# 1922–23 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1922–23 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South and finished in 14th place.

## Season summary

After a promising 9th-place finish at the end of the 1921–22 Third Division South season, Brentford player-manager Archie Mitchell retired from playing in order to concentrate solely on management. Financial problems during the off-season meant that the squad was hit by the triple-departure of forwards Harry Anstiss, George Pither and long-serving wing half Alf Amos to league rivals Millwall. The previous season's leading goalscorer Harry Morris was successfully retained and the money generated from the sales allowed the squad's wages to be paid through the off-season. 11 new players were transferred in, with a contingent from the North East, including full back George Kell, half backs Bill Inglis and John Haggan and forwards Gordon Johnstone, Reginald Parker, Harry Stott and John Thain. Trainer Michael Whitham was replaced by former Bees manager Dusty Rhodes.
Despite Harry Morris scoring 10 goals in an 11 match spell early in the season, by early November 1921, Brentford were rooted in mid-table. A failure to convert draws into wins dropped the club down to 18th on Christmas Day and the sales of Harry Morris to Millwall and long-serving full back Bertie Rosier to Clapton Orient in February 1923 exacerbated the team's problems scoring and conceding goals. Though never looking in any danger of having to seek re-election, a run of goals from Gordon Johnstone and Reginald Parker inspired a seven match unbeaten spell from mid-March to mid-April which lifted Brentford to 14th. Three draws and two defeats in the final five matches of the season saw the Bees secure a 14th-place finish.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| 12 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 55 | 51 | 1.078 | 42 |
| 13 | Bristol Rovers | 42 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 35 | 36 | 0.972 | 42 |
| 14 | Brentford | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 41 | 51 | 0.804 | 38 |
| 15 | Southend United | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 49 | 54 | 0.907 | 37 |
| 16 | Gillingham | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 51 | 59 | 0.864 | 37 |

## 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 | 26 August 1922 | Gillingham | A | 0–2 | 9,000 | |
| 2 | 28 August 1922 | Luton Town | H | 3–2 | 8,000 | Morris (3) |
| 3 | 2 September 1922 | Gillingham | H | 2–0 | 10,000 | Morris, Haggan |
| 4 | 4 September 1922 | Luton Town | A | 0–4 | 11,000 | |
| 5 | 9 September 1922 | Norwich City | A | 2–0 | 8,597 | Morris, Clayson |
| 6 | 11 September 1922 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–3 | 15,000 | Clayson |
| 7 | 16 September 1922 | Norwich City | H | 1–4 | 7,000 | Alton (pen) |
| 8 | 23 September 1922 | Northampton Town | A | 1–1 | 8,000 | Johnstone |
| 9 | 30 September 1922 | Northampton Town | H | 2–1 | 7,000 | Clayson, Morris |
| 10 | 7 October 1922 | Exeter City | A | 2–0 | 6,000 | Morris (2) |
| 11 | 14 October 1922 | Exeter City | H | 0–1 | 7,000 | |
| 12 | 21 October 1922 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1–2 | 8,000 | Capper |
| 13 | 28 October 1922 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–2 | 7,000 | Morris |
| 14 | 4 November 1922 | Merthyr Town | H | 3–1 | 6,000 | Hendren, Morris, Alton (pen) |
| 15 | 11 November 1922 | Merthyr Town | A | 0–1 | 5,000 | |
| 16 | 18 November 1922 | Reading | H | 1–1 | 6,000 | Clayson |
| 17 | 25 November 1922 | Reading | A | 0–1 | 5,000 | |
| 18 | 9 December 1922 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–1 | 19,000 | Clayson |
| 19 | 23 December 1922 | Bristol Rovers | H | 0–1 | 10,000 | |
| 20 | 25 December 1922 | Watford | A | 0–2 | 8,000 | |
| 21 | 26 December 1922 | Watford | H | 2–1 | 10,000 | Morris, Duncan |
| 22 | 6 January 1923 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 2–0 | 14,000 | Morris, Duncan |
| 23 | 20 January 1923 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–1 | 6,464 | Hendren |
| 24 | 27 January 1923 | Charlton Athletic | H | 0–3 | 9,000 | |
| 25 | 3 February 1923 | Swindon Town | A | 0–3 | 9,000 | |
| 26 | 10 February 1923 | Swindon Town | H | 3–0 | 4,000 | Thain, Mulford, Morris |
| 27 | 17 February 1923 | Aberdare Athletic | A | 0–0 | 6,000 | |
| 28 | 24 February 1923 | Aberdare Athletic | H | 0–1 | 5,000 | |
| 29 | 3 March 1923 | Swansea Town | A | 0–0 | 6,000 | |
| 30 | 10 March 1923 | Swansea Town | H | 0–1 | 4,000 | |
| 31 | 17 February 1923 | Newport County | H | 0–0 | 5,000 | |
| 32 | 24 March 1923 | Newport County | A | 1–0 | 4,000 | James |
| 33 | 30 March 1923 | Southend United | H | 0–0 | 6,000 | |
| 34 | 31 March 1923 | Bristol City | H | 4–0 | 9,500 | Johnstone (2), Parker (2) |
| 35 | 2 April 1923 | Southend United | A | 2–1 | 10,000 | Clayson, Alton (pen) |
| 36 | 7 April 1923 | Bristol City | H | 1–1 | 16,000 | Johnstone |
| 37 | 14 April 1923 | Portsmouth | H | 1–0 | 7,000 | Parker |
| 38 | 21 April 1923 | Portsmouth | A | 0–3 | 8,106 | |
| 39 | 28 April 1923 | Millwall | H | 1–1 | 12,000 | Parker |
| 40 | 30 April 1923 | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–1 | 2,000 | Johnstone |
| 41 | 2 May 1923 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–3 | 7,000 | |
| 42 | 5 May 1923 | Millwall | H | 1–1 | 12,000 | Johnstone |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 5QR | 2 December 1922 | Maidstone United | A | 0–0 | 10,500 | |
| 5QR (replay) | 6 December 1922 | Maidstone United | H | 4–0 | 5,408 | Clayson (2), Mulford, Alton (pen) |
| 6QR | 16 December 1922 | Merthyr Town | H | 0–1 | 12,000 | |
* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Brentford Football Club History, The Complete History

