# 1987–88 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1987–88 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. The Bees contended for a place in the play-offs until a run of just two wins from the final 17 matches of the season dropped the club into mid-table.

## Season summary

After taking over as Brentford manager in January 1987, Steve Perryman continued the remodelling of his squad through the 1987 off-season. Transferred out were defender Phil Bater, midfielder Paul Maddy and forward Francis Joseph, with the deals raising £37,000. In came a number of players on free transfers or a trial basis, the most notable of whom being former Chelsea midfielder Colin Lee, in a dual player/Youth Development Officer role. After beginning the Third Division season in and around the relegation places, manager Perryman continued to buy and sell players, raising another £10,000 from the sale of defender Jamie Murray and winger Ian Holloway and bringing in former Chelsea midfielder Keith Jones for a £40,000 fee. With forward Gary Blissett failing to show form in front of goal and Andy Sinton almost single-handedly leading the attack from midfield, the loan signing of Paul Williams in October 1987 galvanised the team, with Williams scoring six goals in eight appearances before being recalled by Charlton Athletic. An eight-match unbeaten run from mid-November 1987 to 2 January 1988, despite the £30,000 sale of forward Robbie Cooke, put Brentford as high as 6th position, once place outside the play-off zone. The December loan signing of Arsenal midfielder Graham Rix proved key to the continued good form.
A 1–0 win over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on 16 January 1988, courtesy of a Keith Millen goal, raised Brentford into the play-off zone. After 3–1 victory over rivals Fulham in the following league match and the recall of Graham Rix to Highbury, the Bees' form disintegrated. The team lost four consecutive matches in February without scoring a goal and would win just two of the final 17 matches of the season to finish in 12th place. Manager Steve Perryman had attempted to rectify the slump by signing midfielder Ian Stewart and forward Les Ferdinand on loan, but both proved to be a disappointment. Right back Roger Joseph's performances earned him a place in the Third Division PFA Team of the Year, the first time a Brentford player had been recognised by the PFA.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 10 | Blackpool | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 71 | 62 | +9 | 65 |
| 11 | Port Vale | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 58 | 56 | +2 | 65 |
| 12 | Brentford | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 53 | 59 | −6 | 62 |
| 13 | Gillingham | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 77 | 61 | +16 | 59 |
| 14 | Bury | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 58 | 57 | +1 | 59 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 23 July 1987 | Camberley Town | A | 2–0 | n/a | Priddle, Blissett |
| 27 July 1987 | Truro City | A | 6–2 | n/a | Blissett (2), Cooke (pen), Sinton, Carroll, Holloway |
| 1 August 1987 | Yeading | A | 0–1 | n/a | |
| 10 August 1987 | Chelsea | H | 0–3 | n/a | |
| 5 December 1987 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–0 | 4,347 | |
| 15 April 1987 | Southampton | H | 0–2 | n/a | |

### Football League Third Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 15 August 1987 | Sunderland | H | 0–1 | 7,509 | |
| 2 | 29 August 1987 | Bristol City | H | 0–2 | 4,328 | |
| 3 | 31 August 1987 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–0 | 3,361 | Blissett |
| 4 | 5 September 1987 | Rotherham United | H | 1–1 | 3,604 | Jones |
| 5 | 9 September 1987 | Northampton Town | A | 1–2 | 5,748 | Cooke (pen) |
| 6 | 12 September 1987 | Southend United | A | 3–2 | 4,418 | Blissett, Cooke, Sinton |
| 7 | 15 September 1987 | Chesterfield | H | 2–0 | 3,183 | Benjamin (og), Cooke (pen) |
| 8 | 19 September 1987 | Blackpool | H | 2–1 | 3,886 | Sinton, Smith |
| 9 | 26 September 1987 | Aldershot | A | 1–4 | 3,651 | Sinton |
| 10 | 29 September 1987 | Preston North End | A | 2–1 | 4,241 | Sinton, Carroll |
| 11 | 3 October 1987 | Port Vale | H | 1–0 | 4,007 | Sinton |
| 12 | 10 October 1987 | Bury | A | 2–2 | 2,300 | Bates, Sinton |
| 13 | 17 October 1987 | Walsall | H | 0–0 | 5,056 | |
| 14 | 20 October 1987 | Chester City | H | 1–1 | 4,027 | Cooke |
| 15 | 24 October 1987 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1–2 | 7,600 | Stanislaus |
| 16 | 31 October 1987 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–1 | 4,487 | Williams |
| 17 | 3 November 1987 | Gillingham | A | 1–0 | 4,513 | Thorne |
