# 1914–15 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1914–15 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League Second Division. The season began one month after Britain entered the First World War, which unsettled the squad as players left to undertake military or munitions duties. The Bees finished in mid-table in what would be the club's last season of competitive football until 1919–20.

## Season summary

Brentford's players were due to report back for pre-season training during the week beginning 3 August 1914, but those preparations were disrupted by Britain's declaration of war on Germany on 4 August. Just two players had been signed, forwards Jack Curtis and Stephen Stonley. As the season got underway, Brentford lost just two of the first 10 Southern League Second Division matches, but by that point it had become obvious that the war would not be over by Christmas as predicted. Beginning in mid-October 1914, the squad was decimated by departures to serve in the army (Kent, Sloley, Hendren, Amos), work in munitions at the Royal Arsenal (McGovern, Johnson, Stonley) or on transfers (J. Curtis, Spratt). Reserves, guest players, free transfers and local amateurs were brought in to plug gaps in the squad, with full back Fred Price, half backs Mick O'Brien, Charles Allwright and forwards Michael Donaghy, Walter Chalk, F. Arnold and Charles Hibbert making up for the departures of the professionals in the second half of the season. Amateur Walter Chalk would become something of a minor success, scoring six goals in 9 appearances.
Notably, a 10–0 win over Abertillery on 28 November 1914 set a new club record, but the result was declared void two days later when Abertillery resigned from the Southern League. Earlier wins over Leyton and Mardy were also chalked off when those clubs also left the league. Brentford won just three of the final 15 matches of the season, with the one bright spot being the emergence of inside right Henry White. Low attendances meant the Bees finished a mid-table season £7,000 in debt (equivalent to £708,500 in 2024) and 1914–15 would become the final season of competitive football until 1919–20, after the war ended in November 1918.
Three former Brentford players died during the season:
* Private Harry Gould, a former reserve team player, died whilst in training with the Royal Fusiliers on 7 September 1914.
* Private William Mehew, an occasional player at the turn of the century, was serving in the Northamptonshire Regiment when he was killed during the Battle of Aubers on 9 May 1915.
* One-time England amateur international George Littler, a former Brentford reserve, was serving as a sergeant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps when he died of wounds suffered during the Battle of Aubers on 11 May 1915.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
| 5 | Coventry City | 24 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 56 | 33 | 1.697 | 28 | Elected to the 1919–20 Football League Second Division after World War I |
| 6 | Ton Pentre | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 42 | 43 | 0.977 | 28 | |
| 7 | Brentford | 24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 35 | 45 | 0.778 | 23 | Elected to 1919–20 SFL Division One after World War I |
| 8 | Llanelly | 24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 39 | 32 | 1.219 | 21 | |
| 9 | Barry | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 30 | 35 | 0.857 | 17 | |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Southern League Second Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 5 September 1914 | Coventry City | H | 3–1 | Sloley, Stonley (2, 1 pen) |
| 2 | 12 September 1914 | Barry | A | 1–0 | White |
| 3 | 14 September 1914 | Mid Rhondda | A | 0–0 | |
| 4 | 26 September 1914 | Ton Pentre | A | 0–0 | |
| 5 | 13 October 1914 | Stalybridge Celtic | A | 1–5 | J. Curtis |
| 6 | 31 October 1914 | Ebbw Vale | H | 3–0 | Sloley (3) |
| 7 | 7 November 1914 | Llanelly | A | 0–3 | |
| 8 | 14 November 1914 | Newport County | H | 1–0 | Stonley (pen) |
| 9 | 12 December 1914 | Swansea Town | H | 2–0 | Johnson, Hendren |
| 10 | 25 December 1914 | Stoke | H | 2–2 | Stonley, Sloley |
| 11 | 26 December 1914 | Stoke | A | 0–3 | |
| 12 | 2 January 1915 | Coventry City | A | 2–3 | Stonley, White |
| 13 | 9 January 1915 | Pontypridd | A | 0–1 | |
| 14 | 16 January 1915 | Barry | H | 0–0 | |
| 15 | 30 January 1915 | Ton Pentre | H | 3–3 | Hibbert, White, F. Price |
| 16 | 13 February 1915 | Stalybridge Celtic | H | 1–3 | Chalk |
