# 1980–81 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1980–81 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. In a mid-table season, the Bees drew a club-record 19 league matches.

## Season summary

After narrowly saving Brentford from relegation to the Fourth Division at the end of the previous season, interim manager Fred Callaghan was given the job on a full-time basis, with Ron Harris appointed as his assistant. Callaghan conducted a clear-out of the squad, releasing captain Jackie Graham and bit-part players Doug Allder, Allan Glover, Billy Holmes and Trevor Porter. Aside from Ron Harris (who would continue his playing career), Callaghan brought in five new players, with £20,000 laid out on midfielders David Crown, Terry Hurlock and Barry Silkman. £55,000 was generated from the sales of forwards Steve Phillips and Lee Holmes, but Callaghan was presented with a problem when Len Bond, Barry Tucker, John Fraser and Dave Carlton, mainstays of the team for the previous two years, refused to sign new contracts. All but Tucker would depart Griffin Park during the early months of the season, with Bond fetching a £12,000 fee.
Brentford had a mixed start to the season, exiting the League Cup at the first hurdle, but three wins and two draws from six matches in September 1980 put the club in 6th position. Gradually the season played itself out into one of consolidation in mid-table, with Callaghan continuing to overhaul his squad. Forwards Gary Johnson and Lee Frost arrived from Chelsea in December 1980 for a £30,000 fee, while squad members Willie Graham, Iori Jenkins and Dean Smith were released in February 1981. Brentford ended the season in 9th place, off the back of a run of just two defeats in the final 21 matches. Bob Booker finished the season as the team's top scorer in league matches, with a meagre seven goals.
Four club records were set or equalled during the season:
* Most Football League draws in a season: 19
* Most Football League away draws in a season: 10
* Most consecutive away Football League draws: 6 (27 December 1980 – 7 March 1981)
* Most consecutive away Football League clean sheets: 4 (6 September – 8 October 1980)

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 7 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 56 | 44 | +12 | 52 |
| 8 | Burnley | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 60 | 48 | +12 | 50 |
| 9 | Brentford | 46 | 14 | 19 | 13 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 47 |
| 10 | Reading | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 62 | 62 | 0 | 46 |
| 11 | Exeter City | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 62 | 66 | −4 | 45 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 28 July 1980 | Yeovil Town | A | 2–2 | n/a | Booker, Crown |
| 31 July 1980 | Hounslow | A | 1–1 | n/a | Funnell |
| 2 August 1980 | Wimbledon | A | 1–2 | 772 | Booker |
| 4 August 1980 | Slough Town | A | 0–2 | n/a | |
| 6 August 1980 | Chelsea | H | 3–0 | 4,550 | Smith, Hill, Crown |
| 5 February 1981 | Hillingdon Borough | A | 1–4 | n/a | Pullen |
| 9 March 1981 | KB | H | 3–0 | 2,090 | Funnell (3) |
| 19 March 1981 | Dorchester Town | A | 1–0 | n/a | Roberts |
| 14 April 1981 | Walthamstow Avenue | A | 5–2 | n/a | Crown (2), Funnell, Roberts, McKellar (pen) |
| 27 April 1981 | Walton & Hersham | A | 2–2 | n/a | Crown (2) |
| 28 April 1981 | Leytonstone/Ilford | A | 1–4 | n/a | Booker |
| 5 May 1981 | Wembley | A | 4–2 | n/a | Roberts (2), R. Johnson |
| 7 May 1981 | NK GOŠK Dubrovnik | A | 1–3 | n/a | Harris |
| 12 May 1981 | HNK Hajduk Split | A | 1–1 | n/a | Shrubb |

