# 1945–46 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1945–46 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League South, due to the cessation of competitive league football for one further season following the end of the Second World War in Europe in May 1945. A return to competitive cup football came in the form of the first FA Cup staged since before the war, with the Bees advancing to the sixth round and equalling the club record.

## Season summary

Though the Second World War ended in Europe in May 1945, the first post-war football season would be played in the regionalised wartime format, due to players continuing to be dispersed on service around the world. Brentford again began the season with a shortage of first team players, though full back Bill Gorman would go on to be an ever-present, while centre half Buster Brown, outside forward Idris Hopkins and goalkeeper Joe Crozier would all miss just a handful of games each.
Just two defeats in the opening two Football League South games gave way to a downturn in form, which was not helped by the departure of misfiring former England international forward Les Smith to Aston Villa in October 1945. Pre-war forward Tommy Cheetham also left Griffin Park, so manager Harry Curtis strengthened the attack by re-signing Gerry McAloon from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Further signings came in the form of experienced half backs George Smith and Eric Jones. With excitement hard to come by in league play, Brentford's attention turned to the first FA Cup competition held since the 1938–39 season. Entering in the third round, the Bees battled through to the sixth round, equalling the club record, with Gerry McAloon scoring six goals in the eight matches played. With the return of competitive First Division football looming, a number of amateurs were trialled during the season, with future regulars Alf Jefferies, Frank Latimer and Roddy Munro all going on to sign professional contracts.
Former Brentford wartime guest player Albert Bonass was serving in the Royal Air Force and was killed when his Short Stirling, on a training flight, crashed in the village of Tockwith, North Yorkshire on 9 October 1945.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
| 12 | Millwall | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 79 | 105 | 0.752 | 42 |
| 13 | Coventry City | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 70 | 69 | 1.014 | 40 |
| 14 | Brentford | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 82 | 72 | 1.139 | 38 |
| 15 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 72 | 73 | 0.986 | 37 |
| 16 | Southampton | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 97 | 105 | 0.924 | 37 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League South

