# 1970–71 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1970–71 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. A forgettable league season was chiefly remembered for a run to the fifth round of the FA Cup, the furthest the Bees had progressed in the competition since 1948–49.

## Season summary

After taking over halfway through an encouraging 1969–70 season, Brentford manager Frank Blunstone went into the 1970–71 Fourth Division season with the belief that the club would be able to finish one place higher and gain automatic promotion. Five players were released (including ageing defensive stalwarts Tommy Higginson and Allan Jones) and three were transferred in – midfielder Jackie Graham from Guildford City, utility player Paul Bence from Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea youth defender Michael Maskell. Due to financial constraints, Blunstone's squad was limited to just 16 players for the fourth consecutive season, but the youth team was reactivated after being disbanded due to budget cuts in 1967.
A failure to win any of the opening 9 matches of the season in all competitions set a new post-war club record. The loan signing of former Busby Babe Alex Dawson from Brighton & Hove Albion in September 1970 helped improve matters, with the forward scoring 7 goals in 11 appearances and inspiring a five-match winning streak in October and November. Frustratingly, a £7,000 deal to buy him fell through and he left the club after his loan expired. While the team slowly pulled itself away from the relegation zone and finished comfortably in mid-table, the FA Cup gradually became the main focus of the season.
Third Division clubs Gillingham Walsall were beaten in the second round, but the third round draw failed to produce a money-spininng tie and instead an away trip to fellow Fourth Division club Workington. A John Docherty goal was enough to see off Workington and the fourth round draw produced another away tie, this time to Second Division club Cardiff City. Over 23,000 watched Brentford run out 2–0 winners at Ninian Park, courtesy of goals from Jackie Graham and John Docherty. Brentford also faced Second Division opponents in the fifth round, Hull City. Victory would have made Brentford the second Fourth Division club to reach the last-eight of the FA Cup. Brentford took the lead through Bobby Ross at Boothferry Park, but two late goals from the Tigers ended the Bees' run.
Significantly for the long-term future of Brentford, the FA Cup run generated £8,000, which helped boost the profit on the season to £20,000 and enabled the final instalment of the club's 1967 £104,000 loan (equivalent to £1,856,800 in 2024) to be paid off. A 6–4 victory over York City on 9 November 1970 equalled the club record for highest aggregate score in a Football League match.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 12 | Darlington | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 58 | 57 | 1.018 | 45 | |
| 13 | Aldershot | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 66 | 71 | 0.930 | 45 | |
| 14 | Brentford | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 66 | 62 | 1.065 | 44 | |
| 15 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 75 | 76 | 0.987 | 44 | Qualified for 1971 Watney Cup |
| 16 | Peterborough United | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 70 | 71 | 0.986 | 43 | |
* ↑ The two teams who scored the most goals in each division, and did not qualify for Europe and were not promoted, qualified for the Watney Cup.

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 August 1970 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–2 | n/a | |
| 3 August 1970 | Yeovil Town | A | 2–2 | n/a | Docherty, Hawley |
| 8 August 1970 | Hillingdon Borough | A | 1–1 | n/a | Cross |
| 10 August 1970 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–1 | 3,900 | Docherty |
| 11 November 1970 | West Ham United | H | 0–3 | 5,950 | |
| 21 April 1971 | Guildford City | A | 1–0 | n/a | Moore |

