# 1986–87 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1986–87 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. Frank McLintock resigned as manager in January 1987 and his replacement Steve Perryman saved the club's season, elevating the Bees to an 11th-place finish.

## Season summary

It was all change at Griffin Park during the 1986 off-season. Assistant manager John Docherty left the club to become manager of Millwall and took long-serving defender Danis Salman with him, for a "ridiculous" £20,000 fee which was settled by tribunal. Manager Frank McLintock released midfielders Terry Bullivant, Tony Lynch, George Torrance and forwards Rowan Alexander and Steve Butler. Wimbledon winger Ian Holloway's loan was made permanent for a £28,000 fee and also arriving at Griffin Park were defender Phil Bater, midfielder Paul Maddy and forward Gary Stevens. The marquee signing of Chelsea winger Paul Canoville was set to be decided by tribunal, but fell through after Reading won the day with a £60,000 bid.
A poor start to the season led manager Frank McLintock to continue to act in the transfer market during the opening months. £35,000 midfielder Wayne Turner was installed as the new captain, Tony Obi arrived on loan and Henry Hughton and Robbie Carroll joined on non-contract terms. Brentford continued to tread water in the lower reaches of mid-table through November and December 1986 and McLintock attempted to remedy the situation by signing experienced defenders Steve Perryman and Micky Droy. By January 1987, the Brentford supporters were calling for the sacking of McLintock and after a 4–1 defeat to Port Vale on 24 January, the club's board announced that his contract would not be renewed at the end of the season. McLintock immediately left the club.
After Frank McLintock's departure, player Steve Perryman was announced as caretaker manager. An immediate turnaround in the team's form led the board, who had reportedly shown interest in Wimbledon's Dave Bassett, to appoint Perryman to the role on a permanent basis in late-February 1987. He made two important additions to the club's staff, appointing Phil Holder as assistant manager and signing forward Gary Blissett for a £60,000 fee from Crewe Alexandra. Perryman lost just five of his first 23 games in the job and steered Brentford to an 11th-place finish.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 9 | Blackpool | 46 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 74 | 59 | +15 | 64 |
| 10 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 52 | 55 | −3 | 61 |
| 11 | Brentford | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 64 | 66 | −2 | 60 |
| 12 | Port Vale | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 76 | 70 | +6 | 57 |
| 13 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 56 | 62 | −6 | 57 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 29 July 1986 | Ashford Town (Middlesex) | A | 5–0 | n/a | F. Joseph, Maddy, Allen, untraced (og) |
| 2 August 1986 | Baldock Town | A | 1–1 | n/a | Bater |
| 5 August 1986 | West Ham United | H | 1–2 | 1,970 | F. Joseph |
| 9 August 1986 | Oxford United | H | 1–2 | 1,144 | Maddy |
| 13 August 1986 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 0–1 | 2,245 | |
| 16 August 1986 | Orient | A | 1–1 | 540 | Stevens |
| 28 October 1986 | Arsenal XI | H | 6–3 | 412 | F. Joseph (2), Carroll, og (2) |
| 15 May 1987 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–3 | 7,049 | Bowles, og |

