# 1989–90 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1989–90 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. After showing relegation form during the first three months of the season, a revival between November 1989 and February 1990 ensured a mid-table finish.

## Season summary

After a long season in which the sheer amount of cup fixtures ultimately affected Brentford's hopes of a finish in the Third Division play-offs, manager Steve Perryman saw fit to make only minor changes to his squad. Released were bit-part players and late-season signings Andy Feeley, Graham Pearce, Jon Purdie, Jeremy Roberts and Tony Sealy and in came just two players – club record £167,000 midfielder Eddie May from Hibernian (as a direct replacement for March 1989 departee Andy Sinton) and left back Mark Fleming on a free transfer from Queens Park Rangers.
Aside from progressing to the second round of the League Cup, Brentford had a torrid start to the Third Division season and dropped into the relegation places on 9 September 1989. Manager Perryman entered the transfer market to bring Watford forward Dean Holdsworth back to Griffin Park, after a one-month loan spell during the previous season. The £125,000 paid for Holdsworth made him the club's most expensive forward at the time. The signing of Holdsworth had little immediate impact and the Bees' slump continued from September into mid-November, when the club occupied bottom place in the division for three weeks in a row. A 2–0 win over Northampton Town at the County Ground on 25 November provided the spark that changed the team's fortunes, with Holdsworth coming into form and inspiring a run of 10 wins and 1 draw from a 13-match spell, which lifted Brentford from 24th to 9th place. The Bees stumbled through to the end of the season and the products of Colin Lee's youth team were given game time. Brentford ended the campaign in 13th place.

## League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 11 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 59 | 54 | +5 | 63 |
| 12 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 56 | 53 | +3 | 62 |
| 13 | Brentford | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 66 | 66 | 0 | 61 |
| 14 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 52 | 56 | −4 | 58 |
| 15 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 50 | 65 | −15 | 55 |

## Results

    Brentford's goal tally listed first.

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Pre-season and friendlies

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 19 July 1989 | Ashford Town (Middlesex) | A | 3–0 | n/a | Haag, Gayle, Cronk |
| 22 July 1989 | Farnborough Town | A | 2–3 | n/a | Blissett, Cockram |
| 24 July 1989 | Crewe United | A | 1–0 | n/a | Gayle |
| 29 July 1989 | St Albans City | A | 6–0 | n/a | Haag (2), Godfrey (2), May, Buttigieg |
| 1 August 1989 | Fully | A | 3–1 | n/a | Jones (2, 1 pen), Smillie |
| 7 August 1989 | Yeading | H | 2–2 | n/a | Jenkins, Funnell |
| 9 August 1989 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–0 | 4,667 | Gayle |
| 12 August 1989 | Wimbledon | H | 0–1 | 2,200 | |
| 14 August 1989 | Dartford | A | 1–2 | n/a | Moabi |
| 18 October 1989 | Hayes | A | 0–3 | n/a | |
| 11 May 1990 | Sheffield United | H | 4–2 | 1,531 | Driscoll, Holdsworth, Godfrey, Booker (pen) |

