# 1912–13 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1912–13 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League First Division. Two long losing runs led to the Bees' relegation to the Second Division on the final day of the season.

## Season summary

After three consecutive mid-table seasons, Southern League First Division club Brentford's directors gambled on generating extra income by also entering the Southern Alliance. Consequently, a larger squad was assembled, with many of the previous season's professionals retained. Willis Rippon was the only significant departure – sold for £250 to Hamilton Academical. Secretary-manager Fred Halliday brought in goalkeeper Ted Price, full back Tommy Fells, centre half Frank Bentley and forwards Frederick Chapple and James Morrison.
Brentford had a torrid beginning to the season, losing 12 of the first 15 matches. Of the starting forward line of Billy Brawn, Jack Sibbald, Frederick Chapple, Bob McTavish and Patsy Hendren, Chapple and Hendren were the only players to score during the period, which lead manager Halliday to sign Chelsea's Hugh Dolby and Bill Smith from non-league football. Dolby failed to score in four matches and was dropped, while Smith helped contribute to a revival in mid-November, after full back Dusty Rhodes replaced Fred Halliday as manager on 13 November 1912. Between 9 November and 5 March 1913, Brentford lost just three matches, but another loss of form and injuries to the forward line led to seven consecutive defeats in March. A crucial 4–1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 April boosted the Bees' survival chances, but a defeat and a win in the following two matches respectively put Brentford one place above the relegation zone going into the final day, level on points with Norwich City, but ahead by virtue of a 0.774 goal average.
Brentford would play away to Merthyr Town and Norwich City away to Reading on Saturday 26 April, but torrential rain and gale force winds forced the Bees' match to be postponed twice, to the following Tuesday. Norwich City won their match 5–2, but the scoreline would not guarantee the Canaries' safety on goal average if Brentford won their match by any score. On Tuesday 29 April, Brentford conceded the opening goal to Merthyr Town, before Bill Smith equalised two minutes after half time. In the final 10 minutes, Brentford pushed forward and were hit on the break with just two minutes remaining, losing the match 2–1 and with it the club's First Division status.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Relegation |
| 16 | Bristol Rovers | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 55 | 64 | 0.859 | 33 | |
| 17 | Southampton | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 40 | 72 | 0.556 | 31 | |
| 18 | Norwich City | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 39 | 50 | 0.780 | 29 | |
| 19 | Brentford | 38 | 11 | 5 | 22 | 42 | 55 | 0.764 | 27 | Relegated to Division Two |
| 20 | Stoke | 38 | 10 | 4 | 24 | 39 | 75 | 0.520 | 24 | Relegated to Division Two |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Southern League First Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 4 September 1912 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–3 | Chapple |
| 2 | 7 September 1912 | Reading | H | 1–0 | Chapple |
| 3 | 14 September 1912 | Norwich City | A | 0–2 | |
| 4 | 18 September 1912 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–1 | Chapple (2) |
| 5 | 21 September 1912 | Gillingham | H | 0–1 | |
| 6 | 28 September 1912 | Northampton Town | A | 0–2 | |
| 7 | 5 October 1912 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 0–2 | |
| 8 | 9 October 1912 | Watford | A | 0–1 | |
| 9 | 12 October 1912 | Stoke | A | 0–1 | |
| 10 | 19 October 1912 | Millwall | A | 2–3 | Hendren (2) |
| 11 | 26 October 1912 | Bristol Rovers | H | 0–1 | |
| 12 | 2 November 1912 | Swindon Town | A | 0–2 | |
| 13 | 9 November 1912 | Portsmouth | H | 1–0 | Smith |
