Wikipedia

1916–17 Brentford F.C. season

During the 1916–17 English football season, Brentford competed in the London Combination, due to the cessation of competitive football for the duration of the First World War. Restricted by league rules mandating that all players must be members of the armed forces or munitions workers, Brentford finished third-from-bottom, having been forced to field over 50 guest players.

Brentford
1916–17 season
ChairmanH. Jason-Saunders
Secretary-ManagerFred Halliday
StadiumGriffin Park
London Combination12th
Top goalscorerLeague: White (20)
All: White (20)
Highest home attendance3,500
Lowest home attendance1,000

Season summary

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Former Brentford forward Patrick Hagan was killed during the Battle of the Somme in July 1916.

Straddling the middle period the First World War, the London Combination introduced a new rule that for the 1916–17 season, stating all players must be members of the armed forces or munitions workers, which meant Brentford secretary-manager Fred Halliday (himself a worker at the Ministry of Munitions) had trouble securing players to play.[1] Full back Dusty Rhodes, half back Alf Amos and forwards Patsy Hendren and Henry White would be the only pre-war Bees players to appear in more than half of the matches during the season.[2] Albert Chester joined the club from Millwall in December 1916 and also appeared in over half the matches.[2] Due to a wrist injury suffered by Ted Price, Bradford Park Avenue's Frank Drabble was the main goalkeeper during the season, while Croydon Common's William Bushell was also a regular in the half back line.[1]

Brentford had a torrid season, winning just 9 of the 40 matches.[3] Defeats by three, four, five and six goal margins were a regular occurrence, contributing to a total of 99 goals conceded during the campaign.[2] 16 goals were conceded in four matches versus Luton Town.[2] The highlights were a 7–0 victory over Portsmouth at Griffin Park on 30 December 1916 and Henry White's performances, who top-scored for the third-consecutive season with 20 goals from 35 matches.[2]

The Battle of the Somme, which began on 1 July 1916, represented the lowest period so far for the British Army during the war and a number of former Brentford players were killed in the battle:[4][5][6][7][8]

Two other players died during the season:

League table

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Main article: London Combination

London Combination

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
11 Watford 39 8 9 22 69 115 0.600 25
12 Brentford 40 9 7 24 56 99 0.566 25
13 Portsmouth 40 9 4 27 58 117 0.496 22
Source: Football and the First World War

Results

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Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

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Win Draw Loss

London Combination

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No. Date Opponent Venue Result Scorer(s)
1 2 September 1916 Crystal Palace A 0–4
2 9 September 1916 Southampton H 1–1 Kirby
3 16 September 1916 Chelsea H 0–3
4 23 September 1916 Arsenal A 0–0
5 30 September 1916 Luton Town H 1–3 Hendren (pen)
6 7 October 1916 Reading A 2–0 Gregson (2)
7 14 October 1916 Millwall H 0–3
8 21 October 1916 Watford A 2–4 Sloley, White
9 28 October 1916 Clapton Orient H 3–0 White, Gregson, Clarkson
10 4 November 1916 Fulham A 0–2
11 11 November 1916 Queens Park Rangers H 1–4 Sloley
12 18 November 1916 West Ham United A 0–4
13 25 November 1916 Crystal Palace H 3–1 White, Sloley, Kirby
14 2 December 1916 Southampton A 1–3 Hendren
15 9 December 1916 Chelsea A 2–7 White, Hendren
16 23 December 1916 Luton Town A 2–5 Bushell, Chester
17 25 December 1916 Tottenham Hotspur H 1–5 White
18 26 December 1916 Tottenham Hotspur A 2–5 White, Spencer
19 30 December 1916 Portsmouth H 7–0 White, Sloley, Hendren, Clarkson
20 6 January 1917 Millwall A 0–3
21 13 January 1917 Watford H 4–1 Sloley, White (2), Clarkson
22 20 January 1917 Clapton Orient A 2–5 White (2)
23 27 January 1917 Fulham H 1–1 Dillimore
24 3 February 1917 Queens Park Rangers A 0–2
25 10 February 1917 West Ham United H 1–1 Gregson
26 17 February 1917 Millwall A 3–2 Chester, Dillimore, White
27 24 February 1917 Fulham H 1–4 Dillimore
28 3 March 1917 Chelsea H 3–0 Gregson, White (2)
29 10 March 1917 Watford A 2–5 White, Hendren
30 17 March 1917 Luton Town H 1–2 Hendren
31 24 March 1917 Queens Park Rangers A 2–2 Hendren, Dillimore
32 31 March 1917 Millwall H 1–3 Dillimore
33 6 April 1917 West Ham United A 0–2
34 7 April 1917 Fulham A 2–0 Keenor, Gregson
35 9 April 1917 West Ham United H 1–2 Hendren (pen)
36 14 April 1917 Chelsea A 2–3 Hendren (2, 1 pen)
37 19 April 1917 Queens Park Rangers H 0–0
38 21 April 1917 Watford H 2–1 White (2)
39 26 April 1917 Arsenal H 0–0
40 28 April 1917 Luton Town A 0–6
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[2]

