# 1991–92 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1991–92 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. The club finished the season as champions to seal second-tier football for the first time since 1953–54. In 2013, it was voted as Brentford's best ever season by the club's supporters.

## Season summary

After defeat to Tranmere Rovers in the 1991 Third Division play-offs, Brentford manager Phil Holder made just one addition to his squad prior to the beginning of the 1991–92 season, in the shape of £60,000 defender Billy Manuel from Gillingham. Two wins from the opening two league matches of the season put Brentford in the automatic promotion places, but three successive defeats dropped the club back to 16th by early September 1991. Aided by on-fire forward Dean Holdsworth, the Bees won 13, drew three and lost three of the following 19 matches, losing just once in the league. Having reached the top spot in the Third Division after a 4–0 victory over Wigan Athletic on 9 November, the club stayed at the summit until 8 February 1992, when a fifth defeat in 9 matches dropped the club back to third.
Brentford vied with Birmingham City and Stoke City in the automatic promotion places between mid-February and mid-March, but four successive defeats and two draws dropped the Bees back to 4th. Six wins in the final six matches of the season (which included a 4–0 victory over West London rivals Fulham at Griffin Park) saw Brentford claim the Third Division championship on the final day, after a Gary Blissett goal was enough to beat Peterborough United at London Road. Dean Holdsworth's 24 league goals tied him with Huddersfield Town's Iwan Roberts as the top scorer in the Third Division and Holdsworth's total of 38 in all competitions was one goal short of Jack Holliday's club record, set during the 1932–33 season, when Brentford had last been promoted out of the Third Division.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Brentford | 46 | 25 | 7 | 14 | 81 | 55 | +26 | 82 | Division Champions, promoted |
| 2 | Birmingham City | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 69 | 52 | +17 | 81 | Promoted |
| 3 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 59 | 38 | +21 | 78 | Participated in play-offs |
| 4 | Stoke City | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 69 | 49 | +20 | 77 | Participated in play-offs |
| 5 | Stockport County | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 75 | 51 | +24 | 76 | Participated in play-offs |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Pre-season

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 27 July 1991 | Staines Town | A | 2–0 | n/a | Godfrey, Holdsworth (pen) |
| 30 July 1991 | Portsmouth | H | 0–2 | 1,231 | |
| 3 August 1991 | Enfield | A | 1–1 | n/a | Smilie |
| 6 August 1991 | Chelsea | H | 4–3 | 4,923 | Cadette (2), Holdsworth, Smilie |
| 7 August 1991 | Maidenhead United | A | 2–3 | n/a | Line, untraced (og) |
| 10 August 1991 | Colchester United | A | 3–1 | n/a | Luscombe, Godfrey, Gayle |
| 12 August 1991 | Chesham United | A | 4–3 | n/a | Cadette (2), Blissett (pen), Ratcliffe |

