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1938–39 Brentford F.C. season
During the 1938–39 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League First Division. A six-match unbeaten run in February and March 1939 pulled the club clear of a near-certain relegation.
| 1938–39 season | |
|---|---|
| Louis P. Simon | |
| Harry Curtis | |
| Griffin Park | |
| 18th | |
| Third round | |
| League: Cheetham (8)All: Cheetham (8) | |
| 38,535 | |
| 12,761 | |
| 23,117 | |
| Home colours | Home colours |
| Home colours | |
During the 1938–39 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League First Division. A six-match unbeaten run in February and March 1939 pulled the club clear of a near-certain relegation.
After successive top-six finishes in Brentford's first three seasons in the First Division and with the club making a record £7,348 profit on the previous season (equivalent to £427,600 in 2025), manager Harry Curtis again elected to not make any significant off-season signings, stating "negotiations took place in an effort to get certain players of great repute, but the deals did not come off. During this close season the position still seems to be the same, the clubs being unwilling to part with players, irrespective of the price offered". Enquiries for Manchester City's Peter Doherty, Blackpool's Danny Blair, Everton's Joe Mercer, Hull City's David Parker and Scots Jimmy Carabine and Andy Black were all rebuffed.
Long-serving Scottish international wing half Duncan McKenzie was sold to Middlesbrough in May 1938 for a £6,000 fee. After youngsters Les Smith and Gerry McAloon were promoted into the first team during the previous two seasons, Curtis would again dip into the reserve and junior ranks and give debuts to left back Doug Anderson and forwards Len Townsend and George Wilkins during the season. Brentford finished pre-season with a 2–1 Football League Jubilee Fund victory over neighbours Chelsea.
Brentford started the First Division season with two wins and a draw – the second victory being played in front of a club record 38,535 home crowd versus London rivals Arsenal. Just one point from the following seven matches dropped the Bees to the bottom of the First Division. Scottish international forward David McCulloch's previous prolific goalscoring form had deserted him and reliable forwards Bobby Reid and Billy Scott also found goalscoring chances hard to come by. Having scored just twice in 9 appearances, McCulloch departed Griffin Park to join Derby County for a £9,500 fee on 22 October 1938. Brentford's form picked up slightly after McCulloch's departure, losing just three of the following 12 matches, but two other regular starters departed in the midst of the run – forward George Eastham to Blackpool for £5,000 and long-serving captain Arthur Bateman was forced to retire. Manager Curtis signed Irish international full back Bill Gorman to partner George Poyser in defence and promoted young forwards Len Townsend and George Wilkins to the first team. In December 1938, he added former Fulham reserve team manager Joe Edelston to the coaching staff.
Brentford's bad form continued through to February 1939 and again the team was hit by the loss of a key players, with Scottish international forward Bobby Reid moving to Sheffield United and Gerry McAloon departing for Wolverhampton Wanderers the following month. Manager Curtis brought in two new forwards, Tommy Cheetham from local rivals Queens Park Rangers and Les Boulter from Charlton Athletic for £5,000 each. Cheetham scored on his second appearance to begin a run of five wins and a draw, which took the Bees up to 13th position and effectively saved the club's top-flight status. Brentford lost seven of the remaining 10 matches and finished in 18th place.
