# 1949–50 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1949–50 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Second Division. In his first season as manager, Jackie Gibbons guided the club to a 9th-place finish, a marked improvement on near-relegations in the previous two seasons.

## Season summary

1949–50 marked the first season since 1925–26 that Brentford would play a full season under the management of someone other than Harry Curtis, with former player Jackie Gibbons having taken over as manager in February 1949. A new-look squad toured Sweden under Gibbons in pre-season, with new forward signings Ken Coote, Jimmy Hill and Dennis Rampling in attendance. Joe Crozier, the club's near-ever-present goalkeeper since September 1937, elected to retire from full-time football and was replaced by his backups, firstly Ted Gaskell and then Alf Jefferies.
Brentford had a mixed season in the Second Division, with just three victories in the opening 15 matches leaving the club out of contention for challenging for promotion. A turnaround in form elevated the Bees from 21st place on 5 November 1949, to a season-high 7th on 8 April 1950. Two losses, a win and a draw from the final four matches dropped the club a final position of 9th. Brentford finished the campaign having conceded only 12 league goals at Griffin Park, the best home record in each of the top two divisions.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| 7 | Hull City | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 64 | 72 | 0.889 | 45 |
| 8 | Swansea Town | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 53 | 49 | 1.082 | 43 |
| 9 | Brentford | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 44 | 49 | 0.898 | 43 |
| 10 | Cardiff City | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 41 | 44 | 0.932 | 42 |
| 11 | Grimsby Town | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 74 | 73 | 1.014 | 40 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Second Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 20 August 1949 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–4 | 32,702 | Manley (pen) |
| 2 | 24 August 1949 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 3–3 | 20,931 | Dare (2), Monk |
| 3 | 27 August 1949 | Bury | A | 2–1 | 16,116 | Woodward, Dare |
| 4 | 31 August 1949 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 0–2 | 25,741 | |
| 5 | 3 September 1949 | Leicester City | H | 0–1 | 20,302 | |
| 6 | 10 September 1949 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 2–0 | 12,754 | Goodwin, Paton |
| 7 | 14 September 1949 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2–0 | 19,889 | Dare, Paton |
| 8 | 17 September 1949 | Chesterfield | H | 0–0 | 25,270 | |
| 9 | 19 September 1949 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1–4 | 18,613 | Coote |
| 10 | 24 September 1949 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–2 | 17,088 | |
| 11 | 1 October 1949 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–1 | 25,270 | Goodwin |
| 12 | 8 October 1949 | Preston North End | A | 0–2 | 30,178 | |
| 13 | 15 October 1949 | Swansea Town | H | 0–0 | 23,871 | |
| 14 | 22 October 1949 | Leeds United | A | 0–1 | 27,342 | |
| 15 | 29 October 1949 | Southampton | H | 0–1 | 21,694 | |
| 16 | 5 November 1949 | Coventry City | A | 1–1 | 16,110 | Woodward |
| 17 | 12 November 1949 | Luton Town | H | 1–0 | 20,520 | Sperrin |
| 18 | 19 November 1949 | Barnsley | A | 1–0 | 14,942 | Woodward |
| 19 | 26 November 1949 | West Ham United | H | 0–2 | 21,887 | |
| 20 | 3 December 1949 | Sheffield United | A | 1–1 | 20,649 | Dare |
| 21 | 10 December 1949 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–0 | 16,384 | Girling |
| 22 | 17 December 1949 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | 49,297 | Sperrin |
| 23 | 24 December 1949 | Bury | H | 2–0 | 17,401 | Dare (2) |
| 24 | 26 December 1949 | Hull City | H | 3–1 | 33,791 | Dare, Sperrin, Goodwin |
| 25 | 27 December 1949 | Hull City | A | 0–2 | 48,447 | |
| 26 | 31 December 1949 | Leicester City | A | 1–1 | 31,919 | Dare |
| 27 | 14 January 1950 | Bradford Park Avenue | H | 2–0 | 19,781 | Coote, Paton |
| 28 | 21 January 1950 | Chesterfield | A | 1–3 | 12,075 | Coote |
| 29 | 4 February 1950 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 0–0 | 22,313 | |
| 30 | 18 February 1950 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 3–3 | 37,923 | Pointon, Hill, Dare |
| 31 | 25 February 1950 | Preston North End | H | 1–0 | 25,387 | Goodwin |
| 32 | 4 March 1950 | Swansea Town | A | 0–3 | 21,239 | |
| 33 | 11 March 1950 | Leeds United | H | 0–0 | 22,231 | |
| 34 | 18 March 1950 | Southampton | A | 3–2 | 22,429 | Paton, Dare, Mallett (og) |
| 35 | 25 March 1950 | Coventry City | H | 2–0 | 16,921 | Goodwin, Dare |
| 36 | 1 April 1950 | West Ham United | A | 2–2 | 18,826 | Manley (pen), Pointon |
| 37 | 7 April 1950 | Cardiff City | H | 1–0 | 24,584 | Goodwin |
| 38 | 8 April 1950 | Sheffield United | H | 1–0 | 22,411 | Dare |
| 39 | 10 April 1950 | Cardiff City | A | 0–0 | 16,260 | |
| 40 | 15 April 1950 | Luton Town | A | 0–1 | 13,991 | |
| 41 | 22 April 1950 | Barnsley | H | 3–0 | 16,514 | Pointon, Hill, Dare |
| 42 | 29 April 1950 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–4 | 11,253 | Garneys |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| 3R | 7 January 1950 | Chelsea | H | 0–1 | 38,000 |
* Sources: Statto, 11v11, 100 Years Of Brentford

