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1907–08 Brentford F.C. season

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Brentford
1907–08 season
ChairmanCharlie Dorey
Secretary ManagerWilliam Brown
(until January 1908)
George Parsonage
(from January 1908)
StadiumGriffin Park
Southern League First Division16th
FA CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Bowman (21)
All: Bowman (22)

During the 1907–08 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League First Division. A poor season ended with a 16th-place finish.

Season summary

[edit]
Captain George Parsonage was named as player-caretaker manager in January 1908.

Though Brentford manager William Brown managed to retain most of his key players for the 1907–08 season, his release of future England international forward Fred Pentland was seen as being ill-advised.[1] In came goalkeeper John Montgomery, full back Vince Hayes, half back Jock Hamilton and centre forward Adam Bowman.[1] Brentford started the Southern League First Division season poorly and with the club entering a period of financial instability, the relationship between the committee and the players began to deteriorate.[1] Hopes of a money-spinning FA Cup run ended in the first round at the hands of Lancashire Combination club Carlisle United and in January 1908 manager Brown tendered his resignation, which was accepted.[1]

Captain George Parsonage was named as player-caretaker manager in January 1908 and after reshuffling the lineup, he oversaw an upturn in form which led the Bees to a 16th-place finish.[1] One of the highlights of a dreadful season was the goalscoring of forward Adam Bowman, who scored 22 goals in all competitions before being sold to Leeds City for £300 in April.[1] There was some cheer to be had in the United League, in which the first team won the division title, while the reserve team finished the season as Great Western Suburban League champions.[1]

The season marked a beginning of a period of financial trouble for Brentford, with Fulham's election to the Football League and Chelsea's home fixtures clashing with those at Griffin Park conspiring to draw potential support in West London away from the Bees.[1] By mid-April 1908, the club owed its players £500 in unpaid wages (equivalent to £65,900 in 2024), which necessitated the sale of top-scorer Bowman.[1]

One club record was set during the season:[2]

  • Most Southern League away defeats in a season: 16

League table

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
14 Watford 38 12 10 16 47 59 0.797 34
15 Norwich City 38 12 9 17 46 49 0.939 33
16 Brentford 38 14 5 19 49 53 0.925 33
17 Brighton & Hove Albion 38 12 8 18 46 59 0.780 32
18 Luton Town 38 12 6 20 33 56 0.589 30
Source: [3]
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used until the 1976-77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.

Results

[edit]
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

[edit]
Win Draw Loss

Southern League First Division

[edit]
No. Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer(s)
1 3 September 1907 Leyton A 0–2
2 7 September 1907 Bristol Rovers A 0–3
3 14 September 1907 Leyton H 2–0 Hagan, Parsonage
4 21 September 1907 Reading A 1–5 Bowman
5 28 September 1907 Watford H 4–1 Bowman (2), Corbett (2)
6 5 October 1907 Norwich City A 2–3 Bowman (2)
7 12 October 1907 Northampton Town H 3–1 Bowman (3)
8 19 October 1907 Southampton A 0–3
9 26 October 1907 Plymouth Argyle H 2–1 Parsonage, Corbett
10 2 November 1907 West Ham United A 1–5 Hagan (pen)
11 9 November 1907 Queens Park Rangers H 1–1 Hagan (pen)
12 16 November 1907 Tottenham Hotspur A 0–1
13 23 November 1907 Swindon Town H 2–0 Corbett, Hagan
14 30 November 1907 Crystal Palace A 1–2 McAllister
15 7 December 1907 Luton Town H 3–1 Underwood, Bowman (2)
16 14 December 1907 Brighton & Hove Albion A 0–1
17 21 December 1907 Portsmouth H 1–1 Corbett
18 25 December 1907 Millwall H 1–2 Corbett
19 26 December 1907 New Brompton A 1–2 Bowman
20 28 December 1907 Bradford Park Avenue A 0–2
21 4 January 1908 Bristol Rovers H 0–3
22 18 January 1908 Reading H 1–0 Parsonage
23 25 January 1908 Watford A 2–1 Corbett, Bowman
24 8 February 1908 Northampton Town A 0–0
25 15 February 1908 Southampton H 4–0 Corbett, Bowman (2), Underwood
26 22 February 1908 Plymouth Argyle A 1–2 Black (og)
27 29 February 1908 West Ham United H 4–0 Bowman (2), Corbett, Parsonage
28 7 March 1908 Queens Park Rangers A 0–1
29 9 March 1908 Norwich City H 2–1 Bowman, Brown
30 14 March 1908 Tottenham Hotspur H 3–0 Bowman (3)
31 21 March 1908 Swindon Town A 0–0
32 28 March 1908 Crystal Palace H 1–1 Corbett
33 4 April 1908 Luton Town A 0–1
34 11 April 1908 Brighton & Hove Albion H 2–0 Underwood, Bowman
35 17 April 1908 Millwall A 0–2
36 18 April 1908 Portsmouth A 2–3 Underwood, Tomlinson
37 20 April 1908 New Brompton H 1–0 Corbett
38 25 April 1908 Bradford Park Avenue H 1–2 Underwood

