# 1942–43 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1942–43 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League South, due to the cessation of competitive football for the duration of the Second World War. Early in a mid-table season for the club, inside forward Len Townsend notably scored six goals in a 9–4 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, the most-ever in any match by a Brentford player.

## Season summary

Brentford returned to the Football League South for the 1942–43 season with cause for optimism, having generated over £20,000 (equivalent to £1,177,400 in 2024) from the semi-finals and the final of the club's victorious 1941–42 London War Cup campaign. Again the first team squad would be hit by a lack of unavailability of players, with no goalkeeper available for the second season in succession. Despite averaging only 12 appearances per season since the war began, centre forward Len Townsend had been averaging nearly a goal a game and was in fantastic form, scoring 17 goals in a 17 match spell, including six in a 9–4 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on 12 September 1942. The record of six goals in a single match bettered the official club record of five, but due to the unofficial nature of wartime football, Townsend does not hold the club record outright.
Brentford's league form held up until the turn of the year then fell apart, losing 10 of the final 15 matches of the season in all competitions. Guest forwards Eddie Perry and Douglas Hunt, who had scored the bulk of the team's goals since the beginning of the 1940–41 season failed to find the net with such regularity, though Albion Rovers' guest Tommy Kiernan notably scored 9 goals in his 10 appearances. The discontinuation of the London War Cup meant that the Bees would be unable to defend their crown, so the club were entered into the Football League South War Cup, which ended in elimination in the group stages. Brentford finished the league season in 9th place and Len Townsend scored 19 goals in 20 appearances.

## League tables
### Football League South

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
| 8 | Aldershot | 28 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 87 | 77 | 1.130 | 30 |
| 9 | Brentford | 28 | 12 | 5 | 11 | 64 | 63 | 1.016 | 29 |
| 10 | Charlton Athletic | 28 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 68 | 75 | 0.907 | 29 |

### Football League South War Cup

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
| 1 | Queens Park Rangers | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 2.000 | 9 |
| 2 | Southampton | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 2.333 | 8 |
| 3 | Clapton Orient | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 0.429 | 4 |
| 4 | Brentford | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 0.467 | 3 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League South

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 29 August 1942 | Clapton Orient | H | 2–2 | 3,210 | Holliday, D. Hunt |
| 2 | 5 September 1942 | Fulham | A | 1–3 | 4,600 | D. Hunt |
| 3 | 12 September 1942 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 9–4 | 4,020 | Townsend (6), Kiernan (2), D. Hunt |
| 4 | 19 September 1942 | Chelsea | H | 0–2 | 8,480 | |
| 5 | 26 September 1942 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–4 | 8,000 | Kiernan |
| 6 | 3 October 1942 | Watford | H | 3–0 | 3,590 | Wilkins, Hopkins, D. Hunt |
| 7 | 10 October 1942 | West Ham United | H | 6–2 | 7,000 | Kiernan, Fenton (og), Townsend (2) |
| 8 | 17 October 1942 | Arsenal | A | 2–0 | 16,700 | Smith, Kiernan |
| 9 | 24 October 1942 | Aldershot | H | 4–1 | 5,000 | D. Hunt, Townsend, Aicken, Kiernan |
| 10 | 31 October 1942 | Luton Town | H | 2–2 | 5,000 | Sneddon, Townsend |
| 11 | 7 November 1942 | Millwall | A | 2–1 | 4,557 | D. Hunt, Perry |
| 12 | 14 November 1942 | Charlton Athletic | A | 4–1 | 3,000 | Perry (2), Townsend, D. Hunt |
| 13 | 21 November 1942 | Reading | H | 3–3 | 5,390 | Kiernan, D. Hunt (2) |
| 14 | 28 November 1942 | Clapton Orient | A | 0–2 | 2,500 | |
| 15 | 5 December 1942 | Fulham | H | 4–2 | 5,200 | Townsend (3), McKenzie |
| 16 | 12 December 1942 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–7 | 4,000 | Townsend, D. Hunt |
| 17 | 19 December 1942 | Chelsea | A | 4–2 | 8,154 | Townsend, McKenzie (2), Hopkins |
| 18 | 25 December 1942 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | 14,621 | Townsend |
| 19 | 26 December 1942 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–1 | 12,540 | Townsend, Hopkins |
| 20 | 2 January 1943 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–0 | 7,500 | D. Hunt (2) |
| 21 | 9 January 1943 | Watford | A | 0–2 | 2,177 | |
| 22 | 16 January 1943 | West Ham United | A | 1–4 | 7,500 | Perry |
| 23 | 23 January 1943 | Arsenal | H | 0–1 | 23,180 | |
| 24 | 30 January 1943 | Aldershot | A | 1–2 | 4,000 | Townsend |
| 25 | 6 February 1943 | Luton Town | A | 1–1 | 3,000 | Hunt (og) |
| 26 | 13 February 1943 | Millwall | H | 3–1 | 5,150 | McCulloch (2), Perry |
| 27 | 20 February 1943 | Charlton Athletic | H | 3–5 | 4,680 | James, Armstrong, Smith |
| 28 | 27 February 1943 | Reading | A | 1–7 | 4,000 | Henley |

