1976–77 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1976–77 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. After a poor start to the season, Bill Dodgin Jr. appointed to replace inexperienced manager John Docherty. With re-election looking likely, Dodgin overhauled the playing squad and the Bees won 14 of the final 18 matches of the season to complete a remarkable turnaround and finish in mid-table.

Brentford
1976–77 season
ChairmanDan Tana
ManagerJohn Docherty
(until 7 September 1976)
Eddie Lyons
(7–16 September 1976)
Bill Dodgin Jr.
(from 16 September 1976)
StadiumGriffin Park
Fourth Division15th
FA CupSecond round
League CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Sweetzer (23)
All: Sweetzer (23)
Highest home attendance8,951
Lowest home attendance3,158
Average home league attendance5,121

Season summary
Winger Harry Redknapp made one appearance while on trial in September 1976.[1]

After Brentford's lowest-ever finish in the Fourth Division at the end of the previous season, manager John Docherty released defenders Alan Nelmes and Keith Lawrence and replaced them with John Fraser and Bobby Goldthorpe respectively.[2] Also arriving at Griffin Park were defender Keith Pritchett and midfielder Steve Aylott, while teenagers Danis Salman, Gary Rolph, Graham Cox and Paul Walker all signed apprentice professional contracts.[2] A catalogue of injuries to Fraser, Aylott, Riddick, Sweetzer, McCulloch, Allen and Johnson and a failure to win any of the first six games of the season led to manager Docherty quitting the club,[2] after failing to win a vote of confidence from chairman Dan Tana.[1] Physiotherapist Eddie Lyons was put in caretaker charge of the team for one match before Bill Dodgin Jr. was appointed manager on 16 September 1976, who followed in his father's footsteps by taking over the role.[2]

While Brentford were entrenched in the re-election places the first five months of Bill Dodgin Jr.'s reign,[3] behind the scenes he overhauled the squad and sought players who would meld with his attacking philosophy.[2] Between September 1976 and February 1977, Dodgin brought in midfielder Dave Carlton from his previous club Northampton Town and a number of players on loan – goalkeeper Tony Burns and midfielders Allan Glover, Steve Scrivens, Neil Smillie and John Bain.[1] The sales of defender Keith Pritchett and forwards Roger Cross and Micky French generated over £20,000 in transfer fees, a small portion of which was spent on midfielders Paul Shrubb and Steve Phillips.[1] Most significantly, teenage forward Gordon Sweetzer was promoted through the ranks and began to establish himself in the starting lineup in the New Year.[4]

By January 1977, manager Dodgin's new-look squad was starting to produce results on the field, with Gordon Sweetzer scoring a hattrick in a 4–0 victory over Stockport County in the middle of the month.[4] In late February, Brentford set off on a run which would see the club become one of the Fourth Division's form teams,[5] winning 14 and drawing two of the final 18 matches of the season.[3] Gordon Sweetzer established a strike partnership with fit-again Andrew McCulloch and showed prolific form, finishing the season with 23 goals from 28 appearances.[2] In March, despite a shaky start, the £20,000 purchase of central defender Pat Kruse would prove to be an important signing for the future.[2] Brentford finished the season in 15th place.[6]

Two club records were set during the season:

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
13 Bournemouth 46 15 18 13 54 44 +10 48
14 Stockport County 46 13 19 14 53 57 −4 45
15 Brentford 46 18 7 21 77 76 +1 43
16 Torquay United 46 17 9 20 59 67 −8 43
17 Aldershot 46 16 11 19 49 59 −10 43
Source:

Results
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend
Win Draw Loss

Pre-season
DateOpponentVenueResultScorer(s)
2 August 1976WaltonA1–1Sweetzer
9 August 1976HayesA1–3Cross
12 August 1976AddlestoneA2–4Cross, Walker