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 25 August 1945 | Newport County | H | 2–1 | 13,980 | Sloan, Townsend |
| 2 | 1 September 1945 | Newport County | A | 5–0 | 8,862 | Thomas (2), Sloan, Townsend (2) |
| 3 | 6 September 1945 | Leicester City | H | 1–2 | 11,620 | Sloan |
| 4 | 8 September 1945 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 20,000 | |
| 5 | 13 September 1945 | Derby County | H | 0–0 | 11,050 | |
| 6 | 15 September 1945 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–0 | 20,080 | |
| 7 | 22 September 1945 | West Ham United | H | 1–1 | 18,800 | Thomas |
| 8 | 29 September 1945 | West Ham United | A | 2–0 | 23,000 | Sloan, Durrant |
| 9 | 6 October 1945 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 4–3 | 28,000 | Thomas (2), Tranter (og), Hunt |
| 10 | 13 October 1945 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–0 | 20,160 | Durrant (2) |
| 11 | 20 October 1945 | Birmingham City | H | 2–1 | 20,690 | Wilkins (2) |
| 12 | 27 October 1945 | Birmingham City | A | 0–1 | 35,000 | |
| 13 | 3 November 1945 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–1 | 28,000 | |
| 14 | 10 November 1945 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–3 | 19,269 | Thomas |
| 15 | 17 November 1945 | Swansea Town | A | 1–4 | 21,000 | Roberts |
| 16 | 24 November 1945 | Swansea Town | H | 2–2 | 12,090 | Durrant, Hunt |
| 17 | 1 December 1945 | Chelsea | H | 4–4 | 28,170 | Townsend (2), Durrant (2) |
| 18 | 8 December 1945 | Chelsea | A | 2–4 | 40,000 | Durrant, Thomas |
| 19 | 15 December 1945 | Millwall | H | 7–0 | 16,190 | Thomas, Townsend (4), Watson, Durrant |
| 20 | 22 December 1945 | Millwall | A | 1–3 | 22,000 | Townsend |
| 21 | 25 December 1945 | Southampton | H | 1–4 | 14,350 | McAloon |
| 22 | 26 December 1945 | Southampton | A | 4–3 | 20,000 | Townsend (2), McAloon, Thomas |
| 23 | 29 December 1945 | Derby County | A | 2–3 | 22,751 | McAloon, Durrant |
| 24 | 12 January 1946 | Coventry City | A | 0–1 | 13,450 | |
| 25 | 19 January 1946 | Coventry City | H | 1–2 | 10,300 | Metcalf (og) |
| 26 | 2 February 1946 | Luton Town | A | 4–1 | 8,348 | Durrant, Gotts, Scott, Townsend |
| 27 | 16 February 1946 | Aston Villa | H | 0–1 | 27,100 | |
| 28 | 23 February 1946 | Arsenal | H | 6–3 | 22,250 | Thomas (3, 1 pen), Durrant, McAloon, Bamford |
| 29 | 16 March 1946 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1–1 | 14,900 | McAloon |
| 30 | 23 March 1946 | Fulham | H | 1–2 | 23,400 | McAloon |
| 31 | 30 March 1946 | Fulham | A | 2–2 | 27,475 | Thomas, Townsend |
| 32 | 6 April 1946 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–1 | 20,000 | McAloon |
| 33 | 10 April 1946 | Charlton Athletic | A | 3–4 | 20,000 | Thomas (3) |
| 34 | 13 April 1946 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 3–2 | 13,200 | G. Smith, Thomas, McAloon |
| 35 | 17 April 1946 | Aston Villa | A | 1–1 | n/a | McAloon |
| 36 | 19 April 1946 | Portsmouth | H | 0–2 | 16,184 | |
| 37 | 20 April 1946 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–2 | 19,704 | |
| 38 | 22 April 1946 | Portsmouth | A | 0–2 | 20,000 | |
| 39 | 24 April 1946 | Luton Town | H | 6–1 | 7,050 | McAloon (3), Durrant, Edelston, Jones |
| 40 | 27 April 1946 | Nottingham Forest | H | 5–1 | 8,140 | Scott (2), McAloon (3, 1 pen) |
| 41 | 29 April 1946 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | 5,250 | Scott |
| 42 | 4 May 1946 | Leicester City | A | 3–1 | 10,000 | Durrant, McAloon (2) |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 3R (1st leg) | 5 January 1946 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–2 | 30,202 | Durrant, Thomas |
| 3R (2nd leg) | 10 January 1946 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–0 (won 4–2 on aggregate) | 21,050 | Hopkins (2) |
| 4R (1st leg) | 26 January 1946 | Bristol City | A | 1–2 | 35,684 | Townsend |
| 4R (2nd leg) | 31 January 1946 | Bristol City | H | 5–0 (won 6–2 on aggregate) | 18,000 | McAloon (3), Guy (og), Durrant |
| 5R (1st leg) | 9 February 1946 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 3–1 | 19,855 | McAloon, Durrant, Hopkins |
| 5R (2nd leg) | 14 February 1946 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 0–0 (won 3–1 on aggregate) | 20,000 | |
| 6R (1st leg) | 2 March 1946 | Charlton Athletic | A | 3–6 | 40,060 | McAloon (2), Durrant |
| 6R (2nd leg) | 6 March 1946 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1–3 (lost 4–9 on aggregate) | 36,000 | Scott |
* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Statto, 11v11

