# 1973–74 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1973–74 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. A dreadful season, marred by infighting at boardroom level, resulted in a 19th-place finish, Brentford's lowest in the Football League since the 1925–26 season.

## Season summary

In the wake of Brentford's relegation straight back to the Fourth Division at the end of the previous season, manager Frank Blunstone, who had come to the end of his contract, left Griffin Park to take over as youth team manager at Manchester United. Despite the relegation, fan support for Blunstone was high and the finger of blame pointed at the board of directors, with one letter to the Middlesex Chronicle summing up the situation that the board's penny-pinching ways since 1967 were "necessary for a couple of years or so, but timidity of this sort prompts me to believe that promotion last year was an unwelcome accident, which has now been rectified". Brentford entered pre-season without a manager and training was taken by full back Alan Hawley and other senior professionals. Eventually former Wimbledon player-manager Mike Everitt was appointed as manager, just seven days before the beginning of the season. Everitt made no signings before the first match of the season and inherited a tiny 14-man squad, with backup goalkeeper Gary Towse being Brentford's only incoming transfer, signed two months earlier.
With Brentford one place above the re-election zone after seven league matches, manager Everitt began recruiting new players, including defender Gordon Riddick for a £4,000 fee and loanees Michael Brown and Hughie Reed. The signings had no immediate impact and Brentford sank to the bottom of the Football League after a 4–1 defeat to Scunthorpe United at the Old Showground. The loss meant that Brentford became the first club to occupy both first and last places in the Football League, having risen to top position during the early months of the 1937–38 season. Behind the scenes, the Brentford board had split into two factions, with one side pushing for a move to a new stadium and the other half wishing to stay at Griffin Park. Joint-chairmen Les Davey and Walter Wheatley were split on the matter and Wheatley became sole chairman of the club in January 1974, though he would be ousted two months later.
With Brentford still struggling on the field, midfielder Stewart Houston was sold to Manchester United in December 1973 for a club-record £55,000 fee, but the money was not immediately reinvested in the squad. The disharmony in the boardroom also spread to the playing squad, with Paul Bence, Alan Nelmes, Jackie Graham, Barry Salvage and Paul Priddy requesting moves away, though ultimately none would depart Griffin Park. A 10-match unbeaten run from mid-February through to early-April 1974 finally assured safety and youth products Richard Poole, Kevin Harding and Roy Cotton were able to be blooded, though none of the trio would make more than a handful of senior appearances for the club. Cambridge United forward Dave Simmonds and Bournemouth defender Jimmy Gabriel were brought in on transfer deadline day. Brentford ended the season in 19th place, the club's lowest finish in the Football League since the 1925–26 season. The average home league attendance of 5,063 was the lowest since the club joined the Football League in 1920.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 17 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 62 | 69 | 0.899 | 43 | |
| 18 | Scunthorpe United | 45 | 14 | 12 | 19 | 47 | 64 | 0.734 | 42 | |
| 19 | Brentford | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 48 | 50 | 0.960 | 40 | |
| 20 | Darlington | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 40 | 62 | 0.645 | 39 | |
| 21 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 43 | 71 | 0.606 | 38 | Re-elected |
* ↑ Scunthorpe United v. Exeter was never played; Exeter failed to turn up and Scunthorpe were awarded the points.

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 11 August 1973 | Hereford United | H | 2–2 | 3,330 | Webb, Graham |
| 18 August 1973 | Aldershot | A | 0–1 | 2,363 | |
| 20 August 1973 | Luton Town | H | 1–1 | 2,320 | Cross |
| 29 October 1973 | Ex-Bees XI | H | 3–4 | 1,461 | Woon, Salvage, Metchick |
| 6 May 1974 | Orient | H | 2–2 | 2,550 | O'Mara, Docherty |

