# 1971–72 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1971–72 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. The club led the division for much of the first half of the season and 10 wins in the final 14 matches secured automatic promotion with a 3rd-place finish.

## Season summary

Despite the reduction of the club's debt to a manageable level and an average attendance higher than all but the top three finishers in the Third Division, Fourth Division Brentford went into the 1971–72 season with a squad of just 14 professionals. Long-time goalkeeper Chic Brodie was released, as was bit-part winger Brian Tawse and in came two defensive youngsters on free transfers – Terry Scales and Steven Tom.
Despite the club record £30,000 departure of Roger Cross to rivals Fulham and Alan Hawley also moving to Craven Cottage on loan, Brentford's 12-man squad met pre-season expectations in the early part of the season, holding onto top spot intermittently until a minor blip in October and November 1971. Utility player Michael Allen was signed from Middlesbrough for an £8,000 fee in October and proved to be a vital cog in the midfield. The team owed much of its success to prolific goalscoring from John O'Mara, with the centre forward reaching 20 goals for the season after a 6–2 thrashing of Darlington on 8 January 1972, a result which made Brentford the top scorers in the Football League and was also notable for a 13-minute hattrick from John Docherty.
After another blip caused by the suspension of John O'Mara for five weeks dropped Brentford out of the promotion places, the team was buoyed by the loan signing of winger Stewart Houston and entered the final five weeks of the season strongly, winning five matches in a row in March. Two draws and a defeat over Easter threatened to drop the Bees out of the promotion places, but four successive wins meant that automatic promotion was assured with two matches to play, when captain Bobby Ross' penalty was enough to beat Exeter City at Griffin Park on 22 April. Despite going top of the Fourth Division after victory over Barrow in the following match, a 3–0 defeat away to Workington in the final match of the season dropped the Bees to a 3rd-place finish.
Two club records were set during the season:
* Most clean sheets in a Football League season: 22 – Gordon Phillips
* Fewest players used in a Football League season: 14
Brentford finished top of the Fourth Division charts in the following statistical categories:
* Best away record
* Highest overall goal difference
* Highest away goal difference
* Highest average attendance

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 28 | 7 | 11 | 88 | 56 | 1.571 | 63 | Division Champions, promoted |
| 2 | Southend United | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 81 | 55 | 1.473 | 60 | Promoted |
| 3 | Brentford | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 76 | 44 | 1.727 | 59 | Promoted |
| 4 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 56 | 37 | 1.514 | 57 | Promoted |
| 5 | Lincoln City | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 77 | 59 | 1.305 | 56 | Qualified for 1972 Watney Cup |
* ↑ The two teams who scored the most goals in each division, and did not qualify for Europe and were not promoted, qualified for the Watney Cup.

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) |
| 31 July 1971 | Southampton | H | 1–3 | Untraced (og) |
| 4 August 1971 | Hillingdon Borough | A | 2–1 | O'Mara, Scales |
| 7 August 1971 | Oxford United | H | 2–4 | O'Mara, Cross |
| 2 May 1972 | Guernsey XI | A | 6–0 | O'Mara (4), Houston, Bence |
| 4 May 1972 | Guernsey XI | A | 7–1 | O'Mara (2), Houston (2), Ross, Graham, Docherty |
| 9 May 1972 | Wimbledon | A | 2–2 | Docherty, Graham |