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1945–46 season.
| Pos. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Joe Crozier | | (1914-12-02)2 December 1914 (aged 30) | East Fife | 1937 | |
| GK | Ted Gaskell | | (1916-12-19)19 December 1916 (aged 28) | Buxton | 1937 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Bill Gorman | | (1911-01-13)13 January 1911 (aged 34) | Bury | 1938 | |
| DF | Roddy Munro | | (1920-07-27)27 July 1920 (aged 25) | Rangers | 1946 | Amateur, guest for Colchester United |
| DF | Harry Oliver | | (1921-02-16)16 February 1921 (aged 24) | Hartlepools United | 1938 | Guest for Leeds United and York City |
| Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | |
| HB | Buster Brown | | (1910-09-06)6 September 1910 (aged 34) | Huddersfield Town | 1937 | |
| HB | Bob Coulson | | n/a | Unattached | 1945 | Amateur |
| HB | Albert Hammond | | (1924-02-05)5 February 1924 (aged 21) | Queens Park Rangers | 1944 | |
| HB | Tom Manley | | (1912-10-07)7 October 1912 (aged 32) | Manchester United | 1939 | |
| HB | Billy Scott | | (1907-12-06)6 December 1907 (aged 37) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | |
| HB | George Smith | | (1915-04-23)23 April 1915 (aged 30) | Charlton Athletic | 1945 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Harry Bamford | | (1914-04-08)8 April 1914 (aged 31) | Hayes | 1936 | Guest for Colchester United |
| FW | Johnny Baynham | | (1918-04-21)21 April 1918 (aged 27) | Youth | 1939 | Guest for Clapton Orient |
| FW | Les Boulter | | (1913-08-31)31 August 1913 (aged 31) | Charlton Athletic | 1939 | |
| FW | Fred Durrant | | (1921-06-19)19 June 1921 (aged 24) | Folkestone | 1938 | |
| FW | Jim Gotts | | (1917-01-17)17 January 1917 (aged 28) | Ashington | 1945 | Guest for Colchester United |
| FW | Eric Jones | | (1915-02-15)15 February 1915 (aged 30) | West Bromwich Albion | 1945 | |
| FW | Idris Hopkins | | (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 34) | Crystal Palace | 1932 | Guest for West Ham United |
| FW | Doug Keene | | (1928-08-30)30 August 1928 (aged 16) | Kingsbury Town | 1946 | Amateur |
| FW | Gerry McAloon | | (1916-09-13)13 September 1916 (aged 28) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1945 | |
| FW | Ernest Muttitt | | (1908-07-24)24 July 1908 (aged 37) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | Guest for Colchester United |
| FW | Maurice Roberts | | (1922-07-05)5 July 1922 (aged 23) | Unattached | 1946 | |
| FW | Roy Stroud | | (1925-03-16)16 March 1925 (aged 20) | Golders Green | 1945 | Amateur |
| FW | John Sutton | | n/a | Unattached | 1945 | Guest for Bristol City and Colchester United |
| FW | Len Townsend | | (1917-08-31)31 August 1917 (aged 27) | Hayes | 1937 | Guest for Colchester United |
| FW | George Wilkins | | (1919-10-27)27 October 1919 (aged 25) | Hayes | 1939 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | George Poyser | | (1910-02-06)6 February 1910 (aged 35) | Port Vale | 1934 | Transferred to Plymouth Argyle |
| FW | Les Smith | | (1918-03-13)13 March 1918 (aged 27) | Petersham | 1934 | Guest for Queens Park Rangers Transferred to Aston Villa |
| FW | Bob Thomas | | (1919-08-02)2 August 1919 (aged 26) | Golders Green | 1944 | Transferred to Plymouth Argyle |
| Guest players |||||||
| GK | Johnny Mapson | | (1917-05-02)2 May 1917 (aged 28) | Sunderland | 1945 | Guest from Sunderland |
| DF | Harry Ferrier | | (1920-05-20)20 May 1920 (aged 25) | Barnsley | 1945 | Guest from Barnsley |
| HB | Ted Fenton | | (1914-11-07)7 November 1914 (aged 30) | West Ham United | 1945 | Guest from West Ham United |
| HB | Willie Phillips | | (1911-02-15)15 February 1911 (aged 34) | Heart of Midlothian | 1945 | Guest from Heart of Midlothian |
| HB | Bill Whittaker | | (1922-12-20)20 December 1922 (aged 22) | Charlton Athletic | 1945 | Guest from Charlton Athletic |
| HB | Ron Wilson | | (1924-09-10)10 September 1924 (aged 20) | West Ham United | 1946 | Guest from West Ham United |
| FW | Maurice Edelston | | (1918-04-27)27 April 1918 (aged 27) | Reading | 1946 | Amateur, guest from Reading |
| FW | Douglas Hunt | | (1914-05-19)19 May 1914 (aged 31) | Sheffield Wednesday | 1945 | Guest from Sheffield Wednesday |
| FW | Paddy Sloan | | (1920-04-30)30 April 1920 (aged 25) | Tranmere Rovers | 1945 | Guest from Tranmere Rovers |