Despite the poor finish, the season ended on a high note, when on 24 May 1939, 21-year-old forward Les Smith became the second Brentford player to win a full England cap, which came in a 2–0 friendly win over Romania in Bucharest.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 54 | 67 | 0.806 | 38 | |
| 17 | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 47 | 70 | 0.671 | 37 | |
| 18 | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 53 | 74 | 0.716 | 36 | |
| 19 | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 58 | 64 | 0.906 | 35 | |
| 20 | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 64 | 80 | 0.800 | 33 |
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 August 1938 | Huddersfield Town | H | 2–1 | 26,638 | Brown, McCulloch |
| 2 | 3 September 1938 | Everton | A | 1–2 | 35,989 | Reid |
| 3 | 8 September 1938 | Arsenal | H | 1–0 | 38,535 | McAloon |
| 4 | 10 September 1938 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 0–1 | 28,027 | |
| 5 | 17 September 1938 | Aston Villa | A | 0–5 | 49,092 | |
| 6 | 19 September 1938 | Blackpool | A | 1–4 | 21,970 | Scott |
| 7 | 24 September 1938 | Sunderland | H | 2–3 | 26,128 | Eastham, McCulloch |
| 8 | 1 October 1938 | Grimsby Town | A | 0–0 | 12,106 | |
| 9 | 8 October 1938 | Derby County | H | 1–3 | 23,539 | Scott |
| 10 | 15 October 1938 | Stoke City | A | 2–3 | 23,588 | Holliday (pen), Hopkins |
| 11 | 22 October 1938 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | 31,425 | Reid |
| 12 | 29 October 1938 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–1 | 32,191 | Scott |
| 13 | 5 November 1938 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–2 | 24,594 | Atkinson (og), Scott |
| 14 | 12 November 1938 | Leeds United | A | 2–3 | 22,555 | Edelston, Brown |
| 15 | 19 November 1938 | Liverpool | H | 2–1 | 20,977 | Holliday (2) |
| 16 | 26 November 1938 | Leicester City | A | 1–1 | 16,634 | Scott |
| 17 | 3 December 1938 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–1 | 21,746 | Holliday, Sneddon |
| 18 | 10 December 1938 | Birmingham | A | 1–5 | 23,333 | Holliday |
| 19 | 17 December 1938 | Manchester United | H | 2–5 | 14,919 | Gibbons, Vose (og) |
| 20 | 24 December 1938 | Huddersfield Town | A | 2–1 | 11,483 | Smith, Townsend |
| 21 | 27 December 1938 | Portsmouth | A | 2–2 | 31,732 | Townsend, McAloon |
| 22 | 31 December 1938 | Everton | H | 2–0 | 27,861 | Townsend (2) |
| 23 | 14 January 1939 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 2–5 | 23,944 | Edelston (2) |
| 24 | 28 January 1939 | Sunderland | A | 1–1 | 19,591 | Sneddon (pen) |
| 25 | 4 February 1939 | Grimsby Town | H | 1–2 | 17,380 | Scott |
| 26 | 8 February 1939 | Aston Villa | H | 2–4 | 21,162 | Edelston, Reid (pen) |
| 27 | 11 February 1939 | Derby County | A | 2–1 | 19,707 | Hopkins, Cheetham |
| 28 | 18 February 1939 | Stoke City | H | 1–0 | 26,237 | Cheetham |
| 29 | 22 February 1939 | Portsmouth | H | 2–0 | 14,290 | McAloon, Scott |
| 30 | 25 February 1939 | Chelsea | A | 3–1 | 33,511 | Cheetham (2), Smith |
| 31 | 4 March 1939 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1–0 | 24,440 | Hopkins |
| 32 | 11 March 1939 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | 15,161 | Boulter |
| 33 | 18 March 1939 | Leeds United | H | 0–1 | 21,480 | |
| 34 | 25 March 1939 | Liverpool | A | 0–1 | 18,113 | |
| 35 | 1 April 1939 | Leicester City | H | 2–0 | 17,238 | Smith, Hopkins |
| 36 | 7 April 1939 | Preston North End | H | 3–1 | 30,780 | Cheetham (2), Edelston |
| 37 | 8 April 1939 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–3 | 18,191 | Cheetham |
| 38 | 10 April 1939 | Preston North End | A | 0–2 | 22,350 | |
| 39 | 15 April 1939 | Birmingham | H | 0–1 | 15,298 | |
| 40 | 22 April 1939 | Manchester United | A | 0–3 | 15,353 | |
| 41 | 29 April 1939 | Blackpool | H | 1–1 | 12,761 | Cheetham |
| 42 | 6 May 1939 | Arsenal | A | 0–2 | 30,928 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3R | 7 January 1939 | Newcastle United | H | 0–2 | 27,551 |
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1938–39 season.
