1967–68 Brentford F.C. season
# 1967–68 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1967–68 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. Weathering the storm of a severe financial crisis for the second successive season, the threadbare squad managed a mid-table finish.

## Season summary

The positive outcome of the events of 19 January 1967 meant that Brentford would stay in business long enough to compete in the 1967–68 Fourth Division season. A syndicate headed by Ron Blindell had taken over the shares of former chairman Jack Dunnett and assumed control of the club, with Blindell as chairman. With a £100,000 debt (equivalent to £1,931,000 in 2023) needing to be paid by 30 June 1968, drastic cost-cutting measures were enacted at Griffin Park. Brentford's reserve and youth teams were scrapped and a mass clear-out of the squad led to just 16 professionals being retained. Having been installed in the role full-time, manager Jimmy Sirrel was permitted to sign a small number of players, including Chelsea youth product Alan Nelmes and Charlton Athletic's inside forward Cliff Myers.

Injuries to John Richardson and George Thomson prior to the opening match of the season left Brentford with just 15 fit players and a lack of personnel would be a running saga during the campaign. Regular goals from John Docherty and Ian Lawther in the early months of the season helped Brentford tread water in mid-table and then slowly rise towards the promotion places, coming as high as 6th place by early December 1967. Hopes of money-raising runs in the FA Cup and League Cup were extinguished with first round defeats in each competition, but chairman Blindell had revealed the positive news in November that the club was more or less breaking even. 9 defeats and just one victory in a 12-match spell between December 1967 and February 1968 undid all the good early-season work and dropped the Bees back into mid-table. Manager Sirrel was permitted to spend £12,000 on attackers Ron Fenton and Allan Mansley in January 1968, but was forced to sell Cliff Myers and top-scorer John Docherty to balance the books.

By March 1968, spiralling debts and the "Brentford Borough" saga threatened the club's existence for the second time in a year. With £70,000 of the £135,000 debt needed to be paid in June 1968, former director Walter Wheatley stepped in and provided the club with a £69,000 interest-fee loan, repayable in 12 months. On the pitch, the team had experienced something of a revival, winning five matches and drawing two of a 9-match spell between late February and early April, but the retirement of George Thomson and the departure of Eddie Reeve left manager Jimmy Sirrel with just 14 players with which to complete the season. Brentford finished in 14th place and used just 18 outfield players during the course of the season.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Manchester City (C) | 42 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 86 | 43 | 2.000 | 58 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Manchester United | 42 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 89 | 55 | 1.618 | 56 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 3 | Liverpool | 42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 71 | 40 | 1.775 | 55 | Qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 4 | Leeds United | 42 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 71 | 41 | 1.732 | 53 | Qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 5 | Everton | 42 | 23 | 6 | 13 | 67 | 40 | 1.675 | 52 | |
| 6 | Chelsea | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 62 | 68 | 0.912 | 48 | Qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 70 | 59 | 1.186 | 47 | |
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 75 | 62 | 1.210 | 46 | Qualification for the European Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 9 | Arsenal | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 60 | 56 | 1.071 | 44 | |
| 10 | Newcastle United | 42 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 54 | 67 | 0.806 | 41 | Qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 11 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 52 | 64 | 0.813 | 39 | |
| 12 | West Ham United | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 73 | 69 | 1.058 | 38 | |
| 13 | Leicester City | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 64 | 69 | 0.928 | 38 | |
| 14 | Burnley | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 64 | 71 | 0.901 | 38 | |
| 15 | Sunderland | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 51 | 61 | 0.836 | 37 | |
| 16 | Southampton | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 66 | 83 | 0.795 | 37 | |
| 17 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 66 | 75 | 0.880 | 36 | |
| 18 | Stoke City | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 50 | 73 | 0.685 | 35 | |
| 19 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 51 | 63 | 0.810 | 34 | |
| 20 | Coventry City | 42 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 51 | 71 | 0.718 | 33 | |
| 21 | Sheffield United (R) | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 49 | 70 | 0.700 | 32 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 22 | Fulham (R) | 42 | 10 | 7 | 25 | 56 | 98 | 0.571 | 27 | Relegation to the Second Division |

