# 1913–14 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1913–14 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League Second Division. Despite winning 13 of 15 matches in the first half of the season, a loss of form in a five-week spell from February through to April 1914 ended the club's chances of an immediate return to First Division.

## Season summary

Brentford player-manager Dusty Rhodes faced a tough task ahead in the Bees' first season back in the Southern League Second Division since 1900–01, with the club's debt having risen to £5,000 (equivalent to £621,500 in 2024) and the prospect of high expenses and reduced gate receipts from away matches due to 11 of the league's 16 clubs being located in Wales. As a result, the Southern League Management Committee paid a £100 subsidy to each of the five English clubs in the league. Of the previous season's professional players, only goalkeeper Ted Price, full backs Tommy Fells and Walter Spratt, centre half Frank Bentley and outside left Patsy Hendren were retained. Bill Smith, Frederick Chapple and Bob McTavish were sold for small fees, while left half Phil Richards elected to retire. In came half backs Tom McGovern, Bobby Jackson and forwards Charlie Elliott, Henry Simons, Joe Johnson and Tommy Clark. England international amateur right half Alec Barclay remained with the club and amateur forwards Henry White and Jack Chapman were added to the ranks.
As the season got underway, Brentford feasted on poor Welsh opposition, winning 13 of the first 15 matches of the season, scoring 49 goals and conceding just three. Treharris and Ton Pentre were each beaten 7–0 at Griffin Park and the Bees also posted 5–0, 4–0 and 3–0 scorelines, each on two occasions. The rot slowly set in after a 1–0 home defeat to 2nd-place Croydon Common on Christmas Day 1913 and injuries and the absence of some of the club's amateurs lead to defeats to fellow challengers Luton Town in February 1914, Stoke later that month and a galling 1–0 reverse to Ton Pentre on 21 March. Defeat to Newport County at home on 4 April ended Brentford's mathematical chances of a runners-up finish and later that month, with the club unable to pay its players in full, leading scorer Henry Simons and future England international Jack Cock were sold to raise funds. Brentford finished the campaign in 4th-place and lost £127 for the season (equivalent to £15,400 in 2024).

