1954–55 Brentford F.C. season
# 1954–55 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1954–55 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South. In the club's first season back in the third-tier since 1932–33, the Bees finished in mid-table. The season was memorable for the debuts of youth products Jim Towers and George Francis, who went on to dominate Brentford's goalscoring charts until 1961.

## Season summary

The 1954–55 Third Division South season marked Brentford's fall from the top-flight to the basement in just seven years. It was the Bees' first Third Division South season since 1932–33 and though he had a limited budget, manager Bill Dodgin Sr. did not conduct a fire sale and managed to keep his squad intact. Forwards George Stobbart, Jeff Taylor and goalkeeper Sonny Feehan were the only players to arrive at Griffin Park. Ageing full back Fred Monk was released, goalkeeper Alf Jefferies transferred to Torquay United and the £10,000 fee from the sale of Jimmy Bloomfield to Arsenal was spent on relieving the club's debts. The products of Alf Bew's youth team were to be given more of a chance than in the previous Second Division seasons.

Brentford drew four of the first six matches of the season and Bees slowly pulled away from the relegation places, before moving into the top 10 after three wins in a four match spell in late September 1954. An uneven period followed through to February 1955, with the club drifting slowly towards the re-election places (the £10,000 sale of forward Billy Dare to West Ham United was offset by the emergence of youth product Jim Towers), before rising back to an 11th-place finish after just three defeats in the final 18 matches of the season. Frank Dudley (20, George Stobbart (19) and Jim Towers (16) led the club's goalscoring chart, but while 82 league goals were scored, 82 were also conceded, which was amongst the highest in the Third Division South.

The FA Cup proved to be an entertaining distraction, with Brentford entering at the first round stage for the first time since the 1932–33 season. Non-league clubs Nuneaton Borough and Crook Town were beaten in the first two rounds and it took two replays to get past Bradford City in the third. The Bees fell to Newcastle United at St James' Park in the fourth round, but they gave their First Division hosts a scare with goals from George Stobbart and Johnny Rainford in the 3–2 defeat.

A number of club records were set or equalled during the season:

* Most home league goals conceded in a season: 36
* Highest away league aggregate score: 10 (4–6 versus Southampton, 21 August 1954)
* Most league games without a clean sheet: 20 (25 September 1954 – 19 February 1955)
* Quickest league goalscorer: 10 seconds – George Stobbart (versus Aldershot, 6 November 1954)

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 9 | Coventry City | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 67 | 59 | 1.136 | 47 |
| 10 | Southend United | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 83 | 80 | 1.038 | 46 |
| 11 | Brentford | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 82 | 82 | 1.000 | 46 |
| 11 | Norwich City | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 60 | 60 | 1.000 | 46 |
| 13 | Northampton Town | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 73 | 81 | 0.901 | 46 |

