# 1936–37 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1936–37 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League First Division and secured a 6th-place finish, one place below the previous season's club record highest league position.

## Season summary

After a club record 5th-place finish in Brentford's debut season in the top flight, manager Harry Curtis kept faith with the season's previous squad, releasing outside forward Jim Brown and bringing in youngsters Harry Bamford and Joe Murray. Teenage outside right Les Smith, who had signed his first professional contract a year earlier, was promoted to the first team squad after Bobby Reid was struck down by appendicitis on the eve of the season.
After a mixed start to the season, Brentford kicked into gear in late September 1936, losing just four of 19 matches to establish themselves in the top three in the First Division. In his first full season with the Bees, forward David McCulloch again showed prolific form, going on to score 33 goals in his 43 appearances. Five goals in a six match spell also saw forward Billy Scott win an England cap in a British Home Championship match versus Wales in October 1937, which made him Brentford's first full England international player. Brentford's form dipped in mid-February 1937 and despite the signing of Buster Brown to replace the departed Dai Richards at left half, the club dropped to a 6th-place finish.
A 6–2 defeat to champions-elect Manchester City on 3 April equalled the club record for most goals conceded in a Football League match. Despite a number of other heavy defeats, manager Harry Curtis did improve the team's winning percentage in both the league and FA Cup, with Brentford hammering Huddersfield Town 5–0 in the third round (the first time the Bees had scored in the FA Cup for over four years) before exiting at the hands of Derby County in the following round.
At the end of the season, Brentford set off on a tour of Nazi Germany, beating Hamburger SV (3–0), Hertha BSC (4–0), drawing 2–2 with champions 1. FC Nürnberg and losing 4–0 to Schalke 04. The Star published a picture of the team giving a Nazi salute prior to the Schalke match, which caused a minor stir in London.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| 4 | Derby County | 42 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 96 | 90 | 1.067 | 49 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 84 | 67 | 1.254 | 47 |
| 6 | Brentford | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 82 | 78 | 1.051 | 46 |
| 7 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 74 | 71 | 1.042 | 46 |
| 8 | Sunderland | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | 89 | 87 | 1.023 | 44 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League First Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 29 August 1936 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–2 | 27,524 | McCulloch, Wilson (pen) |
| 2 | 3 September 1936 | Arsenal | H | 2–0 | 31,056 | Hopkins, McCulloch |
| 3 | 5 September 1936 | Everton | A | 0–3 | 37,524 | |
| 4 | 9 September 1936 | Arsenal | A | 1–1 | 44,010 | Wilson (pen) |
| 5 | 12 September 1936 | Huddersfield Town | H | 1–1 | 25,386 | McCulloch |
| 6 | 17 September 1936 | Charlton Athletic | H | 4–2 | 21,373 | L. Smith, McCulloch, W. Scott, McKenzie (pen) |
| 7 | 19 September 1936 | Sunderland | A | 1–4 | 37,407 | Hopkins |
| 8 | 26 September 1936 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 3–2 | 23,256 | McCulloch (2), McKenzie (pen) |
| 9 | 3 October 1936 | Derby County | A | 3–2 | 24,545 | W. Scott (2), McCulloch |
| 10 | 10 October 1936 | Manchester United | H | 4–0 | 28,019 | Reid, W. Scott (2), McCulloch |
| 11 | 17 October 1936 | Grimsby Town | A | 0–2 | 11,858 | |
| 12 | 24 October 1936 | Liverpool | H | 5–2 | 25,934 | McCulloch (3), Holliday, Reid |
| 13 | 31 October 1936 | Leeds United | A | 1–3 | 21,498 | Holliday |
| 14 | 7 November 1936 | Birmingham | H | 2–1 | 22,905 | McCulloch (2) |
| 15 | 14 November 1936 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–3 | 23,064 | |
| 16 | 21 November 1936 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–1 | 20,575 | Reid, McCulloch |
| 17 | 5 December 1936 | Portsmouth | H | 4–0 | 26,371 | McCulloch (2), Holliday (2) |
| 18 | 12 December 1936 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | 51,079 | Reid |
| 19 | 19 December 1936 | Stoke City | H | 2–1 | 18,167 | Holliday, Tutin (og) |
| 20 | 25 December 1936 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2–1 | 26,560 | Reid, W. Scott |
| 21 | 26 December 1936 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–2 | 36,962 | McCulloch, W. Scott |
| 22 | 28 December 1936 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 2–0 | 20,374 | W. Scott, Hopkins |
| 23 | 2 January 1937 | Everton | H | 2–2 | 20,457 | Hopkins, McKenzie (pen) |
| 24 | 9 January 1937 | Huddersfield Town | A | 1–1 | 21,753 | McCulloch |
| 25 | 23 January 1937 | Sunderland | H | 3–3 | 29,389 | W. Scott (3) |
| 26 | 6 February 1937 | Derby County | H | 6–2 | 31,745 | Reid (2), Holliday (2), McCulloch (2) |
| 27 | 10 February 1937 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–4 | 19,373 | |
| 28 | 13 February 1937 | Manchester United | A | 3–1 | 31,942 | W. Scott, Reid (2) |
| 29 | 27 February 1937 | Liverpool | A | 2–2 | 25,005 | Reid (pen), McCulloch |
| 30 | 3 March 1937 | Grimsby Town | H | 2–3 | 14,103 | McCulloch (2) |
| 31 | 6 March 1937 | Leeds United | H | 4–1 | 16,588 | Holliday, McCulloch (2), Holley (og) |
| 32 | 13 March 1937 | Birmingham | A | 0–4 | 30,510 | |
| 33 | 20 March 1937 | Middlesbrough | H | 4–1 | 23,872 | L. Smith, McCulloch (3) |
| 34 | 26 March 1937 | Preston North End | H | 1–1 | 31,069 | McCulloch |
| 35 | 27 March 1937 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–1 | 29,858 | |
| 36 | 29 March 1937 | Preston North End | A | 1–1 | 26,782 | W. Scott |
| 37 | 3 April 1937 | Manchester City | H | 2–6 | 29,028 | W. Scott, Hopkins |
| 38 | 7 April 1937 | Manchester City | A | 1–2 | 24,629 | McCulloch |
| 39 | 10 April 1937 | Portsmouth | A | 3–1 | 19,208 | Hopkins, McCulloch, Muttitt |
| 40 | 17 April 1937 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | 22,042 | McKenzie (pen) |
| 41 | 24 April 1937 | Stoke City | A | 1–5 | 18,451 | McKenzie |
| 42 | 1 May 1937 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–2 | 26,195 | W. Scott |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 3R | 16 January 1937 | Huddersfield Town | H | 5–0 | n/a | Reid (2, 1 pen), McCulloch (2), Holliday |
| 4R | 30 January 1937 | Derby County | A | 0–3 | 27,376 | |
* Sources: Statto, 11v11, 100 Years of Brentford