| FW | Willie Watson | | (1920-03-07)7 March 1920 (aged 25) | Huddersfield Town | 1945 | Guest from Huddersfield Town |
* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Timeless Bees, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Harry Curtis | Manager |
| Jimmy Bain | 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 | | Joe Crozier | 35 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| GK | | Ted Gaskell | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Bill Gorman | 42 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| DF | | Roddy Munro | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| DF | | Harry Oliver | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| DF | | George Poyser | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| HB | | Buster Brown | 41 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| HB | | Bob Coulson | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Albert Hammond | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Tom Manley | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | Billy Scott | 31 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 39 | 5 |
| HB | | George Smith | 25 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| FW | | Harry Bamford | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| FW | | Johnny Baynham | 7 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 |
| FW | | Les Boulter | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Fred Durrant | 27 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 33 | 7 |
| FW | | Jim Gotts | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| FW | | Eric Jones | 20 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| FW | | Idris Hopkins | 36 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 44 | 3 |
| FW | | Doug Keene | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Gerry McAloon | 20 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 27 | 23 |
| FW | | Ernest Muttitt | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Maurice Roberts | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| FW | | Les Smith | 9 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 |
| FW | | Roy Stroud | 4 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| FW | | John Sutton | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Bob Thomas | 33 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 41 | 18 |
| FW | | Len Townsend | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 15 |
| FW | | George Wilkins | 3 | 2 | — | — | 3 | 2 |
| Players guested during the season |||||||||
| GK | | Johnny Mapson | 6 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 |
| DF | | Harry Ferrier | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | Ted Fenton | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Willie Phillips | 8 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 |
| HB | | Bill Whittaker | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| HB | | Ron Wilson | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Maurice Edelston | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| FW | | Douglas Hunt | 12 | 2 | — | — | 12 | 2 |
| FW | | Paddy Sloan | 6 | 4 | — | — | 6 | 4 |
| FW | | Willie Watson | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FLS | FAC | Total |
| FW | | Gerry McAloon | 17 | 6 | 23 |
| FW | | Bob Thomas | 17 | 1 | 18 |
| FW | | Len Townsend | 14 | 1 | 15 |
| FW | | Fred Durrant | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| HB | | Billy Scott | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| FW | | Paddy Sloan | 4 | — | 4 |
| FW | | Idris Hopkins | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| FW | | Douglas Hunt | 2 | — | 2 |
| FW | | George Wilkins | 2 | — | 2 |
| FW | | Maurice Edelston | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Willie Watson | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Harry Bamford | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Jim Gotts | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Eric Jones | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Maurice Roberts | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| HB | | George Smith | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Total | Total | Total | 82 | 17 | 99 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Wartime international caps

