# 1947–48 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1947–48 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Second Division. In the Bees' first second-tier season since 1934–35, the club slumped to a 15th-place finish.

## Season summary

After relegation to the Second Division at the end of the 1946–47 season, Brentford were forced to cash in on their assets and received £16,000 from the sales of George Smith and Scotland international Archie Macaulay. No less than 14 players departed Griffin Park during the off-season, with five players coming in at a cost of nearly £20,000 – half back David Nelson and forwards Peter Buchanan, Tommy Dawson, Tommy Dougall and Jackie Gibbons, with Gibbons rejoining the club after making 11 appearances while an amateur during the 1938–39 season. After a poor start to the season, Jimmy Hogan was brought in as a coach. It was long-serving trainer Bob Kane's final season with the club.
Brentford had an awful start to the season, winning one and losing eight of the opening 9 matches to leave the club rooted to the bottom of the table. Bit-part half back Cyril Toulouse was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in exchange for Jack Chisholm, who lead the team's recovery from the centre of the field. Just three defeats in 13 matches between late-September and mid-December 1946 finally lifted the club out of the relegation places. More players came and went in the second half of the season – Tony Harper and Fred Monk came in from non-League football, with Percy Gleeson, George Stewart and Arthur Shaw transferring out.
Brentford finished a tumultuous season in 15th place, 11 points above the relegation zone and lost just four of the final 20 matches of the league campaign. The season ended with an irksome 1–0 defeat to local rivals (and Second Division champions) Queens Park Rangers in the Ealing Hospital Cup final. The club record for fewest goalscorers in a season was equalled, with just eight players registering a goal.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| 13 | Luton Town | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 56 | 59 | 0.949 | 40 |
| 14 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 68 | 72 | 0.944 | 40 |
| 15 | Brentford | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 44 | 61 | 0.721 | 40 |
| 16 | Chesterfield | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 54 | 55 | 0.982 | 39 |
| 17 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 9 | 20 | 13 | 40 | 58 | 0.690 | 38 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Second Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 23 August 1947 | Fulham | A | 0–5 | 32,823 | |
| 2 | 27 August 1947 | Luton Town | H | 0–3 | 17,022 | |
| 3 | 30 August 1947 | Coventry City | H | 1–4 | 19,107 | Gibbons |
| 4 | 3 September 1947 | Luton Town | A | 0–3 | 20,921 | |
| 5 | 6 September 1947 | Newcastle United | A | 0–1 | 56,692 | |
| 6 | 10 September 1947 | Nottingham Forest | H | 3–1 | 15,005 | Buchanan, Nelson, Blakeman |
| 7 | 13 September 1947 | Birmingham City | H | 1–2 | 25,523 | Dawson |
| 8 | 17 September 1947 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–2 | 18,617 | |
| 9 | 20 September 1947 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 2–3 | 29,445 | Buchanan, Gibbons |
| 10 | 27 September 1947 | Barnsley | H | 3–3 | 22,137 | Gleeson, Gibbons, Buchanan |
| 11 | 4 October 1947 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–0 | 23,959 | |
| 12 | 11 October 1947 | Bradford Park Avenue | H | 2–1 | 24,682 | Dawson, Girling |
| 13 | 18 October 1947 | Cardiff City | H | 0–0 | 34,483 | |
| 14 | 25 October 1947 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–0 | 29,112 | Gibbons |
| 15 | 1 November 1947 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–4 | 42,362 | |
| 16 | 8 November 1947 | Millwall | H | 2–1 | 26,251 | Buchanan, Girling |
| 17 | 15 November 1947 | Chesterfield | A | 0–4 | 11,320 | |
| 18 | 22 November 1947 | West Ham United | H | 1–1 | 24,105 | Dawson |
| 19 | 29 November 1947 | Bury | A | 2–2 | 12,856 | Dawson, Gibbons |
| 20 | 6 December 1947 | Southampton | H | 2–2 | 18,735 | Dawson, Nelson |
| 21 | 13 December 1947 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 0–0 | 16,916 | |
| 22 | 20 December 1947 | Fulham | H | 0–2 | 20,717 | |
| 23 | 25 December 1947 | Leicester City | H | 2–2 | 21,291 | Dawson (2) |
| 24 | 27 December 1947 | Leicester City | A | 2–1 | 32,440 | Dawson, Girling |
| 25 | 3 January 1948 | Coventry City | A | 0–3 | 20,180 | |
| 26 | 17 January 1948 | Newcastle United | H | 1–0 | 29,684 | Gibbons |
| 27 | 31 January 1948 | Birmingham City | A | 0–0 | 37,542 | |
| 28 | 7 February 1948 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–0 | 25,234 | Nelson |
| 29 | 14 February 1948 | Barnsley | A | 1–1 | 21,399 | Gibbons |
| 30 | 21 February 1948 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 0–0 | 13,723 | |
| 31 | 28 February 1948 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 1–1 | 11,666 | Buchanan |
| 32 | 6 March 1948 | Cardiff City | A | 0–1 | 41,032 | |
| 33 | 20 March 1948 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–0 | 31,297 | Buchanan, Monk |
| 34 | 26 March 1948 | Leeds United | H | 3–0 | 30,538 | Girling, Gibbons (2) |
| 35 | 27 March 1948 | Millwall | A | 1–0 | 27,519 | Monk |
| 36 | 29 March 1948 | Leeds United | A | 1–1 | 26,775 | Dawson |
| 37 | 3 April 1948 | Chesterfield | H | 0–3 | 24,164 | |
| 38 | 10 April 1948 | West Ham United | A | 1–0 | 21,471 | Gibbons |
| 39 | 12 April 1948 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 1–1 | 36,130 | Gibbons |
| 40 | 17 April 1948 | Bury | H | 4–1 | 20,419 | Blakeman, Gibbons, Buchanan, Dawson |
| 41 | 24 April 1948 | Southampton | A | 1–2 | 18,511 | Gibbons |
| 42 | 1 May 1948 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 2–1 | 16,939 | Buchanan, Girling |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 3R | 10 January 1948 | Rotherham United | A | 3–0 | 22,000 | Dawson, Gibbons, Buchanan |
| 4R | 24 January 1948 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–2 | 34,500 | Girling |
* Sources: Statto, 11v11, 100 Years Of Brentford