| 14 | 16 November 1912 | Exeter City | A | 0–1 | |
| 15 | 23 November 1912 | West Ham United | H | 5–1 | Sibbald (2), Chapple (3) |
| 16 | 7 December 1912 | Coventry City | H | 2–0 | Smith (2) |
| 17 | 21 December 1912 | Merthyr Town | H | 2–0 | Smith, Spratt (pen) |
| 18 | 25 December 1912 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 2–2 | Brawn, McTavish |
| 19 | 28 December 1912 | Reading | A | 1–4 | Hendren |
| 20 | 4 January 1913 | Norwich City | H | 1–0 | Hendren (pen) |
| 21 | 18 January 1913 | Gillingham | A | 4–0 | Barclay, Smith (3) |
| 22 | 25 January 1913 | Northampton Town | H | 0–0 | |
| 23 | 8 February 1913 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–2 | Hendren (pen) |
| 24 | 15 February 1913 | Stoke | H | 4–2 | Chapple, Hendren (2, 1 pen), Smith |
| 25 | 22 February 1913 | Millwall | H | 0–0 | |
| 26 | 1 March 1913 | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–1 | Sibbald |
| 27 | 5 March 1913 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–2 | Chapple, Brawn |
| 28 | 8 March 1913 | Swindon Town | H | 0–3 | |
| 29 | 12 March 1913 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–3 | |
| 30 | 15 March 1913 | Portsmouth | A | 0–1 | |
| 31 | 21 March 1913 | Southampton | H | 1–2 | Brawn |
| 32 | 22 March 1913 | Exeter City | H | 0–1 | |
| 33 | 24 March 1913 | Southampton | A | 1–3 | Brawn (pen) |
| 34 | 29 March 1913 | West Ham United | A | 1–2 | Hendren |
| 35 | 5 April 1913 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 4–1 | Smith (2), Chapple, Hendren |
| 36 | 12 April 1913 | Coventry City | A | 0–3 | |
| 37 | 19 April 1913 | Watford | H | 2–0 | Chapple, Smith |
| 38 | 29 April 1913 | Merthyr Town | A | 1–2 | Smith |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer |
| QR4 | 30 November 1912 | Watford | H | 0–0 | |
| QR4 (replay) | 4 December 1912 | Watford | A | 1–5 | McTavish |
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1912–13 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Archie Ling | (1881-03-14)14 March 1881 (aged 31) | Swindon Town | 1909 | |
| GK | Ted Price | (1883-06-13)13 June 1883 (aged 29) | Croydon Common | 1912 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Tommy Fells | (1890-01-08)8 January 1890 (aged 22) | South Kirkby | 1913 | |
| DF | William Hickleton | (1882-05-12)12 May 1882 (aged 30) | Coventry City | 1911 | On loan from Coventry City |
| DF | Dusty Rhodes (c) | (1882-08-16)16 August 1882 (aged 30) | Sunderland | 1908 | |
| DF | Walter Spratt | (1889-04-14)14 April 1889 (aged 23) | Rotherham Town | 1911 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Alec Barclay | (1885-11-01)1 November 1885 (aged 26) | Ilford | 1910 | Amateur |
| HB | Frank Bentley | (1886-10-09)9 October 1886 (aged 25) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1912 | |
| HB | George Kennedy | (1882-03-12)12 March 1882 (aged 30) | Chelsea | 1910 | |
| HB | Phil Richards | (1884-02-19)19 February 1884 (aged 28) | Bradford Park Avenue | 1908 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Billy Brawn | (1878-08-01)1 August 1878 (aged 34) | Chelsea | 1911 | |
| FW | Frederick Chapple | (1884-02-03)3 February 1884 (aged 28) | Crewe Alexandra | 1912 | |
| FW | Hugh Dolby | (1888-03-06)6 March 1888 (aged 24) | Chelsea | 1912 | |
| FW | Thomas Graham | (1887-07-20)20 July 1887 (aged 25) | Castleford Town | 1911 | |
| FW | Patsy Hendren | (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 23) | Coventry City | 1911 | Played when his cricket commitments allowed |
| FW | Bob McTavish | (1888-10-26)26 October 1888 (aged 23) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1912 | |
| FW | John Morrison | (1888-01-18)18 January 1888 (aged 24) | West Ham United | 1912 | |
| FW | Jack Sibbald | (1890-09-12)12 September 1890 (aged 21) | Wallsend Elm Villa | 1910 | |
| FW | Bill Smith | (1887-06-23)23 June 1887 (aged 25) | Hickleton Main Colliery | 1912 | |
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939

