# 1941–42 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1941–42 English football season, Brentford competed in the London League, due to the cessation of competitive football for the duration of the Second World War. Despite scoring over 80 goals in what proved to be a forgettable league season, the Bees won the London War Cup with what was the club's only victory at the old Wembley Stadium.

## Season summary

With the Second World War in full swing, the Football League's London clubs took a stand against the Football League and its upcoming regional competition for the 1941–42 season, citing the financial difficulties of raising a team during wartime and having to travel long distances to away matches. The rebel clubs broke away and competed in the London League during the 1941–42 season, which led to their expulsion from the Football League. Brentford began the season with a heavily depleted squad, with no goalkeeper available for the entirety of the season and just five of the club's 12 available outfield players made over 30 appearances during the 40-match campaign. Despite 16 goals in 19 appearances and 14 in 24 from returning guest forwards Eddie Perry and Douglas Hunt respectively, Brentford finished 9th of 16 teams in the London League. The team scored 80 goals, but the lack of a first team goalkeeper saw eight guests wear the jersey and concede 76 goals between them.
After finishing as runners-up in the previous season's London War Cup, attentions turned to the 1941–42 edition of the competition when the group stage kicked off on 21 March 1942. Aided by goals from all across the forward line, Brentford finished the group stage as unbeaten leaders. The Bees faced Arsenal in the semi-final at Stamford Bridge and drew 0–0. The two teams met again for the replay White Hart Lane a fortnight later, with goals from George Wilkins, Douglas Hunt and a late penalty save from John Jackson ensuring Brentford's passage through to the final versus Portsmouth. The two clubs faced off at Wembley Stadium on 30 May and a brace from Les Smith saw the Bees run out 2–0 winners, in what was the Bees' only victory at the old Wembley Stadium. The 69,792 crowd is still the largest attendance at any Brentford match. Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers met in a North versus South cup winners' charity match a week later, with the 1–1 draw at Stamford Bridge bringing an end to the 1941–42 season.
On the night of 1/2 March 1942, Percy Saunders, a pre-war Brentford player, was killed when his ship was torpedoed in the Indian Ocean. The inside forward had made his final appearance for the club in January 1940 and was serving as a sergeant in the 18th Divisional Workshops of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Saunders was the only former Brentford player to be killed in action during the Second World War.

## League tables
### London League

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
| 8 | Charlton Athletic | 30 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 72 | 64 | 1.125 | 33 |
| 9 | Brentford | 30 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 80 | 76 | 1.053 | 30 |
| 10 | Queens Park Rangers | 30 | 11 | 3 | 16 | 52 | 59 | 0.881 | 25 |

### London War Cup Group 2

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
| 1 | Brentford | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 9 | 1.889 | 10 |
| 2 | Queens Park Rangers | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 12 | 1.250 | 7 |
| 3 | Millwall | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 1.143 | 5 |
| 4 | Aldershot | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 0.400 | 2 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### London League

