Wikipedia

1983–84 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1983–84 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. A season of transition ended with a narrow escape from relegation.

Brentford
1983–84 season
ChairmanMartin Lange
ManagerFred Callaghan
(until 2 February 1984)
Frank Blunstone
(2–9 February 1984)
Frank McLintock
(from 9 February 1984)
StadiumGriffin Park
Third Division20th
FA CupThird round
League CupSecond round
Football League TrophySecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Joseph (18)
All: Joseph (24)
Highest home attendance17,859
Lowest home attendance2,301
Average home league attendance4,735
Home (Aug–Dec) colours
Home (Dec–May) colours
Away colours

Season summary edit

 
Frank McLintock took over as Brentford manager on 9 February 1984.

After two seasons in which, were it not for bad mid-season form, strong run-ins may have yielded a promotion challenge, Brentford manager Fred Callaghan kept his squad together.[1] Save for the retirement of key midfielder Stan Bowles, Bowles' replacement Terry Bullivant was the only significant piece of transfer activity at Griffin Park during the 1983 off-season.[1] Goalkeeper Trevor Swinburne arrived to provide competition for Paddy Roche.[2] With forward Tony Mahoney still not fully fit after recovering from a broken leg, Bill Garner was brought in from non-League football on non-contract terms.[2]

Brentford showed poor form between the beginning of the season and Christmas Eve 1983 (as of April 2024, the 4–3 defeat to Wimbledon was the final Football League match played on that date).[3][4] Two wins and 10 defeats from the opening 19 Third Division matches left the club just above the foot of the table.[3] In the midst of the barren run in the league, a two-legged tie with then-First Division champions Liverpool in the second round of the League Cup failed to produce much cheer, with the Bees suffering an 8–1 aggregate defeat.[3] A reduction in size of Griffin Park in the intervening years meant that the 17,858 crowd which attended the first leg was not bettered prior to the club's final first team match at the ground in July 2020.[5][6]

Player/assistant manager Ron Harris was replaced with former Brentford manager Frank Blunstone in October 1983 and Harris later remarked that it had been an acrimonious parting.[2] An ever-increasing list of injuries and suspensions led manager Fred Callaghan to make a number of signings during the final two months of 1983, including new captain Ian Bolton for £2,000 and previously on-loan defender Paul Roberts from Millwall for a £10,000 fee.[2] Stan Bowles came out of retirement to assist the team on a non-contract basis.[2] The signings had an effect, with the Bees going four matches undefeated in late December 1983 and early January 1984 to rise out of the relegation places.[3] Defeats in the following two matches led chairman Martin Lange to act and sack manager Fred Callaghan on 2 February.[2] Lange paid tribute to Callaghan by stating that Callaghan could "leave the club proud in the knowledge that he leaves the club far better equipped than when he arrived".[2]

Assistant Frank Blunstone took caretaker charge of the team for one match before the appointment of former Leicester City manager Frank McLintock on 9 February.[2] McLintock installed former Brentford player John Docherty as his assistant.[2] McLintock took over a club in 21st position with 20 matches to play and conducted an overhaul of the playing staff, selling central defender Alan Whitehead and bringing in right back Bobby Fisher and midfielder Tommy Finney from Cambridge United, plus Nigel Gray and Bill Roffey on loan.[2] Attacker Bob Booker was recalled to the starting lineup, Ian Bolton and Tony Mahoney were dropped,[1] Terry Bullivant and Graham Wilkins departed on loan and Stan Bowles retired for a second time.[2]

A slight upturn in form meant that Brentford went into their final match of the season versus Walsall perched atop the relegation zone in 20th place and needing a victory, but a 1–1 draw was all that could be mustered.[1] Circumstances transpired that 21st-place Scunthorpe United's 1–1 draw on the same day, in their penultimate match of the season, meant that the Iron needed to win their final match by a margin of seven goals to secure their safety.[1] Brentford's Third Division status was retained when Scunthorpe United lost in their season finale on the following Tuesday night.[1]

League table edit

Main article: 1983–84 Football League Third Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
18 Rotherham United 46 15 9 22 57 64 −7 54
19 Plymouth Argyle 46 13 12 21 56 62 −6 51
20 Brentford 46 11 16 19 69 79 −10 49
21 Scunthorpe United 46 9 19 18 54 73 −19 46 Relegated
22 Southend United 46 10 14 22 55 76 −21 44
Source: [citation needed]

