1975–76 Brentford F.C. season
# 1975–76 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1975–76 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. A poor middle third of the season led to an 18th-place finish, just three points above the re-election zone.

## Season summary

Despite a strong finish to the previous campaign, only one incoming transfer (veteran goalkeeper Bill Glazier for £4,000) did not raise the belief around Griffin Park that Brentford would challenge for promotion from the Fourth Division during the 1975–76 season. Instead, manager John Docherty made up the numbers with members of the club's youth team, with teenagers Gordon Sweetzer, Danis Salman, Paul Walker and Graham Cox all joining the club.

Brentford had a strong start to the season, winning three and drawing three of the first six league matches of the season and advancing to the second round of the League Cup, where the run was brought to an end at Old Trafford by Manchester United. With goalkeeper Bill Glazier quitting the club after just 12 appearances, Brentford would tread water in the lower reaches of mid-table throughout the season, in which a run to the third round of the FA Cup became the focus. Having reached that stage of the competition for the first time since the 1970–71 season, the Bees took Second Division club Bolton Wanderers to a replay before losing 2–0 at Burnden Park. A slight upturn in form towards the end of the season was inspired by the signing of Oxford United forward Andrew McCulloch for a club record £25,000 fee.

Two club records were set during the season:

* Youngest Football League debutant: Danis Salman, 15 years, 8 months, 3 days (versus Watford, 15 November 1975)
* Lowest away Football League attendance: 894 versus Rochdale, 27 March 1976

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 16 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 58 | 57 | 1.018 | 41 |
| 17 | Bradford City | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 63 | 65 | 0.969 | 41 |
| 18 | Brentford | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 56 | 60 | 0.933 | 41 |
| 19 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 50 | 59 | 0.847 | 38 |
| 20 | Darlington | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 48 | 57 | 0.842 | 38 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

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

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 August 1975 | Oxford United | H | 1–5 | 1,420 | Lawrence |
| 4 August 1975 | Walton | A | 0–0 | n/a | |
| 6 August 1975 | Portsmouth | H | 0–1 | 955 | |
| 7 August 1975 | Hayes | A | 2–1 | n/a | Graham, Bartlett |
| 9 August 1975 | Aldershot | H | 1–1 | 1,490 | Cross |
| 11 August 1975 | Bexley | A | 5–0 | n/a | Cross (2), Simmons, French, untraced (og) |
| 29 April 1976 | Hillingdon Borough | A | 4–2 | 513 | Scales, Lawrence, Sweetzer, Poole |
| 3 May 1976 | Hounslow | A | 3–1 | n/a | Russell, Malcolm, Sweetzer |