### Football League Fourth Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 25 August 1973 | Hartlepool | A | 0–1 | 3,447 | |
| 2 | 1 September 1973 | Exeter City | H | 0–1 | 4,814 | |
| 3 | 8 September 1973 | Darlington | A | 2–1 | 2,287 | Woon, Cross |
| 4 | 10 September 1973 | Torquay United | H | 0–0 | 5,581 | |
| 5 | 15 September 1973 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 2–0 | 4,957 | Cross (2) |
| 6 | 17 September 1973 | Reading | H | 0–1 | 8,717 | |
| 7 | 22 September 1973 | Bury | A | 0–3 | 4,329 | |
| 8 | 29 September 1973 | Barnsley | H | 5–1 | 5,010 | Scales, Woon (2), Docherty, Metchick |
| 9 | 3 October 1973 | Reading | A | 0–1 | 11,267 | |
| 10 | 6 October 1973 | Lincoln City | A | 2–3 | 4,056 | Woon, Cross |
| 11 | 13 October 1973 | Peterborough United | H | 0–1 | 6,141 | |
| 12 | 20 October 1973 | Rotherham United | H | 1–1 | 4,419 | Webb |
| 13 | 24 October 1973 | Torquay United | A | 0–3 | 4,445 | |
| 14 | 27 October 1973 | Scunthorpe United | A | 1–4 | 2,523 | Cross |
| 15 | 3 November 1973 | Mansfield Town | H | 4–1 | 4,331 | Houston, Cross (3, 1 pen) |
| 16 | 10 November 1973 | Workington | A | 2–0 | 970 | Woon, Riddick |
| 17 | 12 November 1973 | Stockport County | A | 1–1 | 1,948 | Riddick |
| 18 | 17 November 1973 | Chester | H | 3–0 | 5,166 | Cross (3) |
| 19 | 1 December 1973 | Gillingham | H | 0–3 | 5,748 | |
| 20 | 8 December 1973 | Bradford City | A | 1–1 | 3,243 | Webb |
| 21 | 15 December 1973 | Darlington | H | 0–0 | 3,166 | |
| 22 | 22 December 1973 | Barnsley | A | 1–2 | 2,458 | Cross |
| 23 | 26 December 1973 | Newport County | H | 1–1 | 5,445 | Graham |
| 24 | 1 January 1974 | Exeter City | A | 1–2 | 5,754 | Salvage |
| 25 | 5 January 1974 | Swansea City | H | 0–2 | 3,501 | |
| 26 | 12 January 1974 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 2–1 | 3,009 | Woon (2) |
| 27 | 19 January 1974 | Hartlepool | H | 1–2 | 4,646 | Allen |
| 28 | 26 January 1974 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 0–0 | 1,380 | |
| 29 | 2 February 1974 | Northampton Town | A | 0–0 | 4,130 | |
| 30 | 9 February 1974 | Bury | H | 1–2 | 4,015 | Cross |
| 31 | 16 February 1974 | Peterborough United | A | 0–1 | 7,645 | |
| 32 | 23 February 1974 | Lincoln City | H | 2–1 | 4,171 | Salvage, Cross |
| 33 | 2 March 1974 | Newport County | A | 1–1 | 2,167 | Salvage |
| 34 | 9 March 1974 | Scunthorpe United | H | 2–1 | 4,053 | Salvage, Allen |
| 35 | 16 March 1974 | Rotherham United | A | 1–1 | 2,536 | Metchick |
| 36 | 18 March 1974 | Northampton Town | H | 3–1 | 3,686 | Cross, Simmons, Salvage |
| 37 | 23 March 1974 | Workington | H | 1–1 | 5,008 | Cross |
| 38 | 26 March 1974 | Swansea City | A | 0–0 | 2,220 | |
| 39 | 30 March 1974 | Mansfield Town | A | 1–1 | 1,909 | Graham |
| 40 | 1 April 1974 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 3–0 | 5,552 | Cross, Metchick, Simmons |
| 41 | 6 April 1974 | Stockport County | H | 0–0 | 5,625 | |
| 42 | 12 April 1974 | Colchester United | A | 1–2 | 8,155 | Simmons |
| 43 | 13 April 1974 | Chester | A | 0–0 | 2,775 | |
| 44 | 16 April 1974 | Colchester United | H | 0–0 | 7,478 | |
| 45 | 20 April 1974 | Bradford City | H | 2–0 | 5,224 | Simmons, Poole |
| 46 | 27 April 1974 | Gillingham | A | 0–1 | 9,319 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer |
| 1R | 24 November 1973 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–2 | 11,050 | Allen |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer |
| 1R | 28 August 1973 | Orient | H | 1–2 | 6,620 | Webb |
* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies, Statto