## 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 | 21 August 1954 | Southampton | A | 4–6 | 21,454 | Robertson (2), Dudley, Stobbart |
| 2 | 26 August 1954 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–2 | 12,743 | Dudley, Maloney (og) |
| 3 | 28 August 1954 | Coventry City | H | 2–3 | 13,057 | Stobbart, McDonnell (og) |
| 4 | 30 August 1954 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 2–2 | 8,352 | Stobbart, Towers |
| 5 | 4 September 1954 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–1 | 18,756 | Heath |
| 6 | 8 September 1954 | Reading | A | 0–0 | 9,692 | |
| 7 | 11 September 1954 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 4–3 | 17,361 | Towers, Heath, Robertson, Dudley |
| 8 | 16 September 1954 | Reading | H | 2–2 | 9,639 | Dudley, Stobbart |
| 9 | 18 September 1954 | Torquay United | H | 4–2 | 13,552 | Towers, Heath, Stobbart, Webber (og) |
| 10 | 23 September 1954 | Gillingham | H | 3–0 | 9,241 | Dudley (2), Heath |
| 11 | 25 September 1954 | Bristol City | A | 1–2 | 28,980 | Dudley |
| 12 | 29 September 1954 | Gillingham | A | 1–2 | 8,202 | Towers |
| 13 | 2 October 1954 | Walsall | H | 0–2 | 12,584 | |
| 14 | 9 October 1954 | Exeter City | A | 2–3 | 9,700 | Robertson, Rainford |
| 15 | 16 October 1954 | Colchester United | H | 3–2 | 10,218 | Robertson, Stobbart, Rainford |
| 16 | 23 October 1954 | Norwich City | A | 0–1 | 20,148 | |
| 17 | 30 October 1954 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | H | 1–3 | 12,037 | Towers |
| 18 | 6 November 1954 | Aldershot | A | 3–2 | 7,178 | Stobbart, Towers, Heath |
| 19 | 13 November 1954 | Swindon Town | H | 4–2 | 10,634 | Stobbart (2), Heath, Towers |
| 20 | 27 November 1954 | Northampton Town | H | 1–3 | 10,029 | Croy (og) |
| 21 | 4 December 1954 | Watford | A | 2–2 | 10,438 | Towers (2) |
| 22 | 18 December 1954 | Southampton | H | 0–3 | 9,318 | |
| 23 | 25 December 1954 | Millwall | H | 3–1 | 13,591 | Stobbart (2), Towers |
| 24 | 27 December 1954 | Millwall | A | 2–2 | 20,034 | Anslow (og), Hurley (og) |
| 25 | 1 January 1955 | Coventry City | A | 0–1 | 14,481 | |
| 26 | 15 January 1955 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–1 | 9,835 | Dudley |
| 27 | 22 January 1955 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 2–3 | 10,173 | Stobbart, Bristow |
| 28 | 5 February 1955 | Torquay United | A | 2–4 | 6,117 | Dudley, Sperrin |
| 29 | 12 February 1955 | Bristol City | H | 2–2 | 11,563 | Rainford, Robertson |
| 30 | 19 February 1955 | Walsall | A | 2–2 | 9,028 | Robertson, Francis |
| 31 | 26 February 1955 | Exeter City | H | 1–0 | 7,454 | Stobbart |
| 32 | 5 March 1955 | Colchester United | A | 2–3 | 8,254 | Francis, Dudley |
| 33 | 12 March 1955 | Norwich City | H | 1–0 | 11,155 | Stobbart |
| 34 | 19 March 1955 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | A | 2–1 | 8,241 | Coote, Taylor |
| 35 | 26 March 1955 | Aldershot | H | 1–1 | 8,755 | Taylor |
| 36 | 2 April 1955 | Swindon Town | A | 1–1 | 5,924 | Taylor |
| 37 | 8 April 1955 | Leyton Orient | H | 2–0 | 18,093 | Dudley, Towers (pen) |
| 38 | 9 April 1955 | Crystal Palace | H | 3–0 | 12,013 | Towers, Dudley (2) |
| 39 | 11 April 1955 | Leyton Orient | A | 1–0 | 9,529 | Dudley |
| 40 | 16 April 1955 | Northampton Town | A | 2–1 | 6,980 | Taylor, Towers |
| 41 | 21 April 1955 | Newport County | A | 1–3 | 7,926 | Rainford |
| 42 | 23 April 1955 | Watford | H | 3–2 | 9,394 | Dudley, Towers (2, 1 pen) |
| 43 | 27 April 1955 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–1 | 8,170 | Andrews (og) |
| 44 | 30 April 1955 | Southend United | A | 2–3 | 6,464 | Dudley (2) |
| 45 | 2 May 1955 | Newport County | H | 1–0 | 4,960 | Stobbart |
| 46 | 5 May 1955 | Southend United | H | 2–2 | 5,812 | Heath, Dudley |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1R | 20 November 1954 | Nuneaton Borough | H | 2–1 | 13,180 | Dare, Stobbart |
| 2R | 11 December 1954 | Crook Town | H | 4–1 | 14,300 | Rainford, Stobbart (2), Towers |
| 3R | 8 January 1955 | Bradford City | H | 1–1 | 12,120 | Dudley |
| 3R (replay) | 12 January 1955 | Bradford City | A | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | 7,963 | Dare, Dudley |
| 3R (2nd replay) | 20 January 1955 | Bradford City | N | 1–0 | 5,961 | Dare |
| 4R | 29 January 1955 | Newcastle United | A | 2–3 | 46,574 | Stobbart, Rainford |

* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Statto, 11v11

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1954–55 season.

| Pos. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | |
| GK | Gerry Cakebread | | (1936-04-01)1 April 1936 (aged 18) | Youth | 1954 | Amateur |
| GK | Sonny Feehan | | (1926-09-17)17 September 1926 (aged 27) | Northampton Town | 1954 | |
| GK | Reg Newton | | (1926-06-30)30 June 1926 (aged 28) | Leyton Orient | 1949 | |
| Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | |
| DF | Alan Bassham | | (1933-10-03)3 October 1933 (aged 20) | Youth | 1953 | |
| DF | Ken Coote | | (1928-05-19)19 May 1928 (aged 26) | Wembley | 1949 | |
| DF | Ken Horne | | (1926-06-25)25 June 1926 (aged 28) | Blackpool | 1950 | |
| DF | George Lowden | | (1933-03-02)2 March 1933 (aged 21) | Unattached | 1951 | |
| Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | |
| HB | Wally Bragg | | (1929-07-08)8 July 1929 (aged 25) | Twickenham Celtic | 1946 | |
| HB | George Bristow | | (1933-06-25)25 June 1933 (aged 21) | Youth | 1950 | |
| HB | Ian Dargie | | (1931-10-03)3 October 1931 (aged 22) | Tonbridge | 1952 | |
| HB | Leonard Geard | | (1934-02-12)12 February 1934 (aged 20) | Fulham | 1953 | |
| HB | Tony Harper | | (1925-05-26)26 May 1925 (aged 29) | Headington United | 1948 | |
| HB | Roy Hart | | (1933-05-30)30 May 1933 (aged 21) | Youth | 1955 | |
| HB | Frank Latimer (c) | | (1923-10-03)3 October 1923 (aged 30) | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 1945 | |
| HB | Terry Robinson | | (1929-11-08)8 November 1929 (aged 24) | Loughborough College | 1954 | Amateur |
| Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | |
| FW | Frank Dudley | | (1925-05-09)9 May 1925 (aged 29) | Cardiff City | 1953 | |
| FW | George Francis | | (1934-02-04)4 February 1934 (aged 20) | Youth | 1955 | |
| FW | Dennis Heath | | (1934-09-28)28 September 1934 (aged 19) | Youth | 1954 | |
| FW | Johnny Rainford | | (1930-12-11)11 December 1930 (aged 23) | Cardiff City | 1953 | |
| FW | James Robertson | | (1929-02-20)20 February 1929 (aged 25) | Arsenal | 1953 | |
| FW | Len Roe | | (1932-01-11)11 January 1932 (aged 22) | Ruislip Manor | 1951 | |
| FW | Billy Sperrin | | (1922-04-09)9 April 1922 (aged 32) | Guildford City | 1949 | |
| FW | George Stobbart | | (1921-01-09)9 January 1921 (aged 33) | Millwall | 1954 | |
| FW | Jeff Taylor | | (1930-09-20)20 September 1930 (aged 23) | Fulham | 1954 | |
| FW | Jim Towers | | (1933-04-15)15 April 1933 (aged 21) | Youth | 1954 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| FW | Billy Dare | | (1927-02-14)14 February 1927 (aged 27) | Hendon | 1948 | Transferred to West Ham United |

* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| - | - |
| Bill Dodgin Sr. | Manager |
| Jimmy Bain | Assistant Manager |
| Tommy Eggleston | 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 | | Gerry Cakebread | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| GK | | Sonny Feehan | 25 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| GK | | Reg Newton | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| DF | | Alan Bassham | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| DF | | Ken Coote | 37 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 1 |
| DF | | Ken Horne | 35 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| DF | | George Lowden | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| HB | | Wally Bragg | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| HB | | George Bristow | 30 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 1 |
| HB | | Ian Dargie | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| HB | | Leonard Geard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Tony Harper | 26 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| HB | | Roy Hart | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | Frank Latimer | 28 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| HB | | Terry Robinson | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| FW | | Billy Dare | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 3 |
| FW | | Frank Dudley | 34 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 38 | 20 |
| FW | | George Francis | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| FW | | Dennis Heath | 35 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 7 |
| FW | | Johnny Rainford | 33 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 39 | 6 |
| FW | | James Robertson | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 7 |
| FW | | Len Roe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Billy Sperrin | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| FW | | George Stobbart | 45 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 51 | 19 |
| FW | | Jeff Taylor | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 |
| FW | | Jim Towers | 31 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 37 | 16 |

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

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| FW | | Frank Dudley | 18 | 2 | 20 |
| FW | | George Stobbart | 15 | 4 | 19 |
| FW | | Jim Towers | 15 | 1 | 16 |
| FW | | Dennis Heath | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| FW | | James Robertson | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| FW | | Johnny Rainford | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| FW | | Jeff Taylor | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| FW | | Billy Dare | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| FW | | George Francis | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| HB | | George Bristow | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Ken Coote | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Billy Sperrin | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Total | Total | Total | 82 | 12 | 94 |

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

### Representative appearances

| Pos. | Nat | Player | Team | Caps | Goals | Ref |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| HB | | Johnny Rainford | Third Division South | 1 | 1 | |

### 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 Sr. | | 21 August 1954 | 5 May 1955 | 52 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 036.54 | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 034.78 |

### Summary

| Games played | 52 (46 Third Division South, 6 FA Cup) |
| - | - |
| Games won | 19 (16 Third Division South, 3 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 16 (14 Third Division South, 2 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 17 (16 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 94 (82 Third Division South, 12 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 90 (82 Third Division South, 8 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 9 (8 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 3–0 on two occasions |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 versus Southampton, 18 December 1954 |
| Most appearances | 51, George Stobbart (45 Third Division South, 6 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 18, Frank Dudley |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 20, Frank Dudley |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :

| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| May 1954 | FW | George Stobbart | Millwall | Exchange | |
| June 1954 | FW | Wendell Morgan | Cardiff City | Free | |
| August 1954 | GK | Sonny Feehan | Northampton Town | Free | |
| August 1954 | FW | Jeff Taylor | Fulham | n/a | |
| September 1954 | HB | Terry Robinson | Loughborough College | Amateur | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| May 1954 | FW | Terry Ledgerton | Millwall | Exchange | |
| June 1954 | GK | Alf Jefferies | Torquay United | n/a | |
| July 1954 | FW | Jimmy Bloomfield | Arsenal | £10,000 | |
| January 1955 | FW | Billy Dare | West Ham United | £10,000 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| May 1955 | HB | Tony Harper | Headington United | 1955 | |
| May 1955 | HB | Roy Hart | n/a | n/a | |
| May 1955 | DF | Ken Moffitt | Berwick Rangers | 1955 | |