| Pos. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Signed from | Signed in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Joe Crozier | (1914-12-02)2 December 1914 (aged 23) | East Fife | 1937 | ||
| DF | Doug Anderson | (1914-03-25)25 March 1914 (aged 24) | Hibernian | 1937 | ||
| DF | Bill Gorman | (1911-01-13)13 January 1911 (aged 27) | Bury | 1938 | ||
| DF | George Poyser | (1910-02-06)6 February 1910 (aged 28) | Port Vale | 1934 | ||
| DF | Joe Wilson | (1911-09-29)29 September 1911 (aged 26) | Southend United | 1935 | ||
| HB | Vic Aicken | (1914-10-29)29 October 1914 (aged 23) | Glentoran | 1937 | ||
| HB | Sam Briddon | (1915-07-26)26 July 1915 (aged 23) | Port Vale | 1935 | ||
| HB | Buster Brown | (1910-09-06)6 September 1910 (aged 27) | Huddersfield Town | 1937 | ||
| HB | Joe James (c) | (1910-01-13)13 January 1910 (aged 28) | Battersea Church | 1929 | ||
| HB | Tally Sneddon | (1914-04-01)1 April 1914 (aged 24) | Falkirk | 1937 | ||
| FW | Les Boulter | (1913-08-31)31 August 1913 (aged 24) | Charlton Athletic | 1939 | ||
| FW | Tommy Cheetham | (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 27) | Queens Park Rangers | 1939 | ||
| FW | Maurice Edelston | (1918-04-27)27 April 1918 (aged 20) | Wimbledon | 1937 | Amateur | |
| FW | Jackie Gibbons | (1914-04-10)10 April 1914 (aged 24) | Tottenham Hotspur | 1938 | Amateur | |
| FW | Jack Holliday | (1908-12-19)19 December 1908 (aged 29) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | ||
| FW | Idris Hopkins | (1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 27) | Crystal Palace | 1932 | ||
| FW | Ernest Muttitt | (1908-07-24)24 July 1908 (aged 30) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | ||
| FW | Billy Scott | (1907-12-06)6 December 1907 (aged 30) | Middlesbrough | 1932 | ||
| FW | Les Smith | (1918-03-13)13 March 1918 (aged 20) | Petersham | 1934 | ||
| FW | Len Townsend | (1917-08-31)31 August 1917 (aged 20) | Hayes | 1937 | ||
| FW | George Wilkins | (1919-10-27)27 October 1919 (aged 18) | Hayes | 1938 | ||
| DF | Arthur Bateman | (1909-04-01)1 April 1909 (aged 29) | Southend United | 1934 | Retired | |
| FW | George Eastham | (1914-08-13)13 August 1914 (aged 24) | Bolton Wanderers | 1937 | Transferred to Blackpool | |
| FW | Gerry McAloon | (1916-09-13)13 September 1916 (aged 21) | St Francis | 1934 | Transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers | |
| FW | David McCulloch | (1912-10-05)5 October 1912 (aged 25) | Heart of Midlothian | 1935 | Transferred to Derby County | |
| FW | Bobby Reid | (1911-02-19)19 February 1911 (aged 27) | Hamilton Academical | 1936 | Transferred to Sheffield United |
- Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Timeless Bees, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Harry Curtis | Manager |
| Jimmy Bain | Assistant Manager |
| Bob Kane | Trainer |
| Jack Cartmell | Assistant Trainer |
| Joe Edelston | Assistant Trainer |
| Pos | Nat | Name | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Joe Crozier | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| DF | Doug Anderson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | Arthur Bateman | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| DF | Bill Gorman | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| DF | George Poyser | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| DF | Joe Wilson | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| HB | Vic Aicken | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| HB | Sam Briddon | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| HB | Buster Brown | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 2 | |
| HB | Joe James | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
| HB | Tally Sneddon | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 2 | |
| FW | Les Boulter | 16 | 1 | — | 16 | 1 | ||
| FW | Tommy Cheetham | 17 | 8 | — | 17 | 8 | ||
| FW | George Eastham | 11 | 1 | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| FW | Maurice Edelston | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 5 | |
| FW | Jackie Gibbons | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |
| FW | Jack Holliday | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | |
| FW | Idris Hopkins | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 4 | |
| FW | Gerry McAloon | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | |
| FW | David McCulloch | 9 | 2 | — | 9 | 2 | ||
| FW | Ernest Muttitt | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| FW | Bobby Reid | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | |
| FW | Billy Scott | 28 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 7 | |