### Football League South War Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| Grp | 6 March 1943 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–2 | 10,520 | O'Donnell |
| Grp | 13 March 1943 | Clapton Orient | A | 1–1 | 3,707 | Hopkins |
| Grp | 20 March 1943 | Southampton | H | 1–6 | 6,600 | Townsend |
| Grp | 27 March 1943 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–2 | 9,954 | |
| Grp | 3 April 1943 | Clapton Orient | H | 3–2 | 4,080 | D. Hunt (2, 1 pen), Hopkins |
| Grp | 10 April 1943 | Southampton | A | 1–2 | 13,000 | Holliday |
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

## Playing squad

       Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1942–43 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Buster Brown | (1910-09-06)6 September 1910 (aged 31) | Huddersfield Town | 1937 | |
| DF | George Poyser | (1910-02-06)6 February 1910 (aged 32) | Port Vale | 1934 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Joe James | (1910-01-13)13 January 1910 (aged 32) | Battersea Church | 1929 | |
| HB | Ernest Muttitt | (1908-07-24)24 July 1908 (aged 34) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | Guest for Chelsea, West Ham United |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Vic Aicken | (1914-10-29)29 October 1914 (aged 27) | Glentoran | 1937 | Guest for Watford |
| FW | Tommy Cheetham | (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 31) | Queens Park Rangers | 1939 | |
| FW | Jack Holliday | (1908-12-19)19 December 1908 (aged 33) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | |
| FW | Idris Hopkins | (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 31) | Crystal Palace | 1932 | |
| FW | Billy Scott | (1907-12-06)6 December 1907 (aged 34) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | |
| FW | Les Smith | (1918-03-13)13 March 1918 (aged 24) | Petersham | 1934 | |
| FW | Len Townsend | (1917-08-31)31 August 1917 (aged 24) | Hayes | 1937 | Guest for Belfast Celtic |
| FW | George Wilkins | (1919-10-27)27 October 1919 (aged 22) | Hayes | 1939 | |
| Guest players |||||||
| GK | Harry Dukes | (1912-03-31)31 March 1912 (aged 30) | Norwich City | 1941 | Guest from Norwich City |
| GK | Ken Groves | (1921-10-09)9 October 1921 (aged 20) | Preston North End | 1943 | Guest from Preston North End |
| GK | John Jackson | (1906-11-29)29 November 1906 (aged 35) | Chelsea | 1942 | Guest from Chelsea |
| GK | Bill Mason | (1908-10-31)31 October 1908 (aged 33) | Queens Park Rangers | 1942 | Guest from Queens Park Rangers |
| GK | Reg Saphin | (1916-08-08)8 August 1916 (aged 26) | Walthamstow Avenue | 1943 | Guest from Walthamstow Avenue |
| DF | Alex Muir | n/a | Albion Rovers | 1942 | Guest from Albion Rovers |
| HB | Ernie Collett | (1914-11-17)17 November 1914 (aged 27) | Arsenal | 1943 | Guest from Arsenal |
| HB | Duncan McKenzie | (1912-08-10)10 August 1912 (aged 30) | Middlesbrough | 1943 | Guest from Middlesbrough |
| HB | Tally Sneddon | (1914-04-01)1 April 1914 (aged 28) | Swansea Town | 1942 | Guest from Swansea Town |
| HB | Bill Whittaker | (1922-12-20)20 December 1922 (aged 19) | Charlton Athletic | 1942 | Guest from Charlton Athletic |
| FW | Matt Armstrong | (1911-11-12)12 November 1911 (aged 30) | Aberdeen | 1942 | Guest from Aberdeen |
| FW | Albert Bonass | (1911-05-29)29 May 1911 (aged 31) | Queens Park Rangers | 1942 | Guest from Queens Park Rangers |
| FW | Walter Boyes | (1913-01-05)5 January 1913 (aged 29) | Everton | 1943 | Guest from Everton |
| FW | Edwin Cunningham | (1919-09-20)20 September 1919 (aged 22) | Bristol City | 1942 | Guest from Bristol City |
| FW | Harry Dooley | n/a | Unattached | 1943 | Guest |
| FW | Allenby Driver | (1919-09-29)29 September 1919 (aged 22) | Sheffield Wednesday | 1943 | Guest from Sheffield Wednesday |
| FW | Jack Finch | (1909-02-03)3 February 1909 (aged 33) | Fulham | 1943 | Guest from Fulham |
| FW | Dick Foss | (1912-11-12)12 November 1912 (aged 29) | Chelsea | 1942 | Guest from Chelsea |
| FW | Pat Gallacher | (1913-01-09)9 January 1913 (aged 29) | Bournemouth | 1942 | Guest from Bournemouth |
| FW | Les Henley | (1922-09-26)26 September 1922 (aged 19) | Arsenal | 1943 | Guest from Arsenal |
| FW | Dennis Hillman | (1918-11-27)27 November 1918 (aged 23) | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1943 | Guest from Brighton & Hove Albion |
| FW | Douglas Hunt | (1914-05-19)19 May 1914 (aged 28) | Sheffield Wednesday | 1942 | Guest from Sheffield Wednesday |
| FW | Tommy Kiernan | (1918-10-20)20 October 1918 (aged 23) | Albion Rovers | 1942 | Guest from Albion Rovers |
| FW | David McCulloch | (1912-10-05)5 October 1912 (aged 29) | Derby County | 1943 | Guest from Derby County |
| FW | Milton | n/a | Fulham | 1943 | Amateur, guest from Fulham |
