# 1966–67 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1966–67 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. In a season overshadowed by the events of 19 January 1967, a promotion charge was derailed by five defeats in the final six matches of the campaign.

## Season summary

In a bid to buy Brentford out of the bottom two divisions of the Football League, the large transfer funds made available by chairman Jack Dunnett to previous managers Malky MacDonald and Tommy Cavanagh had left the club with mounting debts. Cavanagh had spent £30,000 on seven players since being appointed to the manager's job in January 1965, with five key attacking players (Bloomfield, Lazarus, Ward, Bonson and Fielding) being sold on for a total less than half that sum during the course of the 1965–66 Third Division season, towards the end of which he was sacked. New manager Billy Gray failed to halt Brentford's relegation slide, which meant that the club would be members of the Fourth Division for the 1966–67 season. An average home attendance of 11,000 would be needed to break even, a record which had been falling year on year since the 1963–64 season. A net loss on the previous season of £19,823 on the previous season (equivalent to £466,400 in 2024) meant that manager Gray had no money to buy established players and so brought in a number of youngsters, including his nephew John Richardson.
The Bees had a good start to the season, winning the first two matches to sit top of the Fourth Division, but despite the strikeforce being bolstered by experienced Brian Bedford, a winless run of five defeats in eight matches dropped the club into the relegation places in mid-October 1966. Manager Billy Gray then made wholesale changes to the starting XI, introducing a number of youngsters, with the new-look team going on to win five consecutive matches. The establishment of the new lineup led to a clearout of players, with out-of-favour Micky Block, Billy Cobb, John Regan, Mel Scott and Ron Crisp all exiting Griffin Park before the end of the season. The Bees failed to keep up their good form through November and December and dropped back into mid-table. The team weathered the storm caused by the tumultuous events of 19 January 1967, which resulted in the departure of chairman Jack Dunnett and manager Billy Gray. Trainer Jimmy Sirrel took over as acting manager and built on the improved January form under Gray and led the team on a 16-match unbeaten league run, which equalled the club record at the time. The run left Brentford within three points of the promotion places, but an inexplicable five consecutive defeats in the final six matches of the season ended any chances of promotion.
The Brentford reserve team had a successful season, beating local rivals Fulham in a replay to win the 1966–67 London Challenge Cup.