Results edit

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend edit

Win Draw Loss

Pre-season and friendlies edit

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
3 August 1983 Kingstonian A 6–0 n/a Cassells (3), Joseph, Spencer, Greenaway
6 August 1983 Tottenham Hotspur H 2–4 6,405 Hurlock (2)
8 August 1983 Staines Town A 2–1 n/a Hopson, Tully
9 August 1983 St Albans City A 2–3 n/a Hopson (2)
10 August 1983 West Ham United H 2–0 3,104 G. Roberts, Joseph
11 August 1983 Walton & Hersham A 7–2 n/a Cassells (2), Greenaway (2), Lynch (2), Garner
13 August 1983 Aldershot A 2–0 n/a Garner, Cassells
15 August 1983 Hayes A 0–6 n/a
16 August 1983 Reading A 2–5 n/a Kamara, Joseph
20 August 1983 Bristol City A 0–1 1,111 Smith
23 August 1983 Bracknell Town A 0–0 n/a
15 November 1983 Queens Park Rangers H 3–2 1,414 Mahoney (2), Davies
14 May 1984 Chelsea H 3–6 3,461 Cassells, McNichol, G. Roberts

Football League Third Division edit

No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1 27 August 1983 Millwall H 2–2 6,224 Joseph, Kamara
2 3 September 1983 Preston North End A 3–3 3,957 Joseph, G. Roberts, Cassells
3 6 September 1983 Bristol Rovers A 1–3 5,148 Joseph
4 10 September 1983 Lincoln City H 3–0 4,777 Kamara, Joseph (2)
5 17 September 1983 Wigan Athletic A 1–2 3,034 Garner
6 24 September 1983 Burnley H 0–0 8,042
7 1 October 1983 Gillingham A 2–4 3,268 Kamara, McNichol
8 8 October 1983 Oxford United A 1–2 7,326 Kamara
9 15 October 1983 Hull City H 1–1 4,258 Joseph
10 18 October 1983 Port Vale H 3–1 3,903 Bullivant, G. Roberts, McNichol
11 22 October 1983 Sheffield United A 0–0 9,848
12 29 October 1983 Bournemouth H 1–1 4,630 Joseph
13 31 October 1983 Southend United A 0–6 3,182
14 5 November 1983 Plymouth Argyle H 2–2 4,183 Mahoney, Cassells
15 12 November 1983 Orient A 0–2 3,650
16 26 November 1983 Bradford City H 1–4 3,738 G. Roberts
17 3 December 1983 Bolton Wanderers A 0–1 5,416
18 17 December 1983 Walsall A 0–1 3,965
19 24 December 1983 Wimbledon H 3–4 6,689 Kamara, McNichol, Hurlock
20 27 December 1983 Exeter City A 2–1 4,303 Cassells, G. Roberts
21 31 December 1983 Newport County H 2–1 4,631 Hurlock, G. Roberts
22 2 January 1984 Scunthorpe United A 4–4 2,239 Mahoney, Cassells (pen), McNichol, Joseph
23 15 January 1984 Millwall A 2–1 5,370 Joseph (2)
24 21 January 1984 Wigan Athletic H 0–1 3,972
25 1 February 1984 Lincoln City A 0–2 2,266
26 4 February 1984 Gillingham H 2–3 4,317 Joseph, Bolton
27 11 February 1984 Burnley A 2–2 7,027 Cassells, Kamara
28 14 February 1984 Southend United H 0–0 3,961
29 18 February 1984 Bournemouth A 3–0 4,308 Cassells (3)
30 25 February 1984 Sheffield United H 1–3 5,100 G. Roberts
31 3 March 1984 Port Vale A 3–4 3,704 G. Roberts, Gray, Joseph
32 6 March 1984 Plymouth Argyle A 1–1 4,322 Hurlock
33 10 March 1984 Orient H 1–1 4,358 Joseph
34 17 March 1984 Oxford United H 1–2 5,936 G. Roberts
35 20 March 1984 Rotherham United H 2–1 3,391 Booker, Mahoney (pen)
36 24 March 1984 Hull City A 0–2 5,572
37 31 March 1984 Bristol Rovers H 2–2 4,067 Booker, Hurlock
38 3 April 1984 Preston North End H 4–1 3,446 Kamara, Finney, G. Roberts, Booker
39 7 April 1984 Rotherham United A 0–4 3,705
40 14 April 1984 Bolton Wanderers H 3–0 3,831 Joseph, Deakin (og)
41 20 April 1984 Exeter City H 3–0 5,620 Joseph, Booker, Finney
42 21 April 1984 Wimbledon A 1–2 5,487 Joseph
43 28 April 1984 Bradford City A 1–1 3,755 Cassells
44 5 May 1984 Scunthorpe United H 3–0 4,561 Rowe, Joseph, Roffey
45 7 May 1984 Newport County A 1–1 2,154 G. Roberts
46 12 May 1984 Walsall H 1–1 5,281 Caswell (og)