| 17 | 6 March 1915 | Ebbw Vale | A | 4–1 | Arnold (2), White, Chalk |
| 18 | 13 March 1915 | Llanelly | H | 2–2 | Martin (og), Chalk |
| 19 | 20 March 1915 | Newport County | A | 0–5 | |
| 20 | 27 March 1915 | Mid Rhondda | H | 3–1 | White, Chalk (2) |
| 21 | 2 April 1915 | Merthyr Town | H | 1–1 | O'Brien |
| 22 | 3 April 1915 | Swansea Town | A | 0–8 | |
| 23 | 5 April 1915 | Merthyr Town | A | 0–3 | |
| 24 | 10 April 1915 | Pontypridd | H | 6–0 | O'Brien (2), Chalk, White (2), Barclay |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorer |
| QR4 | 21 November 1914 | Nunhead | A | 1–0 | Stonley |
| QR5 | 5 December 1914 | Boscombe | A | 0–0 | |
| QR5 (replay) | 9 December 1914 | Boscombe | H | 0–1 | |
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1914–15 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Ted Price | (1883-06-13)13 June 1883 (aged 31) | Croydon Common | 1912 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Frank Price | (1885-02-28)28 February 1885 (aged 29) | Shepherds Bush | 1914 | |
| DF | Dusty Rhodes (c) | (1882-08-16)16 August 1882 (aged 32) | Sunderland | 1908 | Manager |
| DF | Bertie Rosier | (1893-03-21)21 March 1893 (aged 21) | Southall | 1913 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | Charles Allwright | (1888-06-11)11 June 1888 (aged 26) | Kingston upon Thames | 1914 | |
| HB | Alf Amos | (1893-02-09)9 February 1893 (aged 21) | Old Kingstonians | 1913 | |
| HB | Alec Barclay | (1885-11-01)1 November 1885 (aged 28) | Ilford | 1910 | Amateur |
| HB | Bobby Jackson | (1887-02-09)9 February 1887 (aged 27) | Portsmouth | 1913 | |
| HB | Tom McGovern | (1888-11-11)11 November 1888 (aged 25) | Halifax Town | 1913 | |
| HB | Mick O'Brien | (1893-08-10)10 August 1893 (aged 21) | Celtic | 1915 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Herbert Allwright | (1892-03-04)4 March 1892 (aged 23) | Unattached | 1915 | |
| FW | F. Arnold | n/a | West Kensington | 1915 | |
| FW | Walter Chalk | (1885-07-10)10 July 1885 (aged 29) | Old Kingstonians | 1915 | Amateur |
| FW | Jack Chapman | (1895-04-29)29 April 1895 (aged 19) | Southall | 1913 | Amateur |
| FW | George Curtis | (1888-10-22)22 October 1888 (aged 25) | Kingston upon Thames | 1914 | |
| FW | Michael Donaghy | (1889-01-26)26 January 1889 (aged 25) | Luton Town | 1915 | |
| FW | Patsy Hendren | (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 25) | Queens Park Rangers | 1911 | Played when his cricket commitments allowed |
| FW | Charles Hibbert | (1894-01-25)25 January 1894 (aged 20) | Uxbridge | 1914 | Amateur |
| FW | Tommy Kent | (1888-09-10)10 September 1888 (aged 25) | Slough Town | 1913 | Amateur |
| FW | Jack Land | (1883-03-31)31 March 1883 (aged 31) | Hounslow | 1910 | |
| FW | Richard Sloley | (1891-08-20)20 August 1891 (aged 23) | Cambridge University | 1914 | Amateur |
| FW | Stephen Stonley | (1889-09-29)29 September 1889 (aged 24) | Woolwich Arsenal | 1914 | |
| FW | Charles Symes | (1888-03-13)13 March 1888 (aged 26) | South Tooting | 1912 | |
| FW | Henry White | (1895-08-08)8 August 1895 (aged 19) | Whamcliffe Athletic | 1913 | Amateur |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Walter Spratt | (1889-04-14)14 April 1889 (aged 25) | Rotherham Town | 1911 | Transferred to Manchester United |
| HB | Joe Johnson | (1882-12-12)12 December 1882 (aged 31) | Clapton Orient | 1913 | Transferred to Hartlepools United |
| FW | Jack Curtis | (1888-12-13)13 December 1888 (aged 25) | Fulham | 1914 | Transferred to Stockport County |
| Guest players |||||||
| GK | William Hughes | n/a | Leyton | 1915 | Amateur, guest from Leyton |
| HB | Harry Crane | (1890-09-25)25 September 1890 (aged 23) | Woking | 1915 | Amateur, guest from Woking |
| FW | Charles Bedell | (1880-05-17)17 May 1880 (aged 34) | Tufnell Park | 1915 | Amateur, guest from Tufnell Park |
| FW | Norman Carson | (1889-01-20)20 January 1889 (aged 25) | Shepherd's Bush | 1915 | Amateur, guest from Shepherd's Bush |
| FW | Richard Fraser | n/a | Chelsea | 1914 | Guest from Chelsea |
| FW | Percy Matthews | (1884-02-19)19 February 1884 (aged 30) | Uxbridge | 1914 | Amateur, guest from Uxbridge |
| FW | Cecil Salisbury | (1886-09-04)4 September 1886 (aged 28) | Woking | 1915 | Amateur, guest from Woking |
| FW | James Sangster | (1891-05-22)22 May 1891 (aged 23) | Southall | 1914 | Amateur, guest from Southall |
* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Timeless Bees, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939, Bees Review