### Football League Fourth Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 14 August 1971 | Bury | A | 2–0 | 2,957 | Gelson, Tom |
| 2 | 21 August 1971 | Aldershot | H | 1–1 | 8,920 | Turner |
| 3 | 28 August 1971 | Darlington | A | 0–0 | 2,514 | |
| 4 | 30 August 1971 | Barrow | H | 4–0 | 8,866 | O'Mara, Cross, Turner, Ross |
| 5 | 4 September 1971 | Hartlepool | H | 6–0 | 8,712 | Turner (2), O'Mara (3), Cross |
| 6 | 11 September 1971 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–3 | 11,683 | O'Mara |
| 7 | 18 September 1971 | Peterborough United | H | 5–1 | 8,770 | Neilson, Graham, Docherty, O'Mara, Ross |
| 8 | 25 September 1971 | Chester | A | 0–0 | 4,088 | |
| 9 | 27 September 1971 | Stockport County | H | 2–0 | 10,445 | Ross (2) |
| 10 | 2 October 1971 | Northampton Town | H | 6–1 | 11,004 | Gelson, Docherty, O'Mara (3), Neilson |
| 11 | 8 October 1971 | Southport | A | 0–0 | 5,371 | |
| 12 | 16 October 1971 | Bury | H | 2–0 | 9,851 | O'Mara, Graham |
| 13 | 20 October 1971 | Reading | A | 1–2 | 10,473 | O'Mara |
| 14 | 23 October 1971 | Southend United | H | 1–2 | 14,001 | O'Mara |
| 15 | 30 October 1971 | Scunthorpe United | A | 0–0 | 6,121 | |
| 16 | 6 November 1971 | Newport County | H | 3–1 | 10,484 | Docherty, Ross (2, 1 pen) |
| 17 | 13 November 1971 | Colchester United | A | 1–1 | 6,898 | O'Mara |
| 18 | 27 November 1971 | Gillingham | H | 1–3 | 10,945 | Ross |
| 19 | 4 December 1971 | Exeter City | A | 1–0 | 3,809 | O'Mara |
| 20 | 11 December 1971 | Southport | H | 1–0 | 9,624 | Peat (og) |
| 21 | 18 December 1971 | Hartlepool | A | 2–1 | 2,199 | Allen (2) |
| 22 | 27 December 1971 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 1–0 | 18,237 | O'Mara |
| 23 | 1 January 1972 | Peterborough United | A | 2–2 | 7,027 | O'Mara (2) |
| 24 | 8 January 1972 | Darlington | H | 6–2 | 10,582 | Ross (pen), O'Mara (2), Docherty (3) |
| 25 | 15 January 1972 | Lincoln City | A | 1–4 | 7,552 | O'Mara |
| 26 | 25 January 1972 | Stockport County | A | 1–0 | 3,247 | Ross |
| 27 | 29 January 1972 | Reading | H | 1–2 | 12,144 | Docherty |
| 28 | 5 February 1972 | Cambridge United | A | 1–1 | 6,861 | Graham |
| 29 | 12 February 1972 | Southend United | A | 1–3 | 9,841 | Ross (pen) |
| 30 | 19 February 1972 | Scunthorpe United | H | 0–3 | 11,912 | |
| 31 | 26 February 1972 | Newport County | A | 0–0 | 3,271 | |
| 32 | 4 March 1972 | Colchester United | H | 0–2 | 9,210 | |
| 33 | 13 March 1972 | Lincoln City | H | 2–0 | 12,065 | O'Mara, Scales |
| 34 | 18 March 1972 | Aldershot | A | 2–1 | 6,989 | O'Mara, Ross |
| 35 | 21 March 1972 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 3–0 | 5,256 | Graham (2), Ross |
| 36 | 25 March 1972 | Grimsby Town | H | 2–0 | 14,635 | Docherty, O'Mara |
| 37 | 27 March 1972 | Workington | H | 2–0 | 13,972 | Docherty, Houston |
| 38 | 31 March 1972 | Chester | H | 1–1 | 18,521 | Docherty |
| 39 | 1 April 1972 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1–2 | 2,072 | Docherty |
| 40 | 3 April 1972 | Northampton Town | A | 0–0 | 5,314 | |
| 41 | 8 April 1972 | Cambridge United | H | 2–1 | 9,061 | Docherty, Graham |
| 42 | 15 April 1972 | Gillingham | A | 1–0 | 5,819 | Docherty |
| 43 | 17 April 1972 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 2–1 | 13,484 | O'Mara (2) |
| 44 | 22 April 1972 | Exeter City | H | 1–0 | 14,540 | Ross (pen) |
| 45 | 24 April 1972 | Barrow | A | 3–0 | 2,646 | Houston, Allen, Graham |
| 46 | 29 April 1972 | Workington | A | 0–3 | 1,751 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R | 20 November 1971 | Swansea City | A | 1–1 | 7,915 | O'Mara |
| 1R (replay) | 22 November 1971 | Swansea City | H | 2–3 | 15,000 | Ross, O'Mara |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer |
| 1R | 18 August 1971 | Colchester United | A | 1–3 | 6,125 | Ross |
* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies, Statto

