# 1995–96 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1995–96 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Second Division. After spending over two mid-season months in the relegation places, the club achieved a 15th-place finish. A bright spot was a run to the fourth round of the FA Cup, falling to First Division high-flyers Charlton Athletic.

## Season summary

Brentford began the 1995–96 season with the majority of the squad that finished runners-up in the previous season still intact, with Shane Westley, Simon Ratcliffe and Paul Stephenson the only players to depart. Manager David Webb's only addition to the squad during the off-season was Southend United's teenage left-sided midfielder and full back Ijah Anderson. 1994–95 top scorer Nicky Forster looked set to depart for First Division club Crystal Palace for a £2,000,000 fee, but the Eagles' interest cooled after multiple rejections by Brentford.
A win and a draw from the opening two games of the league season put Brentford in its highest league position of the season (6th), but a run of only four wins from the following 21 games left the club second-from-bottom at the mid-point of the season. With Nicky Forster damaging knee ligaments in October 1995 and his subsequent goalscoring form faltering amid "distracting" transfer speculation, Robert Taylor was burdened with leading the team's strikeforce. Taylor ended the season as the club's top scorer, with 16 goals.
A memorable 2–1 victory over First Division club Norwich City at Carrow Road on in the FA Cup third round on 6 January 1996 provided the spark needed for a revival of the team's league form, with 19 of a possible 30 points being won between mid-January and mid-March to climb to 13th in the table. Four wins from the final seven matches of the season led Brentford to a 15th-place finish in the Second Division. The FA Cup run ended with a 3–2 defeat at the hands of high-flying First Division club Charlton Athletic in the fourth round.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 13 | Bristol City | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 55 | 60 | −5 | 60 |
| 14 | Bournemouth | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 51 | 70 | −19 | 58 |
| 15 | Brentford | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 43 | 49 | −6 | 58 |
| 16 | Rotherham United | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 54 | 62 | −8 | 56 |
| 17 | Burnley | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 56 | 68 | −12 | 55 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) |
| 19 July 1995 | Hampton | A | 7–0 | Forster (3), Ashby (2), Statham, Grainger (pen) |
| 20 July 1995 | Basingstoke Town | A | 1–1 | Ravenscroft |
| 22 July 1995 | St Albans City | A | 5–1 | Grainger (2, 1 pen), Taylor, Forster, Stephenson |
| 24 July 1995 | Hitchin Town | A | 3–1 | Omigie (2), Annon |
| 26 July 1995 | Kingstonian | A | 2–1 | Forster, Grainger |
| 28 July 1995 | Colchester United | A | 1–1 | Taylor |
| 1 August 1995 | Barnet | A | 2–3 | Abrahams, Forster |
| 5 August 1995 | Yeading | A | 5–2 | Ravenscroft (2), Annon, Hooker, Omigie |
| 7 August 1995 | Walton & Hersham | A | 4–0 | Forster, Smith, Taylor, Grainger (pen) |
| 30 August 1995 | Harrow Borough | A | 5–0 | Annon (2, 1 pen), Hutchings, Hooker, Omigie |

