During the 1930–31 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division South. Despite failing to challenge for promotion, the Bees finished in 3rd place and advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time in four years.[1]
Season summary
Brentford entered the 1930–31 Third Division South season with largely the same personnel which secured a runners-up finish the previous year. The only significant signing was goalkeeper Edward Nash from Swindon Town in September 1930, to cover for Freddie Fox, from whom Nash would take over the goalkeeping position during the second half of the season.[3] The previous season's prolific forward line of Billy Lane,[4] Jack Lane and Cecil Blakemore again showed prolific goalscoring form during the first half of the season,[5][6] with Bill Berry returning to the fold after a season in the reserve team and replacing the out-of-form John Payne.[7][8]
Despite the large number of goals, the team's form was patchy, though a run of 8 defeats in 15 league matches between 27 September and 27 December 1930 only dropped the Bees from 5th to 7th position.[9] An 8–2 victory over Crystal Palace on Christmas Day was Brentford's biggest win of the season and equalled the club record for highest aggregate score in a Football League match.[10] The Bees also embarked on a run to the fourth round of the FA Cup, falling to First Division Portsmouth at Griffin Park.[9] Despite the transfer of 19-goal Jack Lane to Crystal Palace in January 1931, Brentford's form improved,[9] with Billy Lane continuing to score and new forward signings George Robson and Les Wilkins making a contribution.[4][12][13] 9 wins in the final 31 matches saw the Bees finish the season in 3rd place,[9] 9 points behind champions Notts County.[14]
Brentford's 1930–31 season is notable for the amount of hat-tricks scored, with Billy Lane claiming three,[4] Jack Lane two and Frederick Gamble one,[5][15] which convinced West Ham United to sign Gamble in exchange for Les Wilkins in February 1931, despite Gamble having made only 13 appearances in just under two years. During the season, Billy Lane and Jack Lane each scored a hat-trick in the same match twice during a one-month period - in the 6–1 FA Cup first round victory over Ilford on 29 November 1930 and in the 8–2 league victory over Crystal Palace on Christmas Day.[17]
League table
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Pld = 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
- ↑ Eight teams, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday (First Division), Everton (Second Division), Chesterfield, Lincoln City, Tranmere Rovers (Third Division North) and Crystal Palace (Third Division South) all scored over 100 goals, the most in Football League history.
- ↑ Walsall were transferred to Third Division North for the following season.
- ↑ Newport County appear to have failed in the re-election process this year, but they were back in the league for the 1932–33 season.
Key |
|
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Division Champions, promoted |
|
New club in the league |
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Re-elected |
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Failed re-election |
Results
- Brentford's goal tally listed first.
Legend
No. |
Date |
Opponent |
Venue |
Result |
Attendance |
Scorer(s) |
Notes |
1 |
30 August 1930 |
Luton Town |
A |
1–1 |
11,686 |
Foster |
|
2 |
3 September 1930 |
Northampton Town |
H |
0–4 |