### Football League Third Division

| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| 1 | 19 August 1989 | Bristol Rovers | A | 0–1 | 5,851 | |
| 2 | 26 August 1989 | Chester City | H | 1–1 | 5,153 | Evans |
| 3 | 2 September 1989 | Cardiff City | A | 2–2 | 3,499 | May (2) |
| 4 | 9 September 1989 | Bury | H | 0–1 | 5,010 | |
| 5 | 16 September 1989 | Huddersfield Town | A | 0–1 | 5,578 | |
| 6 | 23 September 1989 | Birmingham City | H | 0–1 | 5,386 | |
| 7 | 26 September 1989 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 3–2 | 3,496 | Smillie, Jones, Godfrey |
| 8 | 30 September 1989 | Wigan Athletic | H | 3–1 | 4,647 | Blissett, Holdsworth, May |
| 9 | 7 October 1989 | Bristol City | H | 0–2 | 7,421 | |
| 10 | 14 October 1989 | Preston North End | A | 2–4 | 5,956 | May, Holdsworth |
| 11 | 17 October 1989 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–2 | 4,537 | Holdsworth |
| 12 | 21 October 1989 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 0–1 | 3,073 | |
| 13 | 28 October 1989 | Fulham | H | 2–0 | 7,962 | Evans, Smillie |
| 14 | 31 October 1989 | Notts County | A | 1–3 | 4,586 | Moncur |
| 15 | 4 November 1989 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–4 | 5,720 | May, Ratcliffe |
| 16 | 11 November 1989 | Blackpool | A | 0–4 | 2,512 | |
| 17 | 25 November 1989 | Northampton Town | A | 2–0 | 3,165 | May, Holdsworth |
| 18 | 3 December 1989 | Leyton Orient | H | 4–3 | 6,434 | Smillie, May, Holdsworth (pen), Blissett |
| 19 | 17 December 1989 | Mansfield Town | H | 2–1 | 5,022 | Holdsworth (2) |
| 20 | 26 December 1989 | Reading | A | 0–1 | 5,590 | |
| 21 | 30 December 1989 | Swansea City | A | 1–2 | 4,537 | Blissett |
| 22 | 1 January 1990 | Walsall | H | 4–0 | 5,259 | Blissett, Smillie, Holdsworth, Jones |
| 23 | 6 January 1990 | Rotherham United | H | 4–2 | 5,624 | Holdsworth (3), Stanislaus |
| 24 | 12 January 1990 | Chester City | A | 1–1 | 2,302 | Cockram |
| 25 | 20 January 1990 | Bristol Rovers | H | 2–1 | 7,414 | Ratcliffe, Cadette |
| 26 | 27 January 1990 | Bury | A | 2–0 | 2,963 | May, Holdsworth |
| 27 | 10 February 1990 | Huddersfield Town | H | 2–1 | 6,774 | Holdsworth (2) |
| 28 | 18 February 1990 | Leyton Orient | A | 1–0 | 6,572 | Holdsworth |
| 29 | 21 February 1990 | Cardiff City | H | 0–1 | 5,174 | |
| 30 | 25 February 1990 | Northampton Town | H | 3–2 | 6,391 | Blissett (2), Holdsworth |
| 31 | 3 March 1990 | Rotherham United | A | 1–2 | 5,603 | Blissett |
| 32 | 6 March 1990 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–2 | 1,938 | Blissett |
| 33 | 10 March 1990 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 0–2 | 5,815 | |
| 34 | 13 March 1990 | Birmingham City | A | 1–0 | 8,169 | Holdsworth |
| 35 | 17 March 1990 | Bristol City | A | 0–2 | 10,813 | |
| 36 | 20 March 1990 | Preston North End | H | 2–2 | 4,673 | Holdsworth, Blissett |
| 37 | 24 March 1990 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–0 | 6,156 | Holdsworth |
| 38 | 31 March 1990 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 1–1 | 5,387 | Smillie |
| 39 | 7 April 1990 | Notts County | H | 0–1 | 5,105 | |
| 40 | 10 April 1990 | Fulham | A | 0–1 | 6,729 | |
| 41 | 14 April 1990 | Walsall | A | 1–2 | 2,903 | Sparham |
| 42 | 16 April 1990 | Reading | H | 1–1 | 5,594 | Driscoll |
| 43 | 21 April 1990 | Mansfield Town | A | 3–2 | 2,347 | Holdsworth (2, 1 pen), Blissett |
| 44 | 28 April 1990 | Blackpool | H | 5–0 | 4,784 | Evans, Cockram, Holdsworth, Driscoll, Blissett |
| 45 | 2 May 1990 | Swansea City | H | 2–1 | 4,950 | Holdsworth (2) |
| 46 | 5 May 1990 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 2–2 | 5,379 | Godfrey, Evans |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
| 1R | 18 November 1989 | Colchester United | H | 0–1 | 4,171 |

### Football League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
| R1 (1st leg) | 23 August 1989 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 3–0 | 6,405 | Millen, Godfrey, May |
| R1 (2nd leg) | 29 August 1989 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–1 (won 4–1 on aggregate) | 4,306 | Blissett |
| R2 (2nd leg) | 19 September 1989 | Manchester City | H | 2–1 | 6,065 | Evans, Blissett |
| R2 (1st leg) | 4 October 1989 | Manchester City | A | 1–4 (lost 5–3 on aggregate) | 17,864 | May |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer |
| SPR (match 1) | 7 November 1989 | Leyton Orient | H | 3–0 | 2,544 | Holdsworth (2), May |
| SPR (match 2) | 9 December 1989 | Mansfield Town | A | 1–2 | 1,445 | Holdsworth |
| SR1 | 23 January 1990 | Reading | H | 2–1 | 3,928 | May, Cadette |
| SQF | 6 February 1990 | Bristol Rovers | H | 2–2 (a.e.t.), lost 4–3 on pens) | 4,409 | Smillie, Holdsworth |
* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties, Statto

