1936–37 Brentford F.C. season

Brentford

1936–37 season
Chairman	Louis P. Simon
Manager	Harry Curtis
Stadium	Griffin Park
First Division	6th
FA Cup	Fourth round
Top goalscorer	League: McCulloch (31) All: McCulloch (33)
Highest home attendance	31,745
Lowest home attendance	14,103
Average home league attendance	25,544
Home colours

During the 1936–37 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League First Division and secured a 6th-place finish, one place below the previous season's club record highest league position.

Season summary

After a club record 5th-place finish in Brentford's debut season in the top flight,^[1] manager Harry Curtis kept faith with the season's previous squad, releasing outside forward Jim Brown and bringing in youngsters Harry Bamford and Joe Murray.^[2] Teenage outside right Les Smith, who had signed his first professional contract a year earlier, was promoted to the first team squad after Bobby Reid was struck down by appendicitis on the eve of the season.^[3]

After a mixed start to the season, Brentford kicked into gear in late September 1936, losing just four of 19 matches to establish themselves in the top three in the First Division.^[4] In his first full season with the Bees, forward David McCulloch again showed prolific form, going on to score 33 goals in his 43 appearances.^[5] Five goals in a six match spell also saw forward Billy Scott win an England cap in a British Home Championship match versus Wales in October 1937,^[6] which made him Brentford's first full England international player.^[7] Brentford's form dipped in mid-February 1937 and despite the signing of Buster Brown to replace the departed Dai Richards at left half,^[2] the club dropped to a 6th-place finish.^[4]

A 6–2 defeat to champions-elect Manchester City on 3 April equalled the club record for most goals conceded in a Football League match.^[8][9] Despite a number of other heavy defeats, manager Harry Curtis did improve the team's winning percentage in both the league and FA Cup, with Brentford hammering Huddersfield Town 5–0 in the third round (the first time the Bees had scored in the FA Cup for over four years) before exiting at the hands of Derby County in the following round.^[4]

At the end of the season, Brentford set off on a tour of Nazi Germany, beating Hamburger SV (3–0), Hertha BSC (4–0), drawing 2–2 with champions 1. FC Nürnberg and losing 4–0 to Schalke 04.^[10] The Star published a picture of the team giving a Nazi salute prior to the Schalke match, which caused a minor stir in London.^[10]

League table

Main article: 1936–37 Football League First Division

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts
4	Derby County	42	21	7	14	96	90	1.067	49
5	Wolverhampton Wanderers	42	21	5	16	84	67	1.254	47
6	Brentford	42	18	10	14	82	78	1.051	46
7	Middlesbrough	42	19	8	15	74	71	1.042	46
8	Sunderland	42	19	6	17	89	87	1.023	44

Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend

Win

Draw

Loss

Football League First Division

No.	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorer(s)
1	29 August 1936	Bolton Wanderers	H	2–2	27,524	McCulloch, Wilson (pen)
2	3 September 1936	Arsenal	H	2–0	31,056	Hopkins, McCulloch
3	5 September 1936	Everton	A	0–3	37,524
4	9 September 1936	Arsenal	A	1–1	44,010	Wilson (pen)
5	12 September 1936	Huddersfield Town	H	1–1	25,386	McCulloch
6	17 September 1936	Charlton Athletic	H	4–2	21,373	L. Smith, McCulloch, W. Scott, McKenzie (pen)
7	19 September 1936	Sunderland	A	1–4	37,407	Hopkins
8	26 September 1936	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	3–2	23,256	McCulloch (2), McKenzie (pen)
9	3 October 1936	Derby County	A	3–2	24,545	W. Scott (2), McCulloch
10	10 October 1936	Manchester United	H	4–0	28,019	Reid, W. Scott (2), McCulloch
11	17 October 1936	Grimsby Town	A	0–2	11,858
12	24 October 1936	Liverpool	H	5–2	25,934	McCulloch (3), Holliday, Reid
13	31 October 1936	Leeds United	A	1–3	21,498	Holliday
14	7 November 1936	Birmingham	H	2–1	22,905	McCulloch (2)
15	14 November 1936	Middlesbrough	A	0–3	23,064
16	21 November 1936	West Bromwich Albion	H	2–1	20,575	Reid, McCulloch
17	5 December 1936	Portsmouth	H	4–0	26,371	McCulloch (2), Holliday (2)
18	12 December 1936	Chelsea	A	1–2	51,079	Reid
19	19 December 1936	Stoke City	H	2–1	18,167	Holliday, Tutin (og)
20	25 December 1936	Sheffield Wednesday	H	2–1	26,560	Reid, W. Scott
21	26 December 1936	Bolton Wanderers	A	2–2	36,962	McCulloch, W. Scott
22	28 December 1936	Sheffield Wednesday	A	2–0	20,374	W. Scott, Hopkins
23	2 January 1937	Everton	H	2–2	20,457	Hopkins, McKenzie (pen)
24	9 January 1937	Huddersfield Town	A	1–1	21,753	McCulloch
25	23 January 1937	Sunderland	H	3–3	29,389	W. Scott (3)
26	6 February 1937	Derby County	H	6–2	31,745	Reid (2), Holliday (2), McCulloch (2)
27	10 February 1937	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	0–4	19,373
28	13 February 1937	Manchester United	A	3–1	31,942	W. Scott, Reid (2)
29	27 February 1937	Liverpool	A	2–2	25,005	Reid (pen), McCulloch
30	3 March 1937	Grimsby Town	H	2–3	14,103	McCulloch (2)
31	6 March 1937	Leeds United	H	4–1	16,588	Holliday, McCulloch (2), Holley (og)
32	13 March 1937	Birmingham	A	0–4	30,510
33	20 March 1937	Middlesbrough	H	4–1	23,872	L. Smith, McCulloch (3)
34	26 March 1937	Preston North End	H	1–1	31,069	McCulloch
35	27 March 1937	West Bromwich Albion	A	0–1	29,858
36	29 March 1937	Preston North End	A	1–1	26,782	W. Scott
37	3 April 1937	Manchester City	H	2–6	29,028	W. Scott, Hopkins
38	7 April 1937	Manchester City	A	1–2	24,629	McCulloch
39	10 April 1937	Portsmouth	A	3–1	19,208	Hopkins, McCulloch, Muttitt
40	17 April 1937	Chelsea	H	1–0	22,042	McKenzie (pen)
41	24 April 1937	Stoke City	A	1–5	18,451	McKenzie
42	1 May 1937	Charlton Athletic	A	1–2	26,195	W. Scott

