1930–31 Brentford F.C. season
# 1930–31 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1930–31 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South. Despite failing to challenge for promotion, the Bees finished in 3rd place and advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time in four years.

## Season summary

Brentford entered the 1930–31 Third Division South season with largely the same personnel which secured a runners-up finish the previous year. The only significant signing was goalkeeper Edward Nash from Swindon Town in September 1930, to cover for Freddie Fox, from whom Nash would take over the goalkeeping position during the second half of the season. The previous season's prolific forward line of Billy Lane, Jack Lane and Cecil Blakemore again showed excellent goalscoring form during the first half of the season, with Bill Berry returning to the fold after a season in the reserve team and replacing the out-of-form John Payne.

Despite the large number of goals, the team's form was patchy, though a run of 8 defeats in 15 league matches between 27 September and 27 December 1930 only dropped the Bees from 5th to 7th position. An 8–2 victory over Crystal Palace on Christmas Day was Brentford's biggest win of the season and equalled the club record for highest aggregate score in a Football League match. The Bees also embarked on a run to the fourth round of the FA Cup, falling to First Division Portsmouth at Griffin Park. Despite the transfer of 19-goal Jack Lane to Crystal Palace in January 1931, Brentford's form improved, with Billy Lane continuing to score and new forward signings George Robson and Les Wilkins making a contribution. 9 wins in the final 31 matches saw the Bees finish the season in 3rd place, 9 points behind champions Notts County.

Brentford's 1930–31 season is notable for the amount of hat-tricks scored, with Billy Lane claiming three, Jack Lane two and Frederick Gamble one, which convinced West Ham United to sign Gamble in exchange for Les Wilkins in February 1931, despite Gamble having made only 13 appearances in just under two years. During the season, Billy Lane and Jack Lane each scored a hat-trick in the same match twice during a one-month period – in the 6–1 FA Cup first round victory over Ilford on 29 November 1930 and in the 8–2 league victory over Crystal Palace on Christmas Day. Jack Lane's only goal of the game versus Norwich City in the FA Cup second round on 13 December 1930 marked the first time in the club's Football League history that three players had reached 10 goals for the season prior to Christmas Day. The other goalscorers then on double figures were Billy Lane and Cecil Blakemore.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Everton (C, P) | 42 | 28 | 5 | 9 | 121 | 66 | 1.833 | 61 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | West Bromwich Albion (P) | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 83 | 49 | 1.694 | 54 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 88 | 55 | 1.600 | 51 | |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 84 | 67 | 1.254 | 47 | |
| 5 | Port Vale | 42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 67 | 61 | 1.098 | 47 | |
| 6 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 97 | 66 | 1.470 | 46 | |
| 7 | Preston North End | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 83 | 64 | 1.297 | 45 | |
| 8 | Burnley | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 81 | 77 | 1.052 | 45 | |
| 9 | Southampton | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 74 | 62 | 1.194 | 44 | |
| 10 | Bradford City | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 61 | 63 | 0.968 | 44 | |
| 11 | Stoke City | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 64 | 71 | 0.901 | 44 | |
| 12 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 61 | 72 | 0.847 | 42 | |
| 13 | Bury | 42 | 19 | 3 | 20 | 75 | 82 | 0.915 | 41 | |
| 14 | Millwall | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 71 | 80 | 0.888 | 39 | |
| 15 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 59 | 86 | 0.686 | 39 | |
| 16 | Bristol City | 42 | 15 | 8 | 19 | 54 | 82 | 0.659 | 38 | |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 80 | 85 | 0.941 | 37 | |
| 18 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 76 | 84 | 0.905 | 36 | |
| 19 | Barnsley | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 59 | 79 | 0.747 | 35 | |
| 20 | Swansea Town | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 51 | 74 | 0.689 | 34 | |
| 21 | Reading (R) | 42 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 72 | 96 | 0.750 | 30 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| 22 | Cardiff City (R) | 42 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 47 | 87 | 0.540 | 25 | Relegation to the Third Division |
| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Notts County (C, P) | 42 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 97 | 46 | 2.109 | 59 | Promoted |
| 2 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 107 | 71 | 1.507 | 51 | |
| 3 | Brentford | 42 | 22 | 6 | 14 | 90 | 64 | 1.406 | 50 | |
| 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 68 | 53 | 1.283 | 49 | |
| 5 | Southend United | 42 | 22 | 5 | 15 | 76 | 60 | 1.267 | 49 | |

