# 1964–65 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1964–65 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. Despite topping the table between September and October 1964, the worst away record in the division and a change of managers in January 1965 derailed the club's promotion charge.

## Season summary

After a disappointing first season back in the Third Division, Brentford chairman Jack Dunnett allowed manager Malky MacDonald significant funds for new signings. £18,000 was spent on inside forward Jimmy Bloomfield (who returned to Griffin Park after a decade away) and Newport County's journeyman forward Joe Bonson. The team began the season in good form, winning six and drawing one of the first 9 matches to sit atop the Third Division table. The early season goalscoring form of Joe Bonson meant that Billy McAdams, previously a regular scorer for the team, became surplus to requirements and was sold to local rivals Queens Park Rangers for £5,000. While the club established itself in the promotion places, £29,000 was spent on forwards Billy Cobb and Ian Lawther in October and November 1964. As a sign of chairman Dunnett's aim to secure promotion at all costs, a massive £40,000 bid for Torino's Gerry Hitchens was tabled, but was unsuccessful.
Despite a solid home record and regular goals from front players Cobb, Bonson, Lazarus, Lawther and Fielding, a number of away defeats dropped the Bees back into 4th place by January 1965. The FA Cup was exited after a third round replay defeat at the hands of First Division Burnley and a matter of days later, manager Malky MacDonald revealed that he would leave Brentford at the end of the season to return to Kilmarnock. MacDonald intended to see out the remainder of his contract, which expired at the end of the season, but he was immediately placed on gardening leave by chairman Jack Dunnett. Trainer Tommy Cavanagh took over as interim manager. Cavanagh won four and drew two of his first 10 matches, but a 2–0 away defeat to Scunthorpe United on 26 March emphasised the team's poor away record and effectively ended any chances of promotion. Despite the blow, the team reacted positively, winning five and drawing two of the remaining eight matches of the season to secure a 5th-place finish.
Brentford's home record of 18 wins, 4 draws and 1 defeat was the best in the Third Division and promotion may have been attained had the team not lost five consecutive away matches in mid-season. Just one league win away from home equalled the club record. By 19 December 1964, Joe Bonson, Mark Lazarus and Billy Cobb had each reached 10 or more goals for the season, which was the second instance of three Brentford players reaching double-figures before Christmas Day.
The Brentford reserve team had a successful season and won the London Challenge Cup after a 2–1 victory over Chelsea, courtesy of goals from George Summers and Micky Block. In goal was Gerry Cakebread, who had dropped into the reserves for his final season at Griffin Park. Cakebread finished his Brentford career with 374 first team appearances, the most by any goalkeeper for the club.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| 3 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 95 | 61 | 1.557 | 59 |
| 4 | Hull City | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 91 | 57 | 1.596 | 58 |
| 5 | Brentford | 46 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 83 | 55 | 1.509 | 57 |
| 6 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 82 | 58 | 1.414 | 55 |
| 7 | Gillingham | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 70 | 50 | 1.400 | 55 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Third Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 22 August 1964 | Luton Town | H | 2–2 | 10,883 | Bonson (2) |
| 2 | 24 August 1964 | Mansfield Town | A | 1–4 | 11,326 | Fielding |
| 3 | 28 August 1964 | Carlisle United | A | 1–0 | 11,023 | Bonson |
| 4 | 31 August 1964 | Mansfield Town | H | 1–0 | 10,592 | Lazarus |
| 5 | 5 September 1964 | Port Vale | H | 4–0 | 8,397 | Summers, Dick (2, 1 pen), Bonson |
| 6 | 9 September 1964 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–2 | 9,290 | Ward |
| 7 | 12 September 1964 | Colchester United | A | 3–0 | 3,977 | Fielding (2), Lazarus |
| 8 | 15 September 1964 | Grimsby Town | H | 2–0 | 12,759 | Ward, Lazarus |
| 9 | 19 September 1964 | Gillingham | H | 2–0 | 13,075 | Fielding, Bonson |
| 10 | 26 September 1964 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–1 | 14,208 | Summers |
| 11 | 28 September 1964 | Peterborough United | A | 1–3 | 13,311 | Dick |
| 12 | 3 October 1964 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1–1 | 11,886 | Fielding |
| 13 | 6 October 1964 | Peterborough United | H | 3–1 | 12,448 | Fielding (2), Cobb |
| 14 | 9 October 1964 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 3–1 | 11,063 | Bonson (2), Lazarus |
| 15 | 14 October 1964 | Exeter City | A | 0–0 | 7,500 | |
| 16 | 17 October 1964 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–0 | 11,372 | Fielding, Bonson |
| 17 | 20 October 1964 | Exeter City | H | 2–1 | 12,137 | Lazarus, Bloomfield |
| 18 | 24 October 1964 | Reading | A | 1–1 | 12,127 | Lazarus |
| 19 | 27 October 1964 | Hull City | H | 1–3 | 12,745 | Higginson |
| 20 | 31 October 1964 | Southend United | H | 2–1 | 11,215 | Dick, Lazarus |
| 21 | 7 November 1964 | Barnsley | A | 1–3 | 4,067 | Bonson |
| 22 | 21 November 1964 | Walsall | A | 3–4 | 8,227 | Cobb (2), Bonson |
| 23 | 28 November 1964 | Watford | H | 5–1 | 12,955 | Cobb (2), Lazarus (2, 1 pen), Bloomfield |
| 24 | 12 December 1964 | Luton Town | A | 2–4 | 6,014 | Lazarus, Lawther |
| 25 | 19 December 1964 | Carlisle United | H | 6–1 | 8,383 | Cobb (3), Lawther, Lazarus (2) |
| 26 | 26 December 1964 | Bristol City | H | 2–1 | 16,065 | Lawther, Bloomfield |
| 27 | 2 January 1965 | Port Vale | A | 1–2 | 4,533 | Lawther |
| 28 | 16 January 1965 | Colchester United | H | 1–0 | 9,049 | Gelson |
| 29 | 23 January 1965 | Gillingham | A | 0–1 | 14,474 | |
| 30 | 6 February 1965 | Bristol Rovers | A | 2–1 | 14,575 | Lawther, Lazarus |
| 31 | 13 February 1965 | Oldham Athletic | H | 2–2 | 10,306 | Lazarus, Lawther |
| 32 | 20 February 1965 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 5–2 | 12,398 | Higginson, Cobb (3), Bedford (og) |
| 33 | 27 February 1965 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 0–1 | 5,564 | |
| 34 | 2 March 1965 | Bristol City | A | 2–3 | 11,152 | Cobb, Block (pen) |
| 35 | 13 March 1965 | Southend United | A | 1–0 | 7,815 | Lawther |
| 36 | 17 March 1965 | Workington | A | 1–1 | 3,747 | Cobb |
| 37 | 20 March 1965 | Barnsley | H | 1–0 | 7,954 | Cobb |
| 38 | 26 March 1965 | Scunthorpe United | A | 0–2 | 3,495 | |
| 39 | 3 April 1965 | Walsall | H | 0–0 | 7,511 | |
| 40 | 7 April 1965 | Workington | H | 3–0 | 6,946 | Lawther (2), Cobb |
| 41 | 10 April 1965 | Watford | A | 1–1 | 7,373 | Lawther |
| 42 | 16 April 1965 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | H | 2–1 | 10,519 | Fielding (2) |
| 43 | 17 April 1965 | Reading | H | 2–1 | 8,929 | Evans (og), Block |
| 44 | 19 April 1965 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | A | 1–0 | 6,700 | Gater (og) |
| 45 | 24 April 1965 | Hull City | A | 1–2 | 14,924 | Lawther |
| 46 | 27 April 1965 | Scunthorpe United | H | 4–0 | 6,164 | Bonson (2), Block, Bloomfield |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R | 14 November 1964 | Wisbech Town | A | 2–0 | 3,473 | Bonson, Cobb |
| 2R | 5 December 1964 | Notts County | H | 4–0 | 9,400 | Bonson, Fielding, Cobb (2) |
| 3R | 9 January 1965 | Burnley | A | 1–1 | 15,100 | Lazarus |
| 3R (replay) | 12 January 1965 | Burnley | H | 0–2 | 30,448 | |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| 1R | 2 September 1964 | Southend United | H | 0–2 | 5,380 |
* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Statto