| 18 | 7 November 1987 | Notts County | A | 0–3 | 5,634 | |
| 19 | 21 November 1987 | Wigan Athletic | H | 2–1 | 3,625 | Sinton (pen), Williams |
| 20 | 28 November 1987 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 1–0 | 1,360 | Williams |
| 21 | 12 December 1987 | Mansfield Town | H | 2–2 | 3,729 | Carroll, Blissett |
| 22 | 18 December 1987 | York City | A | 1–1 | 1,801 | Turner |
| 23 | 26 December 1987 | Aldershot | H | 3–0 | 5,578 | Millen, Sinton, Birch |
| 24 | 28 December 1987 | Fulham | A | 2–2 | 9,369 | Evans, Birch |
| 25 | 1 January 1988 | Bristol City | A | 3–2 | 12,877 | Blissett (2), Sinton |
| 26 | 2 January 1988 | Southend United | H | 1–0 | 5,752 | Stanislaus |
| 27 | 9 January 1988 | Northampton Town | H | 0–1 | 6,025 | |
| 28 | 16 January 1988 | Blackpool | A | 1–0 | 3,911 | Millen |
| 29 | 14 February 1988 | Fulham | H | 3–1 | 8,712 | Blissett, Elkins (og), Millen |
| 30 | 17 February 1988 | Rotherham United | A | 0–2 | 2,572 | |
| 31 | 20 February 1988 | Sunderland | A | 0–2 | 15,458 | |
| 32 | 23 February 1988 | Grimsby Town | H | 0–2 | 3,534 | |
| 33 | 27 February 1988 | Port Vale | A | 0–1 | 3,876 | |
| 34 | 1 March 1988 | Preston North End | H | 2–0 | 3,505 | |
| 35 | 5 March 1988 | Walsall | A | 2–4 | 4,548 | Blissett, Evans |
| 36 | 12 March 1988 | Bury | H | 0–3 | 3,920 | |
| 37 | 19 March 1988 | Bristol Rovers | A | 0–0 | 3,380 | |
| 38 | 26 March 1988 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–1 | 5,331 | Lee |
| 39 | 2 April 1988 | Notts County | H | 1–0 | 4,388 | Blissett |
| 40 | 4 April 1988 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–1 | 3,297 | Evans |
| 41 | 9 April 1988 | Gillingham | H | 2–2 | 3,875 | Sinton (2) |
| 42 | 19 April 1988 | Chesterfield | A | 1–2 | 2,010 | Turner |
| 43 | 23 April 1988 | Chester City | A | 1–1 | 1,793 | Cockram |
| 44 | 30 April 1988 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 1–1 | 3,122 | Cockram |
| 45 | 2 May 1988 | Mansfield Town | A | 1–2 | 2,664 | Carroll |
| 46 | 7 May 1988 | York City | H | 1–2 | 4,180 | Carroll |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| 1R | 14 November 1987 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 0–2 | 6,358 |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| R1 (1st leg) | 18 August 1987 | Southend United | H | 2–1 | 2,837 | Sinton, Blissett |
| R1 (2nd leg) | 25 August 1987 | Southend United | A | 2–4 (lost 4–5 on aggregate) | 2,111 | Carroll, Cooke |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer |
| SPR (match 1) | 28 October 1987 | Northampton Town | A | 0–1 | 3,076 | |
| SPR (match 2) | 24 November 1987 | Notts County | H | 3–2 | 2,005 | Williams (3) |
| SR1 | 19 January 1988 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–4 | 6,298 | |
* 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 1987–88 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Tony Oliver | (1967-09-22)22 September 1967 (aged 19) | Portsmouth | 1987 | |
| GK | Gary Phillips | (1961-09-20)20 September 1961 (aged 25) | Barnet | 1984 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Jamie Bates | (1968-02-24)24 February 1968 (aged 19) | Youth | 1986 | |
| DF | Terry Evans | (1965-04-12)12 April 1965 (aged 22) | Hillingdon | 1985 | |
| DF | Matthew Howard | (1970-12-05)5 December 1970 (aged 16) | Youth | 1988 | |
| DF | Roger Joseph | (1965-12-24)24 December 1965 (aged 21) | Southall | 1984 | |
| DF | Keith Millen | (1966-09-26)26 September 1966 (aged 20) | Youth | 1985 | |
| DF | Roger Stanislaus | (1968-11-02)2 November 1968 (aged 18) | Arsenal | 1987 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Paul Buckle | (1970-12-16)16 December 1970 (aged 16) | Youth | 1988 | |
| MF | Robbie Carroll | (1968-02-15)15 February 1968 (aged 19) | Gosport Borough | 1986 | |
| MF | Allan Cockram | (1963-10-08)8 October 1963 (aged 23) | St Albans City | 1988 | |
| MF | Andy Feeley | (1961-09-30)30 September 1961 (aged 25) | Leicester City | 1987 | |
| MF | Keith Jones | (1965-10-14)14 October 1965 (aged 21) | Chelsea | 1987 | |
| MF | Colin Lee | (1956-06-12)12 June 1956 (aged 31) | Chelsea | 1987 | Youth Development Officer |
| MF | Steve Perryman | (1951-12-21)21 December 1951 (aged 35) | Oxford United | 1986 | Manager |
| MF | Andy Sinton | (1966-03-19)19 March 1966 (aged 21) | Cambridge United | 1985 | |
| MF | Paul Smith | (1967-10-05)5 October 1967 (aged 19) | Arsenal | 1987 | |
| MF | Wayne Turner (c) | (1961-03-09)9 March 1961 (aged 26) | Coventry City | 1986 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Paul Birch | (1968-12-03)3 December 1968 (aged 18) | Portsmouth | 1987 | Loaned from Portsmouth before transferring permanently |
