# 1983–84 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1983–84 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. A season of transition ended with a narrow escape from relegation.

## Season summary

After two seasons in which, were it not for bad mid-season form, strong run-ins may have yielded a promotion challenge, Brentford manager Fred Callaghan kept his squad together. Save for the retirement of key midfielder Stan Bowles, Bowles' replacement Terry Bullivant was the only significant piece of transfer activity at Griffin Park during the 1983 off-season. Goalkeeper Trevor Swinburne arrived to provide competition for Paddy Roche. With forward Tony Mahoney still not fully fit after recovering from a broken leg, Bill Garner was brought in from non-League football on non-contract terms.
Brentford showed poor form between the beginning of the season and Christmas Eve 1983 (as of November 2024, the 4–3 defeat to Wimbledon was the final Football League match played on that date). Two wins and 10 defeats from the opening 19 Third Division matches left the club just above the foot of the table. In the midst of the barren run in the league, a two-legged tie with then-First Division champions Liverpool in the second round of the League Cup failed to produce much cheer, with the Bees suffering an 8–1 aggregate defeat. A reduction in size of Griffin Park in the intervening years meant that the 17,858 crowd which attended the first leg was not bettered prior to the club's final first team match at the ground in July 2020.
Player/assistant manager Ron Harris was replaced with former Brentford manager Frank Blunstone in October 1983 and Harris later remarked that it had been an acrimonious parting. An ever-increasing list of injuries and suspensions led manager Fred Callaghan to make a number of signings during the final two months of 1983, including new captain Ian Bolton for £2,000 and previously on-loan defender Paul Roberts from Millwall for a £10,000 fee. Stan Bowles came out of retirement to assist the team on a non-contract basis. The signings had an effect, with the Bees going four matches undefeated in late December 1983 and early January 1984 to rise out of the relegation places. Defeats in the following two matches led chairman Martin Lange to act and sack manager Fred Callaghan on 2 February. Lange paid tribute to Callaghan by stating that Callaghan could "leave the club proud in the knowledge that he leaves the club far better equipped than when he arrived".
Assistant Frank Blunstone took caretaker charge of the team for one match before the appointment of former Leicester City manager Frank McLintock on 9 February. McLintock installed former Brentford player John Docherty as his assistant. McLintock took over a club in 21st position with 20 matches to play and conducted an overhaul of the playing staff, selling central defender Alan Whitehead and bringing in right back Bobby Fisher and midfielder Tommy Finney from Cambridge United, plus Nigel Gray and Bill Roffey on loan. Attacker Bob Booker was recalled to the starting lineup, Ian Bolton and Tony Mahoney were dropped, Terry Bullivant and Graham Wilkins departed on loan and Stan Bowles retired for a second time.
A slight upturn in form meant that Brentford went into their final match of the season versus Walsall perched atop the relegation zone in 20th place and needing a victory, but a 1–1 draw was all that could be mustered. Circumstances transpired that 21st-place Scunthorpe United's 1–1 draw on the same day, in their penultimate match of the season, meant that the Iron needed to win their final match by a margin of seven goals to secure their safety. Brentford's Third Division status was retained when Scunthorpe United lost in their season finale on the following Tuesday night.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 18 | Rotherham United | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 57 | 64 | −7 | 54 | |
| 19 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 56 | 62 | −6 | 51 | |
| 20 | Brentford | 46 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 69 | 79 | −10 | 49 | |
| 21 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 9 | 19 | 18 | 54 | 73 | −19 | 46 | Relegated |
| 22 | Southend United | 46 | 10 | 14 | 22 | 55 | 76 | −21 | 44 | Relegated |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 3 August 1983 | Kingstonian | A | 6–0 | n/a | Cassells (3), Joseph, Spencer, Greenaway |
| 6 August 1983 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–4 | 6,405 | Hurlock (2) |
| 8 August 1983 | Staines Town | A | 2–1 | n/a | Hopson, Tully |
| 9 August 1983 | St Albans City | A | 2–3 | n/a | Hopson (2) |
| 10 August 1983 | West Ham United | H | 2–0 | 3,104 | G. Roberts, Joseph |
| 11 August 1983 | Walton & Hersham | A | 7–2 | n/a | Cassells (2), Greenaway (2), Lynch (2), Garner |
| 13 August 1983 | Aldershot | A | 2–0 | n/a | Garner, Cassells |
| 15 August 1983 | Hayes | A | 0–6 | n/a | |
| 16 August 1983 | Reading | A | 2–5 | n/a | Kamara, Joseph |
| 20 August 1983 | Bristol City | A | 0–1 | 1,111 | Smith |
| 23 August 1983 | Bracknell Town | A | 0–0 | n/a | |
| 15 November 1983 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 3–2 | 1,414 | Mahoney (2), Davies |
| 14 May 1984 | Chelsea | H | 3–6 | 3,461 | Cassells, McNichol, G. Roberts |