Playing squad

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Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1916–17 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in Notes
Goalkeepers
GK Ted Price   (1883-06-13)13 June 1883 (aged 33) Croydon Common 1912
Defenders
DF George Curtis   (1888-10-22)22 October 1888 (aged 27) Kingston upon Thames 1914
DF Jack Peart   (1884-10-13)13 October 1884 (aged 31) Croydon Common 1916
DF Dusty Rhodes (c)   (1882-08-16)16 August 1882 (aged 34) Sunderland 1908 Trainer
Midfielders
HB Charles Allwright   (1888-06-11)11 June 1888 (aged 28) Kingston upon Thames 1914
HB Alf Amos   (1893-02-09)9 February 1893 (aged 23) Old Kingstonians 1913
HB Alec Barclay   (1885-11-01)1 November 1885 (aged 30) Ilford 1910 Amateur
HB Bertie Rosier   (1893-03-21)21 March 1893 (aged 23) Southall 1913
Forwards
FW Herbert Allwright   (1892-03-04)4 March 1892 (aged 24) Unattached 1915
FW Walter Chalk   (1885-07-10)10 July 1885 (aged 31) Old Kingstonians 1915 Amateur
FW Albert Chester   (1886-03-17)17 March 1886 (aged 30) Millwall 1916
FW Patsy Hendren   (1889-02-05)5 February 1889 (aged 27) Queens Park Rangers 1911 Played when his cricket commitments allowed
FW Richard Sloley   (1891-08-20)20 August 1891 (aged 25) Cambridge University 1914 Amateur
FW Henry White   (1895-08-08)8 August 1895 (aged 21) Whamcliffe Athletic 1913 Amateur
Guest players
GK Frank Drabble   (1888-07-08)8 July 1888 (aged 28) Bradford Park Avenue 1916 Guest from Bradford Park Avenue
GK A. Harvey n/a n/a n/a 1916 Guest
GK Jimmy Morris   n/a Clapton Orient 1917 Guest from Clapton Orient
GK Bernard Neville   (1882-07-09)9 July 1882 (aged 34) Unattached 1916 Guest, referee
DF Fred Bullock   (1886-07-01)1 July 1886 (aged 30) Huddersfield Town 1916 Guest from Huddersfield Town
DF Walker Hampson   (1889-07-24)24 July 1889 (aged 27) Burnley 1916 Guest from Burnley
DF Ted Hanney   (1889-01-19)19 January 1889 (aged 27) Manchester City 1917 Guest from Manchester City
DF Kennedy n/a n/a n/a 1916 Guest
DF J. Mason n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
DF H. W. Skinner   n/a Nunhead 1916 Amateur, guest from Nunhead
HB Birtwhistle n/a n/a n/a 1916 Guest
HB William Bushell   (1880-06-30)30 June 1880 (aged 36) Croydon Common 1916 Guest from Croydon Common
HB J. Carter n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
HB Henry Caves   (1891-11-28)28 November 1891 (aged 24) Hampstead Town 1916 Amateur, guest from Hampstead Town
HB A. Davis n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
HB Charles Hollidge   (1881-10-14)14 October 1881 (aged 34) Croydon Common 1916 Guest from Croydon Common
HB George Hunter   (1885-06-01)1 June 1885 (aged 31) Manchester United 1916 Guest from Manchester United
HB Fred Keenor   (1894-07-31)31 July 1894 (aged 22) Cardiff City 1916 Guest from Cardiff City