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1922–23 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Edmund Wright | (1902-03-07)7 March 1902 (aged 20) | Aston Villa | 1921 | |
| GK | William Young | (1892-08-04)4 August 1892 (aged 30) | South Shields | 1920 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Philip Allen | (1902-11-05)5 November 1902 (aged 19) | Grenadier Guards | 1922 | |
| DF | Charles Alton | (1891-12-24)24 December 1891 (aged 30) | Rotherham County | 1921 | |
| DF | George Kell | (1896-07-13)13 July 1896 (aged 26) | The Wednesday | 1922 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| HB | John Haggan | (1896-12-16)16 December 1896 (aged 25) | Sunderland | 1922 | |
| HB | Cyril Hunter | (1898-02-08)8 February 1898 (aged 24) | Leadgate Park | 1921 | |
| HB | Bill Inglis | (1899-09-04)4 September 1899 (aged 22) | Derby County | 1922 | |
| HB | Roland James | (1897-05-04)4 May 1897 (aged 25) | West Bromwich Albion | 1922 | |
| HB | James Kerr | (1894-04-07)7 April 1894 (aged 28) | Blackburn Rovers | 1921 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Freddy Capper (c) | 8 May 1892 (aged 31) | The Wednesday | 1921 | |
| FW | Billy Clayson | (1897-07-12)12 July 1897 (aged 25) | Wellingborough Town | 1922 | |
| FW | Peter Duncan | (1890-07-01)1 July 1890 (aged 32) | Blackburn Rovers | 1922 | |
| FW | Thomas Elliott | (1890-04-06)6 April 1890 (aged 32) | Nottingham Forest | 1921 | |
| FW | Patsy Hendren | (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 33) | Queens Park Rangers | 1911 | Played when his cricket commitments allowed |
| FW | Gordon Johnstone | (1900-04-21)21 April 1900 (aged 22) | Houghton Rovers | 1922 | |
| FW | Horace Jones | n/a | Ton Pentre | 1922 | |
| FW | Sidney Mulford | (1896-11-23)23 November 1896 (aged 25) | Kew Association | 1922 | |
| FW | Reginald Parker | (1902-07-08)8 July 1902 (aged 20) | Boldon Comrades | 1922 | |
| FW | Harry Stott | (1899-04-24)24 April 1899 (aged 23) | Aston Villa | 1922 | |
| FW | John Thain | (1903-02-03)3 February 1903 (aged 19) | Newcastle United | 1922 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| DF | Bertie Rosier | (1893-03-21)21 March 1893 (aged 29) | Southall | 1913 | Transferred to Clapton Orient |
| FW | Harry Morris | (1897-11-25)25 November 1897 (aged 24) | Fulham | 1921 | Transferred to Millwall |
* Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Timeless Bees, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939, 100 Years Of Brentford

