# 1918–19 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1918–19 English football season, Brentford competed in the London Combination, due to the cessation of competitive football for the duration of the First World War. Buoyed by larger crowds after the Armistice, Brentford finished the season as champions of the London Combination.

## Season summary

Brentford entered the London Combination for the fourth consecutive season in 1918–19, for what would become the final campaign of wartime football during the First World War. Just 11 contracted players would be available throughout the course of the season, which necessitated the use of a large number of guest players, the most notable of whom being future internationals Jackie Carr, Jack Cock and Fred Bullock (England), Fred Keenor (Wales) and Jack Doran (Ireland). Cock, Henry White and Ted Hanney all played in an England trial match on 14 April 1919.
A chronic lack of players saw Brentford win just one of the opening six matches of the season. The turnaround came when Jack Cock returned team after settling a dispute, which if left unsettled, would have led him to play for Fulham during the season. The Bees' forward line was immediately galvanised and the goals of Cock, Henry White and Fred Morley lead Brentford on a run of 11 wins in 14 matches in all competitions. The Armistice of 11 November 1918 brought the war to a close and attendances began to rise, which coupled with the club only having to pay its players £2 a week plus expenses, meant that Brentford ended the season with a profit of £2,000 (£116,100 in 2024).
Despite four draws in January 1919 and three losses in February (which included a second round defeat to Crystal Palace in the one-off London Victory Cup), a return to form and a 2–0 victory over nearest challengers Arsenal on 15 March put the Bees eight points clear at the top of the table with six matches left to play. Aided by additional goals from Patsy Hendren and Royal Navy serviceman Billy Baker, Brentford finished the season as champions, marking the first time the club had finished top of a division since winning the Southern League Second Division title in 1900–01. On 7 April, with three matches of the regular season to play, Brentford were invited to play a fundraising friendly match versus a 'Rest Of The Southern League XI' at The Den. Brentford lost the match 2–1.
One more former Brentford player died before the end of the war – Sapper Fred Alborough, who made three appearances as a guest in September and October 1918. He died of influenza on 31 October 1918, just five days after his final Brentford appearance. He had served with the Royal Engineers during the war. Former wartime guest players sergeant Dick Wynn and shoeing smith Billy Matthews died in circumstances related to their service in August 1919 and April 1921 respectively.

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
| 1 | Brentford | 36 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 94 | 46 | 2.043 | 49 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 36 | 20 | 5 | 11 | 85 | 56 | 1.518 | 45 |
| 3 | West Ham United | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 65 | 51 | 1.275 | 41 |
| 4 | Fulham | 36 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 70 | 55 | 1.273 | 40 |
| 5 | Queens Park Rangers | 36 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 69 | 60 | 1.150 | 39 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### London Combination