### Football League Fourth Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 15 August 1970 | Chester | H | 1–2 | 6,477 | Docherty |
| 2 | 22 August 1970 | Lincoln City | A | 0–2 | 6,813 | |
| 3 | 29 August 1970 | Southport | H | 0–1 | 5,324 | |
| 4 | 31 August 1970 | Cambridge United | A | 0–1 | 6,654 | |
| 5 | 5 September 1970 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1–5 | 4,866 | Tawse |
| 6 | 12 September 1970 | Peterborough United | H | 1–1 | 4,176 | Ross |
| 7 | 19 September 1970 | Notts County | A | 0–0 | 10,281 | |
| 8 | 23 September 1970 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 3–5 | 1,909 | Cross, Gater (og), Turner |
| 9 | 26 September 1970 | Darlington | H | 1–0 | 4,841 | Docherty |
| 10 | 28 September 1970 | Stockport County | A | 0–1 | 4,387 | |
| 11 | 3 October 1970 | Northampton Town | A | 0–1 | 6,282 | |
| 12 | 10 October 1970 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | H | 1–2 | 5,965 | Graham |
| 13 | 17 October 1970 | Chester | A | 2–1 | 5,834 | Dawson, Cross |
| 14 | 19 October 1970 | Aldershot | H | 2–3 | 7,648 | Dawson, Ross |
| 15 | 24 October 1970 | Southend United | A | 3–4 | 6,052 | Docherty, Dawson, Ross |
| 16 | 31 October 1970 | Exeter City | H | 5–0 | 5,267 | Docherty (2), Cross, Graham, Ross |
| 17 | 7 November 1970 | Newport County | A | 1–0 | 2,407 | Dawson |
| 18 | 9 November 1970 | York City | H | 6–4 | 5,955 | Dawson, Cross (2), Docherty (3) |
| 19 | 14 November 1970 | Grimsby Town | H | 2–0 | 5,497 | Dawson, Ross (pen) |
| 20 | 28 November 1970 | Colchester United | A | 0–4 | 4,673 | |
| 21 | 5 December 1970 | Barrow | H | 2–1 | 5,632 | Cross, Ross |
| 22 | 19 December 1970 | Lincoln City | H | 2–1 | 5,966 | Graham, Bence |
| 23 | 26 December 1970 | Scunthorpe United | A | 1–1 | 4,736 | Cross |
| 24 | 9 January 1971 | Stockport County | H | 3–0 | 7,340 | Docherty, Ross, Cross |
| 25 | 16 January 1971 | Aldershot | A | 0–1 | 7,533 | |
| 26 | 6 February 1971 | Barrow | A | 1–0 | 2,338 | Bence |
| 27 | 20 February 1971 | York City | A | 0–0 | 3,366 | |
| 28 | 24 February 1971 | Hartlepool | H | 1–0 | 9,246 | Graham |
| 29 | 27 February 1971 | Exeter City | A | 0–1 | 3,892 | |
| 30 | 6 March 1971 | Southend United | H | 4–2 | 6,348 | Cross, Ross (2, 1 pen) |
| 31 | 8 March 1971 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 3–1 | 7,631 | Bence, Neilson, Ross |
| 32 | 13 March 1971 | Grimsby Town | A | 5–1 | 3,336 | Cross, Bence, Ross (2) |
| 33 | 15 March 1971 | Hartlepool | A | 0–0 | 2,936 | |
| 34 | 20 March 1971 | Newport County | H | 0–3 | 8,421 | |
| 35 | 24 March 1971 | Workington | A | 1–1 | 1,731 | Docherty |
| 36 | 27 March 1971 | Oldham Athletic | H | 1–1 | 7,207 | Renwick |
| 37 | 29 March 1971 | Colchester United | H | 1–0 | 9,209 | Neilson |
| 38 | 3 April 1971 | Southport | A | 0–2 | 2,026 | |
| 39 | 9 April 1971 | Northampton Town | H | 3–0 | 10,058 | Ross (2), Turner |
| 40 | 10 April 1971 | Scunthorpe United | H | 0–1 | 7,561 | |
| 41 | 12 April 1971 | Peterborough United | A | 2–1 | 3,841 | Neilson, Ross |
| 42 | 17 April 1971 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | A | 0–1 | 11,206 | |
| 43 | 24 April 1971 | Notts County | H | 2–2 | 9,229 | Cross, Graham |
| 44 | 26 April 1971 | Cambridge United | H | 1–2 | 5,994 | O'Mara |
| 45 | 1 May 1971 | Darlington | A | 1–2 | 1,629 | Cross |
| 46 | 7 May 1971 | Workington | H | 3–0 | 4,781 | Neilson, Graham, O'Mara |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R | 21 November 1970 | Gillingham | H | 2–1 | 8,000 | Docherty, Dawson |
| 2R | 11 December 1970 | Walsall | H | 1–0 | 8,500 | Cross |
| 3R | 2 January 1971 | Workington | A | 1–0 | 5,953 | Docherty |
| 4R | 23 January 1971 | Cardiff City | A | 2–0 | 23,335 | Graham, Docherty |
| 5R | 13 February 1971 | Hull City | A | 1–2 | 29,709 | Ross |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| 1R | 18 August 1970 | Aldershot | A | 0–1 | 6,899 |
* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies, Statto