FA Cup

[edit]
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer(s)
1R 11 January 1908 Carlisle United A 2–2 Bowman, Corbett
1R (replay) 15 January 1908 Carlisle United H 1–3 (a.e.t.) Tomlinson
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[4]

Playing squad

[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK Scotland SCO John Montgomery
GK England ENG Charlie Williams
DF England ENG Raymond Abbott
DF Scotland SCO Andy Clark
DF England ENG Vince Hayes
DF Scotland SCO Jock Watson
MF England ENG Albert Bull
MF Scotland SCO Jock Hamilton
MF England ENG Jimmy Jay
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF England ENG George Parsonage (c)
MF England ENG Jimmy Tomlinson
FW England ENG Norman Brown
FW England ENG Fred Corbett
FW England ENG Patsy Hendren
FW England ENG James Lloyd-Evans
FW Scotland SCO Tom McAllister
FW England ENG Lindsay Syrad
FW England ENG Tosher Underwood

Left club during season

[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Scotland SCO Adam Bowman (to Leeds City)
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW Scotland SCO Patrick Hagan (to Hibernian)
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford,[4] The Football Association[5]

Coaching staff

[edit]

William Brown (3 September 1907 – January 1908)

[edit]
Name Role
England William Brown Secretary Manager
Ireland Bob Crone Trainer

George Parsonage ( – 25 January April 1908)

[edit]
Name Role
England George Parsonage Caretaker Manager
Ireland Bob Crone Trainer

Statistics

[edit]

Appearances

[edit]
Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Southern League season.

Goalscorers

[edit]
Pos. Nat Player SL1 FAC Total
FW Scotland Adam Bowman 21 1 22
FW England Fred Corbett 11 1 12
FW England Tosher Underwood 5 0 5
FW Scotland Patrick Hagan 4 0 4
HB England George Parsonage 4 0 4
HB England Jimmy Tomlinson 1 1 2
FW England Norman Brown 1 0 1
FW Scotland Tom McAllister 1 0 1
Opponents 1 0 1
Total 49 3 52
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[4]

Summary

[edit]
Games played 40 (38 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Games won 14 (14 Southern League First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games drawn 6 (5 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games lost 20 (19 Southern League First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored 52 (49 Southern League First Division, 3 FA Cup)
Goals conceded 58 (53 Southern League First Division, 5 FA Cup)
Clean sheets 10 (10 Southern League First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Biggest league win 4–0 on two occasions
Worst league defeat 5–1 on two occasions
Most appearances 40, George Parsonage (38 Southern League First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league) 21, Adam Bowman
Top scorer (all competitions) 22, Adam Bowman

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i White, p. 90-91.
  2. ^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Yore Publications. pp. 117–120. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  3. ^ "England - Southern League Final Tables". RSSSF.
  4. ^ a b c White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 359. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. ^ "The Football Association – Season 1907–08 – Summary Of Professional Registrations". Sky is Blue – The Chesterfield FC history resource. Retrieved 1 January 2021.