Football League Fourth Division
No. DateOpponentVenueResult AttendanceScorer(s)
1 21 August 1976BarnsleyH0–1 3,903
2 23 August 1976Stockport County A0–2 3,191
3 28 August 1976Huddersfield TownA0–1 4,559
4 4 September 1976Doncaster RoversH2–2 3,804Johnson, French
5 10 September 1976AldershotA1–1 5,129French
6 18 September 1976SouthportH3–0 4,185Graham, Johnson, Cross
7 25 September 1976Torquay UnitedA1–1 2,456Cross
8 2 October 1976Bradford CityA2–3 4,809Cross (2)
9 9 October 1976Newport CountyH1–1 5,894Goldthorpe
10 15 October 1976Swansea CityA3–5 3,656Allen, Pritchett, Goldthorpe
11 23 October 1976DarlingtonH0–3 4,303
12 25 October 1976WorkingtonH5–0 3,158Cross, Sweetzer, McCulloch (2), Fraser
13 30 October 1976Colchester UnitedA1–2 3,607Cross
14 3 November 1976Exeter City A2–3 2,779McCulloch, Graham
15 6 November 1976BournemouthH3–2 4,254Cross, French, McCulloch
16 13 November 1976Hartlepool A0–2 1,888
17 27 November 1976Cambridge United H0–2 5,040
18 27 December 1976 Southend United A 1–2 9,239 Cross (pen)
19 1 January 1977BournemouthA1–3 4,268Cross
20 3 January 1977Colchester UnitedH1–4 4,629McCulloch
21 8 January 1977Crewe AlexandraA2–3 2,198McCulloch, Sweetzer
22 15 January 1977Stockport CountyH4–0 3,981Fraser, Sweetzer (3)
23 22 January 1977BarnsleyA0–2 4,095
24 25 January 1977 Scunthorpe United A 1–2 2,867 Sweetzer
25 29 January 1977Halifax TownH2–1 4,517Sweetzer, French
26 5 February 1977Huddersfield Town H1–3 4,833Salman
27 12 February 1977Doncaster RoversA0–5 4,095
28 19 February 1977 Aldershot H 0–1 4,542
29 22 February 1977Rochdale H3–2 3,307Johnson, Phillips, Sweetzer
30 5 March 1977Torquay UnitedH3–2 4,172Sweetzer (3, 1 pen)
31 8 March 1977SouthportA2–1 969Johnson (pen), Sweetzer
32 12 March 1977Bradford CityH4–0 5,742Shrubb, Johnson, Bain, Phillips
33 18 March 1977Newport CountyA1–3 1,747Sweetzer
34 23 March 1977WatfordH3–0 7,602Sweetzer (2), Graham
35 26 March 1977Swansea CityH4–0 6,201Johnson (2, 1 pen), Sweetzer, Phillips
36 2 April 1977Darlington A2–2 1,681Johnson, Sweetzer
37 8 April 1977Southend UnitedH1–0 8,951Phillips
38 9 April 1977WatfordA1–0 9,382McCulloch
39 12 April 1977Exeter CityH1–0 7,641Sweetzer
40 16 April 1977WorkingtonA3–1 1,032Sweetzer, McCulloch, Phillips
41 19 April 1977Halifax TownA0–0 1,464
42 23 April 1977Hartlepool H3–1 5,978Kruse, McCulloch, Sweetzer (pen)
43 30 April 1977Cambridge United A2–3 5,617Sweetzer, Graham
44 2 May 1977Crewe AlexandraH0–0 5,842
45 7 May 1977Scunthorpe United H4–2 5,298Kruse, Sweetzer (2), Phillips
46 14 May 1977 Rochdale A 3–2 977 Shrubb, McCulloch, Phillips

FA Cup
Main article: 1976–77 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 20 November 1976 Chesham United H 2–0 5,633 French, Cross
2R20 December 1976Colchester United A2–3 4,730 Rolph, Fraser

Football League Cup
Main article: 1976–77 Football League Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResult Attendance Scorer
1R (1st leg) 14 August 1976 Watford A 1–1 4,827 Cross
1R (2nd leg)17 August 1976Watford H0–2 (lost 3–1 on aggregate) 5,542
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[4] The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[9] Statto