### Football League Second Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 12 August 1995 | York City | A | 2–2 | 3,239 | Smith, Forster |
| 2 | 19 August 1995 | Oxford United | H | 1–0 | 5,516 | Taylor |
| 3 | 26 August 1995 | Burnley | A | 0–1 | 9,586 | |
| 4 | 29 August 1995 | Hull City | H | 1–0 | 4,535 | Taylor |
| 5 | 2 September 1995 | Swindon Town | H | 0–2 | 7,878 | |
| 6 | 9 September 1995 | Rotherham United | A | 0–1 | 3,061 | |
| 7 | 12 September 1995 | Bristol City | A | 0–0 | 5,054 | |
| 8 | 16 September 1995 | Walsall | H | 1–0 | 4,717 | Taylor |
| 9 | 23 September 1995 | Bristol Rovers | A | 0–2 | 5,131 | |
| 10 | 30 September 1995 | Chesterfield | H | 1–2 | 4,734 | McGhee |
| 11 | 7 October 1995 | Blackpool | H | 1–2 | 5,313 | McGhee |
| 12 | 14 October 1995 | Stockport County | A | 1–1 | 6,228 | Smith |
| 13 | 21 October 1995 | Peterborough United | H | 3–0 | 4,865 | Bates (2), Grainger (pen) |
| 14 | 28 October 1995 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1–3 | 3,835 | Forster |
| 15 | 1 November 1995 | Notts County | A | 0–4 | 4,005 | |
| 16 | 4 November 1995 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 0–2 | 4,104 | |
| 17 | 18 November 1995 | Bournemouth | A | 0–1 | 3,894 | |
| 18 | 25 November 1995 | Bradford City | H | 2–1 | 4,237 | Taylor (2) |
| 19 | 9 December 1995 | Bristol Rovers | H | 0–0 | 5,679 | |
| 20 | 16 December 1996 | Chesterfield | A | 2–2 | 4,016 | Smith, Ansah |
| 21 | 22 December 1996 | Wrexham | A | 2–2 | 3,670 | Taylor, Martin |
| 22 | 26 December 1995 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 0–1 | 5,794 | |
| 23 | 13 January 1996 | Oxford United | A | 1–2 | 5,574 | Ashby |
| 24 | 20 January 1996 | York City | H | 2–0 | 3,915 | Bates, Taylor |
| 25 | 30 January 1996 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 1–0 | 4,616 | Taylor |
| 26 | 3 February 1996 | Burnley | H | 1–0 | 5,195 | Forster |
| 27 | 10 February 1996 | Carlisle United | A | 1–2 | 5,143 | Bates |
| 28 | 17 February 1996 | Bristol City | H | 2–2 | 5,213 | McGhee, Taylor |
| 29 | 21 February 1996 | Swindon Town | A | 2–2 | 8,814 | Abrahams (2) |
| 30 | 24 February 1996 | Walsall | A | 1–0 | 3,506 | Abrahams |
| 31 | 27 February 1996 | Rotherham United | H | 1–1 | 3,446 | Grainger |
| 32 | 2 March 1996 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0–0 | 5,914 | |
| 33 | 5 March 1996 | Hull City | A | 1–0 | 2,284 | Anderson |
| 34 | 9 March 1996 | Wrexham | H | 1–0 | 4,579 | Anderson |
| 35 | 12 March 1996 | Swansea City | A | 1–2 | 3,538 | Forster |
| 36 | 16 March 1996 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 1–2 | 4,912 | Forster |
| 37 | 19 March 1996 | Carlisle United | H | 1–1 | 3,104 | Grainger |
| 38 | 23 March 1996 | Swansea City | H | 0–0 | 4,378 | |
| 39 | 30 March 1996 | Blackpool | A | 0–1 | 5,899 | |
| 40 | 2 April 1996 | Stockport County | H | 1–0 | 3,274 | Smith |
| 41 | 6 April 1996 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 2–1 | 4,408 | Taylor (2) |
| 42 | 8 April 1996 | Peterborough United | A | 1–0 | 4,343 | McGhee |
| 43 | 13 April 1996 | Notts County | H | 0–0 | 4,588 | |
| 44 | 20 April 1996 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 1–2 | 2,711 | McGhee |
| 45 | 27 April 1996 | Bradford City | A | 1–2 | 7,730 | Bent |
| 46 | 4 May 1996 | Bournemouth | H | 2–0 | 6,091 | Asaba (2) |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| R1 | 11 November 1995 | Farnborough Town | H | 1–1 | 4,711 | Bent |
| R1 (replay) | 22 November 1995 | Farnborough Town | A | 4–0 | 3,581 | Smith, Taylor (2), Bent |
| R2 | 2 December 1995 | Bournemouth | A | 1–0 | 4,451 | Taylor |
| R3 | 6 January 1996 | Norwich City | A | 2–1 | 10,082 | Newsome (og), Bent |
| R4 | 7 February 1996 | Charlton Athletic | A | 2–3 | 15,000 | Ashby, Smith |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| R1 (1st leg) | 15 August 1995 | Walsall | A | 2–2 | 2,405 | Harvey, Forster |
| R1 (2nd leg) | 22 August 1995 | Walsall | H | 3–2 (won 5–4 on aggregate) | 3,549 | Taylor, Anderson, McGhee |
| R2 (1st leg) | 19 September 1995 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 5,243 | |
| R2 (2nd leg) | 3 October 1995 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–3 (lost 4–2 on aggregate) | 4,861 | Forster, Grainger (pen) |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| SR1 (match 1) | 27 September 1995 | Bournemouth | A | 1–0 | 1,092 | Taylor |
| SR1 (match 2) | 17 October 1995 | Exeter City | H | 1–1 | 1,431 | Forster |
* Source: Statto, The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1995–96 season.
| Position | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Kevin Dearden | (1970-03-08)8 March 1970 (aged 25) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1993 | |
| GK | Tamer Fernandes | (1974-12-07)7 December 1974 (aged 20) | Youth | 1993 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Ijah Anderson | (1975-12-30)30 December 1975 (aged 19) | Southend United | 1995 | |
| DF | Barry Ashby | (1970-11-21)21 November 1970 (aged 24) | Watford | 1994 | |
| DF | Jamie Bates (c) | (1968-02-24)24 February 1968 (aged 27) | Youth | 1986 | |
| DF | Paul Davis | (1961-12-09)9 December 1961 (aged 33) | Arsenal | 1995 | |
| DF | Lee Harvey | (1966-12-21)21 December 1966 (aged 28) | Nottingham Forest | 1993 | |
| DF | Carl Hutchings | (1974-09-24)24 September 1974 (aged 20) | Youth | 1993 | |
| DF | Brian Statham | (1969-05-21)21 May 1969 (aged 26) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1992 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Paul Abrahams | (1973-10-31)31 October 1973 (aged 21) | Colchester United | 1995 | Loaned to Colchester United |
| MF | Jon Hooker | (1972-03-31)31 March 1972 (aged 23) | Gillingham | 1994 | Loaned to Bishop's Stortford |
| MF | Gus Hurdle | (1973-10-14)14 October 1973 (aged 21) | Carshalton Athletic | 1993 | |
| MF | Dean Martin | (1972-08-31)31 August 1972 (aged 22) | KA | 1995 | |
| MF | David McGhee | (1976-06-19)19 June 1976 (aged 19) | Youth | 1994 | |
| MF | Craig Ravenscroft | (1974-12-20)20 December 1974 (aged 20) | Youth | 1993 | |
| MF | Paul Smith | (1971-09-18)18 September 1971 (aged 23) | Southend United | 1993 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Carl Asaba | (1973-01-28)28 January 1973 (aged 22) | Dulwich Hamlet | 1994 | |
| FW | Marcus Bent | (1978-05-19)19 May 1978 (aged 17) | Youth | 1995 | |
| FW | Nicky Forster | (1973-09-08)8 September 1973 (aged 21) | Gillingham | 1994 | |
| FW | Joe Omigie | (1972-06-13)13 June 1972 (aged 23) | Donna | 1994 | Loaned to Woking |
| FW | Robert Taylor | (1971-04-30)30 April 1971 (aged 24) | Leyton Orient | 1994 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Martin Grainger | (1972-08-23)23 August 1972 (aged 22) | Colchester United | 1993 | Transferred to Birmingham City |
| MF | Darren Annon | (1972-02-17)17 February 1972 (aged 23) | Carshalton Athletic | 1994 | Released |
| MF | Andy Ansah | (1969-03-19)19 March 1969 (aged 26) | Southend United | 1995 | Returned to Southend United after loan |
| MF | Scott Canham | (1974-11-11)11 November 1974 (aged 20) | West Ham United | 1996 | Returned to West Ham United after loan |
| MF | David Greene | (1973-10-26)26 October 1973 (aged 21) | Luton Town | 1996 | Returned to Luton Town after loan |
| MF | Denny Mundee | (1968-10-10)10 October 1968 (aged 26) | Bournemouth | 1993 | Released |
| FW | Andy Sussex | (1964-11-23)23 November 1964 (aged 30) | Southend United | 1995 | Returned to Southend United after loan |
* Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| David Webb | Manager |
| Kevin Lock | First Team Coach |
| Graham Benstead | Goalkeeping Coach |
| Roy Johnson | Physiotherapist |
| Fergus Dignan | Medical Officer |