FA Cup edit

Main article: 1983–84 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1R 19 November 1983 Dagenham A 2–2 2,146 Joseph, P. Roberts
1R (replay) 22 November 1983 Dagenham H 2–1 3,936 Mahoney, G. Roberts
2R 10 December 1983 Wimbledon H 3–2 5,666 Kamara, G. Roberts, Joseph
3R 7 January 1984 Gillingham A 3–5 6,509 G. Roberts, Hurlock, Cassells

Football League Cup edit

Main article: 1983–84 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1R (1st leg) 30 August 1983 Charlton Athletic H 3–0 4,858 G. Roberts, Joseph, Berry (og)
1R (2nd leg) 13 September 1983 Charlton Athletic A 1–2 (won 4–2 on aggregate) 3,622
2R (1st leg) 5 October 1983 Liverpool H 1–4 17,859 G. Roberts
2R (2nd leg) 25 October 1983 Liverpool A 0–4 (lost 8–1 on aggregate) 9,092

Football League Trophy edit

Main article: 1983–84 Football League Trophy
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
SR1 21 February 1984 Orient H 3–2 2,301 Finney, Joseph (2)
SR2 26 March 1983 Plymouth Argyle A 0–2 (a.e.t.) 2,308
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[7] The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,[5][8] Statto

Playing squad edit

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1983–84 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Paddy Roche   (1951-01-04)4 January 1951 (aged 32) Manchester United 1982
GK Trevor Swinburne   (1953-06-20)20 June 1953 (aged 30) Carlisle United 1983
Defenders
DF Ian Bolton   (1953-07-13)13 July 1953 (aged 30) Watford 1983
DF Bobby Fisher   (1956-08-03)3 August 1956 (aged 27) Cambridge United 1984
DF Nigel Gray   (1956-11-02)2 November 1956 (aged 26) Swindon Town 1984 On loan from Swindon Town
DF Jim McNichol   (1958-06-09)9 June 1958 (aged 25) Luton Town 1978
DF Paul Roberts   (1962-04-27)27 April 1962 (aged 21) Millwall 1983 Loaned from Millwall before transferring permanently
DF Bill Roffey   (1954-02-06)6 February 1954 (aged 29) Orient 1984 On loan from Orient
DF Terry Rowe   (1964-06-08)8 June 1964 (aged 19) Youth 1982
DF Danis Salman   (1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 23) Youth 1975
DF Tony Spencer   (1965-04-23)23 April 1965 (aged 18) Youth 1982
DF Graham Wilkins   (1955-06-28)28 June 1955 (aged 28) Bury 1982 Loaned to Southend United
Midfielders
MF Bob Booker   (1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 25) Bedmond Sports & Social 1978
MF Terry Bullivant   (1956-09-23)23 September 1956 (aged 26) Charlton Athletic 1983 Loaned to Reading
MF Tommy Finney   (1952-11-06)6 November 1952 (aged 30) Cambridge United 1984
MF Mark Hopson   May 1966 (aged 17) Youth 1982
MF Terry Hurlock (c)   (1958-11-22)22 November 1958 (aged 24) Leytonstone/Ilford 1980
MF Chris Kamara   (1957-12-25)25 December 1957 (aged 25) Portsmouth 1981
MF Tony Lynch   (1966-01-20)20 January 1966 (aged 17) Youth 1983
MF Gary Roberts   (1960-04-05)5 April 1960 (aged 23) Wembley 1980
Forwards
FW Keith Cassells   (1957-07-10)10 July 1957 (aged 26) Southampton 1983
FW Francis Joseph   (1960-03-06)6 March 1960 (aged 23) Wimbledon 1982
FW Tony Mahoney   (1958-09-29)29 September 1958 (aged 24) Fulham 1982
Players who left the club mid-season
DF Ian Davies   (1957-03-29)29 March 1957 (aged 26) Manchester City 1983 Returned to Manchester City after loan
DF Andy Rollings   (1954-12-14)14 December 1954 (aged 28) Torquay United 1983 Released
DF Alan Whitehead   (1956-11-20)20 November 1956 (aged 26) Bury 1981 Loaned to Scunthorpe United, transferred to Scunthorpe United
MF Stan Bowles   (1948-12-24)24 December 1948 (aged 34) Unattached 1983 Released
MF Ron Harris   (1944-11-13)13 November 1944 (aged 38) Chelsea 1980 Released
FW Bill Garner   (1947-12-14)14 December 1947 (aged 35) Chelmsford City 1983 Released
  • Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,[9] Timeless Bees[10]