Playing squad
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1976–77 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Graham Cox (1959-04-30)30 April 1959 (aged 17) Youth 1975
GK Paul Priddy (1953-01-11)11 January 1953 (aged 23) Walton & Hersham 1975
Defenders
DF Michael Allen (1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 27) Middlesbrough 1971
DF Steve Aylott (1951-09-03)3 September 1951 (aged 24) Oxford United 1976
DF John Fraser (1953-07-12)12 July 1953 (aged 23) Fulham 1976
DF Bobby Goldthorpe (1950-12-06)6 December 1950 (aged 25) Charlton Athletic 1976
DF Pat Kruse (1953-11-30)30 November 1953 (aged 22) Torquay United 1977
DF Danis Salman (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 16) Youth 1975
DF Tom Sharp (1957-07-30)30 July 1957 (aged 19) Everton 1976
DF Nigel Smith (1958-07-03)3 July 1958 (aged 18) Queens Park Rangers 1975
Midfielders
MF John Bain (1957-06-03)3 June 1957 (aged 19) Bristol City 1977 On loan from Bristol City
MF Dave Carlton (1952-11-24)24 November 1952 (aged 23) Northampton Town 1976
MF Jackie Graham (c) (1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 30) Guildford City 1970
MF Terry Johnson (1949-08-30)30 August 1949 (aged 26) Southend United 1974
MF Steve Phillips (1954-08-04)4 August 1954 (aged 22) Northampton Town 1977
MF Paul Shrubb (1955-08-01)1 August 1955 (aged 21) Hellenic 1977
MF Paul Walker (1960-12-17)17 December 1960 (aged 15) Youth 1976 Loaned to Slough Town
Forwards
FW Andrew McCulloch (1950-01-03)3 January 1950 (aged 26) Oxford United 1976
FW Gary Rolph (1960-02-24)24 February 1960 (aged 16) Youth 1976
FW Gordon Sweetzer (1957-01-27)27 January 1957 (aged 19) Queens Park Rangers 1975
Players who left the club mid-season
GK Tony Burns (1944-03-27)27 March 1944 (aged 32) Crystal Palace 1977 Returned to Crystal Palace after loan
DF Paul Bence (1948-12-21)21 December 1948 (aged 27) Reading 1970 Loaned to Torquay United, released
DF Keith Pritchett (1953-11-08)8 November 1953 (aged 22) Queens Park Rangers 1976 Transferred to Watford
DF Gordon Riddick (1943-11-06)6 November 1943 (aged 32) Northampton Town 1973 Released
MF Allan Glover (1950-10-21)21 October 1950 (aged 25) West Bromwich Albion 1976 Returned to West Bromwich Albion after loan
MF Harry Redknapp (1947-03-02)2 March 1947 (aged 29) Bournemouth 1976 Released
MF Terry Scales (1951-01-18)18 January 1951 (aged 25) West Ham United 1971 Released
MF Steve Scrivens (1957-03-11)11 March 1957 (aged 19) Fulham 1976 Returned to Crystal Palace after loan
MF Neil Smillie (1958-07-19)19 July 1958 (aged 18) Crystal Palace 1977 Returned to Crystal Palace after loan
FW Roger Cross (1948-10-20)20 October 1948 (aged 27) Fulham 1973 Transferred to Millwall
FW Micky French (1955-05-07)7 May 1955 (aged 21) Queens Park Rangers 1975 Transferred to Swindon Town
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,[10] Timeless Bees[11]

Coaching staff

John Docherty (14 August – 7 September 1976)
Name Role
John Docherty Manager
Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist
Bob Pearson Chief Scout

Eddie Lyons (7 – 16 September 1976)
Name Role
Eddie Lyons Caretaker Manager
Bob Pearson Chief Scout

Bill Dodgin Jr. (16 September 1976 – 14 May 1977)
Name Role
Bill Dodgin Jr. Manager
Fred Callaghan Assistant Manager
Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist
Gordon Quinn Chief Scout

Statistics

Appearances and goals
Substitute appearances in brackets.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup League Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Graham Cox 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
GK Paul Priddy 37 0 2 0 2 0 41 0
DF Michael Allen 40 1 2 0 0 0 42 1
DF Steve Aylott 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
DF Paul Bence 10 (1) 0 — 2 0 11 (1) 0
DF John Fraser 39 2 2 1 0 0 41 3
DF Bobby Goldthorpe 19 2 1 (1) 0 2 0 22 (1) 2
DF Pat Kruse 15 2 — — 15 2
DF Keith Pritchett 11 1 — 2 0 13 1
DF Gordon Riddick 15 0 2 0 0 0 17 0
DF Danis Salman 16 (2) 1 1 (1) 0 2 0 19 (3) 1
DF Tom Sharp 2 (2) 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 2 (3) 0
DF Nigel Smith 32 (2) 0 0 0 2 0 34 (2) 0
MF Dave Carlton 31 (1) 0 2 0 — 33 (1) 0
MF Jackie Graham 42 4 2 0 2 0 46 4
MF Terry Johnson 24 (3) 8 1 0 0 0 25 (3) 8
MF Steve Phillips 19 7 — — 19 7
MF Harry Redknapp 1 0 — — 1 0
MF Terry Scales 12 0 1 0 2 0 15 0
MF Paul Shrubb 10 (3) 2 — — 10 (3) 2
MF Paul Walker 1 (1) 0 1 0 2 0 4 (1) 0
FW Roger Cross 21 9 2 1 2 1 25 11
FW Micky French 15 (4) 4 2 1 2 0 19 (4) 5
FW Andrew McCulloch 18 (2) 10 0 0 0 0 18 (2) 10
FW Gary Rolph 6 (1) 0 1 1 0 0 7 (1) 1
FW Gordon Sweetzer 25 (2) 23 1 0 0 0 26 (2) 23
Players loaned in during the season
GK Tony Burns 6 0 — — 6 0
MF John Bain 17 (1) 1 — — 17 (1) 1
MF Allan Glover 6 0 — — 6 0
MF Steve Scrivens 5 0 — — 5 0
MF Neil Smillie 3 0 — — 3 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[4]