### Football League Third Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 27 August 1983 | Millwall | H | 2–2 | 6,224 | Joseph, Kamara |
| 2 | 3 September 1983 | Preston North End | A | 3–3 | 3,957 | Joseph, G. Roberts, Cassells |
| 3 | 6 September 1983 | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–3 | 5,148 | Joseph |
| 4 | 10 September 1983 | Lincoln City | H | 3–0 | 4,777 | Kamara, Joseph (2) |
| 5 | 17 September 1983 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–2 | 3,034 | Garner |
| 6 | 24 September 1983 | Burnley | H | 0–0 | 8,042 | |
| 7 | 1 October 1983 | Gillingham | A | 2–4 | 3,268 | Kamara, McNichol |
| 8 | 8 October 1983 | Oxford United | A | 1–2 | 7,326 | Kamara |
| 9 | 15 October 1983 | Hull City | H | 1–1 | 4,258 | Joseph |
| 10 | 18 October 1983 | Port Vale | H | 3–1 | 3,903 | Bullivant, G. Roberts, McNichol |
| 11 | 22 October 1983 | Sheffield United | A | 0–0 | 9,848 | |
| 12 | 29 October 1983 | Bournemouth | H | 1–1 | 4,630 | Joseph |
| 13 | 31 October 1983 | Southend United | A | 0–6 | 3,182 | |
| 14 | 5 November 1983 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 2–2 | 4,183 | Mahoney, Cassells |
| 15 | 12 November 1983 | Orient | A | 0–2 | 3,650 | |
| 16 | 26 November 1983 | Bradford City | H | 1–4 | 3,738 | G. Roberts |
| 17 | 3 December 1983 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 5,416 | |
| 18 | 17 December 1983 | Walsall | A | 0–1 | 3,965 | |
| 19 | 24 December 1983 | Wimbledon | H | 3–4 | 6,689 | Kamara, McNichol, Hurlock |
| 20 | 27 December 1983 | Exeter City | A | 2–1 | 4,303 | Cassells, G. Roberts |
| 21 | 31 December 1983 | Newport County | H | 2–1 | 4,631 | Hurlock, G. Roberts |
| 22 | 2 January 1984 | Scunthorpe United | A | 4–4 | 2,239 | Mahoney, Cassells (pen), McNichol, Joseph |
| 23 | 15 January 1984 | Millwall | A | 2–1 | 5,370 | Joseph (2) |
| 24 | 21 January 1984 | Wigan Athletic | H | 0–1 | 3,972 | |
| 25 | 1 February 1984 | Lincoln City | A | 0–2 | 2,266 | |
| 26 | 4 February 1984 | Gillingham | H | 2–3 | 4,317 | Joseph, Bolton |
| 27 | 11 February 1984 | Burnley | A | 2–2 | 7,027 | Cassells, Kamara |
| 28 | 14 February 1984 | Southend United | H | 0–0 | 3,961 | |
| 29 | 18 February 1984 | Bournemouth | A | 3–0 | 4,308 | Cassells (3) |
| 30 | 25 February 1984 | Sheffield United | H | 1–3 | 5,100 | G. Roberts |
| 31 | 3 March 1984 | Port Vale | A | 3–4 | 3,704 | G. Roberts, Gray, Joseph |
| 32 | 6 March 1984 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–1 | 4,322 | Hurlock |
| 33 | 10 March 1984 | Orient | H | 1–1 | 4,358 | Joseph |
| 34 | 17 March 1984 | Oxford United | H | 1–2 | 5,936 | G. Roberts |
| 35 | 20 March 1984 | Rotherham United | H | 2–1 | 3,391 | Booker, Mahoney (pen) |
| 36 | 24 March 1984 | Hull City | A | 0–2 | 5,572 | |
| 37 | 31 March 1984 | Bristol Rovers | H | 2–2 | 4,067 | Booker, Hurlock |
| 38 | 3 April 1984 | Preston North End | H | 4–1 | 3,446 | Kamara, Finney, G. Roberts, Booker |
| 39 | 7 April 1984 | Rotherham United | A | 0–4 | 3,705 | |
| 40 | 14 April 1984 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 3–0 | 3,831 | Joseph, Deakin (og) |
| 41 | 20 April 1984 | Exeter City | H | 3–0 | 5,620 | Joseph, Booker, Finney |
| 42 | 21 April 1984 | Wimbledon | A | 1–2 | 5,487 | Joseph |
| 43 | 28 April 1984 | Bradford City | A | 1–1 | 3,755 | Cassells |
| 44 | 5 May 1984 | Scunthorpe United | H | 3–0 | 4,561 | Rowe, Joseph, Roffey |
| 45 | 7 May 1984 | Newport County | A | 1–1 | 2,154 | G. Roberts |
| 46 | 12 May 1984 | Walsall | H | 1–1 | 5,281 | Caswell (og) |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R | 19 November 1983 | Dagenham | A | 2–2 | 2,146 | Joseph, P. Roberts |
| 1R (replay) | 22 November 1983 | Dagenham | H | 2–1 | 3,936 | Mahoney, G. Roberts |
| 2R | 10 December 1983 | Wimbledon | H | 3–2 | 5,666 | Kamara, G. Roberts, Joseph |