### Football League Third Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 16 August 1980 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–3 | 5,125 | Hill |
| 2 | 18 August 1980 | Millwall | H | 1–0 | 6,524 | Funnell |
| 3 | 23 August 1980 | Reading | H | 1–2 | 6,717 | Funnell |
| 4 | 30 August 1980 | Walsall | A | 3–2 | 4,586 | Walker, Hill, Funnell |
| 5 | 6 September 1980 | Portsmouth | A | 2–0 | 16,971 | Booker, Funnell |
| 6 | 13 September 1980 | Fulham | H | 1–3 | 11,610 | Booker |
| 7 | 15 September 1980 | Barnsley | H | 1–1 | 6,935 | Funnell |
| 8 | 20 September 1980 | Blackpool | A | 3–0 | 3,738 | Crown (2), Walker |
| 9 | 27 September 1980 | Hull City | H | 2–2 | 6,305 | Jenkins, Funnell |
| 10 | 30 September 1980 | Barnsley | A | 1–0 | 11,227 | Walker |
| 11 | 4 October 1980 | Newport County | H | 0–1 | 7,309 | |
| 12 | 8 October 1980 | Exeter City | A | 0–0 | 4,665 | |
| 13 | 11 October 1980 | Carlisle United | A | 2–1 | 3,030 | Walker, Silkman (pen) |
| 14 | 18 October 1980 | Chester | H | 0–1 | 6,604 | |
| 15 | 20 October 1980 | Gillingham | H | 3–3 | 6,786 | Crown, Hurlock, Smith |
| 16 | 25 October 1980 | Burnley | A | 0–2 | 7,324 | |
| 17 | 28 October 1980 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–0 | 7,249 | Smith |
| 18 | 1 November 1980 | Oxford United | H | 3–0 | 6,549 | Hill, Crown (2) |
| 19 | 3 November 1980 | Exeter City | H | 0–1 | 6,593 | |
| 20 | 8 November 1980 | Chesterfield | A | 1–2 | 7,127 | Graham |
| 21 | 11 November 1980 | Millwall | A | 2–2 | 4,279 | Booker, Hurlock |
| 22 | 15 November 1980 | Charlton Athletic | H | 0–1 | 8,181 | |
| 23 | 29 November 1980 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–3 | 8,871 | |
| 24 | 6 December 1980 | Swindon Town | H | 1–1 | 5,727 | Kruse |
| 25 | 20 December 1980 | Rotherham United | A | 1–4 | 5,913 | G. Johnson |
| 26 | 26 December 1980 | Colchester United | H | 2–1 | 6,241 | Kruse, Hurlock |
| 27 | 27 December 1980 | Sheffield United | A | 0–0 | 13,130 | |
| 28 | 3 January 1981 | Burnley | H | 0–0 | 6,379 | |
| 29 | 10 January 1981 | Chester | A | 0–0 | 2,237 | |
| 30 | 17 January 1981 | Huddersfield Town | H | 0–0 | 5,831 | |
| 31 | 24 January 1981 | Walsall | H | 4–0 | 5,503 | Frost, G. Johnson, Shrubb |
| 32 | 31 January 1981 | Reading | A | 0–0 | 6,374 | |
| 33 | 7 February 1981 | Fulham | A | 1–1 | 8,627 | Roberts |
| 34 | 14 February 1981 | Portsmouth | H | 2–2 | 10,162 | Tucker (pen), Roberts |
| 35 | 21 February 1981 | Hull City | A | 0–0 | 4,535 | |
| 36 | 28 February 1981 | Blackpool | H | 2–0 | 5,850 | G. Johnson, Frost |
| 37 | 7 March 1981 | Newport County | A | 1–1 | 5,270 | Crown |
| 38 | 14 March 1981 | Carlisle United | H | 1–1 | 6,209 | Frost |
| 39 | 21 March 1981 | Gillingham | A | 0–2 | 3,916 | |
| 40 | 28 March 1981 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 0–1 | 5,868 | |
| 41 | 4 April 1981 | Oxford United | A | 1–1 | 4,085 | Booker |
| 42 | 11 April 1981 | Chesterfield | H | 3–2 | 4,883 | Roberts, G. Johnson, Ridley (og) |
| 43 | 18 April 1981 | Sheffield United | H | 1–1 | 5,622 | Booker |
| 44 | 20 April 1981 | Colchester United | A | 2–0 | 2,609 | Shrubb, Booker |
| 45 | 25 April 1981 | Rotherham United | H | 2–1 | 6,909 | Booker, Hurlock |
| 46 | 2 May 1981 | Swindon Town | A | 0–0 | 8,968 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R | 22 November 1980 | Addlestone & Weybridge Town | A | 2–2 | 6,536 | Booker, Funnell (pen) |
| 1R (replay) | 25 November 1980 | Addlestone & Weybridge Town | H | 2–0 | 7,678 | Crown, Funnell |
| 2R | 13 December 1980 | Fulham | A | 0–1 | 11,261 | |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R (1st leg) | 9 August 1980 | Charlton Athletic | H | 3–1 | 5,847 | Crown, Smith, Walker |
| 1R (2nd leg) | 12 August 1980 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–5 (lost 6–3 on aggregate) | 3,764 | |
* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties, Statto