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 7 September 1918 | West Ham United | H | 2–0 | Stanton, Amos (pen) |
| 2 | 14 September 1918 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | Denyer |
| 3 | 21 September 1918 | Chelsea | H | 0–0 | |
| 4 | 28 September 1918 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | White |
| 5 | 5 October 1918 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–3 | Morley, Peart (pen) |
| 6 | 12 October 1918 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–2 | Peart (pen) |
| 7 | 19 October 1918 | Millwall | H | 4–2 | White, Cock (2), Morley |
| 8 | 26 October 1918 | Clapton Orient | A | 2–1 | Cock (2) |
| 9 | 2 November 1918 | West Ham United | A | 3–1 | Wright, Morley (2) |
| 10 | 9 November 1918 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 7–1 | Chalmers (2), Stanton, Cock (2), Morley (2) |
| 11 | 16 November 1918 | Chelsea | A | 2–2 | White, Cock |
| 12 | 23 November 1918 | Arsenal | H | 4–1 | Hendren (2, 1 pen), White, Cock |
| 13 | 30 November 1918 | Crystal Palace | A | 4–0 | Cock (2), White (2) |
| 14 | 7 December 1918 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 5–1 | White (5) |
| 15 | 14 December 1918 | Millwall | A | 1–3 | Hendren |
| 16 | 21 December 1918 | Clapton Orient | H | 7–0 | White (3), Cock (2), Keenor, Chester |
| 17 | 25 December 1918 | Fulham | H | 2–1 | White, Hendren (pen) |
| 18 | 26 December 1918 | Fulham | A | 4–1 | Hendren, Cock (2), White |
| 19 | 28 December 1918 | West Ham United | H | 3–1 | Morley, Keenor, White |
| 20 | 4 January 1919 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | Cock |
| 21 | 11 January 1919 | Chelsea | H | 1–1 | Cock |
| 22 | 18 January 1919 | Arsenal | A | 3–3 | Baker, White, Cock |
| 23 | 25 January 1919 | Crystal Palace | H | 6–1 | Doran (2), Cock (3), Pick |
| 24 | 1 February 1919 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–0 | |
| 25 | 8 February 1919 | Millwall | H | 2–1 | Hendren, Morley |
| 26 | 15 February 1919 | Fulham | A | 2–3 | Morley, Cock |
| 27 | 22 February 1919 | West Ham United | A | 1–2 | White |
| 28 | 1 March 1919 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 4–1 | White (2), Morley (2) |
| 29 | 8 March 1919 | Chelsea | A | 4–1 | Morley, Baker (2), White |
| 30 | 15 March 1919 | Arsenal | H | 2–0 | White (2) |
| 31 | 22 March 1919 | Crystal Palace | A | 3–2 | Peart (pen), Baker, Morley |
| 32 | 29 March 1919 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–1 | Baker |
| 33 | 5 April 1919 | Millwall | A | 0–3 | |
| 34 | 12 April 1919 | Fulham | H | 5–0 | Cock (3), McGovern, White |
| 35 | 18 April 1919 | Clapton Orient | H | 2–0 | Morley, Baker |
| 36 | 21 April 1919 | Clapton Orient | A | 2–4 | White, Cock |