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1949–50 season.
| Pos. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | |
| GK | Ted Gaskell | | (1916-12-19)19 December 1916 (aged 32) | Buxton | 1937 | |
| GK | Alf Jefferies | | (1922-02-09)9 February 1922 (aged 27) | Oxford City | 1945 | |
| GK | Reg Newton | | (1926-06-30)30 June 1926 (aged 23) | Leyton Orient | 1949 | |
| Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | Defenders | |
| DF | Bill Gorman | | (1911-01-13)13 January 1911 (aged 38) | Bury | 1938 | |
| DF | Fred Monk | | (1920-10-09)9 October 1920 (aged 28) | Guildford City | 1948 | |
| DF | Roddy Munro | | (1920-07-27)27 July 1920 (aged 29) | Rangers | 1946 | |
| DF | Wally Quinton | | (1917-12-13)13 December 1917 (aged 31) | Birmingham City | 1949 | |
| Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | Midfielders | |
| HB | Ron Greenwood | | (1921-11-11)11 November 1921 (aged 27) | Bradford Park Avenue | 1949 | |
| HB | Frank Latimer | | (1923-10-03)3 October 1923 (aged 25) | Snowdown Colliery Welfare | 1945 | |
| HB | Tom Manley | | (1912-10-07)7 October 1912 (aged 36) | Manchester United | 1939 | |
| Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | |
| FW | Jimmy Anders | | (1928-03-08)8 March 1928 (aged 21) | Preston North End | 1948 | |
| FW | Ken Coote | | (1928-05-19)19 May 1928 (aged 21) | Wembley | 1949 | |
| FW | Billy Dare | | (1927-02-14)14 February 1927 (aged 22) | Hendon | 1948 | |
| FW | Tom Garneys | | (1923-08-25)25 August 1923 (aged 25) | Chingford Town | 1949 | |
| FW | Dickie Girling | | (1922-05-24)24 May 1922 (aged 27) | Crystal Palace | 1947 | |
| FW | Jackie Goodwin | | (1920-09-29)29 September 1920 (aged 28) | Birmingham City | 1949 | |
| FW | Jimmy Hill | | (1928-07-22)22 July 1928 (aged 21) | Reading | 1949 | |
| FW | Doug Keene | | (1928-08-30)30 August 1928 (aged 20) | Kingsbury Town | 1946 | |
| FW | Kevin O'Flanagan | | (1919-06-10)10 June 1919 (aged 30) | Barnet | 1949 | Amateur |
| FW | Johnny Paton | | (1923-04-02)2 April 1923 (aged 26) | Celtic | 1949 | |
| FW | Bill Pointon | | (1920-11-25)25 November 1920 (aged 28) | Queens Park Rangers | 1950 | |
| FW | Dennis Rampling | | (1923-11-25)25 November 1923 (aged 25) | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 1949 | |
| FW | Billy Sperrin | | (1922-04-09)9 April 1922 (aged 27) | Guildford City | 1949 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| HB | David Nelson | | (1918-02-03)3 February 1918 (aged 31) | Fulham | 1947 | Transferred to Queens Park Rangers |
| HB | George Paterson | | (1914-09-26)26 September 1914 (aged 34) | Celtic | 1946 | Transferred to Yeovil Town |
| FW | Viv Woodward | | (1914-05-25)25 May 1914 (aged 35) | Millwall | 1948 | Transferred to Aldershot |
* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Jackie Gibbons | Secretary-Manager |
| Jimmy Bain | Assistant Manager |
| Malky MacDonald | 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 | | Ted Gaskell | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| GK | | Alf Jefferies | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| GK | | Reg Newton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| DF | | Bill Gorman | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| DF | | Fred Monk | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| DF | | Roddy Munro | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| DF | | Wally Quinton | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| HB | | Ron Greenwood | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| HB | | Frank Latimer | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| HB | | Tom Manley | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 |
| HB | | David Nelson | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| HB | | George Paterson | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | | Jimmy Anders | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| FW | | Ken Coote | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 |
| FW | | Billy Dare | 41 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 14 |
| FW | | Tom Garneys | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| FW | | Dickie Girling | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| FW | | Jackie Goodwin | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 6 |
| FW | | Jimmy Hill | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| FW | | Doug Keene | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Kevin O'Flanagan | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| FW | | Johnny Paton | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 |
| FW | | Bill Pointon | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| FW | | Dennis Rampling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Billy Sperrin | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 |
| FW | | Viv Woodward | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL2 | FAC | Total |
| FW | | Billy Dare | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| FW | | Jackie Goodwin | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| FW | | Johnny Paton | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| FW | | Ken Coote | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Billy Sperrin | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Viv Woodward | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Jimmy Hill | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| HB | | Tom Manley | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Bill Pointon | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Tom Garneys | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Dickie Girling | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Fred Monk | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 44 | 0 | 44 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Amateur international caps

