1959–60 season of Brentford F.C.
Brentford 1959–60 football season
Brentford1959–60 season |
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Chairman | Frank Davis |
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Manager | Malky MacDonald |
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Stadium | Griffin Park |
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Third Division | 6th |
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FA Cup | Second round |
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Top goalscorer | League: Francis (26) All: Francis (31) |
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Highest home attendance | 21,600 |
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Lowest home attendance | 6,300 |
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Average home league attendance | 11,912 |
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During the 1959–60 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. A strong run in the final 13 matches of the season lifted the Bees from mid-table to a 6th-place finish.
Season summary
After two strong pushes for promotion from the Third Division, Brentford manager Malky MacDonald conducted little transfer business in the 1959 off-season, with his main signing being that of former Chelsea centre half Bill Livingstone as cover for the injured Ian Dargie. However, two youngsters MacDonald signed from Scotland in June and July 1959 between them would go on to make nearly 700 appearances for the club – Tommy Higginson and John Docherty. As a testament how little the squad had changed over the previous three years, by the end of the season MacDonald had 12 players on the books who had all made over 100 appearances for Brentford – Cakebread, Wilson, Horne, Coote, Bristow, Goundry, Dargie, Parsons, Heath, Rainford, Francis and Towers.
Despite runs of one defeat in seven matches in August and September 1959 and six wins in seven matches in October, Brentford had uneven first half of the season and were rooted firmly in mid-table at the turn of the year.[2] Jim Towers became the Bees' record Football League goalscorer courtesy of a hattrick in a 3–0 defeat of Accrington Stanley on 24 October 1959 and he had taken 19 fewer matches to pass Jack Holliday's record. Towers' strike partner George Francis followed up with a hattrick in a 4–2 derby victory over rivals Queens Park Rangers and eclipsed that performance with a four-goal haul in a 5–0 FA Cup first round victory over non-league club Ashford Town on 14 November.[3] With the Brentford's so-so league form, the FA Cup looked to be the focus of the Bees' efforts, but they met their end in the following round versus Fourth Division club Exeter City.[3]
Brentford welcomed the 1960s with a 2–0 defeat to the eventual-promoted side Southampton at The Dell on 2 January 1960 and continued to muddle through to March, when a 1–0 victory over Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic on the 5th of the month kicked off a strong run which would last until the end of the season.[3] In the remaining 13 matches of the campaign, George Francis and Jim Towers each scored eight goals to fire Brentford to a 6th-place finish.[3] Francis ended the season as top scorer with 31 goals, the second time he had managed to better his fellow "Terrible Twin" Towers' total.[3]
League table
Source: [citation needed]
Results
- Brentford's goal tally listed first.
Legend
No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) | Notes |
1 | 22 August 1959 | Barnsley | A | 2–1 | 7,418 | Francis (2) | |
2 | 25 August 1959 | Wrexham | H | 3–1 | 16,970 | Francis, Rainford, Towers (pen) | |
3 | 29 August 1959 | Southampton | H | 2–2 | 15,740 | Rainford (2) | |
4 | 2 September 1959 | Wrexham | A | 2–3 | 13,112 | Towers, McLeod (pen) | |
5 | 5 September 1959 | Reading | A | 3–3 | 13,523 | Francis (2), Heath | |
6 | 8 September 1959 | Bury | H | 1–1 | 16,000 | Rainford | |
7 | 12 September 1959 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–1 | 12,500 | Towers, McLeod | |
8 | 15 September 1959 | Bury | A | 0–1 | 13,048 | | |
9 | 19 September 1959 | Port Vale | A | 1–3 | 12,817 | Francis | |
10 | 22 September 1959 | Halifax Town | H | 1–1 | 15,700 | Francis | |
11 | 26 September 1959 | Norwich City | H | 3–4 | 21,600 | Towers (2), Heath | |
12 | 28 September 1959 | Halifax Town | A | 0–1 | 7,654 | | |
13 | 3 October 1959 | Grimsby Town | A | 3–1 | 11,209 | Francis, Rainford (2) | |
14 | 6 October 1959 | Colchester United | H | 2–0 | 14,750 | Francis, Towers | |
15 | 10 October 1959 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2–1 | 11,481 | Rainford, Francis | |
16 | 12 October 1959 | Colchester United | A | 1–2 | 7,790 | Francis | |
17 | 17 October 1959 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | A | 2–1 | 12,226 | Towers, Hales | |