### Football League Third Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 23 August 1986 | Bournemouth | H | 1–1 | 3,856 | Cooke (pen) |
| 2 | 30 August 1986 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 0–2 | 1,675 | |
| 3 | 6 September 1986 | Port Vale | H | 0–2 | 3,150 | |
| 4 | 13 September 1986 | Fulham | A | 3–1 | 4,820 | Stevens, Cooke, R. Joseph |
| 5 | 16 September 1986 | Carlisle United | A | 0–0 | 2,904 | |
| 6 | 20 September 1986 | Darlington | H | 5–3 | 3,265 | Stevens (2), Bater, Cooke (pen) |
| 7 | 27 September 1986 | Gillingham | A | 0–2 | 4,710 | |
| 8 | 30 September 1986 | Bury | H | 0–2 | 3,238 | |
| 9 | 4 October 1986 | Newport County | H | 2–0 | 3,231 | Sinton, Maddy |
| 10 | 11 October 1986 | Mansfield Town | A | 0–1 | 3,456 | |
| 11 | 18 October 1986 | York City | H | 3–1 | 3,457 | Cooke, Stevens (2) |
| 12 | 25 October 1986 | Walsall | A | 2–5 | 4,495 | Cooke, Millen |
| 13 | 1 November 1986 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–2 | 3,522 | Maddy |
| 14 | 4 November 1986 | Notts County | H | 1–0 | 3,057 | Carroll |
| 15 | 8 November 1986 | Chester City | A | 1–1 | 2,055 | Cooke |
| 16 | 22 November 1986 | Blackpool | H | 1–1 | 4,471 | Stevens |
| 17 | 30 November 1986 | Rotherham United | A | 3–2 | 3,148 | Sinton, Cooke (2) |
| 18 | 13 December 1986 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–1 | 2,411 | Cooke |
| 19 | 21 December 1986 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–1 | 5,504 | |
| 20 | 26 December 1986 | Swindon Town | A | 0–2 | 8,086 | |
| 21 | 28 December 1986 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–2 | 4,500 | Cooke |
| 22 | 1 January 1987 | Chesterfield | H | 2–2 | 3,622 | Cooke, Bater |
| 23 | 3 January 1987 | Blackpool | A | 0–2 | 4,384 | |
| 24 | 10 January 1987 | Bournemouth | A | 1–1 | 4,682 | Millen |
| 25 | 24 January 1987 | Port Vale | A | 1–4 | 3,062 | Cooke |
| 26 | 1 February 1987 | Fulham | H | 3–3 | 5,340 | Stevens, Sinton, Bates |
| 27 | 7 February 1987 | Carlisle United | H | 3–1 | 3,032 | Maddy, F. Joseph, Wright (og) |
| 28 | 15 February 1987 | Darlington | A | 1–1 | 2,303 | Droy |
| 29 | 21 February 1987 | Gillingham | H | 3–2 | 4,015 | Maddy, Stevens, Cooke |
| 30 | 28 February 1987 | Bury | A | 1–1 | 2,317 | Stevens |
| 31 | 3 March 1987 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–0 | 3,465 | Stevens, Cooke (pen) |
| 32 | 7 March 1987 | Walsall | H | 0–1 | 3,442 | |
| 33 | 14 March 1987 | York City | A | 1–2 | 2,426 | Cooke |
| 34 | 17 March 1987 | Bristol City | H | 1–1 | 4,051 | Maddy |
| 35 | 21 March 1987 | Mansfield Town | H | 3–1 | 3,336 | Carroll (2), Cooke |
| 36 | 4 April 1987 | Chester City | H | 3–1 | 3,496 | Droy (2), Blissett (pen) |
| 37 | 7 April 1987 | Newport County | A | 2–2 | 1,596 | Nogan, Blissett |
| 38 | 11 April 1987 | Notts County | A | 1–1 | 4,358 | Priest |
| 39 | 14 April 1987 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 1–1 | 3,426 | Blissett |
| 40 | 18 April 1987 | Chesterfield | A | 2–1 | 2,116 | Cooke, Williamson (og) |
| 41 | 20 April 1987 | Swindon Town | H | 1–1 | 7,443 | Cooke |
| 42 | 25 April 1987 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–2 | 9,942 | |
| 43 | 28 April 1987 | Bristol City | A | 2–0 | 9,050 | Carroll, Blissett |
| 44 | 2 May 1987 | Rotherham United | H | 2–0 | 3,425 | Cooke, Nogan |
| 45 | 4 May 1987 | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–0 | 3,513 | Sinton |
| 46 | 9 May 1987 | Wigan Athletic | H | 2–3 | 4,235 | Sinton, Blissett (pen) |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer |
| 1R | 3 December 1986 | Bristol Rovers | A | 0–0 | 3,035 | |
| 1R (replay) | 6 December 1986 | Bristol Rovers | H | 2–0 | 3,848 | Stevens (2) |
| 2R | 9 December 1986 | Cardiff City | A | 0–2 | 2,531 | |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R (1st leg) | 26 August 1986 | Southend United | A | 0–1 | 1,539 | |
| 1R (2nd leg) | 2 September 1986 | Southend United | H | 2–3 (lost 2–4 on aggregate) | 2,632 | F. Joseph, Cooke |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| SPR (match 1) | 15 December 1986 | Orient | A | 5–1 | 749 | Cooke (4), Geddis |
| SPR (match 2) | 6 January 1987 | Swindon Town | H | 4–2 | 1,110 | Stevens, Sinton (2), Carroll |
| SR1 | 26 January 1987 | Walsall | H | 4–2 | 1,774 | F. Joseph (2), Stevens, Maddy |
| SQF | 10 February 1987 | Bristol City | A | 0–3 | 7,425 | |
* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties, Statto