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1973–74 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Paul Priddy | (1953-07-11)11 July 1953 (aged 20) | Maidenhead United | 1972 | |
| GK | Steve Sherwood | (1953-12-10)10 December 1953 (aged 19) | Chelsea | 1973 | On loan from Chelsea |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Michael Allen | (1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 24) | Middlesbrough | 1971 | |
| DF | Paul Bence | (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 24) | Reading | 1970 | Loaned to Hillingdon Borough |
| DF | Jimmy Gabriel | (1940-10-10)10 October 1940 (aged 32) | Bournemouth | 1974 | Coach |
| DF | Peter Gelson | (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 31) | Youth | 1961 | |
| DF | Alan Hawley | (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 27) | Youth | 1962 | Loaned to Hillingdon Borough and Aldershot |
| DF | Gordon Riddick (c) | (1943-11-06)6 November 1943 (aged 29) | Northampton Town | 1973 | |
| DF | Terry Scales | (1951-01-18)18 January 1951 (aged 22) | West Ham United | 1971 | |
| DF | Gary Smith | (1955-11-04)4 November 1955 (aged 17) | Youth | 1974 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | John Docherty | (1940-04-29)29 April 1940 (aged 33) | Reading | 1970 | Assistant manager |
| MF | Jackie Graham | (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 27) | Guildford City | 1970 | |
| MF | Dave Metchick | (1943-08-14)14 August 1943 (aged 30) | Atlanta Apollos | 1973 | |
| MF | Alan Nelmes | (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 24) | Chelsea | 1967 | |
| MF | Barry Salvage | (1946-12-21)21 December 1946 (aged 26) | Queens Park Rangers | 1973 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Roy Cotton | (1955-11-14)14 November 1955 (aged 17) | Youth | 1973 | |
| FW | Roger Cross | (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 24) | Fulham | 1973 | |
| FW | Kevin Harding | (1957-03-19)19 March 1957 (aged 16) | Youth | 1974 | |
| FW | Richard Poole | (1957-07-03)3 July 1957 (aged 16) | Youth | 1974 | |
| FW | Dave Simmons | (1948-10-24)24 October 1948 (aged 24) | Cambridge United | 1974 | |
| FW | Stan Webb | (1947-12-06)6 December 1947 (aged 25) | Carlisle United | 1972 | |
| FW | Andy Woon | (1952-06-26)26 June 1952 (aged 21) | Bognor Regis Town | 1973 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| GK | Gary Towse | (1952-05-14)14 May 1952 (aged 21) | Crystal Palace | 1973 | Released |
| DF | Michael Brown | (1951-09-27)27 September 1951 (aged 21) | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1973 | Returned to Brighton & Hove Albion after loan |
| MF | Stewart Houston | (1949-08-20)20 August 1949 (aged 24) | Chelsea | 1972 | Transferred to Manchester United |
| MF | Hughie Reed | (1950-08-23)23 August 1950 (aged 23) | Plymouth Argyle | 1973 | Returned to Plymouth Argyle after loan |
* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Mike Everitt | Manager |
| John Docherty | Assistant manager |
| Jimmy Gabriel | Coach |
| Jess Willard | Trainer, Chief Scout |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    Substitute appearances in brackets.
| 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 | | Paul Priddy | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| GK | | Gary Towse | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| DF | | Michael Allen | 27 (5) | 2 | 0 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 (8) | 3 |
| DF | | Paul Bence | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| DF | | Jimmy Gabriel | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 |
| DF | | Peter Gelson | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| DF | | Alan Hawley | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| DF | | Gordon Riddick | 26 (1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 (1) | 2 |
| DF | | Terry Scales | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 1 |
| MF | | John Docherty | 13 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 (1) | 1 |
| MF | | Jackie Graham | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 2 |
| MF | | Stewart Houston | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 |
| MF | | Dave Metchick | 33 (1) | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 (1) | 3 |
| MF | | Alan Nelmes | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| MF | | Barry Salvage | 37 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 5 |
| FW | | Roy Cotton | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 |
| FW | | Roger Cross | 39 (2) | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 (2) | 17 |
| FW | | Kevin Harding | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| FW | | Richard Poole | 5 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 (1) | 1 |
| FW | | Dave Simmons | 12 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 4 |
| FW | | Stan Webb | 13 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 (2) | 3 |
| FW | | Andy Woon | 24 (3) | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 25 (4) | 7 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||
| GK | | Steve Sherwood | 16 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 0 |
| DF | | Michael Brown | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| MF | | Hughie Reed | 3 (1) | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 (1) | 0 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL4 | FAC | FLC | Total |
| FW | | Roger Cross | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| FW | | Andy Woon | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| MF | | Barry Salvage | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| FW | | Dave Simmons | 4 | — | — | 4 |
| MF | | Dave Metchick | 3 | 0 | — | 3 |
| DF | | Michael Allen | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| FW | | Stan Webb | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| DF | | Gordon Riddick | 2 | 0 | — | 2 |
| MF | | Jackie Graham | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | John Docherty | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Stewart Houston | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Richard Poole | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Terry Scales | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 48 | 1 | 1 | 50 |
* 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 % |
| Mike Everitt | | 25 August 1973 | 27 April 1974 | 48 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 025.00 | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 026.09 |