FA Cup

Main article: 1936–37 FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorer(s)
3R	16 January 1937	Huddersfield Town	H	5–0	n/a	Reid (2, 1 pen), McCulloch (2), Holliday
4R	30 January 1937	Derby County	A	0–3	27,376

• Sources: Statto, 11v11, 100 Years of Brentford^[5]

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1936–37 season.

Pos.	Name	Nat.	Date of birth (age)	Signed from	Signed in	Notes
Goalkeepers
GK	James Mathieson		(1904-05-10)10 May 1904 (aged 32)	Middlesbrough	1934
GK	James Nicholls		(1908-09-24)24 September 1908 (aged 27)	Manchester City	1934
Defenders
DF	Arthur Bateman (c)		(1908-04-01)1 April 1908 (aged 28)	Southend United	1934
DF	George Dumbrell		(1906-09-23)23 September 1906 (aged 29)	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	1935
DF	Walter Metcalf		(1910-12-15)15 December 1910 (aged 25)	Sunderland	1934
DF	George Poyser		(1910-02-06)6 February 1910 (aged 26)	Port Vale	1934
DF	Joe Wilson		(1911-09-29)29 September 1911 (aged 24)	Southend United	1935
Midfielders
HB	Buster Brown		(1910-09-06)6 September 1910 (aged 25)	Huddersfield Town	1937
HB	Joe James		(1910-01-13)13 January 1910 (aged 26)	Battersea Church	1929
HB	Duncan McKenzie		(1912-08-10)10 August 1912 (aged 24)	Albion Rovers	1932
HB	Joe Murray		1914 (aged 21–22)	Ayr United	1936
HB	Archie Scott		(1905-07-22)22 July 1905 (aged 31)	Derby County	1934
Forwards
FW	Billy Dunn		(1910-10-09)9 October 1910 (aged 25)	Celtic	1935
FW	Jack Holliday		(1908-12-19)19 December 1908 (aged 27)	Middlesbrough	1932
FW	Idris Hopkins		(1910-10-11)11 October 1910 (aged 25)	Crystal Palace	1932
FW	David McCulloch		(1912-10-05)5 October 1912 (aged 23)	Heart of Midlothian	1935
FW	Ernest Muttitt		(1908-07-24)24 July 1908 (aged 28)	Middlesbrough	1932
FW	Bobby Reid		(1911-02-19)19 February 1911 (aged 25)	Hamilton Academical	1936
FW	Billy Scott		(1907-12-06)6 December 1907 (aged 28)	Middlesbrough	1932
FW	Les Smith		(1918-03-13)13 March 1918 (aged 18)	Petersham	1934
Players who left the club mid-season
HB	Dai Richards		(1906-10-31)31 October 1906 (aged 29)	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1935	Transferred to Birmingham
HB	Cecil Smith		(1907-06-16)16 June 1907 (aged 29)	Brentford Market	1931	Transferred to Doncaster Rovers

• Sources: 100 Years of Brentford,^[5] Timeless Bees,^[11] Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939^[12]

Coaching staff

Name	Role
Harry Curtis	Manager
Jimmy Bain	Assistant Manager
Bob Kane	Trainer
Jack Cartmell	Assistant Trainer
Fred Keatch	Secretary

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Mathieson

Bateman (c)

Poyser

James

McKenzie

Richards

Scott

Holliday

Hopkins

Reid

McCulloch

Brentford's highest appearance-makers in each position during the Football League season.