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Dusty Rhodes | Manager |
| Fred Halliday | Secretary |
| Tommy Spicer | Trainer |
| Michael Whitham | 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 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| DF | | Frank Price | 10 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 1 |
| DF | | Dusty Rhodes | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| DF | | Bertie Rosier | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Walter Spratt | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| HB | | Charles Allwright | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| HB | | Alf Amos | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| HB | | Alec Barclay | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| HB | | Bobby Jackson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Joe Johnson | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| HB | | Jack Land | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HB | | Tom McGovern | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| HB | | Mick O'Brien | 9 | 3 | — | — | 9 | 3 |
| FW | | Herbert Allwright | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | F. Arnold | 7 | 2 | — | — | 7 | 2 |
| FW | | Walter Chalk | 9 | 6 | — | — | 9 | 6 |
| FW | | Jack Chapman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Jack Curtis | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| FW | | Michael Donaghy | 7 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| FW | | Charles Hibbert | 11 | 1 | — | — | 11 | 1 |
| FW | | Tommy Kent | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| FW | | Richard Sloley | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| FW | | Stephen Stonley | 14 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 5 |
| FW | | Charles Symes | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| FW | | Henry White | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 7 |
| Players guested during the season |||||||||
| GK | | William Hughes | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| HB | | Harry Crane | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Charles Bedell | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Norman Carson | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | George Curtis | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | Richard Fraser | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | | Percy Matthews | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | | Cecil Salisbury | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | James Sangster | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | SL2 | FAC | Total |
| FW | | Henry White | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| FW | | Walter Chalk | 6 | — | 6 |
| FW | | Richard Sloley | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| FW | | Stephen Stonley | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| HB | | Mick O'Brien | 3 | — | 3 |
| FW | | F. Arnold | 2 | — | 2 |
| FW | | Charles Hibbert | 1 | — | 1 |
| DF | | Frank Price | 1 | — | 1 |
| HB | | Alec Barclay | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Jack Curtis | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| HB | | Joe Johnson | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 35 | 1 | 36 |
* 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 % |
| Dusty Rhodes | | 5 September 1914 | 10 April 1915 | 27 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 033.33| | 24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 033.33 |