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1936–37 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | James Mathieson | (1904-05-10)10 May 1904 (aged 32) | Middlesbrough | 1934 | |
| GK | James Nicholls | (1908-09-24)24 September 1908 (aged 27) | Manchester City | 1934 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Arthur Bateman (c) | (1908-04-01)1 April 1908 (aged 28) | Southend United | 1934 | |
| DF | George Dumbrell | (1906-09-23)23 September 1906 (aged 29) | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 1935 | |
| DF | Walter Metcalf | (1910-12-15)15 December 1910 (aged 25) | Sunderland | 1934 | |
| DF | George Poyser | (1910-02-06)6 February 1910 (aged 26) | Port Vale | 1934 | |
| DF | Joe Wilson | (1911-09-29)29 September 1911 (aged 24) | Southend United | 1935 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Buster Brown | (1910-09-06)6 September 1910 (aged 25) | Huddersfield Town | 1937 | |
| HB | Joe James | (1910-01-13)13 January 1910 (aged 26) | Battersea Church | 1929 | |
| HB | Duncan McKenzie | (1912-08-10)10 August 1912 (aged 24) | Albion Rovers | 1932 | |
| HB | Joe Murray | 1914 (aged 21–22) | Ayr United | 1936 | |
| HB | Archie Scott | (1905-07-22)22 July 1905 (aged 31) | Derby County | 1934 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Billy Dunn | (1910-10-09)9 October 1910 (aged 25) | Celtic | 1935 | |
| FW | Jack Holliday | (1908-12-19)19 December 1908 (aged 27) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | |
| FW | Idris Hopkins | (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 25) | Crystal Palace | 1932 | |
| FW | David McCulloch | (1912-10-05)5 October 1912 (aged 23) | Heart of Midlothian | 1935 | |
| FW | Ernest Muttitt | (1908-07-24)24 July 1908 (aged 28) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | |
| FW | Bobby Reid | (1911-02-19)19 February 1911 (aged 25) | Hamilton Academical | 1936 | |
| FW | Billy Scott | (1907-12-06)6 December 1907 (aged 28) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | |
| FW | Les Smith | (1918-03-13)13 March 1918 (aged 18) | Petersham | 1934 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| HB | Dai Richards | (1906-10-31)31 October 1906 (aged 29) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1935 | Transferred to Birmingham |
| HB | Cecil Smith | (1907-06-16)16 June 1907 (aged 29) | Brentford Market | 1931 | Transferred to Doncaster Rovers |
* 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 |
| Fred Keatch | Secretary |