### Football League Third Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 17 August 1991 | Leyton Orient | H | 4–3 | 6,156 | Holdsworth (3), Evans |
| 2 | 24 August 1991 | Exeter City | A | 2–1 | 3,518 | Gayle, Blissett |
| 3 | 31 August 1991 | Huddersfield Town | H | 2–3 | 5,459 | Jones, Godfrey |
| 4 | 3 September 1991 | Hartlepool United | A | 0–1 | 3,660 | |
| 5 | 7 September 1991 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 0–1 | 3,139 | |
| 6 | 14 September 1991 | Reading | H | 1–0 | 5,775 | Cadette |
| 7 | 17 September 1991 | Hull City | H | 4–1 | 4,586 | Evans, Smilie, untraced (og), Holdsworth |
| 8 | 21 September 1991 | Darlington | A | 2–1 | 3,900 | Smilie, Holdsworth |
| 9 | 28 September 1991 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 3–2 | 5,658 | Holdsworth (2), Gayle |
| 10 | 5 October 1991 | Fulham | A | 1–0 | 7,710 | Evans |
| 11 | 12 October 1991 | Peterborough United | H | 2–1 | 7,705 | Evans, Smilie |
| 12 | 19 October 1991 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–2 | 8,575 | Gayle |
| 13 | 26 October 1991 | Bury | A | 3–0 | 2,280 | Holdsworth (2), Gayle |
| 14 | 2 November 1991 | Bradford City | A | 1–0 | 5,359 | Smilie |
| 15 | 6 November 1991 | Birmingham City | H | 2–2 | 8,798 | Smilie, Blissett |
| 16 | 9 November 1991 | Wigan Athletic | H | 4–0 | 6,675 | Blissett (2), Holdsworth (2) |
| 17 | 22 November 1991 | Bournemouth | A | 0–0 | 4,764 | |
| 18 | 30 November 1991 | Swansea City | H | 3–2 | 6,669 | Holdsworth, Ratcliffe, Blissett |
| 19 | 14 December 1991 | Torquay United | A | 1–1 | 2,475 | Godfrey |
| 20 | 22 December 1991 | Exeter City | H | 3–0 | 7,226 | Blissett (2), Gayle |
| 21 | 26 December 1991 | Huddersfield Town | A | 1–2 | 10,605 | Blissett (pen) |
| 22 | 28 December 1991 | Leyton Orient | A | 2–4 | 7,333 | Luscombe (2) |
| 23 | 1 January 1992 | Hartlepool United | H | 1–0 | 7,102 | Holdsworth |
| 24 | 4 January 1992 | Stockport County | A | 1–2 | 4,421 | Untraced (og) |
| 25 | 11 January 1992 | Stoke City | H | 2–0 | 9,004 | Luscombe, Holdsworth |
| 26 | 18 January 1992 | Chester City | A | 1–1 | 1,447 | Booker |
| 27 | 25 January 1992 | Preston North End | H | 1–0 | 7,559 | Evans |
| 28 | 1 February 1992 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–2 | 15,984 | |
| 29 | 8 February 1992 | Bury | H | 0–3 | 6,789 | |
| 30 | 11 February 1992 | Swansea City | A | 1–1 | 3,582 | Millen |
| 31 | 15 February 1992 | Torquay United | H | 3–2 | 6,079 | Booker, Blissett, Bates |
| 32 | 22 February 1992 | Stoke City | A | 1–2 | 16,417 | Blissett |
| 33 | 29 February 1992 | Stockport County | H | 2–1 | 7,484 | Smilie, Holdsworth |
| 34 | 3 March 1992 | Chester City | H | 2–0 | 6,869 | Blissett, Holdsworth (pen) |
| 35 | 7 March 1992 | Preston North End | A | 2–3 | 3,548 | Smilie, Buckle |
| 36 | 10 March 1992 | Birmingham City | A | 0–1 | 13,290 | |
| 37 | 14 March 1992 | Bradford City | H | 3–4 | 6,791 | Evans, Blissett, Holdsworth |
| 38 | 20 March 1992 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–2 | 2,371 | Holdsworth |
| 39 | 29 March 1992 | Bournemouth | H | 2–2 | 7,605 | Godfrey, Blissett |
| 40 | 1 April 1992 | Reading | A | 0–0 | 5,660 | |
| 41 | 4 April 1992 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–0 | 5,561 | Holdsworth, Evans |
| 42 | 11 April 1992 | Hull City | A | 3–0 | 3,770 | Holdsworth (2), Blissett |
| 43 | 17 April 1992 | Darlington | H | 4–1 | 8,383 | Holdsworth (2), Blissett, untraced (og) |
| 44 | 20 April 1992 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–1 | 4,382 | Evans, untraced (og) |
| 45 | 26 April 1992 | Fulham | H | 4–0 | 12,071 | Holdsworth, Gayle, Blissett, Ratcliffe |
| 46 | 2 May 1992 | Peterborough United | A | 1–0 | 14,539 | Blissett |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| R1 | 18 November 1991 | Gillingham | H | 3–3 | 5,830 | Holdsworth (2), Blissett |
| R1 (replay) | 26 November 1991 | Gillingham | A | 3–1 | 7,328 | Holdsworth (2), Sealy |
| R2 | 7 December 1991 | Bournemouth | A | 1–2 | 6,538 | Bates |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| R1 (1st leg) | 20 August 1991 | Barnet | A | 5–5 | 2,416 | Cadette (2), Godfrey, Holdsworth (2) |
| R1 (2nd leg) | 27 August 1991 | Barnet | H | 3–1 (won 8–6 on aggregate) | 5,583 | Holdsworth, Godfrey, Evans |
| R2 (1st leg) | 24 September 1991 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 4–1 | 4,927 | Godfrey, Cadette, Holdsworth (2) |
| R2 (2nd leg) | 9 October 1991 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–4 (a.e.t.), won 6–5 on aggregate) | 4,502 | Cadette, Holdsworth |
| R3 | 30 October 1991 | Norwich City | A | 1–4 | 7,394 | Manuel |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| PR | 22 October 1991 | Aldershot | A | 2–0 | 1,348 | Sealy (2) |
| PR | 17 December 1991 | Barnet | H | 3–6 | 1,871 | Luscombe, Holdsworth (2) |
| SR1 | 21 January 1992 | Leyton Orient | A | 2–3 | 1,861 | Holdsworth (2) |
* Source: Statto, 11v11, The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1991–92 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Ashley Bayes | (1972-04-19)19 April 1972 (aged 19) | Youth | 1990 | |
| GK | Graham Benstead | (1963-08-20)20 August 1963 (aged 27) | Sheffield United | 1990 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Jamie Bates | (1968-02-24)24 February 1968 (aged 23) | Youth | 1986 | |
| DF | Terry Evans (c) | (1965-04-12)12 April 1965 (aged 26) | Hillingdon | 1985 | |
| DF | Chris Hughton | (1958-12-11)11 December 1958 (aged 32) | West Ham United | 1992 | Coach |
| DF | Billy Manuel | (1969-06-28)28 June 1969 (aged 22) | Gillingham | 1991 | |
| DF | Keith Millen | (1966-09-26)26 September 1966 (aged 24) | Youth | 1985 | |
| DF | Brian Statham | (1969-05-21)21 May 1969 (aged 22) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1992 | Loaned from Tottenham Hotspur before transferring permanently |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Bob Booker | (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 33) | Sheffield United | 1991 | |