| 3R | 7 January 1984 | Gillingham | A | 3–5 | 6,509 | G. Roberts, Hurlock, Cassells |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R (1st leg) | 30 August 1983 | Charlton Athletic | H | 3–0 | 4,858 | G. Roberts, Joseph, Berry (og) |
| 1R (2nd leg) | 13 September 1983 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–2 (won 4–2 on aggregate) | 3,622 | |
| 2R (1st leg) | 5 October 1983 | Liverpool | H | 1–4 | 17,859 | G. Roberts |
| 2R (2nd leg) | 25 October 1983 | Liverpool | A | 0–4 (lost 8–1 on aggregate) | 9,092 | |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| SR1 | 21 February 1984 | Orient | H | 3–2 | 2,301 | Finney, Joseph (2) |
| SR2 | 26 March 1983 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–2 (a.e.t.) | 2,308 | |
* 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 1983–84 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Paddy Roche | (1951-01-04)4 January 1951 (aged 32) | Manchester United | 1982 | |
| GK | Trevor Swinburne | (1953-06-20)20 June 1953 (aged 30) | Carlisle United | 1983 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Ian Bolton | (1953-07-13)13 July 1953 (aged 30) | Watford | 1983 | |
| DF | Bobby Fisher | (1956-08-03)3 August 1956 (aged 27) | Cambridge United | 1984 | |
| DF | Nigel Gray | (1956-11-02)2 November 1956 (aged 26) | Swindon Town | 1984 | On loan from Swindon Town |
| DF | Jim McNichol | (1958-06-09)9 June 1958 (aged 25) | Luton Town | 1978 | |
| DF | Paul Roberts | (1962-04-27)27 April 1962 (aged 21) | Millwall | 1983 | Loaned from Millwall before transferring permanently |
| DF | Bill Roffey | (1954-02-06)6 February 1954 (aged 29) | Orient | 1984 | On loan from Orient |
| DF | Terry Rowe | (1964-06-08)8 June 1964 (aged 19) | Youth | 1982 | |
| DF | Danis Salman | (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 23) | Youth | 1975 | |
| DF | Tony Spencer | (1965-04-23)23 April 1965 (aged 18) | Youth | 1982 | |
| DF | Graham Wilkins | (1955-06-28)28 June 1955 (aged 28) | Bury | 1982 | Loaned to Southend United |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Bob Booker | (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 25) | Bedmond Sports & Social | 1978 | |
| MF | Terry Bullivant | (1956-09-23)23 September 1956 (aged 26) | Charlton Athletic | 1983 | Loaned to Reading |
| MF | Tommy Finney | (1952-11-06)6 November 1952 (aged 30) | Cambridge United | 1984 | |
| MF | Mark Hopson | May 1966 (aged 17) | Youth | 1982 | |
| MF | Terry Hurlock (c) | (1958-11-22)22 November 1958 (aged 24) | Leytonstone/Ilford | 1980 | |
| MF | Chris Kamara | (1957-12-25)25 December 1957 (aged 25) | Portsmouth | 1981 | |
| MF | Tony Lynch | (1966-01-20)20 January 1966 (aged 17) | Youth | 1983 | |
| MF | Gary Roberts | (1960-04-05)5 April 1960 (aged 23) | Wembley | 1980 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Keith Cassells | (1957-07-10)10 July 1957 (aged 26) | Southampton | 1983 | |
| FW | Francis Joseph | (1960-03-06)6 March 1960 (aged 23) | Wimbledon | 1982 | |
| FW | Tony Mahoney | (1958-09-29)29 September 1958 (aged 24) | Fulham | 1982 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Ian Davies | (1957-03-29)29 March 1957 (aged 26) | Manchester City | 1983 | Returned to Manchester City after loan |
| DF | Andy Rollings | (1954-12-14)14 December 1954 (aged 28) | Torquay United | 1983 | Released |
| DF | Alan Whitehead | (1956-11-20)20 November 1956 (aged 26) | Bury | 1981 | Loaned to Scunthorpe United, transferred to Scunthorpe United |
| MF | Stan Bowles | (1948-12-24)24 December 1948 (aged 34) | Unattached | 1983 | Released |
| MF | Ron Harris | (1944-11-13)13 November 1944 (aged 38) | Chelsea | 1980 | Released |
| FW | Bill Garner | (1947-12-14)14 December 1947 (aged 35) | Chelmsford City | 1983 | Released |
* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff
### Fred Callaghan (27 August 1983 – 2 February 1984)