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| 7 | Wrexham | 46 | 16 | 20 | 10 | 76 | 62 | 1.226 | 52 |
| 8 | Hartlepools United | 46 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 66 | 64 | 1.031 | 51 |
| 9 | Brentford | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 58 | 56 | 1.036 | 49 |
| 10 | Aldershot | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 72 | 57 | 1.263 | 48 |
| 11 | Bradford City | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 74 | 62 | 1.194 | 48 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Fourth Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 20 August 1966 | Barnsley | A | 1–0 | 2,433 | Ross |
| 2 | 27 August 1966 | Luton Town | H | 1–0 | 6,770 | Cobb |
| 3 | 3 September 1966 | Aldershot | A | 1–3 | 5,583 | Docherty |
| 4 | 7 September 1966 | Lincoln City | A | 1–3 | 4,364 | Richardson |
| 5 | 10 September 1966 | Wrexham | H | 1–1 | 5,510 | Docherty |
| 6 | 17 September 1966 | Southend United | A | 0–3 | 8,200 | |
| 7 | 24 September 1966 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 1–1 | 5,620 | Bedford |
| 8 | 27 September 1966 | Lincoln City | H | 2–2 | 6,230 | Grummett (og), Ross |
| 9 | 1 October 1966 | Bradford City | A | 0–2 | 4,005 | |
| 10 | 8 October 1966 | Chesterfield | A | 0–3 | 4,968 | |
| 11 | 11 October 1966 | Aldershot | H | 1–0 | 6,110 | Lawther |
| 12 | 15 October 1966 | Stockport County | H | 2–1 | 5,710 | Curley, Docherty |
| 13 | 18 October 1966 | Halifax Town | H | 1–0 | 6,090 | Docherty (pen) |
| 14 | 22 October 1966 | Rochdale | A | 3–1 | 2,652 | Lawther (2), Ross |
| 15 | 29 October 1966 | Southport | H | 2–1 | 6,760 | Ross, Higginson |
| 16 | 5 November 1966 | Notts County | A | 2–3 | 3,883 | Bedford (2) |
| 17 | 12 November 1966 | Chester | H | 4–0 | 6,600 | Docherty, Lawther (2), Bedford |
| 18 | 15 November 1966 | Halifax Town | A | 2–3 | 2,495 | Jones, Curley |
| 19 | 19 November 1966 | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 2–2 | 4,182 | Docherty, Curley |
| 20 | 10 December 1966 | Barrow | H | 0–3 | 5,410 | |
| 21 | 17 December 1966 | Barnsley | H | 3–1 | 4,250 | Lawther, Docherty, Bedford |
| 22 | 26 December 1966 | Hartlepools United | A | 2–2 | 8,140 | Scott, Docherty |
| 23 | 27 December 1966 | Hartlepools United | H | 1–2 | 5,770 | Docherty |
| 24 | 31 December 1966 | Luton Town | A | 0–3 | 8,531 | |
| 25 | 14 January 1967 | Wrexham | A | 0–0 | 11,038 | |
| 26 | 21 January 1967 | Southend United | H | 1–1 | 10,650 | Lawther |
| 27 | 3 February 1967 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0–0 | 9,836 | |
| 28 | 11 February 1967 | Bradford City | H | 2–0 | 7,460 | Docherty, Ross |
| 29 | 18 February 1967 | York City | H | 1–1 | 7,620 | Lawther |
| 30 | 25 February 1967 | Chesterfield | H | 1–0 | 7,010 | Docherty |
| 31 | 3 March 1967 | Stockport County | A | 2–1 | 8,288 | Bedford, Docherty |
| 32 | 11 March 1967 | York City | A | 0–0 | 1,855 | |
| 33 | 18 March 1967 | Rochdale | H | 4–0 | 6,340 | Docherty, Ross (2), Lawther |
| 34 | 25 March 1967 | Port Vale | A | 3–1 | 3,434 | Richardson, Lawther, Curley |
| 35 | 27 March 1967 | Newport County | H | 1–1 | 9,600 | Ross |
| 36 | 28 March 1967 | Newport County | A | 1–1 | 2,546 | Lawther |
| 37 | 1 April 1967 | Notts County | H | 1–0 | 7,760 | Hooker |
| 38 | 8 April 1967 | Chester | A | 2–1 | 2,683 | Bedford, Higginson |
| 39 | 11 April 1967 | Exeter City | H | 3–1 | 7,800 | Bedford (3) |
| 40 | 15 April 1967 | Bradford Park Avenue | H | 1–1 | 10,000 | Ross |
| 41 | 22 April 1967 | Southport | A | 0–2 | 5,231 | |
| 42 | 25 April 1967 | Exeter City | A | 0–1 | 2,934 | |
| 43 | 29 April 1967 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 0–2 | 5,710 | |
| 44 | 6 May 1967 | Barrow | A | 0–1 | 8,769 | |
| 45 | 10 May 1967 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 0–1 | 3,403 | |
| 46 | 13 May 1967 | Port Vale | H | 2–0 | 3,600 | James (og), Wilson |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R | 26 November 1966 | Chelmsford City | H | 1–0 | 8,530 | Docherty (pen) |
| 2R | 7 January 1967 | Orient | A | 0–0 | 8,094 | |
| 2R (replay) | 10 January 1967 | Orient | H | 3–1 | 10,078 | Docherty (2), Richardson |
| 3R | 28 January 1967 | Sunderland | A | 2–5 | 36,908 | Docherty (2) |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1R | 24 August 1966 | Millwall | H | 0–0 | 7,350 | |
| 1R (replay) | 29 August 1966 | Millwall | A | 1–0 | 5,222 | Docherty |
| 2R | 13 September 1966 | Ipswich Town | H | 2–4 | 5,860 | Crisp, Ross |
* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Statto