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Archie Mitchell | Manager |
| Dusty Rhodes | 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 | | Edmund Wright | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| GK | | William Young | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| DF | | Philip Allen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DF | | Charles Alton | 42 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 45 | 4 |
| DF | | George Kell | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| DF | | Bertie Rosier | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| HB | | John Haggan | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| HB | | Cyril Hunter | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| HB | | Bill Inglis | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| HB | | Roland James | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| HB | | James Kerr | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| FW | | Freddy Capper | 38 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 1 |
| FW | | Billy Clayson | 29 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 8 |
| FW | | Peter Duncan | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| FW | | Thomas Elliott | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
| FW | | Gordon Johnstone | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 6 |
| FW | | Horace Jones | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| FW | | Harry Morris | 23 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 13 |
| FW | | Sidney Mulford | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
| FW | | Reginald Parker | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 4 |
| FW | | Harry Stott | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| FW | | John Thain | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: 100 Years of Brentford

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | Total |
| FW | | Harry Morris | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| FW | | Thomas Elliott | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| FW | | Billy Clayson | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| FW | | Gordon Johnstone | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| FW | | Reginald Parker | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| DF | | Charles Alton | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| FW | | Peter Duncan | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Patsy Hendren | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Sidney Mulford | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| FW | | Freddy Capper | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| HB | | John Haggan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| HB | | Roland James | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | | John Thain | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 41 | 4 | 45 |
* 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 % |
| Archie Mitchell | | 26 August 1922 | 5 May 1923 | 45 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 031.11| | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 030.95 |

### Summary

| Games played | 45 (42 Third Division South, 3 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 14 (13 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 13 (12 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 18 (17 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 45 (41 Third Division South, 4 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 52 (51 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 14 (12 Third Division South, 2 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 4–0 versus Bristol City, 31 March 1923 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–0 versus Luton Town, 4 September 1922 |
| Most appearances | 45, Charles Alton (42 Third Division South, 3 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 13, Harry Morris |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 13, Harry Morris |

## Transfers and loans

    Cricketers are not included in this list.
Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| May 1922 | HB | Bill Inglis | Derby County | n/a | |
| May 1922 | HB | John Thain | Newcastle United | n/a | |
| July 1922 | DF | George Kell | The Wednesday | n/a | |
| August 1922 | FW | Horace Jones | Ton Pentre | n/a | |
| 1922 | DF | Philip Allen | Grenadier Guards | n/a | |
| 1922 | FW | Billy Clayson | Wellingborough Town | n/a | |
| 1922 | FW | Peter Duncan | Blackburn Rovers | n/a | |
| 1922 | HB | John Haggan | Sunderland | n/a | |
| 1922 | HB | Roland James | West Bromwich Albion | n/a | |
| 1922 | FW | Gordon Johnstone | Houghton Rovers | n/a | |
| 1922 | FW | Sidney Mulford | Kew Association | n/a | |
| 1922 | FW | Reginald Parker | Boldon Comrades | n/a | |
| 1922 | HB | Peter Scott | Newcastle United | n/a | |
| 1922 | FW | Harry Stott | Aston Villa | n/a | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 20 May 1922 | FW | George Pither | Millwall | n/a | |
| May 1922 | DF | Alf Amos | Millwall | n/a | |
| May 1922 | FW | Harry Anstiss | Millwall | £650 | |
| February 1923 | FW | Harry Morris | Millwall | £750 | |
| February 1923 | DF | Bertie Rosier | Clapton Orient | n/a | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| May 1923 | FW | Peter Duncan | Armadale | 17 July 1923 | |
| May 1923 | FW | Thomas Elliott | Durham City | September 1923 | |
| May 1923 | HB | John Haggan | Preston Colliery | 1923 | |
| May 1923 | HB | Peter Scott | Preston Colliery | 1923 | |
| May 1923 | FW | Harry Stott | Preston Colliery | 1923 | |
| May 1923 | FW | John Thain | Peterborough & Fletton United | 1923 | |
| May 1923 | GK | Edmund Wright | Retired | | |