# 1928–29 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1928–29 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South. An unbeaten start to the season was cancelled out by a run of 11 defeats in 12 games which left the Bees bottom of the Football League, but the team recovered to finish in mid-table.

## Season summary

Still in search of a winning formula after two mid-table finishes, Brentford manager Harry Curtis elected to add to rather than remodel of his squad during the 1928 off-season. In came goalkeeper Freddie Fox, full back Baden Herod for a £1,500 club record fee, half back Reginald Davies and a number of young forwards. He also brought in his former Gillingham trainer Bob Kane. Youngster Joe Wiggins broke Brentford's outgoing transfer record in May 1928, with Leicester City paying £1,400 for a centre forward who had made just four senior appearances and scored two goals.
Good goalscoring form from Jack Lane and Jack Phillips at the start of the season saw Brentford go seven matches unbeaten and rise to the top of the table. Phillips was then sold to Bristol Rovers and a run of 12 league matches without a win (including a club record-equalling 9 league defeats in a row) plummeted the club to the bottom of the Football League. Manager Curtis was offered the manager's job of an unnamed Second Division club in mid-October, but elected to stay at Griffin Park.
In November 1928, Manager Harry Curtis pulled off a crucial £500 signing of Jimmy Bain from Manchester Central and the centre half galvanised the team. Just three defeats in 18 matches between Boxing Day 1928 and April Fools' Day 1929 averted any fears of having to campaign for re-election. Manager Curtis decided to cash in on club record signing Baden Herod, who was sold for a then-club record outgoing fee of £4,000 to Tottenham Hotspur in February 1929. Just one draw from the final five matches of the season dropped Brentford to a final placing of 13th. A minor competition, the London Charity Fund, was won in November 1928 and gold medals were presented to the players involved.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| 11 | Coventry City | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 62 | 57 | 1.088 | 42 |
| 12 | Southend United | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 80 | 75 | 1.067 | 41 |
| 13 | Brentford | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 56 | 60 | 0.933 | 38 |
| 14 | Walsall | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 73 | 79 | 0.924 | 38 |
| 15 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 42 | 16 | 6 | 20 | 58 | 76 | 0.763 | 38 |

## 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 | 25 August 1928 | Exeter City | H | 4–2 | 11,158 | Phillips (2), Drinnan, Berry |
| 2 | 1 September 1928 | Southend United | A | 1–1 | 8,082 | McKinley |
| 3 | 3 September 1928 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1–0 | 6,850 | Lane |
| 4 | 8 September 1928 | Merthyr Town | H | 2–1 | 9,153 | Lane, Phillips |
| 5 | 10 September 1928 | Swindon Town | H | 2–0 | 7,231 | Lane, Phillips |
| 6 | 15 September 1928 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | A | 1–1 | 7,573 | Watkins |
| 7 | 22 September 1928 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–1 | 20,783 | Lane |
| 8 | 29 September 1928 | Luton Town | H | 0–1 | 13,758 | |
| 9 | 6 October 1928 | Coventry City | A | 0–1 | 16,993 | |
| 10 | 13 October 1928 | Northampton Town | H | 2–2 | 9,260 | Watkins (2) |
| 11 | 20 October 1928 | Bristol Rovers | A | 0–2 | 9,316 | |
| 12 | 27 October 1928 | Watford | H | 0–1 | 8,301 | |
| 13 | 3 November 1928 | Walsall | A | 0–2 | 7,937 | |
| 14 | 10 November 1928 | Newport County | H | 1–3 | 5,395 | Lane |
| 15 | 17 November 1928 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–1 | 11,323 | |
| 16 | 1 December 1928 | Torquay United | A | 1–4 | 4,614 | Berry |
| 17 | 15 December 1928 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–4 | 10,940 | |
| 18 | 22 December 1928 | Fulham | H | 1–2 | 8,876 | Watkins |
| 19 | 25 December 1928 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–3 | 8,600 | Douglas, Durnion |
| 20 | 26 December 1928 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 5–1 | 5,117 | Lane (4), Sherlaw |
| 21 | 29 December 1928 | Exeter City | A | 3–2 | 6,124 | Drinnan, Watkins, Sherlaw |
| 22 | 5 January 1929 | Southend United | H | 1–0 | 4,588 | Drinnan |
| 23 | 12 January 1929 | Gillingham | H | 4–1 | 5,042 | Douglas (2), Watkins, Sherlaw |
| 24 | 19 January 1929 | Merthyr Town | A | 2–2 | 2,500 | Drinnan, Sherlaw |
| 25 | 26 January 1929 | Gillingham | A | 2–1 | 3,756 | Watkins, Douglas |
| 26 | 2 February 1929 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 2–2 | 10,590 | Sherlaw (2) |
| 27 | 9 February 1929 | Luton Town | A | 1–2 | 8,148 | Lawson |
| 28 | 16 February 1929 | Coventry City | H | 1–0 | 3,950 | Watkins |
| 29 | 23 February 1929 | Northampton Town | A | 1–1 | 8,555 | Watkins |
| 30 | 2 March 1929 | Bristol Rovers | H | 2–0 | 6,991 | Sherlaw, Drinnan |
| 31 | 9 March 1929 | Watford | A | 0–2 | 10,453 | |
| 32 | 13 March 1929 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | H | 0–0 | 3,366 | |
| 33 | 16 March 1929 | Walsall | H | 1–0 | 7,111 | Douglas |
| 34 | 23 March 1929 | Newport County | A | 1–1 | 3,090 | Douglas |
| 35 | 29 March 1929 | Norwich City | H | 4–0 | 10,049 | Stone (2), Watkins (2) |
| 36 | 30 March 1929 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–4 | 13,314 | Watkins, Berry |
| 37 | 1 April 1929 | Norwich City | A | 4–2 | 9,713 | Berry (2), Watkins (2) |
| 38 | 6 April 1929 | Swindon Town | A | 1–3 | 3,107 | Gamble |
| 39 | 13 April 1929 | Torquay United | H | 0–0 | 4,507 | |
| 40 | 22 April 1929 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–1 | 8,017 | |
| 41 | 27 April 1929 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 0–2 | 6,532 | |
| 42 | 4 May 1929 | Fulham | A | 0–1 | 16,524 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R | 24 November 1928 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 4–1 | 10,000 | Drinnan, Lane (2), Sherlaw |
| 2R | 8 December 1928 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 0–1 | 10,681 | |
* Sources: Statto, 11v11, 100 Years of Brentford