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1964–65 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Chic Brodie | (1937-02-22)22 February 1937 (aged 27) | Northampton Town | 1963 | |
| GK | Gordon Phillips | (1946-11-17)17 November 1946 (aged 17) | Hayes | 1963 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Alan Hawley | (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 18) | Youth | 1962 | |
| DF | Allan Jones | (1940-01-06)6 January 1940 (aged 24) | Liverpool | 1963 | |
| DF | George Thomson | (1936-10-19)19 October 1936 (aged 27) | Everton | 1963 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Peter Gelson | (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 22) | Youth | 1961 | |
| HB | Tommy Higginson | (1937-01-06)6 January 1937 (aged 27) | Kilmarnock | 1959 | |
| HB | Hamish MacKenzie | (1945-03-11)11 March 1945 (aged 19) | Dunfermline Athletic | 1964 | |
| HB | Hugh McLaughlin | (1943-09-02)2 September 1943 (aged 20) | St Roch's | 1961 | |
| HB | Mel Scott (c) | (1939-09-26)26 September 1939 (aged 24) | Chelsea | 1963 | |
| HB | Willie Smith | (1943-12-06)6 December 1943 (aged 20) | Celtic | 1963 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Micky Block | (1940-01-28)28 January 1940 (aged 24) | Chelsea | 1962 | |
| FW | Jimmy Bloomfield | (1934-02-15)15 February 1934 (aged 30) | Birmingham City | 1964 | |
| FW | Joe Bonson | (1936-06-09)9 June 1936 (aged 28) | Newport County | 1964 | |
| FW | Billy Cobb | (1940-09-29)29 September 1940 (aged 23) | Plymouth Argyle | 1964 | |
| FW | John Dick | (1930-03-19)19 March 1930 (aged 34) | West Ham United | 1962 | |
| FW | John Fielding | (1939-09-02)2 September 1939 (aged 24) | Southport | 1963 | |
| FW | Ian Lawther | (1939-10-20)20 October 1939 (aged 24) | Scunthorpe United | 1964 | |
| FW | Mark Lazarus | (1938-12-05)5 December 1938 (aged 25) | Queens Park Rangers | 1964 | |
| FW | Dai Ward | (1934-07-13)13 July 1934 (aged 30) | Watford | 1963 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| FW | Billy McAdams | (1934-01-20)20 January 1934 (aged 30) | Leeds United | 1962 | Transferred to Queens Park Rangers |
| FW | George Summers | (1941-07-30)30 July 1941 (aged 23) | Shawfield | 1959 | Transferred to Port Elizabeth City |
* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff
### Malky MacDonald (22 August 1964 – 16 January 1965)

