# 1911–12 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1911–12 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League First Division. A forgettable season saw the club finish in mid-table and advance to the first round proper of the FA Cup.

## Season summary

Brentford secretary-manager Fred Halliday strengthened his squad in preparation for the 1911–12 Southern League First Division season, bringing in left back Walter Spratt, outside right Billy Brawn, inside forward Patsy Hendren and centre forward Thomas Graham. He would later sign forwards Fred Rouse and Willis Rippon in a bid to improve the team's goalscoring, with Rippon going on to finish the season as top-scorer with 20 goals. Full back Steve Buxton was sold to Oldham Athletic on the eve of the season for a £425 fee, in a bid to settle some of the club's debts. The sale of Geordie Reid to Clyde for a club record £500 fee in September 1911 helped pay off further debts.
Brentford finished the season in 14th place and advanced to the first round proper of the FA Cup, taking Crystal Palace to a replay before going out of the competition. The 9–0 league defeat to Coventry City on 27 December 1911 is the heaviest in club history.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
| 12 | Norwich City | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 40 | 60 | 0.667 | 34 |
| 13 | West Ham United | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 64 | 69 | 0.928 | 33 |
| 14 | Brentford | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 60 | 65 | 0.923 | 33 |
| 15 | Exeter City | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 48 | 62 | 0.774 | 33 |
| 16 | Southampton | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 46 | 63 | 0.730 | 31 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Southern League First Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 2 September 1911 | Reading | A | 0–0 | 7,000 | |
| 2 | 6 September 1911 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–0 | n/a | Sibbald (2) |
| 3 | 9 September 1911 | Watford | H | 4–2 | 7,344 | Reid (3), Graham |
| 4 | 16 September 1911 | New Brompton | A | 1–2 | 5,000 | Sibbald |
| 5 | 23 September 1911 | Exeter City | H | 3–1 | 7,400 | Hendren (2), Sibbald |
| 6 | 30 September 1911 | Luton Town | H | 0–1 | 5,700 | |
| 7 | 7 October 1911 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–4 | 14,000 | |
| 8 | 14 October 1911 | Millwall | H | 3–3 | 7,000 | Graham, Brawn, Hendren |
| 9 | 21 October 1911 | West Ham United | A | 4–7 | 6,000 | Rippon (3), Hendren |
| 10 | 28 October 1911 | Bristol Rovers | H | 2–2 | 5,000 | Brawn, Rippon |
| 11 | 4 November 1911 | Swindon Town | A | 0–2 | n/a | |
| 12 | 11 November 1911 | Northampton Town | H | 2–2 | 5,000 | |
| 13 | 25 November 1911 | Stoke | H | 0–1 | n/a | |
| 14 | 9 December 1911 | Leyton | H | 2–0 | n/a | Rippon, Rouse |
| 15 | 16 December 1911 | Norwich City | A | 0–2 | 5,000 | |
| 16 | 23 December 1911 | Crystal Palace | H | 1–0 | 5,000 | Sibbald |
| 17 | 25 December 1911 | Southampton | H | 4–0 | 9,627 | Graham (2), Sibbald (2) |
| 18 | 26 December 1911 | Southampton | A | 2–3 | 6,000 | Rouse, Sibbald |
| 19 | 27 December 1911 | Coventry City | A | 0–9 | n/a | |
| 20 | 30 December 1911 | Reading | H | 0–0 | 4,000 | |
| 21 | 6 January 1912 | Watford | A | 0–3 | n/a | |
| 22 | 20 January 1912 | New Brompton | H | 7–1 | 3,000 | Rippon (3), Rouse (2), Hendren (2) |
| 23 | 27 January 1912 | Exeter City | A | 0–1 | 5,000 | |
| 24 | 3 February 1912 | Luton Town | A | 0–0 | n/a | |
| 25 | 10 February 1912 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–2 | 9,450 | Rouse |
| 26 | 17 February 1912 | Millwall | A | 0–2 | n/a | |
| 27 | 2 March 1912 | Bristol Rovers | A | 3–1 | 4,000 | McTavish, Rippon (2) |
| 28 | 16 March 1912 | Northampton Town | A | 3–6 | 5,000 | McTavish, Rippon (2) |
| 29 | 23 March 1912 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–1 | 2,503 | Sibbald |
| 30 | 27 March 1912 | West Ham United | H | 1–2 | 3,000 | Sibbald |
| 31 | 30 March 1912 | Stoke | A | 1–1 | 6,000 | Sibbald |
| 32 | 5 April 1912 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 4–0 | 8,795 | Sibbald, Rippon (2), McTavish |
| 33 | 6 April 1912 | Coventry City | H | 3–0 | 5,453 | Brawn (2), McTavish |
| 34 | 8 April 1912 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–1 | 3,000 | |
| 35 | 13 April 1912 | Leyton | A | 1–1 | 2,000 | McTavish |
| 36 | 20 April 1912 | Norwich City | H | 3–0 | 4,000 | McTavish, Wolstenholme (og), Rippon |
| 37 | 24 April 1912 | Swindon Town | H | 2–0 | n/a | Rippon (2, 1 pen) |
| 38 | 27 April 1912 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–2 | 4,000 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| QR5 | 18 November 1911 | First Battalion King's Royal Rifles | H | 1–1 | 1,475 | Hendren |
| QR5 (replay) | 22 November 1911 | First Battalion King's Royal Rifles | A | 4–1 | 2,600 | Hendren, Rippon (3) |
| QR6 | 2 December 1911 | Southend United | A | 1–0 | 3,500 | Brawn |
| R1 | 13 January 1912 | Crystal Palace | H | 0–0 | 8,916 | |
| R1 (replay) | 17 January 1912 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–4 | 9,000 | |