Pos	Nat	Name	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK		James Mathieson	35	0	2	0	37	0
GK		James Nicholls	7	0	0	0	7	0
DF		Arthur Bateman	26	0	2	0	28	0
DF		George Dumbrell	4	0	0	0	4	0
DF		Walter Metcalf	5	0	0	0	5	0
DF		George Poyser	31	0	2	0	33	0
DF		Joe Wilson	13	0	2	0	15	0
HB		Buster Brown	10	0	—		10	0
HB		Joe James	42	0	2	0	44	0
HB		Duncan McKenzie	42	5	2	0	44	5
HB		Joe Murray	1	0	0	0	1	0
HB		Dai Richards	29	0	2	0	31	0
HB		Cecil Smith	1	0	—		1	0
HB		Archie Scott	2	0	0	0	2	0
FW		Billy Dunn	1	0	0	0	1	0
FW		Jack Holliday	41	8	2	1	43	9
FW		Idris Hopkins	41	6	2	0	43	6
FW		David McCulloch	41	31	2	2	43	33
FW		Ernest Muttitt	7	1	0	0	7	1
FW		Bobby Reid	28	10	2	2	30	12
FW		Billy Scott	41	15	2	0	43	15
FW		Les Smith	14	2	0	0	14	2

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: 100 Years of Brentford^[5]

Goalscorers

Pos.	Nat	Player	FL1	FAC	Total
FW		David McCulloch	31	2	33
FW		Billy Scott	15	0	15
FW		Bobby Reid	10	2	12
FW		Jack Holliday	8	1	9
FW		Idris Hopkins	6	0	6
HB		Duncan McKenzie	5	0	5
FW		Les Smith	2	0	2
FW		Ernest Muttitt	1	0	1
Opponents			2	0	2
Total			82	5	87

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: 100 Years of Brentford^[5]

International caps

Pos.	Nat	Player	Caps	Goals	Ref
FW		Idris Hopkins	3	0	[13]
FW		David McCulloch	2	1	[14]
FW		Dai Richards	2	0	[15]
FW		Billy Scott	1	0	[6]

Management

Name	Nat	From	To	Record All Comps					Record League
				P	W	D	L	W %	P	W	D	L	W %
Harry Curtis		29 August 1936	2 May 1937	44	19	10	15	043.18	42	18	10	14	042.86

Summary

Games played	44 (42 First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Games won	19 (18 First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Games drawn	10 (10 First Division, 0 FA Cup)
Games lost	15 (14 First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Goals scored	87 (82 First Division, 5 FA Cup)
Goals conceded	81 (78 First Division, 3 FA Cup)
Clean sheets	6 (5 First Division, 1 FA Cup)
Biggest league win	4–0 on two occasions; 6–2 versus Derby County, 6 February 1937
Worst league defeat	4–0 on two occasions; 6–2 versus Manchester City, 3 April 1937; 5–1 versus Stoke City, 24 April 1937
Most appearances	44, Joe James, Duncan McKenzie (42 First Division, 2 FA Cup)
Top scorer (league)	31, David McCulloch
Top scorer (all competitions)	33, David McCulloch

Transfers & loans

Cricketers are not included in this list.

Players transferred in
Date	Pos.	Name	Previous Club	Fee	Ref.
September 1936	FW	Bert Knott	Arsenal	n/a	[16]
1936	DF	Harry Bamford	Hayes	Free	[2]
1936	HB	Joe Murray	Ayr United	Free	[2]
March 1937	HB	Buster Brown	Huddersfield Town	£3,000	[2]
Players transferred out
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Fee	Ref.
November 1936	HB	Cecil Smith	Doncaster Rovers	Free	[17]
January 1937	GK	Thomas Lynch	Watford	Undisclosed	[18]
March 1937	HB	Dai Richards	Birmingham	£3,500	[19]
Players released
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Join date	Ref.
n/a	FW	Bert Knott	Stourbridge	n/a	[20]
May 1937	FW	Billy Dunn	Southampton	May 1937	[21]
May 1937	DF	Walter Metcalf	Coventry City	1937	[22]
May 1937	GK	James Nicholls	Port Vale	June 1937	[23]

References

1. Brentford F.C. at the Football Club History Database
2. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 16, 29, 113, 166.
3. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 149.
4. "Brentford results for the 1936–1937 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
5. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 374. ISBN 0951526200.
6. "William Scott". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
7. Chapman, Mark. "Boro Connections: Five players that shaped Brentford football Club's history". www.brentfordfc.com. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
8. "Brentford League Table 1936-1937". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
9. "Brentford scoring and sequence records". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
10. Brentford's Official Matchday Magazine versus Peterborough United. 3 May 1997. p. 20.
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. "Dai Hopkins". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
14. "David McCulloch". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
15. "David Richards". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
16. Kaufman, Neilson. "VE Day WW2 players as at May 2020" (PDF). pp. 66–67. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
17. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 147.
18. "Player: Thomas John Lynch". Watford Football Club Archive. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
19. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 133–134.
20. "Bert Knott". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
21. Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
22. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 108.
23. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 116.