### Football League Fourth Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 16 August 1975 | Bradford City | A | 1–1 | 2,385 | Johnson |
| 2 | 23 August 1975 | Hartlepool | H | 1–1 | 4,948 | Cross |
| 3 | 30 August 1975 | Torquay United | A | 3–2 | 3,179 | Cross, Allen, Graham |
| 4 | 6 September 1975 | Barnsley | H | 1–0 | 5,605 | Cross |
| 5 | 15 September 1975 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 1–1 | 6,353 | Johnson |
| 6 | 20 September 1975 | Stockport County | H | 2–1 | 6,282 | Simmons, Riddick |
| 7 | 24 September 1975 | Bournemouth | A | 0–3 | 4,113 | |
| 8 | 27 September 1975 | Huddersfield Town | A | 1–2 | 4,160 | Sweetzer |
| 9 | 4 October 1975 | Newport County | H | 1–3 | 5,678 | Graham |
| 10 | 11 October 1975 | Lincoln City | A | 1–3 | 6,312 | Graham |
| 11 | 18 October 1975 | Southport | H | 1–0 | 4,515 | Johnson |
| 12 | 21 October 1975 | Northampton Town | A | 1–3 | 6,225 | Scales |
| 13 | 25 October 1975 | Cambridge United | A | 1–2 | 2,596 | French |
| 14 | 1 November 1975 | Scunthorpe United | H | 5–2 | 4,227 | French, Johnson, Cross (2), Graham |
| 15 | 3 November 1975 | Workington | H | 4–0 | 5,379 | French, Sweetzer, Johnson (pen), Cross |
| 16 | 7 November 1975 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 1–5 | 4,326 | Cross |
| 17 | 15 November 1975 | Watford | H | 1–0 | 6,934 | Scales |
| 18 | 29 November 1975 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 0–1 | 2,248 | |
| 19 | 6 December 1975 | Rochdale | H | 3–0 | 4,853 | Johnson (pen), Cross, Riddick |
| 20 | 20 December 1975 | Darlington | H | 3–0 | 4,193 | Sweetzer (2), Cross |
| 21 | 26 December 1975 | Exeter City | A | 0–0 | 4,912 | |
| 22 | 27 December 1975 | Reading | H | 2–2 | 10,612 | Johnson, Scales |
| 23 | 10 January 1976 | Torquay United | H | 1–1 | 5,687 | Johnson |
| 24 | 16 January 1976 | Stockport County | A | 0–2 | 2,267 | |
| 25 | 24 January 1976 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 0–1 | 4,885 | |
| 26 | 31 January 1976 | Northampton Town | H | 2–1 | 4,114 | Johnson (pen), Cross |
| 27 | 7 February 1976 | Workington | A | 1–1 | 1,231 | French |
| 28 | 14 February 1976 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 0–1 | 4,725 | |
| 29 | 21 February 1976 | Watford | A | 2–3 | 6,223 | Bristow (og), Sweetzer |
| 30 | 23 February 1976 | Bournemouth | H | 1–2 | 4,585 | Graham |
| 31 | 28 February 1976 | Cambridge United | H | 0–0 | 4,095 | |
| 32 | 6 March 1976 | Scunthorpe United | A | 1–2 | 3,377 | Sharp |
| 33 | 8 March 1976 | Newport County | A | 0–1 | 1,150 | |
| 34 | 13 March 1976 | Lincoln City | H | 1–0 | 5,386 | Cross |
| 35 | 16 March 1976 | Southport | A | 0–2 | 1,506 | |
| 36 | 20 March 1976 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 0–0 | 3,851 | |
| 37 | 27 March 1976 | Rochdale | A | 2–1 | 894 | McCulloch, French |
| 38 | 29 March 1976 | Darlington | A | 0–2 | 1,758 | |
| 39 | 3 April 1976 | Bradford City | H | 2–2 | 3,453 | McCulloch, Cross |
| 40 | 5 April 1976 | Huddersfield Town | H | 0–0 | 4,413 | |
| 41 | 10 April 1976 | Barnsley | A | 1–1 | 3,877 | Cross |
| 42 | 16 April 1976 | Swansea City | H | 1–0 | 4,623 | Johnson |
| 43 | 17 April 1976 | Exeter City | H | 5–1 | 4,175 | Bence, French (2), McCulloch, Cross |
| 44 | 19 April 1976 | Reading | A | 0–1 | 12,972 | |
| 45 | 24 April 1976 | Hartlepool | A | 0–1 | 1,276 | |
| 46 | 26 April 1976 | Swansea City | A | 2–2 | 1,480 | French, Johnson |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1R | 22 November 1975 | Northampton Town | H | 2–0 | 6,645 | Sweetzer (2) |
| 2R | 13 December 1975 | Wimbledon | A | 2–0 | 8,375 | Johnson (2, 1 pen) |
| 3R | 3 January 1976 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 0–0 | 12,452 | |
| 3R (replay) | 6 January 1976 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–2 | 18,538 | |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1R (1st leg) | 19 August 1975 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 2–1 | 5,360 | Johnson (pen), Cross |
| 1R (2nd leg) | 27 August 1975 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1–1 (won 3–2 on aggregate) | 11,016 | Cross |
| 2R | 10 September 1974 | Manchester United | A | 1–2 | 25,286 | Lawrence |

* 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 1975–76 season.

| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Paul Priddy | (1953-01-11)11 January 1953 (aged 22) | Walton & Hersham | 1975 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Michael Allen | (1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 26) | Middlesbrough | 1971 | |
| DF | Paul Bence (c) | (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 26) | Reading | 1970 | |
| DF | Keith Lawrence | (1954-03-25)25 March 1954 (aged 21) | Chelsea | 1974 | |
| DF | Alan Nelmes | (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 26) | Chelsea | 1967 | |
| DF | Gordon Riddick | (1943-11-06)6 November 1943 (aged 31) | Northampton Town | 1973 | |
| DF | Tom Sharp | (1957-07-30)30 July 1957 (aged 18) | Everton | 1976 | Loaned from Everton before transferring permanently |
| DF | Nigel Smith | (1958-07-03)3 July 1958 (aged 17) | Queens Park Rangers | 1975 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Jackie Graham | (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 29) | Guildford City | 1970 | |
| MF | Terry Johnson | (1949-08-30)30 August 1949 (aged 25) | Southend United | 1974 | |
| MF | Danis Salman | (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 15) | Youth | 1975 | |
| MF | Terry Scales | (1951-01-18)18 January 1951 (aged 24) | West Ham United | 1971 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Roger Cross | (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 26) | Fulham | 1973 | |
| FW | Micky French | (1955-05-07)7 May 1955 (aged 20) | Queens Park Rangers | 1975 | |
| FW | Andrew McCulloch | (1950-01-03)3 January 1950 (aged 25) | Oxford United | 1976 | |
| FW | Richard Poole | (1957-07-03)3 July 1957 (aged 18) | Youth | 1972 | |
| FW | Gordon Sweetzer | (1957-01-27)27 January 1957 (aged 18) | Queens Park Rangers | 1975 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| GK | Bill Glazier | (1943-08-02)2 August 1943 (aged 32) | Coventry City | 1975 | Released |
| GK | Graham Horn | (1954-08-23)23 August 1954 (aged 20) | Luton Town | 1975 | Returned to Luton Town after loan |
| FW | Dave Simmons | (1948-10-24)24 October 1948 (aged 26) | Cambridge United | 1974 | Transferred to Cambridge United |