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1966–67 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Chic Brodie | (1937-02-22)22 February 1937 (aged 29) | Northampton Town | 1963 | |
| GK | Gordon Phillips | (1946-11-17)17 November 1946 (aged 19) | Hayes | 1963 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Peter Gelson | (1941-10-18)18 October 1941 (aged 24) | Youth | 1961 | |
| DF | Alan Hawley | (1946-06-07)7 June 1946 (aged 20) | Youth | 1962 | |
| DF | Tommy Higginson | (1937-01-06)6 January 1937 (aged 29) | Kilmarnock | 1959 | |
| DF | Allan Jones | (1940-01-06)6 January 1940 (aged 26) | Liverpool | 1963 | |
| DF | Hamish MacKenzie | (1945-03-11)11 March 1945 (aged 21) | Dunfermline Athletic | 1964 | |
| DF | Michael Ogburn | (1948-02-19)19 February 1948 (aged 18) | Portsmouth | 1965 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Phil Basey | (1948-08-27)27 August 1948 (aged 17) | Youth | 1966 | |
| MF | Tom Curley | (1945-06-11)11 June 1945 (aged 21) | Celtic | 1965 | |
| MF | George Dobson | (1949-08-24)24 August 1949 (aged 16) | Youth | 1966 | |
| MF | John Docherty | (1940-04-29)29 April 1940 (aged 26) | Sheffield United | 1966 | |
| MF | Eddie Reeve | (1947-12-03)3 December 1947 (aged 18) | Youth | 1964 | |
| MF | Bobby Ross (c) | (1942-05-10)10 May 1942 (aged 24) | Shrewsbury Town | 1966 | |
| MF | George Thomson | (1936-10-19)19 October 1936 (aged 29) | Everton | 1963 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Brian Bedford | (1933-12-24)24 December 1933 (aged 32) | Scunthorpe United | 1966 | |
| FW | Brian Etheridge | (1944-03-04)4 March 1944 (aged 22) | Northampton Town | 1966 | |
| FW | Keith Hooker | (1950-01-31)31 January 1950 (aged 16) | Youth | 1965 | |
| FW | Ian Lawther | (1939-10-20)20 October 1939 (aged 26) | Scunthorpe United | 1964 | |
| FW | John Richardson | (1949-02-05)5 February 1949 (aged 17) | Millwall | 1966 | |
| FW | John South | (1948-04-08)8 April 1948 (aged 18) | Fulham | 1966 | |
| FW | Bobby Wilson | (1944-05-29)29 May 1944 (aged 22) | Feltham | 1967 | Amateur |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Ron Crisp | (1938-09-24)24 September 1938 (aged 27) | Watford | 1965 | Released |
| MF | Billy Cobb | (1940-09-29)29 September 1940 (aged 25) | Plymouth Argyle | 1964 | Transferred to Luton Town |
| MF | Mel Scott | (1939-09-26)26 September 1939 (aged 26) | Chelsea | 1963 | Released |
| FW | John Regan | (1944-06-18)18 June 1944 (aged 22) | Shrewsbury Town | 1966 | Transferred to Crewe Alexandra |
* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff
### Billy Gray (20 August 1965 – March 1967)

| Name | Role |
| Billy Gray | Manager |
| Jimmy Sirrel | Trainer |
| Eddie Lyons | Physiotherapist |