## 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 | | Kevin Dearden | 41 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 0 |
| GK | | Tamer Fernandes | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| DF | | Ijah Anderson | 25 | 2 | 1 (2) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 28 (3) | 3 |
| DF | | Barry Ashby | 31 (2) | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 (2) | 2 |
| DF | | Jamie Bates | 36 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 4 |
| DF | | Paul Davis | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| DF | | Martin Grainger | 33 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 4 |
| DF | | Lee Harvey | 38 (2) | 0 | 4 (1) | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 45 (4) | 1 |
| DF | | Carl Hutchings | 20 (3) | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 25 (4) | 0 |
| DF | | Brian Statham | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| MF | | Paul Abrahams | 14 (3) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 (3) | 3 |
| MF | | Darren Annon | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| MF | | Marcus Bent | 8 (4) | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 (4) | 4 |
| MF | | Jon Hooker | 4 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (2) | 0 |
| MF | | Gus Hurdle | 11 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 (3) | 0 |
| MF | | Dean Martin | 14 (5) | 1 | 4 (1) | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 18 (6) | 1 |
| MF | | David McGhee | 31 (5) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | 1 (1) | 0 | 38 (7) | 6 |
| MF | | Denny Mundee | 5 (1) | 0 | — | — | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 (2) | 0 |
| MF | | Craig Ravenscroft | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | | Paul Smith | 46 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 57 | 6 |
| FW | | Carl Asaba | 5 (5) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 (5) | 2 |
| FW | | Nicky Forster | 37 (1) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 46 (1) | 8 |
| FW | | Joe Omigie | 3 (8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (8) | 0 |
| FW | | Robert Taylor | 42 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 52 | 16 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||||
| MF | | Andy Ansah | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 |
| MF | | Scott Canham | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 |
| MF | | David Greene | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 0 |
| FW | | Andy Sussex | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL2 | FAC | FLC | FLT | Total |
| FW | | Robert Taylor | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| FW | | Nicky Forster | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| MF | | David McGhee | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| MF | | Paul Smith | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| DF | | Jamie Bates | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| DF | | Martin Grainger | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| MF | | Marcus Bent | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| MF | | Paul Abrahams | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| DF | | Ijah Anderson | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Carl Asaba | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| DF | | Barry Ashby | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Andy Ansah | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| FW | | Dean Martin | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Lee Harvey | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 43 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 63 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties