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | Croydon Common | 30 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 76 | 14 | 5.429 | 51 | Promoted to Division One |
| 2 | Luton Town | 30 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 92 | 22 | 4.182 | 51 | Promoted to Division One |
| 3 | Brentford | 30 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 80 | 18 | 4.444 | 44 | |
| 4 | Swansea Town | 30 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 66 | 25 | 2.640 | 44 | |
| 5 | Stoke | 30 | 19 | 2 | 9 | 71 | 34 | 2.088 | 40 | |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Southern League Second Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 13 September 1913 | Treharris | A | 3–1 | Chapman, McGovern, Simons |
| 2 | 20 September 1913 | Caerphilly | H | 5–0 | Simons (2), Johnson, Hendren (2) |
| 3 | 4 October 1913 | Ton Pentre | H | 7–0 | Chapman (3), Hendren, Clark, Johnson, Jackson |
| 4 | 11 October 1913 | Abertillery | A | 1–0 | Clark |
| 5 | 18 October 1913 | Swansea Town | H | 3–1 | Clark, Johnson, Barclay |
| 6 | 25 October 1913 | Barry | H | 5–0 | Johnson (3), Simons (2) |
| 7 | 7 November 1913 | Mardy | H | 4–0 | Simons, Johnson (3) |
| 8 | 6 December 1913 | Llanelly | A | 3–0 | Chapman (2), Jackson |
| 9 | 20 December 1913 | Barry | A | 4–0 | Kent, Simons, Chapman, Elliott |
| 10 | 25 December 1913 | Croydon Common | H | 0–1 | |
| 11 | 26 December 1913 | Treharris | H | 7–0 | Simons (4), Chapman (2), Johnson |
| 12 | 27 December 1913 | Newport County | H | 3–0 | Simons (2), Chapman |
| 13 | 17 January 1914 | Stoke | H | 2–0 | Chapman (2) |
| 14 | 29 January 1914 | Mid Rhondda | A | 0–0 | |
| 15 | 31 January 1914 | Pontypridd | H | 2–0 | Simons, Johnson |
| 16 | 7 February 1914 | Luton Town | A | 1–3 | Hendren (pen) |
| 17 | 14 February 1914 | Llanelly | H | 2–0 | Chapman (2) |
| 18 | 21 February 1914 | Pontypridd | A | 0–0 | |
| 19 | 23 February 1914 | Mardy | A | 2–0 | Johnson, Simons |
| 20 | 28 February 1914 | Stoke | A | 1–2 | Simons |
| 21 | 14 March 1914 | Mid Rhondda | H | 3–1 | Farnfield, Simons, Barclay |
| 22 | 21 March 1914 | Ton Pentre | A | 0–1 | |
| 23 | 23 March 1914 | Aberdare | A | 6–3 | Johnson (3), Simons, Hendren, Elliott |
| 24 | 28 March 1914 | Abertillery | H | 5–0 | McGovern, Chapman (2), Barclay, Cock |
| 25 | 4 April 1914 | Newport County | A | 2–3 | Jackson, Simons |
| 26 | 10 April 1914 | Aberdare | H | 4–0 | Sloley (3), Chapman |
| 27 | 11 April 1914 | Luton Town | H | 0–0 | |
| 28 | 13 April 1914 | Croydon Common | A | 0–1 | |
| 29 | 18 April 1914 | Swansea Town | A | 0–0 | |
| 30 | 20 April 1914 | Caerphilly | A | 5–1 | Meehan, White (2), Johnson, Kent |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer |
| QR4 | 29 November 1913 | Luton Clarence | H | 1–0 | Johnson |
| QR5 | 13 December 1913 | Southend United | H | 1–1 | Chapman |
| QR5 (replay) | 17 December 1913 | Southend United | A | 0–2 | |
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1913–14 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Ted Price | (1883-06-13)13 June 1883 (aged 30) | Croydon Common | 1912 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Tommy Fells | (1890-01-08)8 January 1890 (aged 22) | South Kirkby | 1913 | |
| DF | Dusty Rhodes (c) | (1882-08-16)16 August 1882 (aged 31) | Sunderland | 1908 | |
| DF | Walter Spratt | (1889-04-14)14 April 1889 (aged 24) | Rotherham Town | 1911 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Alec Barclay | (1885-11-01)1 November 1885 (aged 27) | Ilford | 1910 | Amateur |
| HB | Frank Bentley | (1886-10-09)9 October 1886 (aged 26) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1912 | |
| HB | Bobby Jackson | (1887-02-09)9 February 1887 (aged 26) | Portsmouth | 1913 | |
| HB | Tom McGovern | (1888-11-11)11 November 1888 (aged 24) | Halifax Town | 1913 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Billy Brawn | (1878-08-01)1 August 1878 (aged 35) | Chelsea | 1911 | |
| FW | Jack Chapman | (1895-04-29)29 April 1895 (aged 18) | Southall | 1913 | Amateur |
| FW | Tommy Clark | n/a | Middlesbrough | 1913 | |
| FW | Charlie Elliott | (1886-09-28)28 September 1886 (aged 26) | Millwall | 1913 | |
| FW | Herbert Farnfield | (1883-08-05)5 August 1883 (aged 30) | New Crusaders | 1914 | Amateur |
| FW | Patsy Hendren | (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 24) | Coventry City | 1911 | Played when his cricket commitments allowed |
| FW | Joe Johnson | (1882-12-12)12 December 1882 (aged 30) | Clapton Orient | 1913 | |
| FW | Tommy Kent | (1888-09-10)10 September 1888 (aged 25) | Slough Town | 1913 | Amateur |
| FW | John Meehan | 1896 (aged 16–17) | Newton | 1914 | |
| FW | Richard Sloley | (1891-08-20)20 August 1891 (aged 22) | Cambridge University | 1914 | Amateur |
| FW | Henry White | (1895-08-08)8 August 1895 (aged 18) | Whamcliffe Athletic | 1914 | Amateur |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| FW | Jack Cock | (1893-11-14)14 November 1893 (aged 19) | Old Kingstonians | 1914 | Transferred to Huddersfield Town |
| FW | Henry Simons | (1887-11-26)26 November 1887 (aged 25) | Merthyr Town | 1913 | Transferred to Fulham |
* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Dusty Rhodes | Manager |
| Fred Halliday | Secretary |
| 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 | | Ted Price | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| DF | | Tommy Fells | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| DF | | Dusty Rhodes | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| DF | | Walter Spratt | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| HB | | Alec Barclay | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 3 |
| HB | | Frank Bentley | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| HB | | Bobby Jackson | 24 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| HB | | Tom McGovern | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| FW | | Billy Brawn | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Jack Chapman | 25 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 17 |
| FW | | Tommy Clark | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| FW | | Jack Cock | 3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 |
| FW | | Charlie Elliott | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| FW | | Herbert Farnfield | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 28 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 5 |
| FW | | Joe Johnson | 28 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 16 |
| FW | | Tommy Kent | 14 | 2 | — | — | 14 | 2 |
| FW | | John Meehan | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| FW | | Henry Simons | 25 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 19 |
| FW | | Richard Sloley | 2 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 3 |
| FW | | Henry White | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | SL2 | FAC | Total |
| FW | | Henry Simons | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| FW | | Jack Chapman | 16 | 1 | 17 |
| FW | | Joe Johnson | 15 | 1 | 16 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| HB | | Alec Barclay | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Tommy Clark | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| HB | | Bobby Jackson | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Richard Sloley | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Tommy Kent | 2 | — | 2 |
| FW | | Charlie Elliott | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| HB | | Tom McGovern | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Henry White | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Jack Cock | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | John Meehan | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Herbert Farnfield | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 80 | 2 | 82 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Amateur international caps