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1928–29 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Henry Bailey | (1897-12-02)2 December 1897 (aged 30) | Exeter City | 1927 | |
| GK | Freddie Fox | (1898-11-22)22 November 1898 (aged 29) | Halifax Town | 1928 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | George Dumbrell | (1906-09-23)23 September 1906 (aged 21) | Dartford | 1928 | |
| DF | Alexander Stevenson | (1903-10-24)24 October 1903 (aged 24) | Armadale | 1927 | |
| DF | Ted Winship | 1900 (aged 27–28) | Kidderminster Harriers | 1926 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Jimmy Bain | (1899-02-06)6 February 1899 (aged 29) | Manchester Central | 1928 | |
| HB | Jack Beacham | (1902-08-15)15 August 1902 (aged 26) | Weymouth | 1925 | |
| HB | Reginald Davies (c) | (1897-09-30)30 September 1897 (aged 30) | Portsmouth | 1928 | |
| HB | Stephen Dearn | March 1901 (aged 27) | Portsmouth | 1926 | |
| HB | William Hodge | (1904-08-31)31 August 1904 (aged 23) | Rangers | 1927 | |
| HB | Charlie Reddock | 1902 (aged 25–26) | Gillingham | 1926 | |
| HB | Teddy Ware | (1906-09-17)17 September 1906 (aged 21) | Chatham Town | 1928 | |
| HB | Martin Woosnam | 1903 (aged 24–25) | Ealing Association | 1928 | Amateur |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Bill Berry | (1904-08-18)18 August 1904 (aged 24) | Gillingham | 1926 | |
| FW | Alfred Douglas | (1899-03-26)26 March 1899 (aged 29) | Washington Colliery | 1925 | |
| FW | Jimmy Drinnan | (1906-05-28)28 May 1906 (aged 22) | Newport County | 1927 | |
| FW | Andy Durnion | (1907-02-18)18 February 1907 (aged 21) | St Joseph's | 1928 | |
| FW | Frederick Gamble | (1905-05-29)29 May 1905 (aged 23) | Southall | 1928 | |
| FW | Jack Lane | (1898-05-29)29 May 1898 (aged 30) | Chesterfield | 1925 | |
| FW | Herbert Lawson | (1905-04-12)12 April 1905 (aged 23) | Arsenal | 1927 | |
| FW | Charles McKinley | (1902-09-13)13 September 1902 (aged 25) | Leyton | 1928 | |
| FW | Albert Richards | (1903-07-18)18 July 1903 (aged 25) | Chatham Town | 1928 | |
| FW | David Sherlaw | (1901-09-17)17 September 1901 (aged 26) | Charlton Athletic | 1928 | |
| FW | Norman Stone | 1904 (aged 23–24) | Corinthian | 1928 | Amateur |
| FW | Ernie Watkins | (1898-04-03)3 April 1898 (aged 30) | Southend United | 1926 | |
| FW | Alexander Wood | 1906 (aged 21–22) | Airdrieonians | 1928 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Baden Herod | (1900-05-16)16 May 1900 (aged 28) | Charlton Athletic | 1928 | Transferred to Tottenham Hotspur |
| HB | Andrew Heeps | (1899-12-15)15 December 1899 (aged 28) | Airdrieonians | 1928 | Transferred to Camelon Juniors |
| HB | Albert Purdy | (1899-03-15)15 March 1899 (aged 29) | Southend United | 1928 | Transferred to Dartford |
| FW | Jack Phillips | (1903-05-28)28 May 1903 (aged 25) | Merthyr Town | 1927 | Transferred to Bristol Rovers |
* Sources: Timeless Bees, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939, 100 Years Of Brentford