| Name | Role |
| Malky MacDonald | Manager |
| Tommy Cavanagh | Trainer |

### Tommy Cavanagh (17 January – 27 April 1965)

| Name | Role |
| Tommy Cavanagh | Manager |
| Jimmy Sirrel | Trainer |
| Eddie Lyons | Physiotherapist |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| 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 | | Chic Brodie | 45 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| GK | | Gordon Phillips | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Allan Jones | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| DF | | Alan Hawley | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| DF | | George Thomson | 41 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| HB | | Peter Gelson | 42 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 1 |
| HB | | Tommy Higginson | 31 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 2 |
| HB | | Hamish MacKenzie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Hugh McLaughlin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | Mel Scott | 46 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| HB | | Willie Smith | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| FW | | Micky Block | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 3 |
| FW | | Jimmy Bloomfield | 42 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 4 |
| FW | | Joe Bonson | 23 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 14 |
| FW | | Billy Cobb | 35 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 18 |
| FW | | John Dick | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| FW | | John Fielding | 38 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 11 |
| FW | | Ian Lawther | 23 | 11 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 11 |
| FW | | Mark Lazarus | 33 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 15 |
| FW | | Billy McAdams | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | George Summers | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| FW | | Dai Ward | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | FLC | Total |
| FW | | Billy Cobb | 15 | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| FW | | Mark Lazarus | 14 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
| FW | | Joe Bonson | 12 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| FW | | Ian Lawther | 11 | — | — | 11 |
| FW | | John Fielding | 10 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| FW | | Jimmy Bloomfield | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| FW | | John Dick | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| FW | | Micky Block | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| HB | | Tommy Higginson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | George Summers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Dai Ward | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| HB | | Peter Gelson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | Total | Total | 83 | 7 | 0 | 90 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### 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 % |
| Malky MacDonald | | 22 August 1964 | 16 January 1965 | 33 | 17 | 6 | 10 | 051.52 | 28 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 053.57 |
| Tommy Cavanagh | | 23 January 1965 | 27 April 1965 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 050.00 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 050.00 |

### Summary

| Games played | 51 (46 Third Division, 4 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Games won | 26 (24 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games drawn | 10 (9 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games lost | 15 (13 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals scored | 90 (83 Third Division, 7 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 60 (55 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 2 League Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 16 (15 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 6–1 versus Carlisle United, 19 December 1964 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–1 versus Mansfield Town, 24 August 1964 |
| Most appearances | 50, Chic Brodie (45 Third Division, 4 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 15, Billy Cobb |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 18, Billy Cobb |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| June 1964 | DF | Jimmy Bloomfield | Birmingham City | £12,000 | |
| June 1964 | FW | Joe Bonson | Newport County | £6,000 | |
| August 1964 | FW | Joe Gadston | West Ham United | n/a | |
| August 1964 | HB | Hamish MacKenzie | Dunfermline Athletic | Free | |
| October 1964 | FW | Billy Cobb | Plymouth Argyle | £12,000 | |
| November 1964 | FW | Ian Lawther | Scunthorpe United | £17,000 | |
| 1964 | HB | Eddie Reeve | n/a | n/a | |
| 1964 | FW | Phil Basey | n/a | Free | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 22 September 1964 | FW | Billy McAdams | Queens Park Rangers | £5,000 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| 1965 | FW | George Summers | Port Elizabeth City | 1965 | |
| April 1965 | DF | Tom Anthony | Guildford City | 1966 | |
| April 1965 | GK | Gerry Cakebread | Hillingdon Borough | 1965 | |
| April 1965 | FW | John Dick | Gravesend & Northfleet | 1965 | |

## Awards

* Evening Standard Player of the Month: Jimmy Bloomfield (October 1964)