| Name | Role |
| Fred Callaghan | Manager |
| Frank Blunstone | Assistant Manager |
| Eddie Lyons | Physiotherapist |

### Frank Blunstone (2 – 9 February 1984)

| Name | Role |
| Frank Blunstone | Caretaker Manager |
| Eddie Lyons | Physiotherapist |

### Frank McLintock (9 February – 12 May 1984)

| Name | Role |
| Frank McLintock | Manager |
| John Docherty | Assistant Manager |
| Eddie Lyons | 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 | | Paddy Roche | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| GK | | Trevor Swinburne | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| DF | | Ian Bolton | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| DF | | Bobby Fisher | 17 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| DF | | Jim McNichol | 19 (1) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 (1) | 4 |
| DF | | Paul Roberts | 34 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 39 | 1 |
| DF | | Andy Rollings | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Terry Rowe | 18 (3) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 (4) | 1 |
| DF | | Danis Salman | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| DF | | Tony Spencer | 5 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 (1) | 0 |
| DF | | Alan Whitehead | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 |
| DF | | Graham Wilkins | 12 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 (2) | 0 |
| MF | | Bob Booker | 26 (3) | 4 | 0 (1) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 (5) | 4 |
| MF | | Stan Bowles | 7 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 (1) | 0 |
| MF | | Terry Bullivant | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| MF | | Tommy Finney | 14 (1) | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 15 (1) | 3 |
| MF | | Ron Harris | 3 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| MF | | Terry Hurlock | 32 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| MF | | Chris Kamara | 37 (1) | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 (1) | 8 |
| MF | | Tony Lynch | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| MF | | Gary Roberts | 40 (1) | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 (1) | 0 | 48 (2) | 15 |
| FW | | Keith Cassells | 26 (4) | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 29 (6) | 10 |
| FW | | Bill Garner | 2 (1) | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 (1) | 1 |
| FW | | Francis Joseph | 42 (1) | 18 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 52 (1) | 24 |
| FW | | Tony Mahoney | 15 (8) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 (8) | 4 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||||
| DF | | Ian Davies | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| DF | | Nigel Gray | 16 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| DF | | Bill Roffey | 13 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 1 |
* 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 | | Francis Joseph | 18 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24 |
| MF | | Gary Roberts | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| FW | | Keith Cassells | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| MF | | Chris Kamara | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| MF | | Bob Booker | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| DF | | Jim McNichol | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| FW | | Tony Mahoney | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| MF | | Tommy Finney | 2 | — | — | 1 | 3 |
| FW | | Bill Garner | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| DF | | Bill Roffey | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| DF | | Nigel Gray | 1 | — | — | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Ian Bolton | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Paul Roberts | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Terry Bullivant | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Terry Rowe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | Total | Total | 69 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 87 |
* 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 % |
| Fred Callaghan | | 27 August 1983 | 1 February 1984 | 33 | 8 | 9 | 16 | 024.24 | 25 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 020.00 |
| Frank Blunstone (caretaker) | | 4 February 1984 | 4 February 1984 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 000.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 000.00 |
| Frank McLintock | | 11 February 1984 | 12 May 1984 | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 031.82 | 20 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 030.00 |