### Jimmy Sirrel (March – 13 May 1967)

| Name | Role |
| Jimmy Sirrel | Manager |
| Eddie Lyons | Physiotherapist |

## 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 | | Chic Brodie | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| GK | | Gordon Phillips | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| DF | | Ron Crisp | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
| DF | | Peter Gelson | 44 (1) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 (1) | 0 |
| DF | | Alan Hawley | 37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| DF | | Tommy Higginson | 43 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 2 |
| DF | | Allan Jones | 23 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| DF | | Hamish MacKenzie | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| DF | | Michael Ogburn | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| MF | | Phil Basey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| MF | | Billy Cobb | 7 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| MF | | Tom Curley | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 |
| MF | | George Dobson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| MF | | John Docherty | 43 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 50 | 19 |
| MF | | Eddie Reeve | 18 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 (2) | 0 |
| MF | | Bobby Ross | 46 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 53 | 10 |
| MF | | Mel Scott | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| MF | | George Thomson | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| FW | | Brian Bedford | 21 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 10 |
| FW | | Brian Etheridge | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| FW | | Keith Hooker | 9 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 (1) | 1 |
| FW | | Ian Lawther | 38 (1) | 11 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 45 (1) | 11 |
| FW | | John Regan | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | John Richardson | 20 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 3 |
| FW | | John South | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FW | | Bobby Wilson | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL4 | FAC | FLC | Total |
| MF | | John Docherty | 13 | 5 | 1 | 19 |
| FW | | Ian Lawther | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| FW | | Brian Bedford | 10 | 0 | — | 10 |
| MF | | Bobby Ross | 9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| MF | | Tom Curley | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| FW | | John Richardson | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| DF | | Tommy Higginson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Bobby Wilson | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| MF | | Billy Cobb | 1 | — | 0 | 1 |
| MF | | Mel Scott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Keith Hooker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Allan Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Ron Crisp | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | Total | Total | 58 | 6 | 3 | 67 |
* 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 % |
| Billy Gray | | 20 August 1966 | 25 February 1967 | 37 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 037.84 | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 036.67 |
| Jimmy Sirrel | | 3 March 1967 | 13 May 1967 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 043.75 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 043.75 |

### Summary

| Games played | 53 (46 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup) |
| Games won | 21 (18 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Games drawn | 15 (13 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Games lost | 17 (15 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup) |
| Goals scored | 67 (58 Fourth Division, 6 FA Cup, 3 League Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 66 (56 Fourth Division, 6 FA Cup, 4 League Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 17 (13 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 4–0 on two occasions |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 on four occasions |
| Most appearances | 52, Peter Gelson (45 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 3 League Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 13, John Docherty |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 19, John Docherty |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| May 1966 | FW | John Richardson | Millwall | n/a | |
| July 1966 | FW | Ellis Wyn Jones | n/a | n/a | |
| 15 September 1966 | FW | Brian Bedford | Scunthorpe United | £2,000 | |
| November 1966 | MF | Alan Jefferies | Didcot Town | n/a | |
| November 1966 | FW | John South | Fulham | n/a | |
| 1966 | MF | George Dobson | n/a | n/a | |
| April 1967 | FW | Bobby Wilson | Feltham | Amateur | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| October 1966 | MF | Micky Block | Watford | n/a | |
| November 1966 | MF | Billy Cobb | Luton Town | £2,000 | |
| November 1966 | FW | John Regan | Crewe Alexandra | £1,000 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| 13 December 1966 | MF | Ron Crisp | Los Angeles Toros | Free | |
| February 1967 | MF | Mel Scott | Oakland Clippers | February 1967 | |
| May 1967 | MF | Phil Basey | Crawley Town | 1967 | |
| May 1967 | FW | Brian Bedford | Atlanta Chiefs | 1967 | |
| May 1967 | MF | Tom Curley | Crewe Alexandra | August 1967 | |
| May 1967 | FW | Brian Etheridge | Daring Club de Bruxelles | 1967 | |
| May 1967 | MF | Alan Jefferies | n/a | | |
| May 1967 | DF | Hamish MacKenzie | n/a | | |
| May 1967 | DF | Michael Ogburn | n/a | | |
| May 1967 | FW | John South | Guildford City | 1967 | |
| May 1967 | FW | Barry Thornley | Oxford United | July 1967 | |
| May 1967 | FW | Bobby Wilson | Walton & Hersham | Amateur | |

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: John Docherty