| FW | Gary Blissett | (1964-05-29)29 May 1964 (aged 23) | Crewe Alexandra | 1987 | |
| FW | Bob Booker | (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 29) | Bedmond Sports & Social | 1978 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Jamie Murray | (1958-12-27)27 December 1958 (aged 28) | Cambridge United | 1984 | Transferred to Cambridge United |
| MF | Ian Holloway | (1963-03-12)12 March 1963 (aged 24) | Wimbledon | 1986 | Transferred to Bristol Rovers |
| MF | Sean Priddle | (1965-12-14)14 December 1965 (aged 21) | Exeter City | 1987 | Released |
| MF | Graham Rix | (1957-10-23)23 October 1957 (aged 29) | Portsmouth | 1987 | Returned to Portsmouth after loan |
| MF | Ian Stewart | (1961-09-10)10 September 1961 (aged 25) | Arsenal | 1988 | Returned to Arsenal after loan |
| MF | Steve Thorne | (1968-09-15)15 September 1968 (aged 18) | Watford | 1987 | Released |
| FW | Robbie Cooke | (1957-02-16)16 February 1957 (aged 30) | Cambridge United | 1984 | Transferred to Millwall |
| FW | Les Ferdinand | (1966-12-08)8 December 1966 (aged 20) | Queens Park Rangers | 1987 | Returned to Queens Park Rangers after loan |
| FW | Warren Gravette | (1968-09-13)13 September 1968 (aged 18) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1987 | Released |
| FW | Paul Williams | (1965-04-16)16 April 1965 (aged 22) | Charlton Athletic | 1987 | Returned to Charlton Athletic after loan |
* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Steve Perryman | Manager |
| Phil Holder | Assistant Manager |
| Roy Clare | Physiotherapist |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    Substitute appearances in brackets.
| Pos | Nat | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | FL Trophy | Total | Total |
| Pos | Nat | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | | Tony Oliver | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| GK | | Gary Phillips | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| DF | | Jamie Bates | 20 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 (3) | 1 |
| DF | | Terry Evans | 29 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 4 |
| DF | | Matthew Howard | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| DF | | Roger Joseph | 43 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| DF | | Keith Millen | 40 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 3 |
| DF | | Jamie Murray | 4 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 |
| DF | | Roger Stanislaus | 36 (1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 40 (1) | 2 |
| MF | | Paul Buckle | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 |
| MF | | Robbie Carroll | 8 (4) | 4 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 10 (6) | 5 |
| MF | | Allan Cockram | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 2 |
| MF | | Andy Feeley | 27 (7) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 (7) | 0 |
| MF | | Ian Holloway | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| MF | | Keith Jones | 34 (2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 36 (2) | 1 |
| MF | | Colin Lee | 19 (3) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 (3) | 1 |
| MF | | Steve Perryman | 16 (5) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 (6) | 0 |
| MF | | Sean Priddle | 5 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (1) | 0 |
| MF | | Andy Sinton | 46 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 52 | 12 |
| MF | | Paul Smith | 10 (7) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 11 (8) | 1 |
| MF | | Steve Thorne | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| MF | | Wayne Turner | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 2 |
| FW | | Paul Birch | 13 (3) | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 14 (3) | 2 |
| FW | | Gary Blissett | 40 (1) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 44 (1) | 10 |
| FW | | Bob Booker | 1 (11) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 1 (14) | 0 |
| FW | | Robbie Cooke | 15 (1) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19 (1) | 5 |
| FW | | Warren Gravette | 1 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (4) | 0 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||||
| MF | | Ian Stewart | 4 (3) | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 (3) | 0 |
| MF | | Graham Rix | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 |
| FW | | Les Ferdinand | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | | Paul Williams | 7 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | FLC | FLT | Total |
| MF | | Andy Sinton | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| FW | | Gary Blissett | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| FW | | Paul Williams | 3 | — | — | 3 | 6 |