## 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 | 30 August 1930 | Luton Town | A | 1–1 | 11,686 | Foster |
| 2 | 3 September 1930 | Northampton Town | H | 0–4 | 11,356 | |
| 3 | 6 September 1930 | Bristol Rovers | H | 4–0 | 9,919 | Blakemore (2), W. Lane (2) |
| 4 | 8 September 1930 | Fulham | A | 1–1 | 12,248 | W. Lane |
| 5 | 13 September 1930 | Newport County | A | 2–0 | 2,758 | W. Lane |
| 6 | 17 September 1930 | Fulham | H | 4–1 | 9,564 | W. Lane (2), J. Lane, Payne |
| 7 | 20 September 1930 | Gillingham | H | 1–1 | 9,407 | Payne |
| 8 | 24 September 1930 | Notts County | H | 2–2 | 9,999 | Blakemore (pen), W. Lane |
| 9 | 27 September 1930 | Exeter City | A | 0–4 | 5,352 | |
| 10 | 4 October 1930 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 3–2 | 9,348 | W. Lane, Blakemore, J. Lane |
| 11 | 11 October 1930 | Torquay United | A | 3–0 | 6,944 | J. Lane, Hill (og), W. Lane |
| 12 | 18 October 1930 | Coventry City | H | 1–2 | 10,244 | W. Lane |
| 13 | 25 October 1930 | Walsall | A | 4–1 | 2,943 | J. Lane, W. Lane, Berry |
| 14 | 1 November 1930 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 5–3 | 10,857 | Berry (2), J. Lane, Blakemore (2, 1 pen) |
| 15 | 8 November 1930 | Norwich City | A | 0–3 | 9,172 | |
| 16 | 15 November 1930 | Thames | H | 6–1 | 7,211 | Berry (2), J. Lane, Blakemore (2), W. Lane (2) |
| 17 | 22 November 1930 | Clapton Orient | N | 0–3 | 8,319 | |
| 18 | 6 December 1930 | Watford | A | 3–1 | 6,775 | W. Lane, Berry, Blakemore (pen) |
| 19 | 18 December 1930 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | H | 1–2 | 2,306 | J. Lane |
| 20 | 20 December 1930 | Swindon Town | A | 2–3 | 4,728 | Blakemore, J. Lane |
| 21 | 25 December 1930 | Crystal Palace | H | 8–2 | 11,770 | J. Lane (3), Berry (2), W. Lane (3) |
| 22 | 26 December 1930 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–5 | 15,853 | W. Lane |
| 23 | 27 December 1930 | Luton Town | H | 0–1 | 7,353 | |
| 24 | 3 January 1931 | Bristol Rovers | A | 5–2 | 7,449 | W. Lane (3), Berry (2) |
| 25 | 17 January 1931 | Newport County | H | 3–2 | 7,170 | J. Lane, Berry, W. Lane |
| 26 | 28 January 1931 | Gillingham | A | 1–1 | 2,547 | J. Lane |
| 27 | 31 January 1931 | Exeter City | H | 2–1 | 7,575 | Gamble, Berry |
| 28 | 7 February 1931 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0–1 | 9,451 | |
| 29 | 14 February 1931 | Torquay United | H | 0–0 | 6,464 | |
| 30 | 21 February 1931 | Coventry City | A | 1–0 | 9,651 | Blakemore |
| 31 | 28 February 1931 | Walsall | H | 6–1 | 7,117 | Berry (2), Gamble (3), John (og) |
| 32 | 7 March 1931 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–3 | 10,331 | Sherlaw |
| 33 | 14 March 1931 | Norwich City | H | 3–1 | 9,013 | Hannah (og), Robson, Wilkins |
| 34 | 21 March 1931 | Thames | A | 0–2 | 3,675 | |
| 35 | 28 March 1931 | Clapton Orient | H | 3–0 | 7,757 | W. Lane, Robson, Berry |
| 36 | 3 April 1931 | Southend United | H | 3–1 | 6,027 | W. Lane, Blakemore, Robson |
| 37 | 4 April 1931 | Notts County | A | 0–1 | 14,759 | |
| 38 | 6 April 1931 | Southend United | A | 1–0 | 9,969 | Berry |
| 39 | 11 April 1931 | Watford | H | 2–1 | 8,163 | W. Lane, Blakemore (pen) |
| 40 | 18 April 1931 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | A | 0–1 | 3,662 | |
| 41 | 25 April 1931 | Swindon Town | H | 5–2 | 4,327 | Berry (2), W. Lane, Robson |
| 42 | 2 May 1931 | Northampton Town | A | 2–1 | 3,698 | Sherlaw, Berry |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1R | 29 November 1930 | Ilford | A | 6–1 | 5,718 | W. Lane (3), J. Lane (3) |
| 2R | 13 December 1930 | Norwich City | H | 1–0 | 12,000 | J. Lane |
| 3R | 10 January 1931 | Cardiff City | H | 2–2 | 16,500 | Berry, W. Lane |
| 3R (replay) | 14 January 1931 | Cardiff City | A | 2–1 | 25,000 | W. Lane, J. Lane |
| 4R | 24 January 1931 | Portsmouth | H | 0–1 | 23,544 | |