Goalscorers
Pos. Nat Player FL4 FAC FLC Total
FW Gordon Sweetzer 23 0 0 23
FW Roger Cross 9 1 1 11
FW Andrew McCulloch 10 0 0 10
MF Terry Johnson 8 0 0 8
MF Steve Phillips 7 — — 7
FW Micky French 4 1 0 5
MF Jackie Graham 4 0 0 4
DF John Fraser 2 1 0 3
DF Pat Kruse 2 — — 2
MF Paul Shrubb 2 — — 2
DF Bobby Goldthorpe 2 0 0 2
MF John Bain 1 — — 1
DF Michael Allen 1 0 0 1
DF Keith Pritchett 1 0 0 1
DF Danis Salman 1 0 0 1
FW Gary Rolph 0 1 0 1
Total774 182
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[4]

Management
Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
PWDLW %PWDLW %
John Docherty 14 August 1976 7 September 1976 6 0 2 4 000.00 4 0 1 3 000.00
Eddie Lyons (caretaker) 7 September 1976 16 September 1976 1 0 1 0 000.00 1 0 1 0 000.00
Bill Dodgin, Jr. 16 September 1976 14 May 1977 43 19 5 19 044.19 41 18 5 18 043.90

Summary
Games played50 (46 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Games won19 (18 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Games drawn8 (7 Fourth Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Games lost23 (21 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored82 (77 Fourth Division, 4 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals conceded82 (76 Fourth Division, 3 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Clean sheets12 (11 Fourth Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup)
Biggest league win5–0 versus Workington, 25 October 1976
Worst league defeat5–0 versus Doncaster Rovers, 12 February 1977
Most appearances46, Jackie Graham (42 Fourth Division, 2 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Top scorer (league)23, Gordon Sweetzer
Top scorer (all competitions)23, Gordon Sweetzer

Transfers & loans
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
July 1976 DF Steve Aylott Oxford United Free [1]
July 1976 DF John Fraser Fulham Free [1]
July 1976 DF Bobby Goldthorpe Fulham Free [1]
July 1976 DF Keith Pritchett Queens Park Rangers Free [1]
September 1976 MF Harry Redknapp Bournemouth Trial [1]
October 1976 MF Dave Carlton Northampton Town £3,000 [1]
October 1976 DF Gordon Riddick Unattached Non-contract [1]
1976 FW Gary Rolph n/a n/a [1]
February 1977 MF Steve Phillips Northampton Town £4,000 [1]
February 1977 MF Paul Shrubb Hellenic n/a [1]
March 1977 DF Pat Kruse Torquay United £20,000 [1]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
October 1976 MF Allan Glover West Bromwich Albion November 1976 [1]
December 1976 MF Steve Scrivens Fulham January 1977 [1]
January 1977 GK Tony Burns Crystal Palace February 1977 [1]
January 1977 MF Neil Smillie Crystal Palace February 1977 [1]
February 1977 MF John Bain Bristol City End of season [12]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
November 1976 DF Keith Pritchett Watford £4,000 [1]
January 1977 FW Roger Cross Millwall £9,500 [1]
February 1977 FW Micky French Swindon Town £7,000 [1]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
November 1976 DF Paul Bence Torquay United January 1977 [1]
April 1977 MF Paul Walker Slough Town End of season [13]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
September 1976 DF Gordon Riddick Retired [1]
October 1976 MF Harry Redknapp Seattle Sounders 1976 [1]
February 1977 DF Gordon Riddick Wealdstone 1977 [1]
March 1977 DF Paul Bence Wokingham Town 1977 [1]
March 1977 MF Terry Scales Dagenham 1977 [1]
May 1977 DF Bobby Goldthorpe Hayes 1977 [1]
May 1977 GK Paul Priddy Tooting & Mitcham United 1977 [1]
May 1977 DF Tom Sharp n/a n/a [1]

Awards
gollark: HERESY!
gollark: Don't we all?
gollark: 0D space.
gollark: Use 6D space.
gollark: ~~make quobot just have a JS interpreter with access to a database of some sort~~

References
  1. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 146-151.
  2. White, p. 301-304.
  3. "Brentford results for the 1976-1977 season - Statto.com". Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  4. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 394. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. "English Division Four (old) 1976-1977 Form Table : 10 Games - Statto.com". Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  6. "Brentford League Table 1976-1977 - Statto.com". Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  7. Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopedia. Yore Publications. p. 139. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  8. Haynes & Coumbe, p. 137.
  9. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 136-145.
  10. Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796709.
  11. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  12. Haynes & Coumbe, p. 15.
  13. "Slough Town FC". www.sloughtownfc.net. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  14. Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 295.
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