18 | 24 October 1959 | Accrington Stanley | H | 3–0 | 12,700 | Towers (3) | |
19 | 31 October 1959 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 4–2 | 19,430 | Francis (3), Towers | |
20 | 21 November 1959 | York City | H | 1–2 | 13,100 | McLeod (pen) | |
21 | 28 November 1959 | Coventry City | A | 1–2 | 14,959 | Towers | |
22 | 12 December 1959 | Newport County | A | 2–4 | 9,401 | Goundry, Towers | |
23 | 19 December 1959 | Barnsley | H | 3–0 | 6,500 | Towers, Francis, Parsons | |
24 | 26 December 1959 | Southend United | A | 0–2 | 11,694 | | |
25 | 28 December 1959 | Southend United | H | 3–1 | 11,750 | Parsons (pen), Hales, Rainford | |
26 | 2 January 1960 | Southampton | A | 0–2 | 16,993 | | |
27 | 9 January 1960 | Swindon Town | A | 0–0 | 8,633 | | |
28 | 16 January 1960 | Reading | H | 2–2 | 9,200 | Francis, Parsons | |
29 | 23 January 1960 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 1–1 | 6,997 | Wallace (og) | |
30 | 6 February 1960 | Port Vale | H | 2–0 | 10,100 | Towers, Francis | |
31 | 13 February 1960 | Norwich City | A | 1–2 | 22,388 | Francis | |
32 | 20 February 1960 | Grimsby Town | H | 0–2 | 10,900 | | |
33 | 27 February 1960 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 1–2 | 8,053 | Parsons | |
34 | 5 March 1960 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | H | 1–0 | 9,750 | Francis | |
35 | 8 March 1960 | Chesterfield | H | 3–0 | 6,300 | Bristow, McLeod (pen), Towers | |
36 | 11 March 1960 | Accrington Stanley | A | 4–3 | 3,500 | Parsons, Towers, Francis (2) | |
37 | 19 March 1960 | Coventry City | H | 3–1 | 9,900 | Francis (2), Bristow | |
38 | 26 March 1960 | Chesterfield | A | 0–1 | 4,363 | | [nb 1] |
39 | 2 April 1960 | Swindon Town | H | 2–1 | 8,550 | Towers, Higgins (og) | |
40 | 9 April 1960 | York City | A | 1–0 | 4,608 | Towers | |
41 | 15 April 1960 | Mansfield Town | H | 1–1 | 9,575 | Francis | |
42 | 16 April 1960 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1–1 | 16,000 | Towers | |
43 | 18 April 1960 | Mansfield Town | A | 1–0 | 7,626 | Parsons | |
44 | 23 April 1960 | Bradford City | A | 2–0 | 6,509 | Francis, Goundry | |
45 | 30 April 1960 | Newport County | H | 1–2 | 7,900 | Towers | |
46 | 3 May 1960 | Bradford City | H | 4–0 | 7,200 | Hales, Towers (2), Francis | |
FA Cup
Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorer(s) |
1R | 14 November 1959 | Ashford Town | H | 5–0 | 13,900 | Francis (4), Towers |
2R | 5 December 1959 | Exeter City | A | 1–3 | 10,000 | Francis |
- Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,[3] Statto
Playing squad
- Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1959–60 season.
- Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,[3] Timeless Bees[4]
Coaching staff
Statistics
Appearances and goals
Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Football League season.
- Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
- Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[3]
Goalscorers
- Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
- Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[3]
Management
Name | Nat | From | To | Record All Comps | Record League |
P | W | D | L | W % | P | W | D | L | W % |
Malky MacDonald | | 22 August 1959 | 3 May 1960 | 48 | 22 | 9 | 17 | 045.83 | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 045.65 |
Summary
Games played | 48 (46 Third Division, 2 FA Cup) |
Games won | 22 (21 Third Division, 1 FA Cup) |
Games drawn | 9 (9 Third Division, 0 FA Cup) |
Games lost | 17 (16 Third Division, 1 FA Cup) |
Goals scored | 84 (78 Third Division, 6 FA Cup) |
Goals conceded | 64 (61 Third Division, 3 FA Cup) |
Clean sheets | 12 (11 Third Division, 1 FA Cup) |
Biggest league win | 4–0 versus Bradford City, 3 May 1960 |
Worst league defeat | 2–0 on three occasions; 3–1 versus Port Vale, 19 September 1959; 4–2 versus Newport County, 12 December 1959 |
Most appearances | 48, Gerry Cakebread, George Francis, Johnny Rainford (46 Third Division, 2 FA Cup) |
Top scorer (league) | 26, George Francis |
Top scorer (all competitions) | 31, George Francis |
Transfers and loans
Notes
- ^ The original fixture on 7 November 1959 was abandoned at half time due to fog, with the score at 1–1.
References
- ^ "Brentford results for the 1959–1960 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 385. ISBN 0951526200.
- ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ^ a b c "Players' Transfers – 1959". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "Jimmy Gitsham". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ "Player Appearances and goalscoring records – O". Scottish Football Historical Archive. p. 586. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "Billy Bloomfield". brentfordfc.co.uk. 11 September 2003. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.