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

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1930–31 season.

| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Freddie Fox | (1898-11-22)22 November 1898 (aged 31) | Halifax Town | 1928 | |
| GK | Frank McDonough | (1899-12-24)24 December 1899 (aged 30) | Annfield Plain | 1930 | |
| GK | Edward Nash | (1902-04-12)12 April 1902 (aged 28) | Swindon Town | 1930 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Tom Adamson | (1901-02-12)12 February 1901 (aged 29) | Bury | 1929 | |
| DF | Bill Bann | (1902-08-15)15 August 1902 (aged 28) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1930 | |
| DF | William Hodge | (1904-08-31)31 August 1904 (aged 25) | Rangers | 1927 | |
| DF | Alexander Stevenson | (1903-10-24)24 October 1903 (aged 26) | Armadale | 1927 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Jimmy Bain | (1899-02-06)6 February 1899 (aged 31) | Manchester Central | 1928 | |
| HB | Reginald Davies (c) | (1897-09-30)30 September 1897 (aged 32) | Portsmouth | 1928 | |
| HB | Harry Salt | (1899-01-20)20 January 1899 (aged 31) | Crystal Palace | 1929 | |
| HB | Teddy Ware | (1906-09-17)17 September 1906 (aged 23) | Chatham Town | 1928 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Ralph Allen | (1906-06-30)30 June 1906 (aged 24) | Fulham | 1930 | |
| FW | Bill Berry | (1904-08-18)18 August 1904 (aged 26) | Gillingham | 1926 | |
| FW | Cecil Blakemore | (1897-12-08)8 December 1897 (aged 32) | Bristol City | 1929 | |
| FW | Jackie Foster | (1903-03-21)21 March 1903 (aged 27) | Bristol City | 1929 | |
| FW | Billy Lane | (1904-10-23)23 October 1904 (aged 25) | Reading | 1929 | |
| FW | Herbert Lawson | (1905-04-12)12 April 1905 (aged 25) | Arsenal | 1927 | |
| FW | George Robson | (1908-06-17)17 June 1908 (aged 22) | West Ham United | 1931 | |
| FW | James Shaw | (1904-08-08)8 August 1904 (aged 26) | Arsenal | 1930 | |
| FW | David Sherlaw | (1901-09-17)17 September 1901 (aged 28) | Charlton Athletic | 1928 | |
| FW | Norman Thomson | (1901-02-20)20 February 1901 (aged 29) | Norwich City | 1930 | |
| FW | Les Wilkins | (1907-01-21)21 January 1907 (aged 23) | West Ham United | 1931 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| FW | Frederick Gamble | (1905-05-29)29 May 1905 (aged 25) | Southall | 1928 | Transferred to West Ham United |
| FW | Jack Lane | (1898-05-29)29 May 1898 (aged 32) | Chesterfield | 1925 | Transferred to Crystal Palace |
| FW | John Payne | (1906-01-03)3 January 1906 (aged 24) | West Ham United | 1929 | Transferred to Manchester City |
| FW | Les Roberts | (1901-05-28)28 May 1901 (aged 29) | Swindon Town | 1930 | Transferred to Manchester City |

* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Timeless Bees, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| - | - |
| Harry Curtis | Manager |
| Bob Kane | Trainer |
| Jack Cartmell | Assistant 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 | | Freddie Fox | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| GK | | Frank McDonough | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| GK | | Edward Nash | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| DF | | Tom Adamson | 36 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| DF | | Bill Bann | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| DF | | William Hodge | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| DF | | Alexander Stevenson | 26 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| HB | | Jimmy Bain | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| HB | | Reginald Davies | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| HB | | Harry Salt | 25 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| HB | | Teddy Ware | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| FW | | Ralph Allen | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Bill Berry | 32 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 37 | 19 |
| FW | | Cecil Blakemore | 35 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 40 | 13 |
| FW | | Jackie Foster | 39 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 44 | 1 |
| FW | | Frederick Gamble | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 |
| FW | | Billy Lane | 33 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 32 |
| FW | | Jack Lane | 25 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 30 | 19 |
| FW | | Herbert Lawson | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| FW | | John Payne | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| FW | | Les Roberts | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| FW | | George Robson | 13 | 5 | — | — | 13 | 5 |
| FW | | James Shaw | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | David Sherlaw | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| FW | | Norman Thomson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Les Wilkins | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 |

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

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| FW | | Billy Lane | 27 | 5 | 32 |
| FW | | Bill Berry | 18 | 1 | 19 |
| FW | | Jack Lane | 14 | 5 | 19 |
| FW | | Cecil Blakemore | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| FW | | George Robson | 5 | — | 5 |
| FW | | Frederick Gamble | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| FW | | John Payne | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | David Sherlaw | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Les Wilkins | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Jackie Foster | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | Total | Total | 90 | 11 | 101 |

* 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 % |
| Harry Curtis | | 30 August 1930 | 2 May 1931 | 47 | 25 | 7 | 15 | 053.19| | 42 | 22 | 6 | 14 | 052.38 |

### Summary

| Games played | 47 (42 Third Division South, 5 FA Cup) |
| - | - |
| Games won | 25 (22 Third Division South, 3 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 7 (6 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 15 (14 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 101 (90 Third Division South, 11 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 69 (64 Third Division South, 5 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 8 (7 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 8–2 versus Crystal Palace, 25 December 1930 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–0 on two occasions |
| Most appearances | 47, Jimmy Bain (42 Third Division South, 5 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 27, Billy Lane |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 32, Billy Lane |

## Transfers & loans

    Cricketers are not included in this list.

Players transferred in :

| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| May 1930 | FW | James Shaw | Arsenal | Free | |
| 3 June 1930 | DF | Bill Bann | Tottenham Hotspur | Free | |
| June 1930 | FW | Les Roberts | Swindon Town | Free | |
| August 1930 | FW | Norman Thomson | Norwich City | Nominal | |
| September 1930 | GK | Edward Nash | Swindon Town | n/a | |
| February 1931 | FW | George Robson | West Ham United | n/a | |
| February 1931 | FW | Bert Stephens | Ealing Association | Free | |
| February 1931 | FW | Les Wilkins | West Ham United | Exchange | |
| March 1931 | FW | Ralph Allen | Fulham | Free | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| May 1930 | DF | George Dumbrell | Leicester City | £1,750 | |
| 29 January 1931 | FW | Jack Lane | Crystal Palace | n/a | |
| January 1931 | FW | John Payne | Manchester City | n/a | |
| January 1931 | FW | Les Roberts | Manchester City | n/a | |
| February 1931 | FW | Frederick Gamble | West Ham United | Exchange | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| May 1931 | GK | Freddie Fox | Truro City | n/a | |
| May 1931 | GK | Frank McDonough | Thames | May 1931 | |
| May 1931 | FW | James Shaw | Gillingham | May 1931 | |
| May 1931 | HB | Martin Woosnam | Thames | May 1931 | |