HB John Lamb   (1889-07-25)25 July 1889 (aged 27) The Wednesday 1916 Guest from The Wednesday
HB James Lockwood   (1887-02-20)20 February 1887 (aged 29) Queens Park Rangers 1916 Guest from Queens Park Rangers
HB C. Morris n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
HB Robert Nash   n/a Unattached 1917 Guest
HB S. Nunn n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
HB Frank Roberts   (1894-04-03)3 April 1894 (aged 22) Bolton Wanderers 1916 Guest from Bolton Wanderers
HB J. Smith n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
HB Billy Thompson   August 1886 (aged 30) Queens Park Rangers 1916 Guest from Queens Park Rangers
HB B. Toms n/a n/a Luton Town 1917 Guest from Luton Town
FW Tommy Barber   (1886-07-22)22 July 1886 (aged 30) Aston Villa 1917 Guest from Aston Villa
FW W. Blackmore n/a n/a n/a 1916 Guest
FW Billy Brawn   (1878-08-01)1 August 1878 (aged 38) Unattached 1916 Guest
FW David Chalmers   (1891-07-22)22 July 1891 (aged 25) Grimsby Town 1917 Guest from Grimsby Town
FW Billy Clarkson   (1891-09-22)22 September 1891 (aged 24) Burnley 1916 Guest from Burnley
FW J. Cooper n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
FW Harold Crockford   (1893-09-25)25 September 1893 (aged 22) Chatham Town 1916 Guest from Chatham Town
FW Bertie Denyer   (1893-04-09)9 April 1893 (aged 23) Swindon Town 1917 Guest from Swindon Town
FW Ernie Dilley   (1896-06-05)5 June 1896 (aged 20) Millwall 1917 Guest from Millwall
FW James Dillimore   (1894-12-19)19 December 1894 (aged 21) Unattached 1917 Guest
FW Fawcett n/a n/a n/a 1916 Guest
FW Thomas Graham   (1887-07-20)20 July 1887 (aged 29) Castleford Town 1916 Guest from Castleford Town
FW Alf Gregson   (1889-03-02)2 March 1889 (aged 27) Grimsby Town 1916 Guest from Grimsby Town
FW Frederick Groves   (1891-01-13)13 January 1891 (aged 25) Woolwich Arsenal 1916 Guest from Woolwich Arsenal
FW Henry Hogarth   (1888-04-14)14 April 1888 (aged 28) Unattached 1917 Guest
FW Bill Hooper   (1884-02-20)20 February 1884 (aged 32) Southport Central 1917 Guest from Southport Central
FW E. A. Hunt n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
FW William Kirby   (1883-06-21)21 June 1883 (aged 33) Croydon Common 1916 Guest from Croydon Common
FW J. Macey n/a n/a n/a 1917 Guest
FW H. Palmer n/a n/a n/a 1916 Guest
FW W. Shaw n/a n/a n/a 1916 Guest
FW Alfred Spencer   n/a Clapton Orient 1916 Guest from Clapton Orient
FW Dan Tuckfield n/a n/a Millwall 1917 Guest from Millwall
FW F. Walker n/a n/a n/a 1916 Guest
FW Oliver Whittemore   (1894-08-24)24 August 1894 (aged 22) Luton Town 1917 Guest from Luton Town
FW J. Wood n/a n/a Luton Town 1917 Guest from Luton Town
  • Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,[2] Timeless Bees,[11] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939[12]