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 30 August 1941 | Arsenal | H | 4–1 | 12,000 | Hapgood (og), Wilkins, Perry, L. Smith |
| 2 | 6 September 1941 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 4–3 | 8,000 | Hunt, Wilkins, Perry |
| 3 | 13 September 1941 | Reading | H | 3–2 | 6,100 | Perry (2), Wilkins |
| 4 | 20 September 1941 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–2 | 5,000 | Perry, Hunt |
| 5 | 27 September 1941 | Clapton Orient | A | 3–1 | 3,500 | Perry, L. Smith, Hopkins |
| 6 | 4 October 1941 | Crystal Palace | H | 1–2 | 5,000 | Perry |
| 7 | 11 October 1941 | Fulham | A | 3–4 | 6,000 | Townsend, Smale, Perry |
| 8 | 18 October 1941 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–4 | 6,000 | Hunt |
| 9 | 25 October 1941 | Portsmouth | A | 1–2 | 5,000 | Hunt |
| 10 | 1 November 1941 | Chelsea | H | 3–1 | 4,650 | Perry, James, Hunt |
| 11 | 8 November 1941 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–1 | 6,320 | L. Smith, Hunt |
| 12 | 15 November 1941 | West Ham United | H | 0–5 | 5,000 | |
| 13 | 22 November 1941 | Watford | A | 6–1 | 4,000 | Hopkins (2), Perry (4) |
| 14 | 29 November 1941 | Aldershot | H | 5–1 | 4,410 | Hopkins, Hunt (2), Townsend, Duns |
| 15 | 6 December 1941 | Millwall | A | 2–4 | 2,000 | Muttitt, Townsend |
| 16 | 13 December 1941 | Arsenal | A | 3–1 | 9,739 | L. Smith, Duns, Perry |
| 17 | 20 December 1941 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 4–3 | 3,500 | Townsend (3), Hunt |
| 18 | 25 December 1941 | Reading | A | 3–4 | n/a | Townsend, Hopkins, L. Smith |
| 19 | 27 December 1941 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 4–2 | 5,000 | Townsend (2), Tooze (og), L. Smith |
| 20 | 3 January 1942 | Clapton Orient | H | 5–2 | 3,420 | Barnes (og), Holliday (2), McKenzie |
| 21 | 10 January 1942 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–2 | 6,000 | |
| 22 | 17 January 1942 | Fulham | H | 2–3 | 3,000 | L. Smith, Hopkins |
| 23 | 31 January 1942 | Portsmouth | H | 2–5 | 3,820 | Wilkins, Holliday |
| 24 | 7 February 1942 | Chelsea | A | 1–1 | 3,135 | Wilkins |
| 25 | 14 February 1942 | Charlton Athletic | A | 2–3 | 3,909 | Perry, Duncan |
| 26 | 21 February 1942 | West Ham United | A | 1–2 | 4,000 | Hunt |
| 27 | 28 February 1942 | Watford | H | 5–3 | 3,110 | L. Smith, Hunt (2), Hopkins (2) |
| 28 | 7 March 1942 | Aldershot | A | 3–6 | 3,000 | Hopkins, Hunt, McKenzie |
| 29 | 14 March 1942 | Millwall | H | 4–3 | 4,500 | Hopkins, L. Smith, Cardwell (og), Hunt |
| 30 | 25 April 1942 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–2 | 6,000 | Sneddon |

### London War Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| Grp | 21 March 1942 | Aldershot | H | 6–2 | 5,120 | Hunt (2), L. Smith, Perry, Wilkins |
| Grp | 28 March 1942 | Millwall | H | 3–3 | 3,500 | Perry, McKenzie (pen) |
| Grp | 4 April 1942 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 2–1 | 3,000 | Cheetham, Hunt |
| Grp | 6 April 1942 | Millwall | A | 2–2 | n/a | Cheetham (2) |
| Grp | 11 April 1942 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–0 | 7,310 | Perry |
| Grp | 18 April 1942 | Aldershot | A | 3–1 | 4,000 | Hopkins, L. Smith, J. Smith |
| SF | 2 May 1942 | Arsenal | N | 0–0 | 41,154 | |
| SF (replay) | 16 May 1942 | Arsenal | N | 2–1 | 40,000 | Wilkins, Hunt |
| F | 30 May 1942 | Portsmouth | N | 2–0 | 69,752 | L. Smith (2) |

### War Cup Winners' Match

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer | Notes |
| 6 June 1942 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | N | 1–1 | 20,174 | Collett | |
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