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1947–48 season.
| Pos. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | |
| GK | Joe Crozier | | (1914-12-02)2 December 1914 (aged 32) | East Fife | 1937 | |
| GK | Ted Gaskell | | (1916-12-19)19 December 1916 (aged 30) | Buxton | 1937 | |
| Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | |
| DF | Bill Gorman | | (1911-01-13)13 January 1911 (aged 36) | Bury | 1938 | |
| DF | Malky MacDonald | | (1913-10-26)26 October 1913 (aged 33) | Kilmarnock | 1946 | |
| DF | Roddy Munro | | (1920-07-27)27 July 1920 (aged 27) | Rangers | 1946 | |
| DF | Harry Oliver | | (1921-02-16)16 February 1921 (aged 26) | Hartlepools United | 1938 | |
| DF | Eric Ventom | | (1920-02-15)15 February 1920 (aged 27) | Unattached | 1946 | |
| Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | |
| HB | Jack Chisholm | | (1924-10-09)9 October 1924 (aged 22) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1947 | |
| HB | Frank Latimer | | (1923-10-03)3 October 1923 (aged 23) | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 1945 | |
| HB | Tom Manley | | (1912-10-07)7 October 1912 (aged 34) | Manchester United | 1939 | |
| HB | John Moore | | (1923-09-25)25 September 1923 (aged 23) | Unattached | 1938 | |
| HB | David Nelson | | (1918-02-03)3 February 1918 (aged 28) | Fulham | 1947 | |
| HB | George Paterson (c) | | (1914-09-26)26 September 1914 (aged 32) | Celtic | 1946 | |
| Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | |
| FW | Alec Blakeman | | (1918-06-11)11 June 1918 (aged 29) | Oxford City | 1946 | |
| FW | Peter Buchanan | | (1915-10-13)13 October 1915 (aged 31) | Fulham | 1947 | |
| FW | Tommy Dawson | | (1915-02-06)6 February 1915 (aged 32) | Charlton Athletic | 1947 | |
| FW | Tommy Dougall | | (1921-05-17)17 May 1921 (aged 26) | Coventry City | 1947 | |
| FW | José Gallego | | (1923-04-08)8 April 1923 (aged 24) | Cambridge City | 1947 | |
| FW | Jackie Gibbons | | (1914-04-10)10 April 1914 (aged 33) | Bradford Park Avenue | 1947 | |
| FW | Dickie Girling | | (1922-05-24)24 May 1922 (aged 25) | Crystal Palace | 1947 | |
| FW | Fred Monk | | (1920-10-09)9 October 1920 (aged 26) | Guildford City | 1948 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| HB | Cyril Toulouse | | (1923-12-24)24 December 1923 (aged 23) | St Cuthberts | 1946 | Transferred to Tottenham Hotspur |
| FW | Percy Gleeson | | (1921-07-18)18 July 1921 (aged 26) | Hounslow Town | 1947 | Transferred to Guildford City |
| FW | George Stewart | | (1920-10-18)18 October 1920 (aged 26) | Hamilton Academical | 1946 | Transferred to Queens Park Rangers |
* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Harry Curtis | Manager |
| Jimmy Bain | Assistant Manager |
| Jimmy Hogan | Coach |
| Bob Kane | Trainer |
| Jack Cartmell | Assistant 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 | | Joe Crozier | 40 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| GK | | Ted Gaskell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| DF | | Bill Gorman | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| DF | | Malky MacDonald | 41 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| DF | | Roddy Munro | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| DF | | Harry Oliver | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DF | | Eric Ventom | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Jack Chisholm | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| HB | | Frank Latimer | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| HB | | Tom Manley | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| HB | | John Moore | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | David Nelson | 40 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 3 |
| HB | | George Paterson | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| HB | | Cyril Toulouse | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | | Alec Blakeman | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 2 |
| FW | | Peter Buchanan | 40 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 9 |
| FW | | Tommy Dawson | 36 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 11 |
| FW | | Tommy Dougall | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | José Gallego | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| FW | | Jackie Gibbons | 41 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 14 |
| FW | | Dickie Girling | 33 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 35 | 6 |
| FW | | Percy Gleeson | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| FW | | Fred Monk | 4 | 2 | — | — | 4 | 2 |
| FW | | George Stewart | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL2 | FAC | Total |
| FW | | Jackie Gibbons | 13 | 1 | 14 |
| FW | | Tommy Dawson | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| FW | | Peter Buchanan | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| FW | | Dickie Girling | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| HB | | David Nelson | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Alec Blakeman | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Fred Monk | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Percy Gleeson | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 44 | 4 | 48 |
* 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 % |
| Harry Curtis | | 23 August 1947 | 1 May 1948 | 44 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 031.82 | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 030.95 |

