)8 May 1968 (aged 24) | Crystal Palace | 1993 | Returned to Crystal Palace after loan |

* Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

## Coaching staff

| 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 |

## Statistics

### Appearances and goals

    Substitute appearances in brackets.

| Pos | Nat | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | A-I Cup | A-I Cup | Total | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Pos | Nat | Name | 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 |

* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

### Goalscorers

| 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 | Opponents | Opponents | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | Total | Total | 52 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 75 |

* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

### 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 % |
| Phil Holder | | 15 August 1992 | 8 May 1993 | 59 | 22 | 10 | 27 | 037.29| | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 028.26 |

### Summary

| 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 |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :

| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 14 July 1992 | FW | Mickey Bennett | Wimbledon | n/a | |
| July 1992 | FW | Murray Jones | Grimsby Town | £75,000 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |

## Kit

Supplier: Hummel International Sponsor(s): KLM

| Home | Away | Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper |
| - | - | - | - |

Source: Historical Kits

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Billy Manuel
* Football League First Division Manager of the Month: Phil Holder (December 1992)
* Jewson National Award