## Playing squad

       Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1941–42 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Buster Brown | (1910-09-06)6 September 1910 (aged 30) | Huddersfield Town | 1937 | |
| DF | George Poyser | (1910-02-06)6 February 1910 (aged 31) | Port Vale | 1934 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Vic Aicken | (1914-10-29)29 October 1914 (aged 26) | Glentoran | 1937 | Guest for Clapton Orient |
| HB | Jack Holliday | (1908-12-19)19 December 1908 (aged 32) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | |
| HB | Joe James | (1910-01-13)13 January 1910 (aged 31) | Battersea Church | 1929 | |
| HB | Tom Manley | (1912-10-07)7 October 1912 (aged 28) | Manchester United | 1939 | |
| HB | Ernest Muttitt | (1908-07-24)24 July 1908 (aged 33) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Tommy Cheetham | (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 30) | Queens Park Rangers | 1939 | Guest for Lincoln City and Queens Park Rangers |
| FW | Idris Hopkins | (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 30) | Crystal Palace | 1932 | |
| FW | Les Smith | (1918-03-13)13 March 1918 (aged 23) | Petersham | 1934 | |
| FW | Len Townsend | (1917-08-31)31 August 1917 (aged 23) | Hayes | 1937 | Guest for Chelsea |
| FW | George Wilkins | (1919-10-27)27 October 1919 (aged 21) | Hayes | 1939 | |
| Guest players |||||||
| GK | Sam Bartram | (1914-01-22)22 January 1914 (aged 27) | Charlton Athletic | 1941 | Guest from Charlton Athletic |
| GK | Harry Brown | (1924-04-09)9 April 1924 (aged 17) | Queens Park Rangers | 1942 | Guest from Queens Park Rangers |
| GK | David Davison | n/a | Blackburn Rovers | 1941 | Guest from Blackburn Rovers |
| GK | Harry Dukes | (1912-03-31)31 March 1912 (aged 29) | Norwich City | 1941 | Guest from Norwich City |
| GK | John Jackson | (1906-11-29)29 November 1906 (aged 34) | Chelsea | 1941 | Guest from Chelsea |
| GK | George Poland | (1913-09-21)21 September 1913 (aged 27) | Wrexham | 1941 | Guest from Wrexham |
| GK | Jock Purdie | (1918-05-24)24 May 1918 (aged 23) | Bradford City | 1942 | Guest from Bradford City |
| GK | Horace Rickett | (1912-01-03)3 January 1912 (aged 29) | Southend United | 1942 | Guest from Southend United |
| DF | Doug Anderson | (1914-03-25)25 March 1914 (aged 27) | Aberdeen | 1941 | Guest from Aberdeen |
| DF | Jimmy Harrison | (1921-02-12)12 February 1921 (aged 20) | Leicester City | 1941 | Guest from Leicester City |
| HB | Ernie Collett | (1914-11-17)17 November 1914 (aged 26) | Arsenal | 1942 | Guest from Arsenal |
| HB | Duncan McKenzie | (1912-08-10)10 August 1912 (aged 29) | Middlesbrough | 1941 | Guest from Middlesbrough |
| HB | Tally Sneddon | (1914-04-01)1 April 1914 (aged 27) | Swansea Town | 1942 | Guest from Swansea Town |
| HB | Bill Whittaker | (1922-12-20)20 December 1922 (aged 18) | Charlton Athletic | 1942 | Guest from Charlton Athletic |
| FW | Albert Bonass | (1911-05-29)29 May 1911 (aged 30) | Queens Park Rangers | 1941 | Guest from Queens Park Rangers |
| FW | Andy Duncan | (1911-01-25)25 January 1911 (aged 30) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1942 | Guest from Tottenham Hotspur |
| FW | Len Duns | (1916-09-26)26 September 1916 (aged 24) | Sunderland | 1941 | Guest from Sunderland |
| FW | Douglas Hunt | (1914-05-19)19 May 1914 (aged 27) | Sheffield Wednesday | 1942 | Guest from Sheffield Wednesday |
| FW | Eric Jones | (1915-02-15)15 February 1915 (aged 26) | West Bromwich Albion | 1942 | Guest from West Bromwich Albion |
| FW | Tommy Kiernan | (1918-10-20)20 October 1918 (aged 22) | Albion Rovers | 1942 | Guest from Albion Rovers |
| FW | David McCulloch | (1912-10-05)5 October 1912 (aged 28) | Derby County | 1941 | Guest from Derby County |
| FW | Tom Peacock | (1912-09-14)14 September 1912 (aged 28) | Nottingham Forest | 1942 | Guest from Nottingham Forest |
| FW | Eddie Perry | (1909-01-19)19 January 1909 (aged 32) | Doncaster Rovers | 1941 | Guest from Doncaster Rovers |
| FW | Douglas Smale | (1916-03-27)27 March 1916 (aged 25) | Chelsea | 1941 | Guest from Chelsea |
| FW | John Smith | 1921 (aged 20–21) | Chelsea | 1942 | Guest from Chelsea |
| FW | Trevor Smith | (1910-09-08)8 September 1910 (aged 29) | Crystal Palace | 1941 | Guest from Crystal Palace |
* Sources: Timeless Bees, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939, 100 Years Of Brentford