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1911–12 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Archie Ling | (1881-03-14)14 March 1881 (aged 30) | Swindon Town | 1909 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Arthur Cleverley | (1885-03-28)28 March 1885 (aged 26) | Yiewsley | 1910 | |
| DF | Dusty Rhodes (c) | (1882-08-16)16 August 1882 (aged 29) | Sunderland | 1908 | |
| DF | Walter Spratt | (1889-04-14)14 April 1889 (aged 22) | Rotherham Town | 1911 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Walter Allen | (1889-09-28)28 September 1889 (aged 21) | Barnet & Alston | 1911 | Amateur |
| HB | Alec Barclay | (1885-11-01)1 November 1885 (aged 25) | Ilford | 1910 | Amateur |
| HB | Jock Hamilton | (1879-02-28)28 February 1879 (aged 32) | Leeds City | 1909 | |
| HB | William Hickleton | (1882-05-12)12 May 1882 (aged 29) | Coventry City | 1911 | On loan from Coventry City |
| HB | George Kennedy | (1882-03-12)12 March 1882 (aged 29) | Chelsea | 1910 | |
| HB | Phil Richards | (1884-02-19)19 February 1884 (aged 27) | Bradford Park Avenue | 1908 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | George Anderson | (1879-11-29)29 November 1879 (aged 31) | Birmingham | 1909 | |
| FW | Billy Brawn | (1878-08-01)1 August 1878 (aged 33) | Chelsea | 1911 | |
| FW | Willie Furr | (1891-07-22)22 July 1891 (aged 20) | Hitchin Town | 1912 | |
| FW | Thomas Graham | (1887-07-20)20 July 1887 (aged 24) | Castleford Town | 1911 | |
| FW | Patsy Hendren | (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 22) | Coventry City | 1911 | Played when his cricket commitments allowed |
| FW | Henry Purver | (1891-05-03)3 May 1891 (aged 20) | Oxford City | 1911 | Amateur |
| FW | Willis Rippon | (1888-12-02)2 December 1888 (aged 22) | Woolwich Arsenal | 1911 | |
| FW | Jack Sibbald | (1890-09-12)12 September 1890 (aged 20) | Wallsend Elm Villa | 1910 | |
| FW | Charles Symes | (1888-03-13)13 March 1888 (aged 23) | South Tooting | 1912 | |
| FW | Bob McTavish | (1888-10-26)26 October 1888 (aged 22) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1912 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| GK | Harry Furr | (1887-01-13)13 January 1887 (aged 24) | Croydon Common | 1911 | Transferred to Croydon Common |
| FW | Geordie Reid | (1882-01-30)30 January 1882 (aged 29) | Bradford Park Avenue | 1908 | Transferred to Clyde |
| FW | Fred Rouse | (1881-11-28)28 November 1881 (aged 29) | Croydon Common | 1911 | Retired |
* Source: Brentford Football Club Official Handbook 1911–12, 100 Years Of Brentford, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Fred Halliday | Secretary Manager |
| Tom Cowper | 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 | | Harry Furr | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| GK | | Archie Ling | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| DF | | Arthur Cleverley | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| DF | | Dusty Rhodes | 29 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| DF | | Walter Spratt | 31 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| HB | | Walter Allen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | Alec Barclay | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| HB | | Jock Hamilton | 22 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| HB | | George Kennedy | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| HB | | Phil Richards | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| FW | | George Anderson | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| FW | | Billy Brawn | 34 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 39 | 5 |
| FW | | Willie Furr | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Thomas Graham | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 4 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 32 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 37 | 6 |
| FW | | Bob McTavish | 12 | 6 | — | — | 12 | 6 |
| FW | | Henry Purver | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Geordie Reid | 4 | 3 | — | — | 4 | 3 |
| FW | | Willis Rippon | 24 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 20 |
| FW | | Fred Rouse | 15 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 5 |
| FW | | Jack Sibbald | 29 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 12 |
| FW | | Charles Symes | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||
| HB | | William Hickleton | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | SL1 | FAC | Total |
| FW | | Willis Rippon | 17 | 3 | 20 |
| FW | | Jack Sibbald | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| FW | | Bob McTavish | 6 | — | 6 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| FW | | Fred Rouse | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| FW | | Billy Brawn | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| FW | | Thomas Graham | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| FW | | Geordie Reid | 3 | — | 3 |
| FW | | George Anderson | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| HB | | William Hickleton | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 60 | 6 | 66 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### 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 Halliday | | 2 September 1911 | 27 April 1912 | 43 | 14 | 11 | 18 | 032.56| | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 031.58 |