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Harry Curtis | Manager |
| Dick Hendrie | Assistant 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 | | Henry Bailey | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| GK | | Freddie Fox | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| DF | | George Dumbrell | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| DF | | Baden Herod | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| DF | | Alexander Stevenson | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| DF | | Ted Winship | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| HB | | Jimmy Bain | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| HB | | Jack Beacham | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| HB | | Reginald Davies | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| HB | | Stephen Dearn | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| HB | | Andrew Heeps | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | William Hodge | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| HB | | Albert Purdy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Charlie Reddock | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| HB | | Teddy Ware | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| HB | | Martin Woosnam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Bill Berry | 23 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 5 |
| FW | | Alfred Douglas | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 6 |
| FW | | Jimmy Drinnan | 25 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 6 |
| FW | | Andy Durnion | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| FW | | Frederick Gamble | 7 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 1 |
| FW | | Jack Lane | 32 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 33 | 11 |
| FW | | Herbert Lawson | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| FW | | Charles McKinley | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| FW | | Jack Phillips | 6 | 4 | — | — | 6 | 4 |
| FW | | Albert Richards | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | David Sherlaw | 27 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 8 |
| FW | | Norman Stone | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| FW | | Ernie Watkins | 36 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 14 |
| FW | | Alexander Wood | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | Total |
| FW | | Ernie Watkins | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| FW | | Jack Lane | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| FW | | David Sherlaw | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| FW | | Alfred Douglas | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| FW | | Jimmy Drinnan | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| FW | | Bill Berry | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| FW | | Jack Phillips | 4 | — | 4 |
| FW | | Norman Stone | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Frederick Gamble | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Andy Durnion | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Herbert Lawson | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Charles McKinley | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 56 | 4 | 60 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Amateur international caps

| Pos. | Nat | Player | Caps | Goals | Ref |
| HB | | Martin Woosnam | 1 | 0 | |

### 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 | | 25 August 1928 | 4 May 1929 | 44 | 15 | 10 | 19 | 034.09| | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 033.33 |

### Summary

| Games played | 44 (42 Third Division South, 2 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 15 (14 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 10 (10 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 19 (18 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 60 (56 Third Division South, 4 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 62 (60 Third Division South, 2 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 9 (9 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 4–0 versus Norwich City, 29 March 1929; 5–1 versus Brighton & Hove Albion, 26 December 1928 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–0 versus Plymouth Argyle, 15 December 1928 |
| Most appearances | 38, Reginald Davies, Ernie Watkins (36 Third Division South, 2 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 14, Ernie Watkins |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 14, Ernie Watkins |

## Transfers & loans

    Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| May 1928 | HB | Andrew Heeps | Airdrieonians | Free | |
| May 1928 | FW | Charles McKinley | Leyton | Free | |
| 17 June 1928 | DF | Baden Herod | Charlton Athletic | £1,500 | |
| June 1928 | HB | Reginald Davies | Portsmouth | £250 | |
| June 1928 | HB | Albert Purdy | Southend United | Free | |
| September 1928 | FW | David Sherlaw | Charlton Athletic | n/a | |
| November 1928 | HB | Jimmy Bain | Manchester Central | £500 | |
| November 1928 | FW | Norman Stone | Corinthian | Amateur | |
| 1928 | DF | George Dumbrell | Dartford | Free | |
| 1928 | FW | Frederick Gamble | Southall | Free | |
| 1928 | FW | Albert Richards | Chatham Town | Free | |
| 1928 | FW | Alexander Wood | Airdrieonians | Free | |
| 1928 | HB | Martin Woosnam | Ealing Association | Amateur | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| May 1928 | FW | Joe Wiggins | Leicester City | £1,400 | |
| 26 September 1928 | FW | Jack Phillips | Bristol Rovers | n/a | |
| December 1928 | HB | Albert Purdy | Dartford | n/a | |
| 27 February 1929 | DF | Baden Herod | Tottenham Hotspur | £4,000 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| 14 July 1928 | HB | Frank Marshall | Died of tuberculosis | | |
| February 1929 | HB | Andrew Heeps | Camelon Juniors | n/a | |
| May 1929 | GK | Henry Bailey | Thames | 1929 | |
| May 1929 | HB | Jack Beacham | Gillingham | 1929 | |
| May 1929 | FW | Thomas Brennan | Gillingham | August 1929 | |
| May 1929 | FW | Stephen Dearn | Retired | | |
| May 1929 | FW | Jimmy Drinnan | Luton Town | 1929 | |
| May 1929 | FW | Dick Hendrie | Retired | | |
| May 1929 | FW | Jim McCafferty | Shieldmuir Celtic | 1929 | |
| May 1929 | FW | Charles McKinley | Retired | | |
| May 1929 | FW | Len Ramsell | Retired | | |
| May 1929 | FW | Albert Richards | Dartford | 1929 | |
| May 1929 | FW | Norman Stone | Retired | | |
| May 1929 | FW | Alexander Wood | Charlton Athletic | 1929 | |