### London Victory Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) |
| R1 | 30 December 1918 | Clapton Orient | H | 3–2 | Cock, White (2) |
| R2 | 17 February 1919 | Crystal Palace | H | 0–1 | |
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1918–19 season.
| Pos. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Ted Price | | (1883-06-13)13 June 1883 (aged 35) | Croydon Common | 1912 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Alf Amos | | (1893-02-09)9 February 1893 (aged 25) | Old Kingstonians | 1913 | |
| DF | Jack Peart | | (1884-10-13)13 October 1884 (aged 33) | Croydon Common | 1916 | |
| DF | Dusty Rhodes (c) | | (1882-08-16)16 August 1882 (aged 36) | Sunderland | 1908 | |
| DF | Bertie Rosier | | (1893-03-21)21 March 1893 (aged 25) | Southall | 1913 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Tom McGovern | | (1888-11-11)11 November 1888 (aged 29) | Halifax Town | 1913 | |
| HB | Bill Stanton | | (1890-05-09)9 May 1890 (aged 28) | Watford | 1917 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Billy Baker | | (1894-01-08)8 January 1894 (aged 24) | Unattached | 1918 | |
| FW | Albert Chester | | (1886-03-17)17 March 1886 (aged 32) | Millwall | 1916 | |
| FW | Patsy Hendren | | (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 29) | Queens Park Rangers | 1911 | Played when his cricket commitments allowed |
| FW | Fred Morley | | (1888-03-01)1 March 1888 (aged 30) | Unattached | 1918 | |
| FW | Henry White | | (1895-08-08)8 August 1895 (aged 23) | Whamcliffe Athletic | 1913 | |
| Guest players |||||||
| GK | Jimmy Morris | | n/a | Clapton Orient | 1918 | Guest from Clapton Orient |
| GK | Fred Pickup | | n/a | Bury | 1918 | Guest from Bury |
| DF | Fred Bullock | | (1886-07-01)1 July 1886 (aged 32) | Huddersfield Town | 1918 | Guest from Huddersfield Town |
| HB | Jimmy Brandham | | 1890 (aged 27–28) | Fulham | 1918 | Guest from Fulham |
| HB | John Green | | September 1894 (aged 23–24) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1918 | Guest from Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| HB | Ted Hanney | | (1889-01-19)19 January 1889 (aged 29) | Manchester City | 1918 | Guest from Manchester City |
| HB | J. James | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1918 | Guest |
| HB | Fred Keenor | | (1894-07-31)31 July 1894 (aged 24) | Cardiff City | 1918 | Guest from Cardiff City |
| HB | Horace Parsons | | (1890-12-23)23 December 1890 (aged 27) | Stourbridge | 1918 | Guest from Stourbridge |
| HB | Maurice Woodward | | (1891-10-12)12 October 1891 (aged 26) | Southend United | 1918 | Guest from Southend United |
| HB | E. J. Wright | | n/a | Hampstead Town | 1918 | Amateur, guest from Hampstead Town |
| FW | Fred Alborough | | 1892 (aged 25–26) | Unattached | 1918 | Guest |
| FW | Jackie Carr | | (1892-11-26)26 November 1892 (aged 25) | Middlesbrough | 1919 | Guest from Middlesbrough |
| FW | David Chalmers | | (1891-07-22)22 July 1891 (aged 27) | Grimsby Town | 1918 | Guest from Grimsby Town |
| FW | Jack Cock | | (1893-11-14)14 November 1893 (aged 24) | Huddersfield Town | 1918 | Guest from Huddersfield Town |
| FW | Bertie Denyer | | (1893-04-09)9 April 1893 (aged 25) | Swindon Town | 1918 | Guest from Swindon Town |
| FW | Jack Doran | | (1896-01-03)3 January 1896 (aged 22) | Coventry City | 1919 | Guest from Coventry City |
| FW | J. Gillies | n/a | n/a | Unattached | 1918 | Guest |
| FW | Charles Hibbert | | 1894 (aged 23–24) | Uxbridge | 1919 | Guest from Uxbridge |
| FW | Harry Lappin | | (1879-01-16)16 January 1879 (aged 39) | Unattached | 1918 | Guest |
| FW | W. Pick | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1919 | Guest |
| FW | Wilcox | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1918 | Guest |
| FW | Dick Wynn | | 1892 (aged 25–26) | Middlesbrough | 1918 | Guest from Middlesbrough |
* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Timeless Bees, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Fred Halliday | Secretary Manager |
| Dusty Rhodes | Trainer |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| Pos | Nat | Name | League | League | Victory Cup | Victory Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos | Nat | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | | Ted Price | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| DF | | Alf Amos | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| DF | | Jack Peart | 25 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| DF | | Dusty Rhodes | 14 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 |
| DF | | Bertie Rosier | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | Tom McGovern | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| HB | | Bill Stanton | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 2 |
| FW | | Billy Baker | 26 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 6 |
| FW | | Albert Chester | 5 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 1 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 27 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 6 |
| FW | | Fred Morley | 31 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 14 |
| FW | | Henry White | 31 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 33 | 26 |
| Players guested during the season |||||||||
| GK | | Jimmy Morris | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| GK | | Fred Pickup | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| DF | | Fred Bullock | 12 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 |
| HB | | Jimmy Brandham | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| HB | | John Green | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Ted Hanney | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| HB | n/a | J. James | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| HB | | Fred Keenor | 19 | 2 | — | — | 19 | 2 |
| HB | | Horace Parsons | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Maurice Woodward | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| HB | | E. J. Wright | 3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 |
| FW | | Fred Alborough | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | | Jackie Carr | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | David Chalmers | 5 | 2 | — | — | 5 | 2 |
| FW | | Jack Cock | 25 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 25 |
| FW | | Bertie Denyer | 4 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1 |
| FW | | Jack Doran | 2 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| FW | n/a | J. Gillies | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Charles Hibbert | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Harry Lappin | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | n/a | W. Pick | 3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 |
| FW | n/a | Wilcox | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Dick Wynn | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | LC | VC | Total |
| FW | | Henry White | 24 | 2 | 26 |
| FW | | Jack Cock | 24 | 1 | 25 |
| FW | | Fred Morley | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| FW | | Billy Baker | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| DF | | Jack Peart | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | David Chalmers | 2 | — | 2 |
| FW | | Jack Doran | 2 | — | 2 |
| HB | | Fred Keenor | 2 | — | 2 |
| HB | | Bill Stanton | 2 | — | 2 |
| FW | | Albert Chester | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Bertie Denyer | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | n/a | W. Pick | 1 | — | 1 |
| HB | | E. J. Wright | 1 | — | 1 |
| DF | | Alf Amos | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| HB | | Tom McGovern | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 94 | 3 | 97 |
* 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 | | 7 September 1918 | 21 April 1919 | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 055.26| | 36 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 055.56 |