| Pos. | Nat | Player | Caps | Goals | Ref |
| FW | | Kevin O'Flanagan | 1 | 1 | |

### 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 % |
| Jackie Gibbons | | 20 August 1949 | 29 April 1950 | 43 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 034.88 | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 035.71 |

### Summary

| Games played | 43 (42 Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 15 (15 Second Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 13 (13 Second Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 15 (14 Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 44 (44 Second Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 51 (49 Second Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 17 (17 Second Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 3–0 versus Barnsley, 22 April 1950 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–1 on three occasions |
| Most appearances | 43, Ron Greenwood (42 Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 14, Billy Dare |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 14, Billy Dare |

## Transfers & loans

    Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| 9 May 1949 | FW | Dennis Rampling | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | n/a | |
| May 1949 | FW | Jimmy Hill | Reading | n/a | |
| July 1949 | GK | Reg Newton | Leyton Orient | Part-exchange | |
| September 1949 | FW | Jack Jordan | Reading | n/a | |
| September 1949 | FW | Johnny Paton | Celtic | £5,000 | |
| September 1949 | FW | Billy Sperrin | Guildford City | n/a | |
| November 1949 | FW | Kevin O'Flanagan | Barnet | Amateur | |
| 24 December 1949 | FW | Tom Garneys | Chingford Town | £750 | |
| 1949 | FW | George Francis | Unattached | n/a | |
| 1949 | FW | Dennis Heath | Alexandra Villa | n/a | |
| February 1950 | FW | Eddie Brown | n/a | n/a | |
| February 1950 | FW | Bill Pointon | Queens Park Rangers | Exchange | |
| March 1950 | DF | Tecwyn Jones | Holywell Town | Free | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| May 1949 | FW | Peter McKennan | Middlesbrough | £9,000 | |
| July 1949 | FW | Alan Smith | Leyton Orient | Part-exchange | |
| 1949 | HB | George Paterson | Queens Park Rangers | n/a | |
| February 1950 | HB | David Nelson | Queens Park Rangers | Exchange | |
| February 1950 | FW | Viv Woodward | Aldershot | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| September 1949 | DF | Malky MacDonald | Retired | | |
| May 1950 | FW | Eddie Brown | Torquay United | August 1950 | |
| May 1950 | FW | Les Devonshire | Chester | June 1950 | |
| May 1950 | DF | Doug Keene | Brighton & Hove Albion | June 1950 | |
| May 1950 | FW | Kevin O'Flanagan | Retired | | |
| May 1950 | FW | Dennis Rampling | Weymouth | 1950 | |