| MF | Paul Buckle | (1970-12-16)16 December 1970 (aged 20) | Youth | 1988 | |
| MF | Andy Driscoll | (1971-10-21)21 October 1971 (aged 19) | Youth | 1989 | Loaned to Staines Town |
| MF | Tony Finnigan | (1962-10-17)17 October 1962 (aged 28) | Swindon Town | 1991 | |
| MF | Kevin Godfrey | (1960-02-24)24 February 1960 (aged 31) | Leyton Orient | 1988 | |
| MF | Detzi Kruszyński | (1960-10-14)14 October 1960 (aged 30) | Wimbledon | 1992 | On loan from Wimbledon |
| MF | Robbie Peters | (1971-05-18)18 May 1971 (aged 20) | Youth | 1989 | |
| MF | Simon Ratcliffe | (1967-02-08)8 February 1967 (aged 24) | Norwich City | 1989 | |
| MF | Wilf Rostron | (1956-09-29)29 September 1956 (aged 34) | Sheffield United | 1991 | Assistant manager |
| MF | Neil Smilie | (1958-07-19)19 July 1958 (aged 33) | Reading | 1988 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Gary Blissett | (1964-06-29)29 June 1964 (aged 27) | Crewe Alexandra | 1987 | |
| FW | Marcus Gayle | (1970-09-27)27 September 1970 (aged 20) | Youth | 1988 | |
| FW | Dean Holdsworth | (1968-11-08)8 November 1968 (aged 22) | Watford | 1989 | |
| FW | Simon Line | (1971-11-01)1 November 1971 (aged 19) | Crystal Palace | 1991 | |
| FW | Lee Luscombe | (1971-07-16)16 July 1971 (aged 20) | Southampton | 1991 | |
| FW | Tony Sealy | (1959-05-07)7 May 1959 (aged 32) | MYPA | 1991 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| GK | Perry Suckling | (1965-10-12)12 October 1965 (aged 25) | Crystal Palace | 1991 | Returned to Crystal Palace after loan |
| MF | Keith Jones | (1965-10-14)14 October 1965 (aged 25) | Chelsea | 1987 | Transferred to Southend United |
| FW | Richard Cadette | (1965-03-21)21 March 1965 (aged 26) | Sheffield United | 1988 | Transferred to Falkirk |
* Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Phil Holder | Manager |
| Wilf Rostron | Assistant Manager |
| Graham Pearce | Coach |
| Chris Hughton | Coach |
| Gordon Phillips | Goalkeeping Coach |
| Roy Clare | Physiotherapist |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    Substitute appearances in brackets.
| Pos | Nat | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | FL Trophy | Total | Total |
| Pos | Nat | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | | Ashley Bayes | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| GK | | Graham Benstead | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| DF | | Jamie Bates | 41 (1) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 51 (1) | 2 |
| DF | | Terry Evans | 44 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 9 |
| DF | | Chris Hughton | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 |
| DF | | Billy Manuel | 27 (8) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 37 (8) | 1 |
| DF | | Keith Millen | 34 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 1 |
| DF | | Brian Statham | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 0 |
| MF | | Bob Booker | 14 (2) | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 (2) | 2 |
| MF | | Paul Buckle | 8 (7) | 1 | 1 (1) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 13 (10) | 1 |
| MF | | Andy Driscoll | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| MF | | Tony Finnigan | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| MF | | Kevin Godfrey | 26 (5) | 3 | 2 (1) | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 35 (6) | 6 |
| MF | | Keith Jones | 6 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 |
| MF | | Robbie Peters | 1 (8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 3 (11) | 0 |
| MF | | Simon Ratcliffe | 31 (3) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 39 (4) | 2 |
| MF | | Wilf Rostron | 15 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 (4) | 0 |
| MF | | Neil Smilie | 44 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 55 | 7 |
| FW | | Gary Blissett | 31 (6) | 17 | 3 | 1 | 2 (2) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 39 (8) | 18 |
| FW | | Richard Cadette | 10 (1) | 1 | — | — | 3 | 4 | — | — | 13 (1) | 5 |
| FW | | Marcus Gayle | 28 (10) | 6 | 1 (1) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 34 (13) | 6 |
| FW | | Dean Holdsworth | 40 (1) | 24 | 3 | 4 | 4 (1) | 6 | 2 (1) | 4 | 49 (3) | 38 |
| FW | | Simon Line | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| FW | | Lee Luscombe | 10 (3) | 3 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 12 (3) | 4 |
| FW | | Tony Sealy | 9 (9) | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 12 (10) | 0 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||||
| GK | | Perry Suckling | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| MF | | Detzi Kruszyński | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | FLC | FLT | Total |
| FW | | Dean Holdsworth | 24 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 38 |
| FW | | Gary Blissett | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| DF | | Terry Evans | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| MF | | Neil Smilie | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| FW | | Marcus Gayle | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| MF | | Kevin Godfrey | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| FW | | Richard Cadette | 1 | — | 4 | — | 5 |
| FW | | Lee Luscombe | 3 | — | — | 1 | 4 |
| MF | | Bob Booker | 2 | — | — | — | 3 |
| MF | | Simon Ratcliffe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| DF | | Jamie Bates | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Keith Jones | 1 | — | 0 | — | 1 |
| MF | | Paul Buckle | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Keith Millen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Billy Manuel | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | Total | Total | 81 | 7 | 15 | 7 | 110 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