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

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| - | - |
| John Docherty | Manager |
| Eddie Lyons | Trainer |
| Bob Pearson | 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 | | Bill Glazier | 19 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| GK | | Paul Priddy | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 |
| DF | | Michael Allen | 45 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 52 | 1 |
| DF | | Paul Bence | 46 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 53 | 1 |
| DF | | Keith Lawrence | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 1 |
| DF | | Alan Nelmes | 28 (1) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 (2) | 0 |
| DF | | Gordon Riddick | 23 (3) | 2 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 24 (5) | 2 |
| DF | | Tom Sharp | 2 (10) | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 (10) | 1 |
| DF | | Nigel Smith | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| MF | | Jackie Graham | 38 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 5 |
| MF | | Terry Johnson | 46 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 53 | 14 |
| MF | | Danis Salman | 3 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (3) | 0 |
| MF | | Terry Scales | 43 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 3 |
| FW | | Roger Cross | 37 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 2 (1) | 2 | 42 (1) | 16 |
| FW | | Micky French | 27 (4) | 8 | 1 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 (5) | 8 |
| FW | | Andrew McCulloch | 13 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 3 |
| FW | | Richard Poole | 2 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (5) | 0 |
| FW | | Dave Simmons | 10 | 1 | — | — | 2 (1) | 0 | 12 (1) | 1 |
| FW | | Gordon Sweetzer | 25 (2) | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 29 (2) | 7 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||
| GK | | Graham Horn | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 |

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

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL4 | FAC | FLC | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| FW | | Roger Cross | 14 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| MF | | Terry Johnson | 11 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| FW | | Micky French | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| FW | | Gordon Sweetzer | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| MF | | Jackie Graham | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| FW | | Andrew McCulloch | 3 | — | — | 3 |
| MF | | Terry Scales | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| DF | | Gordon Riddick | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| DF | | Tom Sharp | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| FW | | Dave Simmons | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| DF | | Michael Allen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Paul Bence | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Keith Lawrence | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 56 | 4 | 4 | 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 % |
| John Docherty | | 16 August 1975 | 26 April 1976 | 53 | 17 | 15 | 21 | 032.08 | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 030.43 |

### Summary

| Games played | 53 (46 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup) |
| - | - |
| Games won | 17 (14 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Games drawn | 15 (13 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Games lost | 21 (19 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals scored | 64 (56 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 4 League Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 67 (60 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 4 League Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 14 (12 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 4–0 versus Workington, 3 November 1975 |
| Worst league defeat | 5–1 versus Tranmere Rovers, 7 November 1975 |
| Most appearances | 53, Paul Bence, Terry Johnson (46 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 14, Roger Cross |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 16, Roger Cross |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :

| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| June 1975 | GK | Bill Glazier | Coventry City | £4,000 | |
| September 1975 | GK | Paul Priddy | Walton & Hersham | n/a | |
| September 1975 | MF | Danis Salman | Queens Park Rangers | n/a | |
| September 1975 | FW | Gordon Sweetzer | Queens Park Rangers | Trial | |
| September 1975 | MF | Paul Walker | n/a | n/a | |
| 1975 | GK | Graham Cox | n/a | n/a | |
| January 1976 | MF | Larry McGettigan | Unattached | Non-contract | |
| January 1976 | n/a | David Oxley | Dundee | Trial | |
| March 1976 | FW | Andrew McCulloch | Oxford United | £25,000 | |
| March 1976 | DF | Tom Sharp | Everton | n/a | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| November 1975 | GK | Graham Horn | Luton Town | December 1975 | |
| January 1976 | DF | Tom Sharp | Everton | March 1976 | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| November 1975 | FW | Dave Simmons | Cambridge United | Nominal | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| October 1975 | GK | Bill Glazier | St. Louis Stars | 1977 | |
| 1975 | MF | Barry Salvage | Millwall | August 1975 | |
| May 1976 | DF | Keith Lawrence | Wealdstone | 1976 | |
| May 1976 | MF | Larry McGettigan | Emeralds | n/a | |
| May 1976 | DF | Alan Nelmes | Hillingdon Borough | 1976 | |
| May 1976 | n/a | David Oxley | n/a | n/a | |
| May 1976 | FW | Richard Poole | Watford | July 1976 | |

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Michael Allen
* Players' Player of the Year: Michael Allen