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1986–87 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Richard Key | (1956-04-13)13 April 1956 (aged 30) | Swindon Town | 1985 | |
| GK | Gary Phillips | (1961-09-20)20 September 1961 (aged 24) | Barnet | 1984 | |
| GK | John Power | (1959-12-10)10 December 1959 (aged 26) | Kingstonian | 1987 | On loan from Kingstonian |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Phil Bater | (1955-10-26)26 October 1955 (aged 30) | Bristol Rovers | 1986 | |
| DF | Jamie Bates | (1968-02-24)24 February 1968 (aged 18) | Youth | 1986 | |
| DF | Micky Droy | (1951-05-07)7 May 1951 (aged 35) | Crystal Palace | 1986 | |
| DF | Terry Evans | (1965-04-12)12 April 1965 (aged 21) | Hillingdon | 1985 | |
| DF | Roger Joseph | (1965-12-24)24 December 1965 (aged 20) | Southall | 1984 | |
| DF | Keith Millen | (1966-09-26)26 September 1966 (aged 19) | Youth | 1985 | |
| DF | Jamie Murray | (1958-12-27)27 December 1958 (aged 27) | Cambridge United | 1984 | |
| DF | Steve Perryman | (1951-12-21)21 December 1951 (aged 34) | Oxford United | 1986 | Manager |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Bob Booker | (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 28) | Bedmond Sports & Social | 1978 | |
| MF | Robbie Carroll | (1968-02-15)15 February 1968 (aged 18) | Gosport Borough | 1986 | |
| MF | Ian Holloway | (1963-03-12)12 March 1963 (aged 23) | Wimbledon | 1986 | Loaned to Torquay United |
| MF | Paul Maddy | (1962-08-17)17 August 1962 (aged 24) | Hereford United | 1986 | |
| MF | Andy Sinton | (1966-03-19)19 March 1966 (aged 20) | Cambridge United | 1985 | |
| MF | Wayne Turner (c) | (1961-03-09)9 March 1961 (aged 25) | Coventry City | 1986 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Gary Blissett | (1964-05-29)29 May 1964 (aged 22) | Crewe Alexandra | 1987 | |
| FW | Robbie Cooke | (1957-02-16)16 February 1957 (aged 29) | Cambridge United | 1984 | |
| FW | Francis Joseph | (1960-03-06)6 March 1960 (aged 26) | Wimbledon | 1982 | Loaned to Wimbledon |
| FW | Lee Nogan | (1969-05-21)21 May 1969 (aged 17) | Oxford United | 1987 | On loan from Oxford United |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Henry Hughton | (1959-11-18)18 November 1959 (aged 26) | Crystal Palace | 1986 | Released |
| DF | Steve Wignall | (1954-09-17)17 September 1954 (aged 31) | Colchester United | 1984 | Transferred to Aldershot |
| MF | Paul Merson | (1968-03-20)20 March 1968 (aged 18) | Arsenal | 1987 | Returned to Arsenal after loan |
| MF | Tony Obi | (1965-09-15)15 September 1965 (aged 20) | Oxford United | 1986 | Returned to Oxford United after loan |
| MF | Philip Priest | (1966-09-06)6 September 1966 (aged 19) | Chelsea | 1987 | Returned to Chelsea after loan |
| FW | David Geddis | (1958-05-12)12 May 1958 (aged 28) | Birmingham City | 1986 | Returned to Birmingham City after loan |
| FW | Gary Stevens | (1954-08-03)3 August 1954 (aged 32) | Shrewsbury Town | 1986 | Transferred to Hereford United |
* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff
### Frank McLintock (23 August 1986 – 24 January 1987)

| Name | Role |
| Frank McLintock | Manager |
| Steve Perryman | Assistant Manager |
| Terry Mancini | Coach |
| Ron Woolnough | Physiotherapist |
| Sammy Chung | Chief Scout |

### Steve Perryman (24 January – 9 May 1987)

| Name | Role |
| Steve Perryman | Player-Manager |
| Phil Holder | Assistant Manager |