## 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 | L War Cup | L War Cup | Cup Win. | Cup Win. | Total | Total |
| Pos | Nat | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| DF | | Buster Brown | 29 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| DF | | George Poyser | 24 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| HB | | Vic Aicken | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 |
| HB | | Jack Holliday | 18 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 3 |
| HB | | Joe James | 30 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 1 |
| HB | | Ernest Muttitt | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 1 |
| HB | | Tom Manley | — | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Tommy Cheetham | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 3 |
| FW | | Idris Hopkins | 28 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 12 |
| FW | | Les Smith | 20 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 13 |
| FW | | Len Townsend | 13 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 9 |
| FW | | George Wilkins | 17 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 8 |
| Players guested during the season |||||||||||
| GK | | Harry Brown | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| GK | | David Davison | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| GK | | Harry Dukes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| GK | | John Jackson | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| GK | | George Poland | 14 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 |
| GK | | Jock Purdie | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| GK | | Horace Rickett | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| GK | | Sam Bartram | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Doug Anderson | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| DF | | Jimmy Harrison | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | Ernie Collett | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| HB | | Duncan McKenzie | 26 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 3 |
| HB | | Tally Sneddon | 8 | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 1 |
| HB | | Bill Whittaker | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Albert Bonass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Andy Duncan | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| FW | | Len Duns | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 2 |
| FW | | Douglas Hunt | 24 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 18 |
| FW | | Eric Jones | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| FW | | Tommy Kiernan | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | David McCulloch | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Tom Peacock | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Eddie Perry | 19 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 20 |
| FW | | Douglas Smale | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 |
| FW | | John Smith | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| FW | | Trevor Smith | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | LFL | LWC | CWM | Total |
| FW | | Eddie Perry | 16 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| FW | | Douglas Hunt | 14 | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| FW | | Les Smith | 9 | 4 | 0 | 13 |
| FW | | Idris Hopkins | 11 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| FW | | Len Townsend | 9 | — | — | 9 |
| FW | | George Wilkins | 5 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| HB | | Jack Holliday | 3 | — | — | 3 |
| HB | | Duncan McKenzie | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Tommy Cheetham | — | 3 | — | 3 |
| FW | | Len Duns | 2 | 0 | — | 2 |
| FW | | Andy Duncan | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| FW | | Douglas Smale | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| HB | | Joe James | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Ernest Muttitt | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| HB | | Tally Sneddon | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| HB | | Ernie Collett | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| FW | | John Smith | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | Total | Total | 80 | 21 | 1 | 102 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Wartime international caps

| Pos. | Nat | Player | Caps | Goals | Ref |
| FW | | Idris Hopkins | 2 | 1 | |
| FW | | Les Smith | 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 | | 30 August 1941 | 6 June 1942 | 40 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 050.00| | 30 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 046.67 |