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1980–81 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Paul McCullough | (1959-10-26)26 October 1959 (aged 20) | Dawlish Town | 1980 | |
| GK | David McKellar | (1956-05-22)22 May 1956 (aged 24) | Derby County | 1980 | Loaned from Derby County before transferring permanently |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Mark Hill | (1961-01-21)21 January 1961 (aged 19) | Queens Park Rangers | 1980 | |
| DF | Robbie Johnson | (1962-03-30)30 March 1962 (aged 18) | Arsenal | 1981 | |
| DF | Pat Kruse | (1953-11-30)30 November 1953 (aged 26) | Torquay United | 1977 | |
| DF | Jim McNichol | (1958-06-09)9 June 1958 (aged 22) | Luton Town | 1978 | |
| DF | Danis Salman | (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 20) | Youth | 1975 | |
| DF | Paul Shrubb | (1955-08-01)1 August 1955 (aged 25) | Hellenic | 1977 | |
| DF | Barry Tucker | (1952-08-28)28 August 1952 (aged 27) | Northampton Town | 1978 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | David Crown | (1958-02-16)16 February 1958 (aged 22) | Walthamstow Avenue | 1980 | |
| MF | Lee Frost | (1957-12-04)4 December 1957 (aged 22) | Chelsea | 1980 | |
| MF | Tony Funnell | (1957-08-20)20 August 1957 (aged 22) | Gillingham | 1980 | |
| MF | Ron Harris (c) | (1944-11-13)13 November 1944 (aged 35) | Chelsea | 1980 | Assistant manager |
| MF | Terry Hurlock | (1958-11-22)22 November 1958 (aged 21) | Leytonstone/Ilford | 1980 | |
| MF | Gary Roberts | (1960-04-05)5 April 1960 (aged 20) | Wembley | 1980 | |
| MF | Kevin Teer | (1963-12-07)7 December 1963 (aged 16) | Youth | 1981 | |
| MF | Paul Walker | (1960-12-17)17 December 1960 (aged 19) | Youth | 1976 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Bob Booker | (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 22) | Bedmond Sports & Social | 1978 | |
| FW | Gary Johnson | (1959-09-14)14 September 1959 (aged 20) | Chelsea | 1980 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Iori Jenkins | (1959-12-11)11 December 1959 (aged 20) | Chelsea | 1979 | Released |
| MF | Willie Graham | (1959-02-14)14 February 1959 (aged 21) | Northampton Town | 1977 | Transferred to Hillingdon Borough |
| MF | Barry Silkman | (1952-06-29)29 June 1952 (aged 28) | Manchester City | 1980 | Transferred to Queens Park Rangers |
| FW | Dean Smith | (1958-11-28)28 November 1958 (aged 21) | Leicester City | 1977 | Released |
* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Fred Callaghan | Manager |
| Ron Harris | Assistant Manager |
| Eddie Lyons | Physiotherapist |
| John Griffin | Chief Scout |