| FW | Les Smith | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 3 | |
| FW | Len Townsend | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | |
| FW | George Wilkins | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
- Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
- Source: 100 Years of Brentford
| Pos. | Nat | Player | FL1 | FAC | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FW | Tommy Cheetham | 8 | 0 | 8 | |
| FW | Billy Scott | 7 | 0 | 7 | |
| FW | Maurice Edelston | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
| FW | Jack Holliday | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
| FW | Idris Hopkins | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| FW | Len Townsend | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| FW | Gerry McAloon | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| FW | Bobby Reid | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| FW | Les Smith | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| FW | David McCulloch | 2 | — | 2 | |
| HB | Buster Brown | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| HB | Tally Sneddon | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| FW | George Eastham | 1 | — | 1 | |
| FW | Les Boulter | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| FW | Jackie Gibbons | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Opponents | 2 | 0 | 2 |
- Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
- Source: 100 Years of Brentford
| Pos. | Nat | Player | Caps | Goals | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Bill Gorman | 1 | 0 | ||
| FW | Les Boulter | 1 | 1 | ||
| FW | Idris Hopkins | 3 | 1 | ||
| FW | Les Smith | 1 | 0 |
| Pos. | Nat | Player | Caps | Goals | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FW | Maurice Edelston | 3 | 4 | ||
| FW | Jackie Gibbons | 3 | 4 |
| Column 1 | Column 2 |
|---|---|
| Games played | 43 (42 First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Games won | 14 (14 First Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games drawn | 8 (8 First Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Games lost | 21 (20 First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Goals scored | 53 (53 First Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Goals conceded | 76 (74 First Division, 2 FA Cup) |
| Clean sheets | 8 (8 First Division, 0 FA Cup) |
| Biggest league win | 2–0 on three occasions; 3–1 versus Preston North End, 7 April 1939 |
| Worst league defeat | 5–0 versus Aston Villa, 17 September 1938 |
| Most appearances | 43, Joe Crozier (42 First Division, 1 FA Cup) |
| Top scorer (league) | 8, Tommy Cheetham |
| Top scorer (all competitions) | 8, Tommy Cheetham |
Cricketers are not included in this list.
| Players transferred in | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1938 | HB | William Gibbons | Wrexham | n/a | |
| May 1938 | DF | Harry Oliver | Hartlepools United | £1,500 | |
| 19 June 1938 | FW | Fred Durrant | Folkestone | n/a | |
| June 1938 | DF | Bob Allen | Doncaster Rovers | n/a | |
| July 1938 | HB | Ray Ferris | Glentoran | Amateur | |
| July 1938 | FW | Fred Rowell | Sunderland | n/a | |
| 16 August 1938 | FW | Jackie Gibbons | Tottenham Hotspur | Amateur | |
| December 1938 | DF | Bill Gorman | Bury | £7,000 | |
| 1938 | GK | James Bayne | n/a | n/a | |
| 1938 | HB | John Moore | Unattached | Free | |
| 1938 | DF | Robert Smith | Unattached | n/a | |
| January 1939 | FW | Cyril Brown | Felixstowe | n/a | |
| 7 February 1939 | FW | Les Boulter | Charlton Athletic | £5,000 | |
| 7 February 1939 | FW | Tommy Cheetham | Queens Park Rangers | £5,000 | |
| April 1939 | DF | Fred Mansfield | Cambridge Town | n/a | |
| n/a | FW | Albert Degnan | Charlton Athletic | n/a | |
| n/a | FW | Ron Griffin | Lincoln City | n/a | |
| n/a | FW | Johnny Kay | n/a | n/a | |
| n/a | n/a | Archie Waddell | n/a | n/a | |
| May 1938 | HB | Duncan McKenzie | Middlesbrough | £6,000 | |
| 21 October 1938 | FW | David McCulloch | Derby County | £9,500 | |
| November 1938 | FW | George Eastham | Blackpool | £5,000 | |
| February 1939 | FW | Bobby Reid | Sheffield United | £6,000 | |
| 16 March 1939 | FW | Gerry McAloon | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £5,000 | |
| May 1939 | DF | Bob Allen | Dartford | June 1939 | |
| May 1939 | DF | Arthur Bateman | Retired | ||
| May 1939 | FW | Albert Degnan | Albion Rovers | 15 June 1939 | |
| May 1939 | FW | Maurice Edelston | Corinthian | May 1939 | |
| May 1939 | HB | Ray Ferris | Cambridge Town | 1939 | |
| May 1939 | FW | Jackie Gibbons | Tottenham Hotspur | 1939 | |
| May 1939 | FW | Ron Griffin | Watford | August 1939 |
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