| Pos. | Nat | Player | Caps | Goals | Ref |
| FW | | Les Smith | 3 | 0 | |

### Management

| Name | Nat | From | To | Record All Comps | Record All Comps | Record All Comps | Record All Comps | Record All Comps | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Name | Nat | From | To | P | W | D | L | W % | P | W | D | L | W % |
| Harry Curtis | | 25 August 1945 | 4 May 1946 | 50 | 17 | 12 | 21 | 034.00| | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 033.33 |

### Summary

| Games played | 50 (42 Football League South, 8 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 17 (14 Football League South, 3 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 12 (10 Football League South, 2 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 21 (18 Football League South, 3 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 99 (82 Football League South, 17 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 86 (72 Football League South, 14 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 9 (6 Football League South, 3 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 7–0 versus Millwall, 15 December 1945 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–1 on two occasions |
| Most appearances | 50, Bill Gorman (42 Football League South, 8 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 17, Gerry McAloon |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 23, Gerry McAloon |

## 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. |
| 19 November 1945 | HB | George Smith | Charlton Athletic | £4,000 | |
| November 1945 | HB | Frank Latimer | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | Free | |
| 24 December 1945 | FW | Gerry McAloon | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £500 | |
| December 1945 | HB | Eric Jones | West Bromwich Albion | n/a | |
| 1945 | GK | Alf Jefferies | Oxford City | Amateur | |
| January 1946 | FW | Jim Gotts | Ashington | Free | |
| March 1946 | DF | Eric Ventom | Ayr Newton Rovers | n/a | |
| April 1946 | FW | Doug Keene | Kingsbury Town | Amateur | |
| April 1946 | DF | Roddy Munro | Rangers | Amateur | |
| Guest players in ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| 25 August 1945 | FW | Douglas Hunt | Sheffield Wednesday | 24 November 1945 | |
| 25 August 1945 | GK | Johnny Mapson | Sunderland | 15 September 1945 | |
| 25 August 1945 | FW | Paddy Sloan | Tranmere Rovers | 29 September 1945 | |
| 25 August 1945 | HB | Bill Whittaker | Charlton Athletic | 29 April 1946 | |
| 6 September 1945 | DF | Harry Ferrier | Barnsley | 13 September 1945 | |
| 13 September 1945 | HB | Ted Fenton | West Ham United | 13 September 1945 | |
| 15 September 1945 | HB | Willie Phillips | Heart of Midlothian | 15 December 1945 | |
| 15 December 1945 | FW | Willie Watson | Huddersfield Town | 15 December 1945 | |
| 16 February 1946 | HB | Ron Wilson | West Ham United | 16 February 1946 | |
| 24 April 1946 | FW | Maurice Edelston | Reading | 24 April 1946 | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| October 1945 | FW | Les Smith | Aston Villa | £6,000 | |
| October 1945 | FW | Tommy Cheetham | Lincoln City | n/a | |
| April 1946 | DF | Ted Ballard | Clapton Orient | n/a | |
| April 1946 | FW | Cyril Brown | Sunderland | n/a | |
| April 1946 | DF | George Poyser | Plymouth Argyle | £3,500 | |
| April 1946 | FW | Bob Thomas | Plymouth Argyle | £3,500 | |
| Guest players out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| 1 September 1945 | DF | Harry Oliver | Leeds United | 1 September 1945 | |
| 19 September 1945 | FW | Les Smith | Queens Park Rangers | 19 September 1945 | |
| 13 October 1945 | FW | Idris Hopkins | West Ham United | 13 October 1945 | |
| 19 January 1946 | FW | Len Townsend | Colchester United | 19 January 1946 | |
| 9 March 1946 | GK | Alf Jefferies | Colchester United | 9 March 1946 | |
| March 1946 | FW | Johnny Baynham | Clapton Orient | n/a | |
| 13 April 1946 | DF | Harry Bamford | Colchester United | 13 April 1946 | |
| 13 April 1946 | FW | Jim Gotts | Colchester United | 13 April 1946 | |
| 13 April 1946 | DF | Roddy Munro | Colchester United | 13 April 1946 | |
| 13 April 1946 | FW | Ernest Muttitt | Colchester United | 13 April 1946 | |
| 13 April 1946 | FW | John Sutton | Colchester United | 13 April 1946 | |
| n/a | DF | Jimmy Anderson | Queen of the South | n/a | |
| n/a | DF | Harry Oliver | York City | n/a | |
| n/a | FW | John Sutton | Bristol City | n/a | |