## Playing squad

    Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1989–90 season.
| Pos. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| GK | Ashley Bayes | (1972-04-19)19 April 1972 (aged 17) | Youth | 1990 | |
| GK | Tony Parks | (1963-01-26)26 January 1963 (aged 26) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1988 | |
| Defenders |||||||
| DF | Jamie Bates | (1968-02-24)24 February 1968 (aged 21) | Youth | 1986 | |
| DF | John Buttigieg | (1963-10-05)5 October 1963 (aged 25) | Sliema Wanderers | 1988 | |
| DF | Jason Cousins | (1970-10-04)4 October 1970 (aged 18) | Youth | 1989 | |
| DF | Terry Evans | (1965-04-12)12 April 1965 (aged 24) | Hillingdon | 1985 | |
| DF | Mark Fleming | (1969-08-11)11 August 1969 (aged 20) | Queens Park Rangers | 1989 | |
| DF | Keith Millen | (1966-09-26)26 September 1966 (aged 22) | Youth | 1985 | |
| DF | Steve Perryman | (1951-12-21)21 December 1951 (aged 37) | Oxford United | 1986 | Manager |
| DF | Robbie Peters | (1971-05-18)18 May 1971 (aged 18) | Youth | 1989 | |
| DF | Sean Sparham | (1968-12-04)4 December 1968 (aged 20) | Millwall | 1990 | On loan from Millwall |
| DF | Roger Stanislaus | (1968-11-02)2 November 1968 (aged 20) | Arsenal | 1987 | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| MF | Paul Buckle | (1970-12-16)16 December 1970 (aged 18) | Youth | 1989 | |
| MF | Allan Cockram | (1963-10-08)8 October 1963 (aged 25) | St Albans City | 1988 | |
| MF | Andy Driscoll | (1971-10-21)21 October 1971 (aged 17) | Youth | 1989 | |
| MF | Marcus Gayle | (1970-09-27)27 September 1970 (aged 18) | Youth | 1988 | Loaned to KuPS |
| MF | Kevin Godfrey | (1960-02-24)24 February 1960 (aged 29) | Leyton Orient | 1988 | |
| MF | Keith Jones (c) | (1965-10-14)14 October 1965 (aged 23) | Chelsea | 1987 | |
| MF | Eddie May | (1967-08-30)30 August 1967 (aged 21) | Hibernian | 1989 | |
| MF | Simon Ratcliffe | (1967-02-08)8 February 1967 (aged 22) | Norwich City | 1989 | |
| MF | Neil Smillie | (1958-07-19)19 July 1958 (aged 31) | Reading | 1988 | |
| Forwards |||||||
| FW | Gary Blissett | (1964-05-29)29 May 1964 (aged 25) | Crewe Alexandra | 1987 | |
| FW | Richard Cadette | (1965-03-21)21 March 1965 (aged 24) | Sheffield United | 1988 | Loaned to Bournemouth |
| FW | Kelly Haag | (1970-10-06)6 October 1970 (aged 18) | Youth | 1989 | |
| FW | Dean Holdsworth | (1968-11-08)8 November 1968 (aged 20) | Watford | 1989 | |
| Players who left the club mid-season |||||||
| GK | Keith Branagan | (1966-07-10)10 July 1966 (aged 23) | Millwall | 1989 | Returned to Millwall after loan |
| GK | Colin Scott | (1970-05-19)19 May 1970 (aged 19) | Rangers | 1990 | Returned to Rangers after loan |
| DF | Paul Miller | (1959-10-11)11 October 1959 (aged 29) | Bournemouth | 1989 | Returned to Bournemouth after loan |
| MF | John Moncur | (1966-09-22)22 September 1966 (aged 22) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1989 | Returned to Tottenham Hotspur after loan |
| FW | Andy Ansah | (1969-03-19)19 March 1969 (aged 20) | Dorking | 1989 | Transferred to Southend United |
* Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties, Timeless Bees