| FW | Frank O'Donnell | (1911-08-31)31 August 1911 (aged 30) | Blackpool | 1943 | Guest from Blackpool |
| FW | Eddie Perry | (1909-01-19)19 January 1909 (aged 33) | Doncaster Rovers | 1942 | Guest from Doncaster Rovers |
| FW | Reg Pugh | (1917-07-28)28 July 1917 (aged 25) | Cardiff City | 1942 | Guest from Cardiff City |
| FW | Jack Vidler | (1905-06-13)13 June 1905 (aged 37) | Bristol City | 1943 | Guest from Bristol City |
* 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 | FL War Cup | FL War Cup | Total | Total |
| Pos | Nat | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| DF | | Buster Brown | 28 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| DF | | George Poyser | 25 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| HB | | Joe James | 27 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| HB | | Ernest Muttitt | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| FW | | Vic Aicken | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 |
| FW | | Tommy Cheetham | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Jack Holliday | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| FW | | Idris Hopkins | 22 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 5 |
| FW | | Billy Scott | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Les Smith | 20 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 2 |
| FW | | Len Townsend | 19 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 19 |
| FW | | George Wilkins | 4 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1 |
| Players guested during the season |||||||||
| GK | | Harry Dukes | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| GK | | Ken Groves | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | | John Jackson | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| GK | | Bill Mason | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| GK | | Reg Saphin | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Alex Muir | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | Ernie Collett | — | — | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| HB | | Duncan McKenzie | 25 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 3 |
| HB | | Tally Sneddon | 18 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 1 |
| HB | | Bill Whittaker | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| FW | | Matt Armstrong | 3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 |
| FW | | Albert Bonass | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Walter Boyes | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Edwin Cunningham | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Harry Dooley | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Allenby Driver | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Jack Finch | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Dick Foss | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Pat Gallacher | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Les Henley | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| FW | | Dennis Hillman | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Douglas Hunt | 24 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 29 | 14 |
| FW | | Tommy Kiernan | 10 | 9 | — | — | 10 | 9 |
| FW | | David McCulloch | 2 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| FW | | Milton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Frank O'Donnell | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| FW | | Reg Pugh | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Eddie Perry | 13 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 5 |
| FW | | Jack Vidler | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FLS | FLC | Total |
| FW | | Len Townsend | 18 | 1 | 19 |
| FW | | Douglas Hunt | 12 | 2 | 14 |
| FW | | Tommy Kiernan | 9 | — | 9 |
| FW | | Eddie Perry | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| FW | | Idris Hopkins | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| HB | | Duncan McKenzie | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Jack Holliday | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| FW | | David McCulloch | 2 | — | 2 |
| FW | | Les Smith | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Vic Aicken | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Matt Armstrong | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Les Henley | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | Frank O'Donnell | 1 | — | 1 |
| HB | | Tally Sneddon | 1 | — | 1 |
| FW | | George Wilkins | 1 | — | 1 |
| HB | | Joe James | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | Total | Total | 64 | 7 | 71 |
* 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 | 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 1942 | 10 April 1943 | 34 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 038.24| | 28 | 12 | 5 | 11 | 042.86 |