### Summary

| Games played | 47 (42 Southern League First Division, 5 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 14 (12 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 11 (9 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 18 (17 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 66 (60 Southern League First Division, 6 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 71 (65 Southern League First Division, 6 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 13 (11 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 7–1 versus New Brompton, 20 January 1912 |
| Worst league defeat | 9–0 versus Coventry City, 27 December 1911 |
| Most appearances | 39, Billy Brawn (34 Southern League First Division, 5 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 17, Willis Rippon |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 20, Willis Rippon |

## Transfers & loans

    Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous club | Fee | Ref. |
| 5 May 1911 | FW | Thomas Graham | Castleford Town | n/a | |
| 5 May 1911 | DF | Walter Spratt | Rotherham Town | Free | |
| 19 May 1911 | FW | Billy Brawn | Chelsea | n/a | |
| 19 August 1911 | FW | Patsy Hendren | Coventry City | n/a | |
| August 1911 | GK | J. Blackburn | Tottenham Thursday | Amateur | |
| August 1911 | FW | Henry Purver | Oxford City | Amateur | |
| 22 September 1911 | FW | Fred Rouse | Chelsea | n/a | |
| 21 October 1911 | FW | Willis Rippon | Woolwich Arsenal | £200 | |
| 28 October 1911 | GK | Harry Furr | Croydon Common | n/a | |
| 1911 | HB | Walter Allen | Barnet & Alston | Amateur | |
| 1911 | HB | Joseph Raw | n/a | n/a | |
| 1911 | HB | Thomas Wicks | n/a | n/a | |
| February 1912 | FW | Willie Furr | Hitchin Town | n/a | |
| 2 March 1912 | FW | Bob McTavish | Tottenham Hotspur | Nominal | |
| 1912 | FW | Charles Symes | South Tooting | n/a | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Date to | Ref. |
| 26 August 1911 | HB | William Hickleton | Coventry City | End of season | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 5 August 1911 | DF | Steve Buxton | Oldham Athletic | £425 | |
| 22 September 1911 | FW | Geordie Reid | Clyde | £500 | |
| March 1912 | GK | Harry Furr | Croydon Common | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| February 1912 | FW | Fred Rouse | Retired | | |
| May 1912 | HB | Walter Allen | Barnet & Alston | n/a | |
| May 1912 | FW | George Anderson | Retired | | |
| May 1912 | GK | Archie Ling | Retired | | |