# 1957–58 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1957–58 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South. The Bees finished as runners-up to Brighton & Hove Albion and narrowly missed out on promotion to the Second Division.

## Season summary

After the departure of Bill Dodgin Sr, Brentford recruited Kilmarnock manager Malky MacDonald for their vacant managerial position in May 1957. MacDonald was no stranger to Griffin Park, having spent just under three years as a player-coach with the Bees between 1946 and 1949. First on MacDonald's list of priorities was to ensure that Brentford finished in the top half of the Third Division South table, to avoid becoming founder members of the new Fourth Division in the following season. Ageing and injury-ravaged players Sid Tickridge, Wally Bragg and Frank Dudley were released, while Jeff Taylor, the club's second-leading scorer in each of the previous two seasons, elected to retire and pursue a career in opera. MacDonald recruited former Brentford player Fred Monk as trainer and made just one signing of note, full back Tom Wilson from Fulham, whom he named captain. Ken Horne, Ian Dargie and Johnny Rainford (three players who had seen their playing time reduced under previous manager Dodgin) would be regulars again under MacDonald during the season.
After a mixed start to the season, an unbeaten run of six wins in eight matches in October and November elevated Brentford to 2nd place on 23 November 1957. The run included a new club record of seven consecutive clean sheets. Forwards Jim Towers and George Francis were in prolific form and had scored 24 of the Bees' 37 league goals at that point of the season. After a dip around the turn of the year, Brentford clawed their way back to the higher reaches of the Third Division South table and won six matches in a row in March and early April to move up to 4th. A 1–0 defeat to Torquay United on 7 April put Brentford four points behind leaders Brighton & Hove Albion, with the Bees having played one game more. The damage of draws in the following two matches (versus Southampton and a showdown with Brighton & Hove Albion) was lessened by fellow challengers Plymouth Argyle, Swindon Town and Reading all dropping points.
The Bees, spurred on by six goals from Jim Towers, won their final three matches of the season versus Reading, Port Vale and leaders Brighton & Hove Albion. The victory over Brighton put Brentford top on 58 points, ahead of Plymouth Argyle and Brighton on goal average. Brighton could still win the title by virtue of their game in hand, which would come versus Watford two days later, whom they had beaten 1–0 at Vicarage Road two days before their match at Griffin Park. Brighton emphatically beat Watford 6–0 in their final match to win promotion to the Second Division, but the manner of their victories over Watford raised concern and the referee of the first meeting between the clubs wrote to the Football League outlining his suspicions. It wasn't until October 1960 that former Brighton & Hove Albion wing half Glen Wilson revealed to the Daily Mail that some of the Watford players had agreed to "lie down" in exchange for money. Looking back in 2010, Brentford full back Ken Horne summarised the situation:
   Jimmy Bowie, a betting man, went to Watford and said (so he claimed) we can offer you money to go out and beat Brighton for us. Jimmy named his price and got told – "We get more than that for losing to Brighton". There was a lot of trouble after that match with the Watford captain. There was a lad making his debut for Brighton and Meadows, who was captain of Watford and who Jimmy had spoken to, was marking him. This lad was making his debut and scored five goals...in the first half.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 88 | 64 | 1.375 | 60 | Division Champions, promoted |
| 2 | Brentford | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 82 | 56 | 1.464 | 58 | |
| 3 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 67 | 48 | 1.396 | 58 | |
| 4 | Swindon Town | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 79 | 50 | 1.580 | 57 | |
| 5 | Reading | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 79 | 51 | 1.549 | 55 | |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Third Division South