| Pos. | Nat | Player | Caps | Goals | Ref |
| HB | | Alec Barclay | 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 % |
| Dusty Rhodes | | 13 September 1913 | 20 April 1914 | 33 | 21 | 5 | 7 | 063.64| | 30 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 066.67 |

### Summary

| Games played | 33 (30 Southern League Second Division, 3 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 21 (20 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 5 (4 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 7 (6 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 82 (80 Southern League Second Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 21 (18 Southern League Second Division, 3 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 20 (19 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 7–0 on two occasions |
| Worst league defeat | 3–1 versus Luton Town, 7 February 1914 |
| Most appearances | 33, Ted Price, Walter Spratt (30 Southern League Second Division, 3 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 19, Henry Simons |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 19, Henry Simons |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| 18 June 1913 | FW | Joe Johnson | Clapton Orient | n/a | |
| 23 June 1913 | HB | Bobby Jackson | Portsmouth | n/a | |
| 23 June 1913 | FW | Bob Mitchell | Barnsley | n/a | |
| 31 June 1913 | FW | Henry Simons | Merthyr Town | n/a | |
| 18 August 1913 | FW | Bob Browning | Southampton | n/a | |
| 21 August 1913 | FW | Charlie Elliott | Millwall | n/a | |
| 28 August 1913 | FW | Tommy Clark | Middlesbrough | n/a | |
| 3 September 1913 | HB | James Ramsay | Aberdare | n/a | |
| 17 September 1913 | HB | Tom McGovern | Halifax Town | n/a | |
| 9 September 1913 | GK | Billy Biggar | Rochdale | n/a | |
| September 1913 | HB | Alf Amos | Old Kingstonians | Amateur | |
| September 1913 | FW | George Littler | King's Royal Rifle Corps | Amateur | |
| 27 December 1913 | FW | Thomas Graham | Allerton Bywater Colliery | n/a | |
| December 1913 | FW | Tommy Kent | Slough Town | Amateur | |
| 1913 | FW | Jack Chapman | Southall | Amateur | |
| 1913 | FW | James Holland | Luton Town | n/a | |
| 1913 | FW | Alfred Rosier | Southall | n/a | |
| 1913 | FB | Bertie Rosier | Southall | n/a | |
| 1913 | FW | Henry White | Whamcliffe Athletic | Amateur | |
| February 1914 | FW | Herbert Farnfield | n/a | Amateur | |
| February 1914 | FW | John Meehan | Newton | n/a | |
| March 1914 | FW | Jack Cock | Old Kingstonians | Amateur | |
| April 1914 | FW | Richard Sloley | Cambridge University | Amateur | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 23 July 1913 | FW | Bob McTavish | Third Lanark | Nominal | |
| 24 September 1913 | FW | Bob Mitchell | Distillery | n/a | |
| 1913 | FW | Frederick Chapple | Bristol City | Nominal | |
| 1913 | FW | Bill Smith | Southampton | Nominal | |
| April 1914 | FW | Jack Cock | Huddersfield Town | Nominal | |
| April 1914 | FW | Henry Simons | Fulham | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| July 1913 | HB | Phil Richards | Retired | | |
| February 1914 | FW | Herbert Farnfield | n/a | n/a | |
| April 1914 | HB | Frank Bentley | Retired | | |
| April 1914 | GK | Billy Biggar | Rochdale | 24 June 1914 | |
| April 1914 | FW | Billy Brawn | Retired | | |
| April 1914 | FW | Jack Chapman | Southall | n/a | |
| April 1914 | FW | Tommy Clark | n/a | n/a | |
| April 1914 | FW | Charlie Elliott | Leyton | 1 September 1914 | |
| April 1914 | FB | Tommy Fells | South Kirkby | 13 May 1914 | |
| April 1914 | FW | John Meehan | n/a | n/a | |
| April 1914 | FW | Bob Browning | Queens Park Rangers | May 1914 | |