## 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 | | Paul McCullough | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| GK | | David McKellar | 39 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| DF | | Mark Hill | 37 (1) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 (1) | 3 |
| DF | | Iori Jenkins | 11 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 (3) | 1 |
| DF | | Robbie Johnson | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Pat Kruse | 42 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 2 |
| DF | | Jim McNichol | 11 (3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 (3) | 0 |
| DF | | Danis Salman | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 40 (1) | 0 |
| DF | | Paul Shrubb | 38 (4) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 (4) | 2 |
| DF | | Barry Tucker | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| MF | | David Crown | 37 (1) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 42 (1) | 8 |
| MF | | Lee Frost | 15 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 3 |
| MF | | Tony Funnell | 21 (2) | 6 | 2 (1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23 (3) | 8 |
| MF | | Willie Graham | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| MF | | Ron Harris | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| MF | | Terry Hurlock | 42 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 4 |
| MF | | Gary Roberts | 14 (5) | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 (5) | 3 |
| MF | | Barry Silkman | 14 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| MF | | Kevin Teer | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| MF | | Paul Walker | 29 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 5 |
| FW | | Bob Booker | 25 (1) | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 30 (1) | 8 |
| FW | | Gary Johnson | 22 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 5 |
| FW | | Dean Smith | 6 (1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 (1) | 3 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | FLC | Total |
| FW | | Bob Booker | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| MF | | Tony Funnell | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| MF | | David Crown | 6 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| FW | | Gary Johnson | 5 | — | — | 5 |
| MF | | Paul Walker | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| MF | | Terry Hurlock | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| MF | | Lee Frost | 3 | — | — | 3 |
| MF | | Gary Roberts | 3 | 0 | — | 3 |
| DF | | Mark Hill | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Dean Smith | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| DF | | Pat Kruse | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| DF | | Paul Shrubb | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Barry Silkman | 1 | — | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Willie Graham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Iori Jenkins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Barry Tucker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 52 | 4 | 3 | 59 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties

### 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 % |
| Fred Callaghan | | 9 August 1980 | 2 May 1981 | 51 | 16 | 20 | 15 | 031.37 | 46 | 14 | 19 | 13 | 030.43 |

### Summary

| Games played | 51 (46 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 2 League Cup) |
| Games won | 16 (14 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Games drawn | 20 (19 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games lost | 15 (13 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals scored | 59 (52 Third Division, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 58 (49 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 6 League Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 18 (17 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 4–0 versus Walsall, 24 January 1981 |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 versus Huddersfield Town, 29 November 1980; 4–1 versus Rotherham United, 20 December 1980 |
| Most appearances | 47, Pat Kruse, Paul Shrubb (42 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 2 League Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 7, Bob Booker |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 8, Bob Booker, David Crown |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| May 1980 | MF | Ron Harris | Chelsea | n/a | |
| July 1980 | MF | David Crown | Walthamstow Avenue | £5,000 | |
| July 1980 | DF | Mark Hill | Queens Park Rangers | Free | |
| July 1980 | GK | Paul McCullough | Dawlish Town | n/a | |
| August 1980 | MF | Terry Hurlock | Leytonstone/Ilford | £10,000 | |
| August 1980 | MF | Barry Silkman | Manchester City | £5,000 | |
| October 1980 | GK | David McKellar | Derby County | £25,000 | |
| October 1980 | MF | Gary Roberts | Wembley | £6,000 | |
| December 1980 | FW | Lee Frost | Chelsea | n/a | |
| December 1980 | FW | Gary Johnson | Chelsea | £30,000 | |
| 1980 | DF | Kevin Teer | n/a | n/a | |
| 1980 | DF | Terry Rowe | n/a | n/a | |
| March 1981 | DF | Robbie Johnson | Arsenal | Trial | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| September 1980 | GK | David McKellar | Derby County | October 1980 | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| August 1980 | FW | Steve Phillips | Northampton Town | £50,000 | |
| October 1980 | GK | Len Bond | Exeter City | £12,000 | |
| October 1980 | MF | Barry Silkman | Queens Park Rangers | £20,000 | |
| 1980 | FW | Lee Holmes | Enfield | £5,000 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| August 1980 | MF | Dave Carlton | Northampton Town | September 1980 | |
| August 1980 | MF | John Fraser | Oxford City | 1980 | |
| November 1980 | DF | Dave O'Mahoney | n/a | n/a | |
| February 1981 | MF | Willie Graham | Hillingdon Borough | February 1981 | |
| February 1981 | DF | Iori Jenkins | Kettering Town | 1981 | |
| February 1981 | FW | Dean Smith | Nuneaton Borough | February 1981 | |
| May 1981 | FW | Lee Frost | Addlestone & Weybridge Town | 1981 | |
| May 1981 | GK | Paul McCullough | Mjällby AIF | n/a | |

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Terry Hurlock
* Players' Player of the Year: Terry Hurlock