### Summary

| Games played | 48 (46 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Games won | 12 (12 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games drawn | 16 (16 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Games lost | 20 (18 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals scored | 50 (48 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 54 (50 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 13 (13 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 5–1 versus Barnsley, 29 September 1973 |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 on three occasions; 4–1 versus Scunthorpe United, 27 October 1973 |
| Most appearances | 43, Roger Cross (41 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 17, Roger Cross |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 17, Roger Cross |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| June 1973 | GK | Gary Towse | Crystal Palace | Free | |
| September 1973 | MF | Dave Metchick | Atlanta Apollos | Trial | |
| October 1973 | DF | Gordon Riddick | Northampton Town | £4,000 | |
| March 1974 | DF | Jimmy Gabriel | Bournemouth | Free | |
| March 1974 | FW | Dave Simmons | Cambridge United | £12,000 | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| September 1973 | DF | Michael Brown | Brighton & Hove Albion | October 1973 | |
| October 1973 | MF | Hughie Reed | Plymouth Argyle | November 1973 | |
| January 1974 | GK | Steve Sherwood | Chelsea | End of season | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| December 1973 | MF | Stewart Houston | Manchester United | £55,000 | |
| 1973 | MF | David Jenkins | Hereford United | Free | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| December 1973 | DF | Paul Bence | Hillingdon Borough | December 1973 | |
| February 1974 | DF | Alan Hawley | Hillingdon Borough | February 1974 | |
| February 1974 | DF | Alan Hawley | Aldershot | March 1974 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| January 1974 | GK | Gary Towse | Jewish Guild | 1974 | |
| May 1974 | FW | Roy Cotton | Orient | July 1974 | |
| May 1974 | MF | John Docherty | Queens Park Rangers | July 1974 | |
| May 1974 | DF | Jimmy Gabriel | Seattle Sounders | 1974 | |
| May 1974 | DF | Alan Hawley | Hillingdon Borough | 1974 | |
| May 1974 | FW | Stan Webb | Darlington | July 1974 | |

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Peter Gelson
* Players' Player of the Year: Peter Gelson