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1970–71 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Chic Brodie | (1937-02-22)22 February 1937 (aged 33) | Northampton Town | 1963 | |
| GK | Gordon Phillips | (1946-11-17)17 November 1946 (aged 23) | Hayes | 1963 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Paul Bence | (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 21) | Reading | 1970 | |
| DF | Peter Gelson | (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 28) | Youth | 1961 | |
| DF | Alan Hawley | (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 24) | Youth | 1962 | |
| DF | Alan Nelmes | (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 21) | Chelsea | 1967 | |
| DF | Dick Renwick | (1942-11-27)27 November 1942 (aged 27) | Aldershot | 1969 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | John Docherty | (1940-04-29)29 April 1940 (aged 30) | Reading | 1970 | |
| MF | Alan Gane | (1950-06-11)11 June 1950 (aged 20) | Slough Town | 1971 | Amateur |
| MF | Jackie Graham | (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 24) | Guildford City | 1970 | |
| MF | Allan Mansley | (1946-08-31)31 August 1946 (aged 23) | Blackpool | 1968 | Loaned to Fulham and Notts County |
| MF | Gordon Neilson | (1947-05-28)28 May 1947 (aged 23) | Arsenal | 1968 | |
| MF | Bobby Ross (c) | (1942-05-10)10 May 1942 (aged 28) | Shrewsbury Town | 1966 | |
| MF | Brian Tawse | (1945-07-30)30 July 1945 (aged 25) | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1970 | Loaned to Folkestone |
| MF | Brian Turner | (1949-07-31)31 July 1949 (aged 21) | Portsmouth | 1970 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Roger Cross | (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 21) | West Ham United | 1970 | |
| FW | Mick Heath | (1953-01-09)9 January 1953 (aged 17) | Walton & Hersham | 1971 | Amateur |
| FW | John O'Mara | (1947-03-19)19 March 1947 (aged 23) | Wimbledon | 1971 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Michael Maskell | (1952-01-25)25 January 1952 (aged 18) | Chelsea | 1970 | Released |
| FW | Alex Dawson | (1940-02-21)21 February 1940 (aged 30) | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1970 | Returned to Brighton & Hove Albion after loan |
* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Frank Blunstone | Manager |
| Eddie Lyons | Trainer |

## 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 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| GK | | Gordon Phillips | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| DF | | Paul Bence | 44 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 4 |
| DF | | Peter Gelson | 45 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| DF | | Alan Hawley | 25 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 (1) | 0 |
| DF | | Michael Maskell | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Alan Nelmes | 46 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 0 |
| DF | | Dick Renwick | 40 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 1 |
| MF | | John Docherty | 35 (1) | 10 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 41 (1) | 13 |
| MF | | Jackie Graham | 42 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 7 |
| MF | | Allan Mansley | 7 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 (2) | 0 |
| MF | | Gordon Neilson | 16 (3) | 4 | 2 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 (4) | 4 |
| MF | | Bobby Ross | 46 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 16 |
| MF | | Brian Tawse | 7 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 (2) | 1 |
| MF | | Brian Turner | 40 (2) | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 (2) | 2 |
| FW | | Roger Cross | 46 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 15 |
| FW | | Mick Heath | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | John O'Mara | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 2 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||
| FW | | Alex Dawson | 10 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 11 | 7 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL4 | FAC | FLC | Total |
| MF | | Bobby Ross | 15 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| FW | | Roger Cross | 14 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
| MF | | John Docherty | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| FW | | Alex Dawson | 6 | 1 | — | 7 |
| MF | | Jackie Graham | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| DF | | Paul Bence | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| MF | | Gordon Neilson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| FW | | John O'Mara | 2 | — | — | 2 |
| MF | | Brian Turner | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| DF | | Dick Renwick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Brian Tawse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 66 | 7 | 0 | 73 |
* 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 % |
| Frank Blunstone | | 15 August 1970 | 7 May 1971 | 52 | 22 | 8 | 22 | 042.31 | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 039.13 |

### Summary

| Games played | 52 (46 Fourth Division, 5 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Games won | 22 (18 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games drawn | 8 (8 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games lost | 22 (20 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals scored | 73 (66 Fourth Division, 7 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 66 (62 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 16 (13 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 5–0 versus Exeter City, 31 October 1970 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–0 versus Colchester United, 28 November 1970; 5–1 versus Oldham Athletic, 5 September 1970 |
| Most appearances | 52, Roger Cross, Alan Nelmes, Bobby Ross (46 Fourth Division, 5 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 15, Bobby Ross |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 16, Bobby Ross |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| July 1970 | DF | Paul Bence | Reading | Free | |
| July 1970 | MF | Jackie Graham | Guildford City | £2,500 | |
| July 1970 | DF | Michael Maskell | Chelsea | Free | |
| 1970 | DF | Richard Poole | n/a | n/a | |
| 1970 | DF | Kevin Harding | n/a | n/a | |
| March 1971 | FW | John O'Mara | Wimbledon | £1,000 | |
| April 1971 | FW | Mick Heath | Walton & Hersham | Amateur | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| September 1970 | FW | Alex Dawson | Brighton & Hove Albion | November 1970 | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| November 1970 | MF | Allan Mansley | Fulham | December 1970 | |
| February 1971 | MF | Brian Tawse | Folkestone | n/a | |
| March 1971 | MF | Allan Mansley | Notts County | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| October 1970 | DF | Michael Maskell | Stevenage Athletic | 1970 | |
| May 1971 | GK | Chic Brodie | Margate | July 1971 | |
| May 1971 | MF | Allan Mansley | Notts County | May 1971 | |
| May 1971 | MF | Brian Tawse | Durban City | 1971 | |
| June 1971 | DF | Dick Renwick | Stockport County | October 1971 | |

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Bobby Ross
* Players' Player of the Year: Alan Nelmes