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 24 August 1957 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–1 | 15,734 | |
| 2 | 27 August 1957 | Exeter City | H | 1–0 | 12,307 | Simpson (og) |
| 3 | 31 August 1957 | Colchester United | H | 3–3 | 12,732 | Newcombe, Towers (2) |
| 4 | 4 September 1957 | Exeter City | A | 5–3 | 8,498 | Towers (2), Francis, Parsons (2) |
| 5 | 7 September 1957 | Norwich City | A | 2–3 | 19,150 | Francis (2) |
| 6 | 10 September 1957 | Northampton Town | H | 7–1 | 10,697 | Parsons, Rainford (2), Towers (2), Francis (2) |
| 7 | 14 September 1957 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | H | 4–2 | 13,733 | Francis (3), Newcombe |
| 8 | 16 September 1957 | Northampton Town | A | 1–3 | 4,528 | Francis |
| 9 | 21 September 1957 | Walsall | A | 2–0 | 10,775 | Towers (2) |
| 10 | 24 September 1957 | Watford | A | 1–4 | 7,031 | Towers |
| 11 | 28 September 1957 | Coventry City | H | 1–3 | 12,094 | Caven |
| 12 | 1 October 1957 | Watford | H | 0–0 | 10,447 | |
| 13 | 5 October 1957 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 2–0 | 7,057 | Francis, Heath |
| 14 | 12 October 1957 | Gillingham | H | 1–0 | 12,488 | Towers |
| 15 | 19 October 1957 | Millwall | A | 1–0 | 16,293 | Rainford |
| 16 | 26 October 1957 | Swindon Town | H | 0–0 | 13,676 | |
| 17 | 2 November 1957 | Aldershot | A | 2–0 | 7,133 | Francis (2) |
| 18 | 9 November 1957 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 2–0 | 15,594 | Newcombe, Francis |
| 19 | 23 November 1957 | Newport County | H | 2–1 | 13,603 | Rainford, Towers |
| 20 | 30 November 1957 | Southampton | A | 2–4 | 13,690 | Towers, Francis |
| 21 | 14 December 1957 | Southend United | A | 0–0 | 7,952 | |
| 22 | 21 December 1957 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–1 | 12,804 | Rutter (og) |
| 23 | 25 December 1957 | Crystal Palace | H | 0–3 | 12,394 | |
| 24 | 26 December 1957 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–2 | 16,797 | Coote |
| 25 | 28 December 1957 | Colchester United | A | 1–1 | 9,548 | Francis |
| 26 | 11 January 1958 | Norwich City | H | 7–1 | 11,850 | Francis (2), Rainford (2), Parsons, Coote, Newcombe |
| 27 | 18 January 1958 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | A | 0–1 | 11,090 | |
| 28 | 1 February 1958 | Walsall | H | 2–1 | 9,130 | Rainford, Parsons (pen) |
| 29 | 8 February 1958 | Coventry City | A | 0–0 | 9,391 | |
| 30 | 15 February 1958 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–0 | 12,842 | Francis, Parsons |
| 31 | 22 February 1958 | Gillingham | A | 2–3 | 6,626 | Parsons, Towers |
| 32 | 1 March 1958 | Millwall | H | 4–1 | 12,919 | Towers (3), Francis |
| 33 | 8 March 1958 | Swindon Town | A | 1–4 | 12,755 | Francis |
| 34 | 11 March 1958 | Reading | H | 2–1 | 13,230 | Towers (2) |
| 35 | 15 March 1958 | Aldershot | H | 4–2 | 10,482 | Heath (2), Towers (2) |
| 36 | 22 March 1958 | Newport County | A | 2–1 | 5,621 | Heath, Rainford |
| 37 | 24 March 1958 | Port Vale | A | 1–0 | 5,149 | Towers |
| 38 | 29 March 1958 | Southend United | H | 4–2 | 12,890 | Towers (2), Francis (2) |
| 39 | 4 April 1958 | Torquay United | A | 1–0 | 8,216 | Towers |
| 40 | 5 April 1958 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–0 | 20,021 | |
| 41 | 7 April 1958 | Torquay United | H | 0–1 | 15,680 | |
| 42 | 12 April 1958 | Southampton | H | 0–0 | 11,663 | |
| 43 | 19 April 1958 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1–1 | 25,613 | Heath |
| 44 | 23 April 1958 | Reading | A | 2–1 | 12,852 | Towers (2) |
| 45 | 26 April 1958 | Port Vale | H | 4–1 | 11,923 | Towers (3), Rainford |
| 46 | 28 April 1958 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–0 | 25,744 | Goundry |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| 1R | 16 November 1957 | Millwall | A | 0–1 | 20,097 |
* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Statto, 11v11