### 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 % |
| Phil Holder | | 17 August 1991 | 2 May 1992 | 57 | 29 | 9 | 19 | 050.88| | 46 | 25 | 7 | 14 | 054.35 |

### Summary

| Games played | 57 (46 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy) |
| Games won | 29 (25 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Games drawn | 9 (7 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy) |
| Games lost | 19 (14 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals scored | 110 (81 Third Division, 7 FA Cup, 15 League Cup, 7 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals conceded | 85 (55 Third Division, 6 FA Cup, 15 League Cup, 9 Football League Trophy) |
| Clean sheets | 12 (15 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Biggest league win | 4–0 on 2 occasions |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 versus Bury, 8 February 1992 |
| Most appearances | 54, Terry Evans (44 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) |
| Top scorer (league) | 24, Dean Holdsworth |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 38, Dean Holdsworth |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| 14 June 1991 | DF | Billy Manuel | Gillingham | £60,000 | |
| October 1991 | FW | Lee Luscombe | Southampton | £15,000 | |
| October 1991 | FW | Tony Sealy | MYPA | Free | |
| November 1991 | MF | Bob Booker | Sheffield United | Free | |
| 17 January 1992 | MF | Tony Finnigan | Swindon Town | Non-contract | |
| 28 February 1992 | DF | Brian Statham | Tottenham Hotspur | £70,000 | |
| February 1992 | DF | Chris Hughton | West Ham United | Free | |
| March 1992 | DF | Tim O'Shea | Gillingham | Non-contract | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| 11 October 1991 | GK | Perry Suckling | Crystal Palace | November 1991 | |
| 16 January 1992 | DF | Brian Statham | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 February 1992 | |
| March 1992 | MF | Detzi Kruszyński | Wimbledon | End of season | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 1 July 1991 | DF | Jason Cousins | Wycombe Wanderers | Free | |
| 21 October 1991 | MF | Keith Jones | Southend United | £175,000 | |
| 9 January 1992 | FW | Richard Cadette | Falkirk | £50,000 | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| November 1991 | MF | Andy Driscoll | Staines Town | December 1991 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| 30 June 1992 | MF | Andy Driscoll | Yeading | 1992 | |
| 30 June 1992 | MF | Tony Finnigan | Ernest Borel | 1992 | |
| 30 June 1992 | FW | Simon Line | Retired | | |
| 30 June 1992 | DF | Tim O'Shea | Hong Kong Rangers | 1992 | |
| 30 June 1992 | FW | Tony Sealy | Michelotti | 1992 | |

## Kit

Supplier: Chad Sponsor(s): KLM
| Home | Away |
Source: Brentford F.C.

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Keith Millen
* Football League Third Division PFA Team of the Year: Terry Evans, Dean Holdsworth
* Football League Third Division Manager of the Month: Phil Holder (November 1991, April 1992)