* ↑ Manchester United qualified for the European Cup as the 1967–68 European Cup winners.
* ↑ Everton were ineligible to participate in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as Liverpool had already qualified. Under the rules of the cup, only one team per city could participate. Chelsea took their place as the highest-ranked team that hadn't already qualified for a European competition.
* ↑ West Bromwich Albion qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1967-68 FA Cup winners.
* ↑ Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were ineligible to participate in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as Chelsea had already qualified. Under the rules of the cup, only one team per city could participate. Newcastle United took their place as the highest-ranked team that hadn't already qualified for a European competition.

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 12 | Newport County | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 58 | 63 | 0.921 | 45 |
| 13 | Lincoln City | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 71 | 68 | 1.044 | 43 |
| 14 | Brentford | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 61 | 64 | 0.953 | 43 |
| 15 | Swansea Town | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 63 | 77 | 0.818 | 42 |
| 16 | Darlington | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 47 | 53 | 0.887 | 41 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

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

### Football League Fourth Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 19 August 1967 | Hartlepools United | A | 0–2 | 5,343 | |
| 2 | 26 August 1967 | Newport County | H | 3–1 | 4,500 | Docherty, Lawther, Dobson |
| 3 | 2 September 1967 | York City | A | 1–0 | 4,529 | Docherty |
| 4 | 5 September 1967 | Swansea Town | A | 1–2 | 6,559 | Docherty (pen) |
| 5 | 9 September 1967 | Rochdale | H | 4–0 | 5,630 | Ross, Docherty, Lawther, Melledew (og) |
| 6 | 16 September 1967 | Halifax Town | H | 0–0 | 6,890 | |
| 7 | 23 September 1967 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 0–1 | 3,403 | |
| 8 | 26 September 1967 | Swansea Town | H | 2–1 | 7,570 | Lawther, Docherty |
| 9 | 30 September 1967 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 4–2 | 7,300 | Lawther, Edwards, Jones, Thomson |
| 10 | 2 October 1967 | Wrexham | A | 2–1 | 8,000 | Smith (og), Docherty |
| 11 | 7 October 1967 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 0–2 | 6,246 | |
| 12 | 14 October 1967 | Notts County | H | 2–1 | 7,430 | Edwards, Lawther |
| 13 | 21 October 1967 | Port Vale | A | 1–4 | 5,944 | Higginson |
| 14 | 24 October 1967 | Wrexham | H | 0–0 | 7,960 | |
| 15 | 28 October 1967 | Chester | H | 3–1 | 6,290 | Hooker, Thomson, Hawley |
| 16 | 4 November 1967 | Chesterfield | A | 1–2 | 9,644 | Higginson |
| 17 | 11 November 1967 | Exeter City | H | 5–1 | 7,215 | Lawther (2), Ross, Wilkinson (og), Docherty |
| 18 | 14 November 1967 | York City | H | 3–1 | 7,910 | Lawther, Gelson, Dobson |
| 19 | 18 November 1967 | Darlington | A | 3–2 | 4,789 | Gelson, Dobson, Albeson (og) |
| 20 | 25 November 1967 | Aldershot | H | 1–1 | 9,440 | Docherty |
| 21 | 2 December 1967 | Workington | A | 0–2 | 1,764 | |
| 22 | 16 December 1967 | Hartlepools United | H | 0–1 | 6,200 | |
| 23 | 23 December 1967 | Newport County | A | 2–2 | 2,700 | Docherty (2) |
| 24 | 26 December 1967 | Southend United | H | 1–2 | 8,360 | Richardson |
| 25 | 30 December 1967 | Southend United | A | 0–1 | 9,059 | |
| 26 | 6 January 1968 | Barnsley | H | 0–1 | 5,180 | |
| 27 | 20 January 1968 | Halifax Town | A | 0–3 | 4,610 | |
| 28 | 27 January 1968 | Bradford City | H | 0–1 | 5,550 | |
| 29 | 3 February 1968 | Bradford Park Avenue | H | 2–1 | 4,310 | Dobson, Fenton |
| 30 | 10 February 1968 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 0–2 | 7,183 | |
| 31 | 17 February 1968 | Luton Town | H | 0–2 | 7,710 | |
| 32 | 24 February 1968 | Darlington | H | 2–0 | 4,155 | Lawther (2) |
| 33 | 2 March 1968 | Notts County | A | 1–2 | 4,486 | Nelmes |
| 34 | 9 March 1968 | Bradford City | A | 3–2 | 7,118 | Fenton (2), Gelson (pen) |
| 35 | 16 March 1968 | Port Vale | H | 3–1 | 4,700 | Fenton, Hawley, Mansley |
| 36 | 18 March 1968 | Rochdale | A | 1–1 | 1,722 | Cockcroft (og) |
| 37 | 23 March 1968 | Chester | A | 0–3 | 2,861 | |
| 38 | 30 March 1968 | Chesterfield | H | 1–1 | 3,845 | Lawther |
| 39 | 6 April 1968 | Exeter City | A | 3–0 | 3,900 | Higginson, Fenton (2) |
| 40 | 13 April 1968 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 2–1 | 5,390 | Mansley (2) |
| 41 | 15 April 1968 | Barnsley | A | 0–3 | 12,174 | |
| 42 | 20 April 1968 | Aldershot | A | 0–0 | 5,183 | |
| 43 | 23 April 1968 | Lincoln City | H | 1–3 | 4,890 | Gelson (pen) |
| 44 | 27 April 1968 | Workington | H | 2–1 | 3,740 | Mansley, Gelson |
| 45 | 4 May 1968 | Lincoln City | A | 0–1 | 8,701 | |
| 46 | 11 May 1968 | Luton Town | A | 1–2 | 14,643 | Moore (og) |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1R | 13 December 1967 | Guildford City | H | 2–2 | 6,725 | Docherty, Myers | |
| 1R (replay) | 18 December 1967 | Guildford City | A | 1–2 | 10,050 | Myers | |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1R | 23 August 1967 | Southend United | A | 0–1 | 7,905 |

* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Statto

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1967–68 season.

| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Chic Brodie | (1937-02-22)22 February 1937 (aged 30) | Northampton Town | 1963 | |
| GK | Gordon Phillips | (1946-11-17)17 November 1946 (aged 20) | Hayes | 1963 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Peter Gelson (c) | (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 25) | Youth | 1961 | |
| DF | Alan Hawley | (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 21) | Youth | 1962 | |
| DF | Tommy Higginson | (1937-01-06)6 January 1937 (aged 30) | Kilmarnock | 1959 | |
| DF | Allan Jones | (1940-01-06)6 January 1940 (aged 27) | Liverpool | 1963 | |
| DF | Alan Nelmes | (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 18) | Chelsea | 1967 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | George Dobson | (1949-08-24)24 August 1949 (aged 17) | Youth | 1966 | |
| MF | Allan Mansley | (1946-08-31)31 August 1946 (aged 20) | Blackpool | 1968 | |
| MF | John Richardson | (1949-02-05)5 February 1949 (aged 18) | Millwall | 1966 | |
| MF | Bobby Ross | (1942-05-10)10 May 1942 (aged 25) | Shrewsbury Town | 1966 | |
| MF | George Thomson | (1936-10-19)19 October 1936 (aged 30) | Everton | 1963 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Ron Fenton | (1940-09-21)21 September 1940 (aged 26) | Birmingham City | 1968 | |
| FW | Keith Hooker | (1950-01-31)31 January 1950 (aged 17) | Youth | 1965 | |
| FW | Ian Lawther | (1939-10-20)20 October 1939 (aged 27) | Scunthorpe United | 1964 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| MF | John Docherty | (1940-04-29)29 April 1940 (aged 27) | Sheffield United | 1966 | Transferred to Reading |
| MF | Cliff Myers | (1946-09-23)23 September 1946 (aged 20) | Charlton Athletic | 1967 | Transferred to Yeovil Town |
| FW | Dennis Edwards | (1937-01-19)19 January 1937 (aged 30) | Portsmouth | 1967 | Returned to Portsmouth after loan |
| FW | Eddie Reeve | (1947-12-03)3 December 1947 (aged 19) | Youth | 1964 | Loaned to Lincoln City, released |
| FW | Ron Still | (1943-06-20)20 June 1943 (aged 24) | Notts County | 1967 | Released |

* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| - | - |
| Jimmy Sirrel | Manager |
| Eddie Lyons | Physiotherapist |

## 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 | | Chic Brodie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | | Gordon Phillips | 45 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 0 |
| DF | | Peter Gelson | 43 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 5 |
| DF | | Alan Hawley | 46 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 2 |
| DF | | Tommy Higginson | 41 (1) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 (1) | 3 |
| DF | | Allan Jones | 42 (1) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 (1) | 1 |
| DF | | Alan Nelmes | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 26 (1) | 1 |
| MF | | George Dobson | 36 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 3 |
| MF | | John Docherty | 28 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 12 |
| MF | | Allan Mansley | 19 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 4 |
| MF | | Cliff Myers | 9 (1) | 0 | 1 (1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 (2) | 2 |
| MF | | John Richardson | 20 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 (1) | 1 |
| MF | | Bobby Ross | 39 (2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 (2) | 2 |
| MF | | George Thomson | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 2 |
| FW | | Ron Fenton | 19 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 6 |
| FW | | Keith Hooker | 16 (5) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 (5) | 1 |
| FW | | Ian Lawther | 40 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 11 |
| FW | | Eddie Reeve | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 |
| FW | | Ron Still | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||
| FW | | Dennis Edwards | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 2 |

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

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL4 | FAC | FLC | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| MF | | John Docherty | 11 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| FW | | Ian Lawther | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| FW | | Ron Fenton | 6 | — | — | 6 |
| DF | | Peter Gelson | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| MF | | Allan Mansley | 4 | — | — | 4 |
| MF | | George Dobson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| DF | | Tommy Higginson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Dennis Edwards | 2 | — | — | 2 |
| DF | | Alan Hawley | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Bobby Ross | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | George Thomson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Cliff Myers | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Keith Hooker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Allan Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Alan Nelmes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | John Richardson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total | Total | Total | 61 | 3 | 0 | 64 |

* 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 % |
| Jimmy Sirrel | | 19 August 1967 | 11 May 1968 | 49 | 18 | 8 | 23 | 036.73 | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 039.13 |

### Summary

| Games played | 49 (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| - | - |
| Games won | 18 (18 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games drawn | 8 (7 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games lost | 23 (21 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals scored | 64 (61 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 69 (64 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 7 (7 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 4–0 versus Rochdale, 9 September 1967; 5–1 versus Exeter City, 11 November 1967 |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 on three occasions; 4–1 versus Port Vale, 21 October 1967 |
| Most appearances | 49, Alan Hawley (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 11, John Docherty, Ian Lawther |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 12, John Docherty |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :

| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| June 1967 | MF | Cliff Myers | Charlton Athletic | n/a | |
| July 1967 | DF | Alan Nelmes | Chelsea | n/a | |
| July 1967 | FW | Ron Still | Notts County | Trial | |
| August 1967 | MF | Geoff Anderson | Lincoln City | n/a | |
| January 1968 | FW | Ron Fenton | Birmingham City | n/a | |
| January 1968 | MF | Allan Mansley | Blackpool | n/a | |
| February 1968 | FW | Dave Boothman | Hampton | Amateur | |
| February 1968 | GK | John Maskell | Wycombe Wanderers | Amateur | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| September 1967 | FW | Dennis Edwards | Portsmouth | December 1967 | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| November 1967 | MF | Geoff Anderson | Port Vale | n/a | |
| February 1968 | MF | John Docherty | Reading | n/a | |
| 1968 | MF | Cliff Myers | Yeovil Town | n/a | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| n/a | FW | Eddie Reeve | Lincoln City | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| August 1967 | FW | Ron Still | Margate | 1967 | |
| March 1968 | FW | Eddie Reeve | Los Angeles Wolves | March 1968 | |
| May 1968 | MF | George Thomson | Retired | | |