### Summary

| Games played | 38 (36 London Combination, 2 London Victory Cup) |
| Games won | 21 (20 London Combination, 1 London Victory Cup) |
| Games drawn | 9 (9 London Combination, 0 London Victory Cup) |
| Games lost | 8 (7 London Combination, 1 London Victory Cup) |
| Goals scored | 97 (94 London Combination, 3 London Victory Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 49 (46 London Combination, 3 London Victory Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 8 (8 London Combination, 0 London Victory Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 7–0 versus Clapton Orient, 21 December 1918 |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 versus Millwall, 5 April 1919 |
| Most appearances | 33, Fred Morley, Henry White (31 London Combination, 2 London Victory Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 25, Henry White |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 26, Henry White |

## Transfers & loans

    Guest players' arrival and departure dates correspond to their first and last appearances of the season.
Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| October 1918 | FW | Billy Baker | Unattached | Free | |
| 1918 | FW | Fred Morley | Unattached | Free | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| March 1919 | FW | Albert Chester | Tottenham Hotspur | 1919 | |
| April 1919 | FW | Billy Baker | Unattached | | |
| April 1919 | DF | Jack Peart | Arsenal | 1919 | |
| April 1919 | HB | Bill Stanton | Rotherham County | 1919 | |
| Guest players in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Date to | Ref. |
| 7 September 1918 | HB | Jimmy Brandham | Fulham | 30 November 1918 | |
| 7 September 1918 | FW | David Chalmers | Grimsby Town | 9 November 1918 | |
| 7 September 1918 | FW | Bertie Denyer | Swindon Town | 28 September 1918 | |
| 7 September 1918 | FW | J. Gillies | Unattached | 12 October 1918 | |
| 7 September 1918 | GK | Jimmy Morris | Clapton Orient | 26 October 1918 | |
| 14 September 1918 | HB | J. James | n/a | 16 November 1918 | |
| 14 September 1918 | HB | Fred Keenor | Cardiff City | 12 April 1919 | |
| 14 September 1918 | FW | Dick Wynn | Middlesbrough | 21 September 1918 | |
| 28 September 1918 | FW | Fred Alborough | Unattached | 26 October 1918 | |
| 28 September 1918 | GK | Fred Pickup | Bury | 4 January 1919 | |
| 28 September 1918 | HB | E. J. Wright | Hampstead Town | 2 November 1918 | |
| 5 October 1918 | FW | Harry Lappin | Unattached | 5 October 1918 | |
| 5 October 1918 | HB | Horace Parsons | Stourbridge | 5 October 1918 | |
| 5 October 1918 | FW | Wilcox | n/a | 5 October 1918 | |
| 5 October 1918 | HB | Maurice Woodward | Southend United | End of season | |
| 19 October 1918 | FW | Jack Cock | Huddersfield Town | End of season | |
| 26 October 1918 | FB | Fred Bullock | Huddersfield Town | 15 March 1919 | |
| 30 November 1918 | HB | John Green | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 30 November 1918 | |
| 7 December 1918 | HB | Ted Hanney | Manchester City | End of season | |
| 25 January 1919 | FW | Jack Doran | Coventry City | 22 February 1919 | |
| 25 January 1919 | FW | Charles Hibbert | Uxbridge | 22 February 1919 | |
| 25 January 1919 | FW | W. Pick | n/a | End of season | |
| 18 April 1919 | FW | Jackie Carr | Middlesbrough | End of season | |
| Guest players out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| 1918 | HB | Jimmy Kennedy | St Mirren | 1918 | |