Coaching staff

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Name Role
  Fred Halliday Secretary-Manager
  Dusty Rhodes Trainer

Statistics

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Appearances and goals

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Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the London Combination season.
Pos Nat Name Total
Apps Goals
GK   Ted Price 9 0
DF   George Curtis 6 0
DF   Jack Peart 9 0
DF   Dusty Rhodes 32 0
HB   Bertie Rosier 8 0
HB   Charles Allwright 6 0
HB   Alf Amos 22 0
HB   Alec Barclay 5 0
FW   Herbert Allwright 2 0
FW   Walter Chalk 2 0
FW   Albert Chester 23 2
FW   Patsy Hendren 39 10
FW   Richard Sloley 9 5
FW   Henry White 35 20
Players guested during the season
GK   Frank Drabble 24 0
GK n/a A. Harvey 1 0
GK   Jimmy Morris 5 0
GK   Bernard Neville 1 0
DF   Fred Bullock 11 0
DF   Walker Hampson 3 0
DF   Ted Hanney 3 0
DF n/a Kennedy 1 0
DF n/a J. Mason 1 0
DF n/a H. W. Skinner 5 0
HB n/a Birtwhistle 1 0
HB   William Bushell 22 1
HB n/a J. Carter 1 0
HB   Henry Caves 1 0
HB n/a A. Davis 4 0
HB   Charles Hollidge 2 0
HB   George Hunter 1 0
HB   Fred Keenor 13 1
HB   John Lamb 3 0
HB n/a James Lockwood 10 0
HB n/a C. Morris 3 0
HB   Robert Nash 1 0
HB n/a S. Nunn 1 0
HB   Frank Roberts 10 0
FW n/a J. Smith 2 0
HB   Billy Thompson 1 0
HB n/a B. Toms 1 0
FW   Tommy Barber 2 0
FW n/a W. Blackmore 1 0
FW   Billy Brawn 2 0
FW   David Chalmers 1 0
FW   Billy Clarkson 16 3
FW n/a J. Cooper 1 0
FW   Harold Crockford 3 0
FW   Bertie Denyer 1 0
FW   Ernie Dilley 2 0
FW   James Dillimore 12 5
FW n/a Fawcett 1 0
FW   Thomas Graham 3 0
FW   Alf Gregson 11 6
FW   Frederick Groves 1 0
FW   Henry Hogarth 2 0
FW   Bill Hooper 4 0
FW n/a E. A. Hunt 1 0
FW   William Kirby 18 2
FW n/a J. Macey 2 0
FW n/a H. Palmer 1 0
FW n/a W. Shaw 1 0
FW   Alfred Spencer 1 1
FW n/a Dan Tuckfield 1 0
FW n/a F. Walker 11 0
FW   Oliver Whittemore 1 0
FW n/a J. Wood 1 0
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[2]

Goalscorers

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Pos. Nat Player Total
FW   Henry White 20
FW   Patsy Hendren 10
FW   Alf Gregson 6
FW   James Dillimore 5
FW   Richard Sloley 5
FW   Billy Clarkson 3
FW   Albert Chester 2
FW   William Kirby 2
HB   William Bushell 1
HB   Fred Keenor 1
FW   Alfred Spencer 1
Total 56
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years of Brentford[2]

Management

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Name Nat From To Record
P W D L W %
Fred Halliday   2 September 1916 28 April 1917 40 9 7 24 022.50|

Summary

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Games played 40
Games won 9
Games drawn 7
Games lost 24
Goals scored 56
Goals conceded 99
Clean sheets 8
Biggest win 7–0 versus Portsmouth, 30 December 1916
Worst defeat 6–0 versus Luton Town, 28 April 1917
Most appearances 39, Patsy Hendren
Top scorer 20, Henry White