### International caps

| Pos | Nat | Player | Caps | Goals | Ref |
| MF | | Gus Hurdle | 2 | 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 % |
| David Webb | | 12 August 1995 | 4 May 1996 | 57 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 035.09 | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 032.61 |

### Summary

| Games played | 57 (46 Second Division, 5 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) |
| Games won | 20 (15 Second Division, 3 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Games drawn | 16 (13 Second Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Games lost | 21 (18 Second Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals scored | 62 (43 Second Division, 10 FA Cup, 7 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals conceded | 63 (49 Second Division, 5 FA Cup, 8 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Clean sheets | 21 (18 Second Division, 2 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Biggest league win | 3–0 versus Peterborough United, 21 October 1995 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–0 versus Notts County, 1 November 1995 |
| Most appearances | 63, Paul Smith (46 Second Division, 5 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) |
| Top scorer (league) | 11, Robert Taylor |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 16, Robert Taylor |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| 31 July 1995 | DF | Ijah Anderson | Southend United | Free | |
| 12 September 1995 | MF | Paul Davis | Arsenal | Free | |
| 12 October 1995 | MF | Dean Martin | KA | Free | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| 15 November 1995 | FW | Andy Ansah | Southend United | 27 December 1995 | |
| 12 December 1995 | FW | Andy Sussex | Southend United | 12 January 1996 | |
| 19 January 1996 | MF | Scott Canham | West Ham United | 20 April 1996 | |
| 1 March 1996 | MF | David Greene | Luton Town | 13 April 1996 | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 4 August 1995 | MF | Simon Ratcliffe | Gillingham | Free | |
| 7 August 1995 | MF | Paul Stephenson | York City | £35,000 | |
| 10 August 1995 | DF | Shane Westley | Cambridge United | Free | |
| 25 March 1996 | DF | Martin Grainger | Birmingham City | £400,000 | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| September 1995 | MF | Joe Omigie | Woking | October 1995 | |
| 29 December 1995 | MF | Paul Abrahams | Colchester United | 20 February 1996 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| 18 October 1995 | MF | Denny Mundee | Brighton & Hove Albion | 19 October 1995 | |
| 29 February 1996 | MF | Darren Annon | Kingstonian | March 1996 | |
| 30 June 1996 | DF | Corey Campbell | Dover Athletic | 1996 | |
| 30 June 1996 | MF | Paul Davis | Retired | | |
| 30 June 1996 | MF | Jon Hooker | Bishop's Stortford | 1996 | |
| 30 June 1996 | MF | Dean Martin | KA | 1996 | |
| 30 June 1996 | MF | Craig Ravenscroft | Kingstonian | August 1996 | |

## Kit

Supplier: Core Sponsor(s): Ericsson
| Home | Away | Goalkeeper |
Source: Brentford F.C.

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Robert Taylor
* Star Player of the Year: Ijah Anderson
* Littlewoods Giant Killers Award: FA Cup third round