Coaching staff edit

Fred Callaghan (27 August 1983 – 2 February 1984) edit

Name Role
  Fred Callaghan Manager
  Frank Blunstone Assistant Manager
  Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Frank Blunstone (2 – 9 February 1984) edit

Name Role
  Frank Blunstone Caretaker Manager
  Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Frank McLintock (9 February – 12 May 1984) edit

Name Role
  Frank McLintock Manager
  John Docherty Assistant Manager
  Eddie Lyons Physiotherapist

Statistics edit

Appearances and goals edit

Substitute appearances in brackets.
Pos Nat Name League FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK   Paddy Roche 25 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 28 0
GK   Trevor Swinburne 21 0 1 0 4 0 2 0 28 0
DF   Ian Bolton 14 1 1 0 — 2 0 17 1
DF   Bobby Fisher 17 0 — — 2 0 19 0
DF   Jim McNichol 19 (1) 4 4 0 3 0 0 0 26 (1) 4
DF   Paul Roberts 34 0 4 1 — 1 0 39 1
DF   Andy Rollings 1 0 — — — 1 0
DF   Terry Rowe 18 (3) 1 2 0 2 (1) 0 1 0 23 (4) 1
DF   Danis Salman 21 0 2 0 3 0 1 0 27 0
DF   Tony Spencer 5 (1) 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 7 (1) 0
DF   Alan Whitehead 18 0 3 0 4 0 — 25 0
DF   Graham Wilkins 12 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 1 0 0 0 13 (2) 0
MF   Bob Booker 26 (3) 4 0 (1) 0 3 (1) 0 2 0 31 (5) 4
MF   Stan Bowles 7 (1) 0 1 0 — — 8 (1) 0
MF   Terry Bullivant 24 1 3 0 4 0 0 0 31 1
MF   Tommy Finney 14 (1) 2 — — 1 1 15 (1) 3
MF   Ron Harris 3 0 — 2 0 — 5 0
MF   Terry Hurlock 32 4 4 1 2 0 2 0 40 0
MF   Chris Kamara 37 (1) 7 3 1 4 0 1 0 45 (1) 8
MF   Tony Lynch 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 0
MF   Gary Roberts 40 (1) 10 4 3 3 2 1 (1) 0 48 (2) 15
FW   Keith Cassells 26 (4) 9 1 1 2 0 0 (2) 0 29 (6) 10
FW   Bill Garner 2 (1) 1 — — — 2 (1) 1
FW   Francis Joseph 42 (1) 18 4 2 4 2 2 2 52 (1) 24
FW   Tony Mahoney 15 (8) 3 4 1 1 0 1 0 21 (8) 4
Players loaned in during the season
DF   Ian Davies 2 0 — — — 2 0
DF   Nigel Gray 16 1 — — 1 0 17 1
DF   Bill Roffey 13 1 — — — 13 1
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties[11]

Goalscorers edit

Pos. Nat Player FL3 FAC FLC FLT Total
FW   Francis Joseph 18 2 2 2 24
MF   Gary Roberts 10 3 2 0 15
FW   Keith Cassells 9 1 0 0 10
MF   Chris Kamara 7 1 0 0 8
MF   Bob Booker 4 0 0 0 4
DF   Jim McNichol 4 0 0 0 4
FW   Tony Mahoney 3 1 0 0 4
MF   Tommy Finney 2 — — 1 3
FW   Bill Garner 1 — — — 1
DF   Bill Roffey 1 — — — 1
DF   Nigel Gray 1 — — 0 1
DF   Ian Bolton 1 0 — 0 1
DF   Paul Roberts 0 1 — 0 1
MF   Terry Bullivant 1 0 0 0 1
DF   Terry Rowe 1 0 0 0 1
Opponents 2 0 1 0 3
Total 69 10 5 3 87
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties[11]