## 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 | | James Mathieson | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| GK | | James Nicholls | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| DF | | Arthur Bateman | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| DF | | George Dumbrell | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DF | | Walter Metcalf | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| DF | | George Poyser | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| DF | | Joe Wilson | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| HB | | Buster Brown | 10 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 |
| HB | | Joe James | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| HB | | Duncan McKenzie | 42 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 5 |
| HB | | Joe Murray | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Dai Richards | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| HB | | Cecil Smith | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Archie Scott | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Billy Dunn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Jack Holliday | 41 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 9 |
| FW | | Idris Hopkins | 41 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 6 |
| FW | | David McCulloch | 41 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 33 |
| FW | | Ernest Muttitt | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| FW | | Bobby Reid | 28 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 12 |
| FW | | Billy Scott | 41 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 15 |
| FW | | Les Smith | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL1 | FAC | Total |
| FW | | David McCulloch | 31 | 2 | 33 |
| FW | | Billy Scott | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| FW | | Bobby Reid | 10 | 2 | 12 |
| FW | | Jack Holliday | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| FW | | Idris Hopkins | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| HB | | Duncan McKenzie | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| FW | | Les Smith | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Ernest Muttitt | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | Total | Total | 82 | 5 | 87 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### International caps

| Pos. | Player | Caps | Goals |
| FW | Idris Hopkins | 3 | 0 |
| FW | David McCulloch | 2 | 1 |
| FW | Dai Richards | 2 | 0 |
| FW | Billy Scott | 1 | 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 % |
| Harry Curtis | | 29 August 1936 | 2 May 1937 | 44 | 19 | 10 | 15 | 043.18| | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 042.86 |

### Summary

| Games played | 44 (42 First Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 19 (18 First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 10 (10 First Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 15 (14 First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 87 (82 First Division, 5 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 81 (78 First Division, 3 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 6 (5 First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 4–0 on two occasions; 6–2 versus Derby County, 6 February 1937 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–0 on two occasions; 6–2 versus Manchester City, 3 April 1937; 5–1 versus Stoke City, 24 April 1937 |
| Most appearances | 44, Joe James, Duncan McKenzie (42 First Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 31, David McCulloch |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 33, David McCulloch |

## Transfers & loans

    Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| September 1936 | FW | Bert Knott | Arsenal | n/a | |
| 1936 | DF | Harry Bamford | Hayes | Free | |
| 1936 | HB | Joe Murray | Ayr United | Free | |
| March 1937 | HB | Buster Brown | Huddersfield Town | £3,000 | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| November 1936 | HB | Cecil Smith | Doncaster Rovers | Free | |
| January 1937 | GK | Thomas Lynch | Watford | Undisclosed | |
| March 1937 | HB | Dai Richards | Birmingham | £3,500 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| n/a | FW | Bert Knott | Stourbridge | n/a | |
| May 1937 | FW | Billy Dunn | Southampton | May 1937 | |
| May 1937 | DF | Walter Metcalf | Coventry City | 1937 | |
| May 1937 | GK | James Nicholls | Port Vale | June 1937 | |