### Summary

| Games played | 44 (42 Second Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 14 (13 Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 14 (14 Second Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 16 (15 Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 48 (44 Second Division, 4 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 63 (61 Second Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 13 (12 Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 3–0 versus Leeds United, 26 March 1948; 4–1 versus Bury, 17 April 1948 |
| Worst league defeat | 5–0 versus Fulham, 23 August 1947 |
| Most appearances | 46, Jackie Gibbons, Malky MacDonald (41 Second Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 13, Jackie Gibbons |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 14, Jackie Gibbons |

## Transfers & loans

    Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| June 1947 | HB | R. Goddard | n/a | n/a | |
| 11 August 1947 | FW | Jackie Gibbons | Bradford Park Avenue | £8,000 | |
| 13 August 1947 | FW | Tommy Dougall | Coventry City | n/a | |
| August 1947 | FW | Peter Buchanan | Fulham | £3,000 | |
| August 1947 | n/a | Tommy Connors | n/a | n/a | |
| August 1947 | FW | Tommy Dawson | Charlton Athletic | £5,000 | |
| August 1947 | HB | David Nelson | Fulham | £3,000 | |
| August 1947 | n/a | Les Smith | n/a | n/a | |
| October 1947 | HB | Jack Chisholm | Tottenham Hotspur | Exchange | |
| March 1948 | FW | Fred Monk | Guildford City | Exchange | |
| April 1948 | WH | Bernard Gardner | n/a | n/a | |
| April 1948 | HB | Tony Harper | Headington United | n/a | |
| 1948 | FW | Connors | Wembley | n/a | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 15 May 1947 | GK | Frank Clack | Bristol City | £1,500 | |
| 4 June 1947 | FW | Bill Naylor | Leyton Orient | £2,000 | |
| June 1947 | HB | George Smith | Queens Park Rangers | £6,000 | |
| July 1947 | FW | Archie Macaulay | Arsenal | £10,000 | |
| October 1947 | HB | Cyril Toulouse | Tottenham Hotspur | Exchange | |
| March 1948 | FW | George Stewart | Queens Park Rangers | £4,000 | |
| 14 April 1948 | HB | Arthur Shaw | Arsenal | n/a | |
| April 1948 | FW | Percy Gleeson | Guildford City | Exchange | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| May 1948 | FW | Connors | n/a | n/a | |
| May 1948 | FW | José Gallego | Southampton | May 1948 | |
| May 1948 | HB | R. Goddard | n/a | n/a | |
| May 1948 | HB | John Moore | Gloucester City | 1948 | |
| May 1948 | DF | Eric Ventom | Retired | | |