## Coaching staff

| Name | Role |
| Steve Perryman | Manager |
| Phil Holder | Assistant Manager |
| Roy Clare | Physiotherapist |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    Substitute appearances in brackets.
| Pos | Nat | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | FL Trophy | Total | Total |
| Pos | Nat | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | | Ashley Bayes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| GK | | Tony Parks | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 0 |
| DF | | Jamie Bates | 10 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 (7) | 0 |
| DF | | John Buttigieg | 12 (10) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 15 (13) | 0 |
| DF | | Jason Cousins | 12 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 13 (2) | 0 |
| DF | | Terry Evans | 44 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 52 | 5 |
| DF | | Mark Fleming | 15 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 (2) | 0 |
| DF | | Keith Millen | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 1 |
| DF | | Steve Perryman | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| DF | | Robbie Peters | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 |
| DF | | Roger Stanislaus | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 1 |
| MF | | Paul Buckle | 6 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 (4) | 0 |
| MF | | Allan Cockram | 21 (5) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 (7) | 2 |
| MF | | Andy Driscoll | 10 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 (2) | 2 |
| MF | | Marcus Gayle | 1 (8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (8) | 0 |
| MF | | Kevin Godfrey | 16 (11) | 2 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 (3) | 0 | 18 (15) | 3 |
| MF | | Keith Jones | 42 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 2 |
| MF | | Eddie May | 30 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 39 | 12 |
| MF | | Simon Ratcliffe | 35 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 44 | 2 |
| MF | | Neil Smillie | 43 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 52 | 6 |
| FW | | Andy Ansah | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 |
| FW | | Gary Blissett | 36 (1) | 11 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 (1) | 0 | 45 (2) | 13 |
| FW | | Richard Cadette | 7 (9) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 (10) | 2 |
| FW | | Kelly Haag | 1 (4) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (6) | 0 |
| FW | | Dean Holdsworth | 39 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 45 | 28 |
| Players loaned in during the season |||||||||||||
| GK | | Keith Branagan | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| GK | | Colin Scott | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 |
| DF | | Paul Miller | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DF | | Sean Sparham | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 |
| MF | | John Moncur | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties

### Goalscorers

| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL3 | FAC | FLC | FLT | Total |
| FW | | Dean Holdsworth | 24 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 28 |
| FW | | Gary Blissett | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| MF | | Eddie May | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| MF | | Neil Smillie | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| DF | | Terry Evans | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| MF | | Kevin Godfrey | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| MF | | Allan Cockram | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Andy Driscoll | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Keith Jones | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| MF | | Simon Ratcliffe | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| FW | | Richard Cadette | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| DF | | Sean Sparham | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| MF | | John Moncur | 1 | — | — | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Roger Stanislaus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DF | | Keith Millen | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | 66 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 81 |
* Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
* Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties

### 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 % |
| Steve Perryman | | 19 August 1989 | 5 May 1990 | 55 | 22 | 9 | 24 | 040.00 | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 039.13 |

### Summary

| Games played | 55 (46 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 4 Football League Trophy) |
| Games won | 22 (18 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 2 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) |
| Games drawn | 9 (7 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Games lost | 24 (21 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals scored | 81 (66 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 7 League Cup, 8 Football League Trophy) |
| Goals conceded | 78 (66 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 6 League Cup, 5 Football League Trophy) |
| Clean sheets | 10 (8 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) |
| Biggest league win | 5–0 versus Blackpool, 28 April 1990 |
| Worst league defeat | 4–0 versus Blackpool, 11 November 1989 |
| Most appearances | 52, Terry Evans (44 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy), Neil Smillie (43 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 4 Football League Trophy) |
| Top scorer (league) | 24, Dean Holdsworth |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 28, Dean Holdsworth |

## Transfers & loans

Players transferred in :
| Date | Pos. | Name | Previous Club | Fee | Ref. |
| 26 July 1989 | MF | Eddie May | Hibernian | £167,000 | |
| July 1989 | DF | Mark Fleming | Queens Park Rangers | Free | |
| 29 September 1989 | FW | Dean Holdsworth | Watford | £125,000 | |
| Players loaned in ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| 19 October 1989 | MF | John Moncur | Tottenham Hotspur | November 1989 | |
| 24 November 1989 | GK | Keith Branagan | Millwall | December 1989 | |
| November 1989 | DF | Paul Miller | Bournemouth | December 1989 | |
| 22 March 1990 | GK | Colin Scott | Rangers | April 1990 | |
| 22 March 1990 | DF | Sean Sparham | Millwall | End of season | |
| Players transferred out ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Fee | Ref. |
| 29 March 1990 | FW | Andy Ansah | Southend United | Free | |
| Players loaned out ||||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
| October 1989 | MF | Matthew Howard | St Albans City | January 1990 | |
| 22 March 1990 | FW | Richard Cadette | Bournemouth | End of season | |
| March 1990 | MF | Marcus Gayle | KuPS | September 1990 | |
| Players released ||||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. |
| January 1990 | MF | Matthew Howard | St Albans City | January 1990 | |
| May 1990 | FW | Kelly Haag | Fulham | August 1990 | |

## Kit

Supplier: Hobot Sponsor(s): KLM
| Home | Away |
Source: Brentford F.C.

## Awards

* Supporters' Player of the Year: Terry Evans
* Players' Player of the Year: Terry Evans