### Summary

| Games played | 40 (30 London League, 9 London War Cup, 1 War Cup Winners' Match) |
| Games won | 20 (14 London League, 6 London War Cup, 0 War Cup Winners' Match) |
| Games drawn | 6 (2 London League, 3 London War Cup, 1 War Cup Winners' Match) |
| Games lost | 14 (14 London League, 0 London War Cup, 0 War Cup Winners' Match) |
| Goals scored | 102 (80 London League, 21 London War Cup, 1 War Cup Winners' Match) |
| Goals conceded | 87 (76 London League, 10 London War Cup, 1 War Cup Winners' Match) |
| Clean sheets | 3 (0 London League, 3 London War Cup, 0 War Cup Winners' Match) |
| Biggest league win | 6–1 versus Watford, 22 November 1941 |
| Worst league defeat | 5–0 versus West Ham United, 15 November 1941 |
| Most appearances | 40, Buster Brown (29 London League, 9 London War Cup, 1 War Cup Winners' Match) |
| Top scorer (league) | 16, Eddie Perry |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 20, Eddie Perry |

## Transfers & loans

    Guest players' arrival and departure dates correspond to their first and last appearances of the season.
Guest players in :
| Date from | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Date to | Ref. |
| 30 August 1941 | FW | Douglas Hunt | Sheffield Wednesday | End of season | |
| 30 August 1941 | GK | John Jackson | Chelsea | End of season | |
| 30 August 1941 | HB | Duncan McKenzie | Middlesbrough | End of season | |
| 30 August 1941 | FW | Eddie Perry | Doncaster Rovers | End of season | |
| 6 September 1941 | FW | Eric Jones | West Bromwich Albion | 18 October 1941 | |
| 11 October 1941 | FW | Douglas Smale | Chelsea | 3 January 1942 | |
| 25 October 1941 | GK | Sam Bartram | Charlton Athletic | 25 October 1941 | |
| 25 October 1941 | FW | Albert Bonass | Queens Park Rangers | 25 October 1941 | |
| 25 October 1941 | FW | Trevor Smith | Crystal Palace | 25 October 1941 | |
| 1 November 1941 | GK | George Poland | Wrexham | 25 April 1942 | |
| 8 November 1941 | FW | David McCulloch | Derby County | 8 November 1941 | |
| 15 November 1941 | GK | Harry Dukes | Norwich City | 15 November 1941 | |
| 29 November 1941 | DF | Doug Anderson | Aberdeen | 31 January 1942 | |
| 29 November 1941 | FW | Len Duns | Sunderland | 18 April 1942 | |
| 6 December 1941 | GK | David Davison | Blackburn Rovers | 6 December 1941 | |
| 27 December 1941 | DF | Jimmy Harrison | Leicester City | 10 January 1942 | |
| 27 December 1941 | GK | Horace Rickett | Southend United | 10 January 1942 | |
| 17 January 1942 | HB | Tally Sneddon | Swansea Town | 30 May 1942 | |
| 7 February 1942 | GK | Jock Purdie | Bradford City | 28 February 1942 | |
| 14 February 1942 | FW | Andy Duncan | Tottenham Hotspur | 14 February 1942 | |
| 7 March 1942 | FW | Tom Peacock | Nottingham Forest | 7 March 1942 | |
| 14 March 1942 | GK | Harry Brown | Queens Park Rangers | 21 March 1942 | |
| 11 April 1942 | HB | Bill Whittaker | Charlton Athletic | 18 April 1942 | |
| 18 April 1942 | FW | John Smith | Chelsea | 18 April 1942 | |
| 25 April 1942 | FW | Tommy Kiernan | Albion Rovers | 25 April 1942 | |
| 6 June 1942 | HB | Ernie Collett | Arsenal | End of season | |
| Guest players out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| 30 August 1941 | GK | Joe Crozier | Hibernian | 4 July 1942 | |
| 22 November 1941 | FW | Tommy Cheetham | Lincoln City | n/a | |
| 14 February 1942 | FW | Len Townsend | Chelsea | 6 April 1942 | |
| 9 May 1942 | FW | Tommy Cheetham | Queens Park Rangers | 9 May 1942 | |
| n/a | HB | Vic Aicken | Clapton Orient | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| 2 March 1942 | FW | Percy Saunders | Killed in action | | |