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1957–58 season.
| Pos. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | Goalkeepers | |
| GK | Gerry Cakebread | | (1936-04-01)1 April 1936 (aged 21) | Youth | 1954 | |
| GK | Sonny Feehan | | (1926-09-17)17 September 1926 (aged 30) | Northampton Town | 1954 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Alan Bassham | | (1933-10-03)3 October 1933 (aged 23) | Youth | 1953 | |
| DF | Ken Horne | | (1926-06-25)25 June 1926 (aged 31) | Blackpool | 1950 | |
| DF | Sid Russell | | (1937-10-04)4 October 1937 (aged 19) | Jolly X | 1956 | |
| DF | Tom Wilson (c) | | (1930-07-03)3 July 1930 (aged 27) | Fulham | 1957 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | George Bristow | | (1933-06-25)25 June 1933 (aged 24) | Youth | 1950 | |
| HB | Ken Coote | | (1928-05-19)19 May 1928 (aged 29) | Wembley | 1949 | |
| HB | Ian Dargie | | (1931-10-03)3 October 1931 (aged 25) | Tonbridge | 1952 | |
| HB | Ron Peplow | | (1935-05-04)4 May 1935 (aged 22) | Southall | 1955 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Billy Bloomfield | | (1939-08-25)25 August 1939 (aged 17) | Youth | 1956 | |
| FW | John Caven | | (1934-07-06)6 July 1934 (aged 23) | Kilmarnock | 1957 | |
| FW | Christy Fletcher | | (1933-06-14)14 June 1933 (aged 24) | Cheltenham Town | 1957 | |
| FW | George Francis | | (1934-02-04)4 February 1934 (aged 23) | Youth | 1955 | |
| FW | Billy Goundry | | (1934-03-28)28 March 1934 (aged 23) | Huddersfield Town | 1955 | |
| FW | Dennis Heath | | (1934-09-28)28 September 1934 (aged 22) | Youth | 1954 | |
| FW | Len Newcombe | | (1931-02-28)28 February 1931 (aged 26) | Fulham | 1956 | |
| FW | Eric Parsons | | (1923-11-09)9 November 1923 (aged 33) | Chelsea | 1956 | |
| FW | Johnny Rainford | | (1930-12-11)11 December 1930 (aged 26) | Cardiff City | 1953 | |
| FW | Jim Towers | | (1933-04-15)15 April 1933 (aged 24) | Youth | 1954 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| HB | Wendell Morgan | | (1935-04-22)22 April 1935 (aged 22) | Cardiff City | 1954 | Transferred to Gillingham |
* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Malky MacDonald | Manager |
| Fred Monk | Trainer |
| Jack Holliday | 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 | | Gerry Cakebread | 45 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| GK | | Sonny Feehan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Alan Bassham | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| DF | | Ken Horne | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| DF | | Sid Russell | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| DF | | Tom Wilson | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| HB | | George Bristow | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| HB | | Ken Coote | 45 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 2 |
| HB | | Ian Dargie | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| HB | | Wendell Morgan | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| HB | | Ron Peplow | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| FW | | Billy Bloomfield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | John Caven | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| FW | | Christy Fletcher | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| FW | | George Francis | 45 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 22 |
| FW | | Billy Goundry | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| FW | | Dennis Heath | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5 |
| FW | | Len Newcombe | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 4 |
| FW | | Eric Parsons | 30 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 7 |
| FW | | Johnny Rainford | 45 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 9 |
| FW | | Jim Towers | 36 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 29 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years Of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | Total |
| FW | | Jim Towers | 29 | 0 | 29 |
| FW | | George Francis | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| FW | | Johnny Rainford | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| FW | | Eric Parsons | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| FW | | Dennis Heath | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| FW | | Len Newcombe | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| HB | | Ken Coote | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | John Caven | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | Billy Goundry | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Opponents | Opponents | Opponents | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | Total | Total | 82 | 0 | 82 |
* 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 % |
| Malky MacDonald | | 24 August 1957 | 28 April 1958 | 47 | 24 | 10 | 13 | 051.06 | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 052.17 |

### Summary

| Games played | 47 (46 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 24 (24 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 10 (10 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 13 (12 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 82 (82 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 57 (56 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 18 (18 Third Division South, 0 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 7–1 on two occasions |
| Worst league defeat | 3–0 versus Crystal Palace, 25 December 1957; 4–1 on two occasions |
| Most appearances | 47, Ian Dargie (46 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 29, Jim Towers |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 29, Jim Towers |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| July 1957 | GK | Reg Newton | Tunbridge Wells Rangers | n/a | |
| July 1957 | DF | Tom Wilson | Fulham | n/a | |
| September 1957 | FW | Terry Curran | Tottenham Hotspur | n/a | |
| October 1957 | FW | John Caven | Kilmarnock | n/a | |
| December 1957 | FW | Christy Fletcher | Cheltenham Town | n/a | |
| 1957 | FW | Paddy Walsh | Hayes | Amateur | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| July 1957 | HB | Terry Robinson | Northampton Town | Amateur | |
| September 1957 | HB | Wendell Morgan | Gillingham | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| July 1957 | FW | Jeff Taylor | Retired | | |
| May 1958 | FW | Frank Dudley | Folkestone Town | 1958 | |
| May 1958 | GK | Reg Newton | Yiewsley | 1958 | |
| May 1958 | FW | John Pearson | Queens Park Rangers | June 1958 | |
| May 1958 | n/a | Roy Yeatman | Yiewsley | 1958 | |
| 1958 | FW | Paddy Walsh | Southall | 1958 | |