## Coaching staff
### Fred Halliday (4 September–13 November 1912)

| Name | Role |
| Fred Halliday | Secretary Manager |
| Tom Cowper | Trainer |

### Dusty Rhodes (13 November 1912 – 29 April 1913)

| 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 | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| GK | | Archie Ling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Tommy Fells | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| DF | | Dusty Rhodes | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| DF | | Walter Spratt | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| HB | | Alec Barclay | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| HB | | Frank Bentley | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| HB | | George Kennedy | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| HB | | Phil Richards | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| FW | | Billy Brawn | 35 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 4 |
| FW | | Frederick Chapple | 28 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 11 |
| FW | | Hugh Dolby | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| FW | | Thomas Graham | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 35 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 9 |
| FW | | Bob McTavish | 26 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 1 |
| FW | | John Morrison | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| FW | | Jack Sibbald | 23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 3 |
| FW | | Bill Smith | 27 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 12 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||
| DF | | William Hickleton | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | SL1 | FAC | Total |
| FW | | Bill Smith | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| FW | | Frederick Chapple | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| FW | | Billy Brawn | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| FW | | Jack Sibbald | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| HB | | Alec Barclay | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Walter Spratt | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Bob McTavish | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 42 | 1 | 43 |
* 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 % |
| Fred Halliday | | 4 September 1912 | 13 November 1912 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 023.08| | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 023.08 |
| Dusty Rhodes | | 13 November 1912 | 29 April 1913 | 27 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 025.93| | 25 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 028.00 |

### Summary

| Games played | 40 (38 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 11 (11 Southern League First Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 6 (5 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 23 (22 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 43 (42 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 60 (55 Southern League First Division, 5 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 10 (9 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 4–0 versus Gillingham, 18 January 1913; 5–1 versus West Ham United, 23 November 1912 |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 on three occasions; 4–1 versus Reading, 28 December 1912 |
| Most appearances | 39, Ted Price (37 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 12, Bill Smith |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 12, Bill Smith |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous club | Fee | Ref. |
| 7 May 1912 | DF | Tommy Fells | South Kirkby | n/a | |
| 2 July 1912 | HB | Frank Bentley | Tottenham Hotspur | n/a | |
| 10 July 1912 | GK | Ted Price | Croydon Common | n/a | |
| 7 August 1912 | FW | John Morrison | West Ham United | n/a | |
| 14 August 1912 | FW | Frederick Chapple | Crewe Alexandra | £150 | |
| August 1912 | FW | Albert Markwick | Guildford | Amateur | |
| 2 October 1912 | FW | Hugh Dolby | Chelsea | n/a | |
| 19 October 1912 | FW | Bill Smith | Hickleton Main Colliery | n/a | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Date to | Ref. |
| 25 May 1912 | DF | William Hickleton | Coventry City | End of season | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| June 1912 | FW | Willie Furr | Leicester Fosse | n/a | |
| 6 August 1912 | FW | Willis Rippon | Hamilton Academical | £250 | |
| August 1912 | DF | Arthur Cleverley | Swansea Town | n/a | |
| August 1912 | HB | Jock Hamilton | Swansea Town | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| April 1913 | FW | Hugh Dolby | Clowne White Star | 22 August 1913 | |
| April 1913 | FW | Thomas Graham | Allerton Bywater Colliery | n/a | |
| April 1913 | HB | George Kennedy | Dumfries | n/a | |
| April 1913 | GK | Archie Ling | Retired | | |
| April 1913 | FW | Jack Sibbald | Wallsend | 18 June 1913 | |