1951–52 Brentford F.C. season

Season summary

After two consecutive 9th-place finishes in the Second Division, Brentford manager Jackie Gibbons elected to keep his squad together for the 1951–52 season, with former Brighton & Hove Albion utility player Frank Morrad being his only first team signing.

Aided by the goalscoring of full back-cum-centre forward Fred Monk, Brentford showed great form in the first half of the season, losing just five of the opening 21 matches to sit 2nd in the table. The push for promotion was derailed by a Christmas 1951 bust-up between manager Gibbons on one side and half backs Ron Greenwood and Jimmy Hill on the other. The bust-up resulted in Greenwood and Hill requesting transfers, with Hill eventually moving to local rivals Fulham in March 1952 in exchange for inside forward Jimmy Bowie. Centre forward Billy Dare came into goalscoring in the second half of the season, but the disruption to the Harper-Hill-Greenwood half back line (though Greenwood would later rescind his transfer request) led to an increase the amount of goals conceded and Brentford were forced to settle for a 10th-place finish, having slowly drifted out of contention from promotion in February 1952. Former England international Tommy Lawton had been signed amid much fanfare for a club record £16,000 fee in March 1952, but managed to contribute only two goals in his 10 appearances.

The end of the season saw the retirement of Brentford's final two players signed prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 - goalkeeper Ted Gaskell and utility man Tom Manley. Both players would later receive a joint testimonial in April 1954.

League table

P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Results

FA Cup

Playing squad

Appearances and goals

Goalscorers