| MF | | Robbie Carroll | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| FW | | Robbie Cooke | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| DF | | Terry Evans | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| DF | | Keith Millen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| MF | | Allan Cockram | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
| FW | | Paul Birch | 2 | — | — | 0 | 2 |
| DF | | Roger Stanislaus | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Wayne Turner | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Keith Jones | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Jamie Bates | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Colin Lee | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Paul Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Steve Thorne | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | Total | Total | 53 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 60 |
* 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 % |
| Steve Perryman | | 15 August 1987 | 7 May 1988 | 52 | 18 | 14 | 20 | 034.62 | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 034.78 |

### Summary

| Games played | 52 (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy) |
| Games won | 18 (16 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Games drawn | 14 (14 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy) |
| Games lost | 20 (16 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals scored | 60 (53 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals conceded | 73 (59 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 7 Football League Trophy) |
| Clean sheets | 13 (13 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy) |
| Biggest league win | 3–0 versus Aldershot, 26 December 1987 |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 on two occasions; 4–1 versus Aldershot, 26 September 1987 |
| Most appearances | 52, Andy Sinton (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy) |
| Top scorer (league) | 11, Andy Sinton |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 12, Andy Sinton |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| July 1987 | FW | Warren Gravette | Tottenham Hotspur | Free | |
| July 1987 | MF | Colin Lee | Chelsea | n/a | |
| July 1987 | GK | Tony Oliver | Portsmouth | Trial | |
| July 1987 | MF | Sean Priddle | Exeter City | Free | |
| August 1987 | MF | Andy Feeley | Leicester City | Trial | |
| 27 August 1987 | MF | Paul Smith | Arsenal | Trial | |
| 3 September 1987 | MF | Keith Jones | Chelsea | £40,000 | |
| 18 September 1987 | DF | Roger Stanislaus | Arsenal | Trial | |
| September 1987 | MF | Steve Thorne | Watford | Trial | |
| 1987 | MF | Paul Buckle | n/a | n/a | |
| 1987 | DF | Jason Cousins | n/a | n/a | |
| 1987 | MF | Marcus Gayle | n/a | n/a | |
| 1987 | DF | Matthew Howard | Watford | n/a | |
| January 1988 | FW | Paul Birch | Portsmouth | £10,000 | |
| 22 March 1988 | MF | Allan Cockram | St Albans City | Non-contract | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| 20 October 1987 | FW | Paul Williams | Charlton Athletic | November 1987 | |
| December 1987 | FW | Paul Birch | Portsmouth | January 1988 | |
| December 1987 | MF | Graham Rix | Arsenal | February 1988 | |
| February 1988 | MF | Ian Stewart | Portsmouth | March 1988 | |
| 24 March 1988 | FW | Les Ferdinand | Queens Park Rangers | April 1988 | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| July 1987 | DF | Phil Bater | Cardiff City | £5,000 | |
| July 1987 | FW | Francis Joseph | Reading | £25,000 | |
| July 1987 | MF | Paul Maddy | Chester City | £7,000 | |
| 21 August 1987 | MF | Ian Holloway | Bristol Rovers | £5,000 | |
| September 1987 | DF | Jamie Murray | Cambridge United | £5,000 | |
| 11 December 1987 | FW | Robbie Cooke | Millwall | £30,000 | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| 1987 | FW | Francis Joseph | HJK Helsinki | July 1987 | |
| January 1988 | n/a | Mark Gill | Feltham | n/a | |
| January 1988 | n/a | Chris Good | Hitchin Town | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| January 1988 | MF | Steve Thorne | n/a | n/a | |
| April 1988 | n/a | Chris Good | n/a | n/a | |
| April 1988 | FW | Warren Gravette | Maidenhead United | April 1988 | |
| April 1988 | MF | Sean Priddle | Weymouth | 1988 | |
| May 1988 | n/a | Mark Gill | n/a | n/a | |
| May 1988 | MF | Paul Smith | Bristol Rovers | 15 July 1988 | |

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Andy Sinton
* Players' Player of the Year: Roger Joseph
* Third Division PFA Team of the Year: Roger Joseph