## 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 | | Richard Key | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | | Gary Phillips | 44 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 52 | 0 |
| DF | | Phil Bater | 19 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 (1) | 2 |
| DF | | Jamie Bates | 20 (4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 23 (4) | 1 |
| DF | | Micky Droy | 19 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 24 | 3 |
| DF | | Terry Evans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| DF | | Henry Hughton | 5 (3) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 6 (5) | 0 |
| DF | | Roger Joseph | 32 | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 37 (1) | 1 |
| DF | | Keith Millen | 39 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 45 (1) | 2 |
| DF | | Jamie Murray | 39 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| DF | | Steve Perryman | 23 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 26 (1) | 0 |
| DF | | Steve Wignall | 3 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| MF | | Bob Booker | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| MF | | Robbie Carroll | 16 (6) | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 (1) | 1 | 19 (7) | 5 |
| MF | | Ian Holloway | 13 (3) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 18 (4) | 0 |
| MF | | Paul Maddy | 29 (2) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 36 (2) | 6 |
| MF | | Andy Sinton | 46 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 55 | 7 |
| MF | | Wayne Turner | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| FW | | Gary Blissett | 10 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 5 |
| FW | | Robbie Cooke | 40 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 1 (1) | 1 | 2 (1) | 4 | 46 (2) | 25 |
| FW | | Francis Joseph | 10 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 15 (3) | 4 |
| FW | | Gary Stevens | 29 (3) | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 (1) | 0 | 4 | 2 | 37 (4) | 14 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||||
| GK | | John Power | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| MF | | Paul Merson | 6 (1) | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 (1) | 0 | 7 (2) | 0 |
| MF | | Tony Obi | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 0 |
| MF | | Philip Priest | 3 (2) | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 (2) | 1 |
| FW | | David Geddis | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| FW | | Lee Nogan | 10 (1) | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 (1) | 2 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | FLC | FLT | Total |
| FW | | Robbie Cooke | 20 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 25 |
| FW | | Gary Stevens | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| MF | | Andy Sinton | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| MF | | Paul Maddy | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| FW | | Gary Blissett | 5 | — | — | — | 5 |
| MF | | Robbie Carroll | 4 | 0 | — | 1 | 5 |
| FW | | Francis Joseph | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| DF | | Micky Droy | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Lee Nogan | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
| DF | | Phil Bater | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| DF | | Keith Millen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Philip Priest | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| DF | | Jamie Bates | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Roger Joseph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | David Geddis | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | Total | Total | 64 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 81 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties

### 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 McLintock | | 23 August 1986 | 24 January 1987 | 32 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 028.13 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 024.00 |
| Steve Perryman | | 26 January 1987 | 9 May 1987 | 23 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 043.48 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 042.86 |

### Summary

| Games played | 55 (46 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 4 Football League Trophy) |
| Games won | 19 (15 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy) |
| Games drawn | 16 (15 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy) |
| Games lost | 20 (16 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals scored | 81 (64 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 13 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals conceded | 80 (66 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 8 Football League Trophy) |
| Clean sheets | 9 (7 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy) |
| Biggest league win | 2–0 on two occasions; 3–1 on five occasions; 5–3 versus Darlington, 20 September 1986 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–1 versus Port Vale, 24 January 1987; 5–2 versus Walsall, 25 October 1986 |
| Most appearances | 55, Andy Sinton (46 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 4 Football League Trophy) |
| Top scorer (league) | 20, Robbie Cooke |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 25, Robbie Cooke |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| 26 June 1986 | DF | Phil Bater | Bristol Rovers | Free | |
| July 1986 | MF | Ian Holloway | Wimbledon | £28,000 | |
| July 1986 | MF | Paul Maddy | Hereford United | £5,000 | |
| July 1986 | FW | Gary Stevens | Shrewsbury Town | Free | |
| September 1986 | MF | Robbie Carroll | Gosport Borough | Non-contract | |
| September 1986 | DF | Henry Hughton | Crystal Palace | Non-contract | |
| September 1986 | MF | Wayne Turner | Coventry City | £35,000 | |
| November 1986 | DF | Micky Droy | Crystal Palace | Free | |
| November 1986 | DF | Steve Perryman | Oxford United | n/a | |
| March 1987 | FW | Gary Blissett | Crewe Alexandra | £60,000 | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| 28 August 1986 | MF | Tony Obi | Oxford United | October 1986 | |
| November 1986 | FW | David Geddis | Birmingham City | December 1986 | |
| January 1987 | MF | Paul Merson | Arsenal | March 1987 | |
| March 1987 | FW | Lee Nogan | Oxford United | End of season | |
| March 1987 | MF | Philip Priest | Chelsea | n/a | |
| April 1987 | GK | John Power | Kingstonian | End of season | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 11 August 1986 | DF | Danis Salman | Millwall | £20,000 | |
| September 1986 | DF | Steve Wignall | Aldershot | £8,000 | |
| March 1987 | FW | Gary Stevens | Hereford United | £5,000 | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| February 1987 | MF | Ian Holloway | Torquay United | March 1987 | |
| March 1987 | FW | Francis Joseph | Wimbledon | n/a | |
| 1987 | FW | Francis Joseph | HJK Helsinki | July 1987 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| December 1986 | DF | Henry Hughton | Orient | December 1986 | |
| May 1987 | DF | Micky Droy | Retired | | |
| May 1987 | GK | Richard Key | Millwall | December 1987 | |

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Andy Sinton
* Players' Player of the Year: Gary Phillips