### Summary

| Games played | 27 (24 Southern League Second Division, 3 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 9 (8 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 8 (7 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 10 (9 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 36 (35 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 46 (45 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 9 (8 Southern League Second Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 6–0 versus Pontypridd, 10 April 1915 |
| Worst league defeat | 8–0 versus Swansea Town, 3 April 1915 |
| Most appearances | 26, Alf Amos (23 Southern League Second Division, 3 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 7, Henry White |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 7, Henry White |

## Transfers & loans

    Guest players' arrival and departure dates correspond to their first and last appearances of the season.
Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| 6 June 1914 | FW | Jack Curtis | Fulham | n/a | |
| 12 June 1914 | FW | Stephen Stonley | Woolwich Arsenal | n/a | |
| June 1914 | FW | Cyril Northam | n/a | n/a | |
| July 1914 | GK | Ed Martin | Unattached | Amateur | |
| August 1914 | HB | Bert Gibson | Unattached | Amateur | |
| August 1914 | DF | Oliver Payne | Unattached | Amateur | |
| August 1914 | FW | Arthur White | Unattached | Amateur | |
| September 1914 | HB | Jack Land | Hounslow | n/a | |
| September 1914 | FW | Charles Symes | South Tooting | n/a | |
| 24 October 1914 | DF | Edward Hawkins | Portsmouth | n/a | |
| October 1914 | FW | Jack Chapman | Southall | Amateur | |
| October 1914 | FW | George Curtis | Kingston upon Thames | Amateur | |
| 28 November 1914 | HB | Mick O'Brien | Celtic | n/a | |
| November 1914 | HB | Richard Jonas | Shepherd's Bush | Amateur | |
| 8 December 1914 | FW | Charles Allwright | Kingston upon Thames | Amateur | |
| December 1914 | FW | Charles Hibbert | Uxbridge | Amateur | |
| December 1914 | DF | Frank Price | Shepherd's Bush | Amateur | |
| 1914 | FW | Tommy Kent | Slough Town | Amateur | |
| February 1915 | FW | Walter Chalk | Old Kingstonians | Amateur | |
| March 1915 | FW | Herbert Allwright | Unattached | Amateur | |
| March 1915 | FW | F. Arnold | West Kensington | Amateur | |
| March 1915 | FW | Michael Donaghy | Luton Town | n/a | |
| 1915 | HB | Leonard Forrester | Millwall | Amateur | |
| 1915 | FW | George Steers | Shepherd's Bush | Amateur | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 29 January 1915 | FW | Jack Curtis | Stockport County | n/a | |
| 4 February 1915 | DF | Walter Spratt | Manchester United | £175 | |
| 29 March 1915 | HB | Joe Johnson | Hartlepools United | n/a | |
| Guest players in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Date to | Ref. |
| 12 September 1914 | FW | Percy Matthews | Uxbridge | 13 October 1914 | |
| 7 November 1914 | FW | Richard Fraser | Chelsea | 2 January 1915 | |
| 31 October 1914 | FW | James Sangster | Southall | 9 December 1914 | |
| 9 January 1915 | FW | Charles Bedell | Tufnell Park | 9 January 1915 | |
| 16 January 1915 | HB | Harry Crane | Woking | 16 January 1915 | |
| 16 January 1915 | FW | Cecil Salisbury | Woking | 16 January 1915 | |
| 30 January 1915 | FW | Norman Carson | Shepherd's Bush | 13 February 1915 | |
| 6 March 1915 | GK | William Hughes | Leyton | 13 March 1915 | |