Chairman H. Jason-Saunders Stadium Griffin Park FA Cup Fifth qualifying round | Manager Dusty Rhodes Southern League Division Two 3rd | |
Top goalscorer League: Simons (19)
All: Simons (19) | ||
During the 1913–14 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League Division Two. Despite winning 13 of 15 matches in the first half of the season, a loss of form in a five-week spell from February through to April 1914 ended the club's chances of an immediate return to Division One.
Contents
Season summary
Brentford player-manager Dusty Rhodes faced a tough task ahead in the Bees' first season back in the Southern League Division Two since 1900–01, with the club's debt having risen to £5,000 and the prospect of high expenses and reduced gate receipts from away matches due to 11 of the league's 16 clubs being located in Wales. As a result, the Southern League Management Committee paid a £100 subsidy to each of the five English clubs in the league. Of the previous season's professional players, only goalkeeper Ted Price, full backs Tommy Fells and Walter Spratt, centre half Frank Bentley and outside left Patsy Hendren were retained. Bill Smith, Frederick Chapple and Bob McTavish were sold for small fees, while left half Phil Richards elected to retire. In came half backs Tom McGovern, Bobby Jackson and forwards Charlie Elliott, Henry Simons, Joe Johnson and Tommy Clark. England international amateur right half Alec Barclay remained with the club and amateur forwards Henry White and Jack Chapman were added to the ranks.
As the season got underway, Brentford feasted on poor Welsh opposition, winning 13 of the first 15 matches of the season, scoring 49 goals and conceding just three. Treharris and Ton Pentre were each beaten 7–0 at Griffin Park and the Bees also posted 5–0, 4–0 and 3–0 scorelines, each on two occasions. The rot slowly set in after a 1–0 home defeat to 2nd-place Croydon Common on Christmas Day 1913 and injuries and the absence of some of the club's amateurs lead to defeats to fellow challengers Luton Town in February 1914, Stoke later that month and a galling 1–0 reverse to Ton Pentre on 21 March. Defeat to Newport County at home on 4 April ended Brentford's mathematical chances of a runners-up finish and later that month, with the club unable to pay its players in full, leading scorer Henry Simons and future England international Jack Cock were sold to raise funds. Brentford finished the campaign in 4th-place and lost £127 for the season.
League table
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used until the 1976–77 season.
2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.