### Summary

| Games played | 34 (28 London League, 6 Football League War Cup) |
| Games won | 13 (12 London League, 1 Football League War Cup) |
| Games drawn | 6 (5 London League, 1 Football League War Cup) |
| Games lost | 15 (11 London League, 4 Football League War Cup) |
| Goals scored | 71 (64 London League, 7 Football League War Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 78 (63 London League, 15 Football League War Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 3 (3 London League, 0 Football League War Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 9–4 versus Brighton & Hove Albion, 12 September 1942 |
| Worst league defeat | 7–1 versus Reading, 27 February 1943 |
| Most appearances | 34, Buster Brown (28 London League, 6 Football League War Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 18, Len Townsend |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 19, Len Townsend |

## 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. |
| 29 August 1942 | FW | Albert Bonass | Queens Park Rangers | 29 August 1942 | |
| 29 August 1942 | FW | Douglas Hunt | Sheffield Wednesday | End of season | |
| 29 August 1942 | GK | Bill Mason | Queens Park Rangers | 29 August 1942 | |
| 29 August 1942 | HB | Duncan McKenzie | Middlesbrough | End of season | |
| 5 September 1942 | FW | Edwin Cunningham | Bristol City | 5 September 1942 | |
| 5 September 1942 | GK | John Jackson | Chelsea | 20 March 1943 | |
| 5 September 1942 | HB | Tally Sneddon | Swansea Town | 27 February 1943 | |
| 5 September 1942 | HB | Bill Whittaker | Charlton Athletic | End of season | |
| 12 September 1942 | FW | Tommy Kiernan | Albion Rovers | 19 December 1942 | |
| 26 September 1942 | FW | Pat Gallacher | Portsmouth | 26 September 1942 | |
| 26 September 1942 | FW | Reg Pugh | Cardiff City | 26 September 1942 | |
| 10 October 1942 | FW | Matt Armstrong | Aberdeen | 20 February 1943 | |
| 31 October 1942 | FW | Eddie Perry | Doncaster Rovers | 3 April 1943 | |
| 12 December 1942 | GK | Harry Dukes | Norwich City | 12 December 1942 | |
| 19 December 1942 | FW | Dick Foss | Chelsea | 19 December 1942 | |
| 25 December 1942 | DF | Alex Muir | Albion Rovers | 26 December 1942 | |
| 2 January 1943 | FW | Allenby Driver | Sheffield Wednesday | 2 January 1943 | |
| 2 January 1943 | FW | Jack Finch | Fulham | 6 March 1943 | |
| 9 January 1943 | FW | Jack Vidler | Bristol City | 9 January 1943 | |
| 23 January 1943 | FW | David McCulloch | Derby County | 13 February 1943 | |
| 6 February 1943 | FW | Walter Boyes | Everton | 13 February 1943 | |
| 20 February 1943 | FW | Milton | Unattached | 13 March 1943 | |
| 27 February 1943 | FW | Les Henley | Arsenal | 27 February 1943 | |
| 27 February 1943 | FW | Dennis Hillman | Brighton & Hove Albion | 27 February 1943 | |
| 6 March 1943 | FW | Frank O'Donnell | Blackpool | 6 March 1943 | |
| 20 March 1943 | HB | Ernie Collett | Arsenal | 3 April 1943 | |
| 27 March 1943 | FW | Harry Dooley | Unattached | End of season | |
| 27 March 1943 | GK | Ken Groves | Preston North End | 27 March 1943 | |
| 3 April 1943 | GK | Reg Saphin | Walthamstow Avenue | End of season | |
| Guest players out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| 8 August 1942 | GK | Joe Crozier | Hibernian | 5 September 1942 | |
| 12 December 1942 | HB | Vic Aicken | Watford | 19 December 1942 | |
| 9 January 1943 | HB | Ernest Muttitt | West Ham United | 9 January 1943 | |
| 27 March 1943 | HB | Ernest Muttitt | Chelsea | 10 April 1943 | |
| n/a | FW | Len Townsend | Belfast Celtic | 1943 | |