### Summary

| Games played | 56 (46 Third Division, 4 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) |
| Games won | 15 (11 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Games drawn | 17 (16 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy) |
| Games lost | 24 (19 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 3 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals scored | 87 (69 Third Division, 10 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals conceded | 103 (79 Third Division, 10 FA Cup, 10 League Cup, 4 Football League Trophy) |
| Clean sheets | 9 (8 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy) |
| Biggest league win | 3–0 on five occasions; 4–1 versus Preston North End, 3 April 1984 |
| Worst league defeat | 6–0 versus Southend United, 31 October 1983 |
| Most appearances | 53, Francis Joseph (43 Third Division, 4 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) |
| Top scorer (league) | 18, Francis Joseph |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 24, Francis Joseph |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| July 1983 | MF | Terry Bullivant | Charlton Athletic | Free | |
| August 1983 | FW | Bill Garner | Chelmsford City | Non-contract | |
| August 1983 | GK | Trevor Swinburne | Carlisle United | £12,000 | |
| September 1983 | MF | Tony Lynch | Maidstone United | n/a | |
| September 1983 | DF | Keith Millen | Crystal Palace | n/a | |
| November 1983 | DF | Paul Roberts | Millwall | £10,000 | |
| November 1983 | DF | Andy Rollings | Torquay United | Trial | |
| December 1983 | DF | Ian Bolton | Watford | £2,000 | |
| December 1983 | MF | Stan Bowles | Unattached | Non-contract | |
| February 1984 | MF | Tommy Finney | Cambridge United | n/a | |
| February 1984 | DF | Bobby Fisher | Cambridge United | £5,000 | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| 1 September 1983 | DF | Paul Roberts | Millwall | October 1983 | |
| 11 November 1983 | DF | Ian Davies | Manchester City | December 1983 | |
| 1 March 1984 | DF | Nigel Gray | Swindon Town | End of season | |
| March 1984 | DF | Bill Roffey | Orient | End of season | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| August 1983 | GK | David McKellar | Carlisle United | £4,000 | |
| March 1984 | DF | Alan Whitehead | Scunthorpe United | £40,000 | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| January 1984 | DF | Alan Whitehead | Scunthorpe United | March 1984 | |
| March 1984 | MF | Terry Bullivant | Reading | n/a | |
| March 1984 | DF | Graham Wilkins | Southend United | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| October 1983 | MF | Ron Harris | Aldershot | 1984 | |
| December 1983 | DF | Andy Rollings | Maidstone United | n/a | |
| 1983 | FW | Bill Garner | n/a | n/a | |
| February 1984 | MF | Stan Bowles | Retired | | |
| May 1984 | FW | Tony Mahoney | Crystal Palace | June 1984 | |
| May 1984 | DF | Jim McNichol | Exeter City | July 1984 | |
| May 1984 | GK | Paddy Roche | Halifax Town | July 1984 | |
| May 1984 | DF | Graham Wilkins | Southall | 1984 | |

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Chris Kamara
* Players' Player of the Year: Chris Kamara