Transfers & loans

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Guest players' arrival and departure dates correspond to their first and last appearances of the season.
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
2 September 1916 DF   Jack Peart   Croydon Common Free [13]
9 December 1916 FW   Albert Chester   Millwall Free [14]
Guest players in
Date from Pos. Name Previous Club Date to Ref.
2 September 1916 HB   Henry Caves   Hampstead Town 2 September 1916 [2]
2 September 1916 FW   Billy Clarkson   Burnley 19 April 1917 [2]
2 September 1916 FW   Thomas Graham   Castleford Town 21 October 1916 [2]
2 September 1916 FW   William Kirby   Croydon Common 20 January 1917 [15]
9 September 1916 FW   Billy Brawn Unattached 25 November 1916 [2]
9 September 1916 HB   William Bushell   Croydon Common 17 March 1917 [16]
9 September 1916 FW F. Walker n/a 20 January 1917 [2]
16 September 1916 FW   Harold Crockford   Chatham Town 30 September 1916 [2]
23 September 1916 GK   Frank Drabble   Bradford Park Avenue 26 April 1917 [2]
7 October 1916 DF   Fred Bullock   Huddersfield Town End of season [2]
7 October 1916 FW   Alf Gregson   Grimsby Town 26 April 1917 [2]
7 October 1916 HB   Fred Keenor   Cardiff City 26 April 1917 [2]
21 October 1916 FW W. Shaw n/a 21 October 1916 [2]
21 October 1916 HB   Billy Thompson   Queens Park Rangers 21 October 1916 [2]
18 November 1916 FW Birtwhistle n/a 18 November 1916 [2]
18 November 1916 FW   Frederick Groves   Woolwich Arsenal 18 November 1916 [2]
18 November 1916 DF Kennedy n/a 18 November 1916 [2]
18 November 1916 HB   John Lamb   The Wednesday 14 April 1917 [2]
2 December 1916 FW W. Blackmore n/a 2 December 1916 [2]
2 December 1916 FW Fawcett n/a 2 December 1916 [2]
2 December 1916 HB   George Hunter   Manchester United 2 December 1916 [2]
2 December 1916 HB   Frank Roberts   Bolton Wanderers 17 February 1917 [2]
9 December 1916 DF   H. W. Skinner   Nunhead 31 March 1917 [2]
23 December 1916 DF   Walker Hampson   Burnley 26 December 1916 [2]
23 December 1916 GK A. Harvey n/a 23 December 1916 [2]
23 December 1916 HB   Charles Hollidge   Croydon Common 25 December 1916 [17]
23 December 1916 FW H. Palmer n/a 23 December 1916 [2]
25 December 1916 HB   James Lockwood   Queens Park Rangers 24 March 1917 [2]
26 December 1916 FW   Albert Spencer   Clapton Orient 26 December 1916 [2]
13 January 1917 GK   Bernard Neville Unattached 13 January 1917 [18]
27 January 1917 FW   James Dillimore n/a 21 April 1917 [2]
3 February 1917 FW   Bertie Denyer   Swindon Town 3 February 1917 [2]
17 February 1917 HB A. Davis n/a 9 April 1917 [2]
17 February 1917 FW J. Smith   Luton Town End of season [2]
17 February 1917 FW Dan Tuckfield   Millwall 17 February 1917 [2]
17 March 1917 GK   Jimmy Morris   Clapton Orient End of season [2]
24 March 1917 FW   Ernie Dilley   Millwall 31 March 1917 [2]
24 March 1917 DF J. Mason n/a 24 March 1917 [2]
24 March 1917 HB S. Nunn n/a 24 March 1917 [2]
31 March 1917 HB J. Carter n/a 31 March 1917 [2]
31 March 1917 FW   Henry Hogarth Unattached 14 April 1917 [2]
31 March 1917 FW J. Macey n/a 6 April 1917 [2]
9 April 1917 FW J. Cooper n/a 9 April 1917 [2]
14 April 1917 FW   Tommy Barber   Aston Villa 26 April 1917 [2]
14 April 1917 DF   Ted Hanney   Manchester City End of season [2]
14 April 1917 FW E. A. Hunt n/a 14 April 1917 [2]
19 April 1917 FW   David Chalmers   Grimsby Town 19 April 1917 [2]
19 April 1917 FW   Bill Hooper   Southport Central End of season [2]
21 April 1917 HB C. Morris n/a End of season [2]
26 April 1917 HB   Robert Nash Unattached 26 April 1917 [19]
28 April 1917 HB B. Toms   Luton Town End of season [2]
28 April 1917 FW J. Wood   Luton Town End of season [2]
Guest players out
Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref.
1916 HB   Jimmy Kennedy   Airdrieonians 1917 [20]

References

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  1. ^ a b White 1989, p. 107-108.
  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 am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 364. ISBN 0951526200.
  3. ^ "London Combination Table 1916/17". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  4. ^ Bees Review: Brentford Official Matchday Programme vs Hull City. Milton Keynes: Regal Sports Press. 3 November 2015. pp. 61–67.
  5. ^ a b "Brentford FC Remembrance List". Brentford FC. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  6. ^ "The story of Private D'Abadie". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Casualty Details: Joshua Hardisty". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Brentford Remembers three more players that made the ultimate sacrifice". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Remembrance Day – Brentford Players Who Made The Ultimate Sacrifice". Beesotted. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  10. ^ a b "The Middlesbrough Roll of Honour of the Great War" (PDF). Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  11. ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  12. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. ISBN 190589161X.
  13. ^ "Jack Peart" (PDF). Croydon Common FC. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Albert Chester" (PDF). Croydon Common FC. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  15. ^ "William Kirby" (PDF). Croydon Common FC. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  16. ^ "William Bushell" (PDF). Croydon Common FC. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  17. ^ "Charles Hollidge" (PDF). Croydon Common FC. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  18. ^ Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 108. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  19. ^ "Robert Nash" (PDF). Croydon Common FC. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  20. ^ Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
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