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1971–72 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Gordon Phillips | (1946-11-17)17 November 1946 (aged 24) | Hayes | 1963 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Paul Bence | (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 22) | Reading | 1970 | |
| DF | Peter Gelson | (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 29) | Youth | 1961 | |
| DF | Alan Hawley | (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 25) | Youth | 1962 | Loaned to Fulham |
| DF | Alan Nelmes | (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 22) | Chelsea | 1967 | |
| DF | Terry Scales | (1951-01-18)18 January 1951 (aged 20) | West Ham United | 1971 | |
| DF | Steven Tom | (1951-05-01)1 May 1951 (aged 20) | Queens Park Rangers | 1971 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Michael Allen | (1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 22) | Middlesbrough | 1971 | |
| MF | John Docherty | (1940-04-29)29 April 1940 (aged 31) | Reading | 1970 | |
| MF | Jackie Graham | (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 25) | Guildford City | 1970 | |
| MF | Gordon Neilson | (1947-05-28)28 May 1947 (aged 24) | Arsenal | 1968 | |
| MF | Brian Turner | (1949-07-31)31 July 1949 (aged 22) | Portsmouth | 1970 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Stewart Houston | (1949-08-20)20 August 1949 (aged 21) | Chelsea | 1972 | On loan from Chelsea |
| FW | John O'Mara | (1947-03-19)19 March 1947 (aged 24) | Wimbledon | 1971 | |
| FW | Bobby Ross (c) | (1942-05-10)10 May 1942 (aged 29) | Shrewsbury Town | 1966 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| FW | Roger Cross | (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 22) | West Ham United | 1970 | Transferred to Fulham |
| FW | Trevor Dawkins | (1945-10-17)17 October 1945 (aged 25) | Crystal Palace | 1971 | Returned to Crystal Palace after loan |
| FW | Ken Wallace | (1952-06-08)8 June 1952 (aged 19) | West Ham United | 1972 | Returned to West Ham United after loan |
* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Frank Blunstone | Manager |
| Eddie Lyons | Trainer |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    Substitute appearances in brackets.
| Pos | Nat | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos | Nat | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | | Gordon Phillips | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| DF | | Paul Bence | 32 (2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 (2) | 0 |
| DF | | Peter Gelson | 36 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 (1) | 2 |
| DF | | Alan Hawley | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| DF | | Alan Nelmes | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| DF | | Terry Scales | 43 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 1 |
| DF | | Steven Tom | 13 (5) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 (5) | 1 |
| MF | | Michael Allen | 29 (1) | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 31 (1) | 3 |
| MF | | John Docherty | 44 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 13 |
| MF | | Jackie Graham | 45 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 7 |
| MF | | Gordon Neilson | 8 (4) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 8 (5) | 2 |
| MF | | Brian Turner | 34 (1) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 (1) | 4 |
| FW | | Roger Cross | 5 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| FW | | John O'Mara | 40 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 27 |
| FW | | Bobby Ross | 44 (1) | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 47 (1) | 15 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||
| FW | | Trevor Dawkins | 3 (1) | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 (1) | 0 |
| FW | | Stewart Houston | 15 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 2 |
| FW | | Ken Wallace | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL4 | FAC | FLC | Total |
| FW | | John O'Mara | 25 | 2 | 0 | 27 |
| FW | | Bobby Ross | 13 | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| MF | | John Docherty | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| MF | | Jackie Graham | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| MF | | Brian Turner | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| MF | | Michael Allen | 3 | 0 | — | 3 |
| FW | | Stewart Houston | 2 | — | — | 2 |
| FW | | Roger Cross | 2 | — | 0 | 2 |
| DF | | Peter Gelson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Gordon Neilson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| DF | | Terry Scales | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Steven Tom | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 76 | 3 | 1 | 80 |
* 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 % |
| Frank Blunstone | | 14 August 1971 | 29 April 1972 | 49 | 24 | 12 | 13 | 048.98 | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 052.17 |

### Summary

| Games played | 49 (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Games won | 24 (24 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games drawn | 12 (11 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games lost | 13 (11 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals scored | 80 (76 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 51 (44 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 22 (22 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 6–0 versus Hartlepool, 4 September 1971 |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 on two occasions; 4–1 versus Lincoln City, 15 January 1972 |
| Most appearances | 49, Alan Nelmes, Gordon Phillips (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 25, John O'Mara |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 27, John O'Mara |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| June 1971 | DF | Steven Tom | Crystal Palace | Free | |
| July 1971 | DF | Terry Scales | West Ham United | Free | |
| October 1971 | MF | Michael Allen | Middlesbrough | £8,000 | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| September 1971 | FW | Trevor Dawkins | Crystal Palace | October 1971 | |
| February 1972 | FW | Ken Wallace | West Ham United | March 1972 | |
| March 1972 | FW | Stewart Houston | Chelsea | End of season | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| September 1971 | FW | Roger Cross | Fulham | £30,000 | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| September 1971 | MF | Alan Hawley | Fulham | October 1971 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| May 1972 | MF | Gordon Neilson | Hillingdon Borough | 1972 | |
| May 1972 | DF | Steven Tom | Barnet | 1972 | |
| May 1972 | MF | Brian Turner | Mount Wellington | 1972 | |

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: John O'Mara
* Players' Player of the Year: Jackie Graham
* Gallaghers Divisional Footballer of the Year: John O'Mara
* Football League Fourth Division Manager of the Month: Frank Blunstone (September 1971, March 1972)