Management edit

Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Fred Callaghan   27 August 1983 1 February 1984 33 8 9 16 024.24 25 5 8 12 020.00
Frank Blunstone (caretaker)   4 February 1984 4 February 1984 1 0 0 1 000.00 1 0 0 1 000.00
Frank McLintock   11 February 1984 12 May 1984 22 7 8 7 031.82 20 6 8 6 030.00

Summary edit

Games played 56 (46 Third Division, 4 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy)
Games won 15 (11 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy)
Games drawn 17 (16 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy)
Games lost 24 (19 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 3 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy)
Goals scored 87 (69 Third Division, 10 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy)
Goals conceded 103 (79 Third Division, 10 FA Cup, 10 League Cup, 4 Football League Trophy)
Clean sheets 9 (8 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy)
Biggest league win 3–0 on five occasions; 4–1 versus Preston North End, 3 April 1984
Worst league defeat 6–0 versus Southend United, 31 October 1983
Most appearances 53, Francis Joseph (43 Third Division, 4 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy)
Top scorer (league) 18, Francis Joseph
Top scorer (all competitions) 24, Francis Joseph

Transfers & loans edit

Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
July 1983 MF   Terry Bullivant   Charlton Athletic Free [2]
August 1983 FW   Bill Garner   Chelmsford City Non-contract [2]
August 1983 GK   Trevor Swinburne   Carlisle United £12,000 [2]
September 1983 MF   Tony Lynch   Maidstone United n/a [2]
September 1983 DF   Keith Millen   Crystal Palace n/a [2]
November 1983 DF   Paul Roberts   Millwall £10,000 [2]
November 1983 DF   Andy Rollings   Torquay United Trial [2]
December 1983 DF   Ian Bolton   Watford £2,000 [2]
December 1983 MF   Stan Bowles Unattached Non-contract [2]
February 1984 MF   Tommy Finney   Cambridge United n/a [2]
February 1984 DF   Bobby Fisher   Cambridge United £5,000 [2]
Players loaned in
Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref.
1 September 1983 DF   Paul Roberts   Millwall October 1983 [12]
11 November 1983 DF   Ian Davies   Manchester City December 1983 [2]
March 1984 DF   Nigel Gray   Swindon Town End of season [2]
March 1984 DF   Bill Roffey   Orient End of season [2]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
August 1983 GK   David McKellar   Carlisle United £4,000 [2]
March 1984 DF   Alan Whitehead   Scunthorpe United £40,000 [2]
Players loaned out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
January 1984 DF   Alan Whitehead   Scunthorpe United March 1984 [2]
March 1984 MF   Terry Bullivant   Reading n/a [2]
March 1984 DF   Graham Wilkins   Southend United n/a [2]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
October 1983 MF   Ron Harris   Aldershot 1984 [2]
December 1983 DF   Andy Rollings   Maidstone United n/a [2]
1983 FW   Bill Garner n/a n/a [2]
February 1984 MF   Stan Bowles Retired [2]
May 1984 FW   Tony Mahoney   Crystal Palace June 1984 [2]
May 1984 DF   Jim McNichol   Exeter City July 1984 [2]
May 1984 GK   Paddy Roche   Halifax Town July 1984 [2]
May 1984 DF   Graham Wilkins   Southall 1984 [2]

Awards edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f White, p. 321-323.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 112-119.
  3. ^ a b c d "Brentford results for the 1983–1984 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  4. ^ Smyth, Rob (24 December 2023). "Santa stops play: how Brentford's Christmas plan proved cold turkey". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 98-111.
  6. ^ Dean, Sam (29 July 2020). "Brentford sting Swansea in Griffin Park farewell to claim place in Championship play-off final". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  7. ^ White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 397. ISBN 0951526200.
  8. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 394-396.
  9. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. ISBN 978-1906796716.
  10. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  11. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 425.
  12. ^ "Transfer Out". www.millwall-history.org.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  13. ^ a b Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 383.
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