11,356 |
|
|
3 |
6 September 1930 |
Bristol Rovers |
H |
4–0 |
9,919 |
Blakemore (2), B. Lane (2) |
|
4 |
8 September 1930 |
Fulham |
A |
1–1 |
12,248 |
B. Lane |
|
5 |
13 September 1930 |
Newport County |
A |
2–0 |
2,758 |
B. Lane |
|
6 |
17 September 1930 |
Fulham |
H |
4–1 |
9,564 |
B. Lane (2), J. Lane, Payne |
|
7 |
20 September 1930 |
Gillingham |
H |
1–1 |
9,407 |
Payne |
|
8 |
24 September 1930 |
Notts County |
H |
2–2 |
9,999 |
Blakemore (pen), B. Lane |
|
9 |
27 September 1930 |
Exeter City |
A |
0–4 |
5,352 |
|
|
10 |
4 October 1930 |
Brighton & Hove Albion |
H |
3–2 |
9,348 |
B. Lane, Blakemore, J. Lane |
|
11 |
11 October 1930 |
Torquay United |
A |
3–0 |
6,944 |
J. Lane, Hill (og), B. Lane |
|
12 |
18 October 1930 |
Coventry City |
H |
1–2 |
10,244 |
B. Lane |
|
13 |
25 October 1930 |
Walsall |
A |
4–1 |
2,943 |
J. Lane, B. Lane, Berry |
|
14 |
1 November 1930 |
Queens Park Rangers |
H |
5–3 |
10,857 |
Berry (2), J. Lane, Blakemore (2, 1 pen) |
|
15 |
8 November 1930 |
Norwich City |
A |
0–3 |
9,172 |
|
|
16 |
15 November 1930 |
Thames |
H |
6–1 |
7,211 |
Berry (2), J. Lane, Blakemore (2), B. Lane (2) |
|
17 |
22 November 1930 |
Clapton Orient |
N |
0–3 |
8,319 |
|
[nb 1] |
18 |
6 December 1930 |
Watford |
A |
3–1 |
6,775 |
B. Lane, Berry, Blakemore (pen) |
|
19 |
18 December 1930 |
Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic |
H |
1–2 |
2,306 |
J. Lane |
|
20 |
20 December 1930 |
Swindon Town |
A |
2–3 |
4,728 |
Blakemore, J. Lane |
|
21 |
25 December 1930 |
Crystal Palace |
H |
8–2 |
11,770 |
J. Lane (3), Berry (2), B. Lane (3) |
|
22 |
26 December 1930 |
Crystal Palace |
A |
1–5 |
15,853 |
B. Lane |
|
23 |
27 December 1930 |
Luton Town |
H |
0–1 |
7,353 |
|
|
24 |
3 January 1931 |
Bristol Rovers |
A |
5–2 |
7,449 |
B. Lane (3), Berry (2) |
|
25 |
17 January 1931 |
Newport County |
H |
3–2 |
7,170 |
J. Lane, Berry, B. Lane |
|
26 |
28 January 1931 |
Gillingham |
A |
1–1 |
2,547 |
J. Lane |
|
27 |
31 January 1931 |
Exeter City |
H |
2–1 |
7,575 |
Gamble, Berry |
|
28 |
7 February 1931 |
Brighton & Hove Albion |
A |
0–1 |
9,451 |
|
|
29 |
14 February 1931 |
Torquay United |
H |
0–0 |
6,464 |
|
|
30 |
21 February 1931 |
Coventry City |
A |
1–0 |
9,651 |
Blakemore |
|
31 |
28 February 1931 |
Walsall |
H |
6–1 |
7,117 |
Berry (2), Gamble (3), John (og) |
|
32 |
7 March 1931 |
Queens Park Rangers |
A |
1–3 |
10,331 |
Sherlaw |
|
33 |
14 March 1931 |
Norwich City |
H |
3–1 |
9,013 |
og, Robson, Wilkins |
|
34 |
21 March 1931 |
Thames |
A |
0–2 |
3,675 |
|
|
35 |
28 March 1931 |
Clapton Orient |
H |
3–0 |
7,757 |
B. Lane, Robson, Berry |
|
36 |
3 April 1931 |
Southend United |
H |
3–1 |
6,027 |
B. Lane, Blakemore, Robson |
|
37 |
4 April 1931 |
Notts County |
A |
0–1 |
14,759 |
|
|
38 |
6 April 1931 |
Southend United |
A |
1–0 |
9,969 |
Berry |
|
39 |
11 April 1931 |
Watford |
H |
2–1 |
8,163 |
B. Lane, Blakemore (pen) |
|
40 |
18 April 1931 |
Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic |
A |
0–1 |
3,662 |
|
|
41 |
25 April 1931 |
Swindon Town |
H |
5–2 |
4,327 |
Berry (2), B. Lane, Robson |
|
42 |
2 May 1931 |
Northampton Town |
A |
2–1 |
3,698 |
Sherlaw, Berry |
|
FA Cup
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Playing squad
- Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1930–31 season.
Coaching staff
Statistics
Appearances and goals
Goalscorers
Management
Name |
Nat |
From |
To |
Record All Comps |
Record League |
P |
W |
D |
L |
W % |
P |
W |
D |
L |
W % |
Harry Curtis |
|
30 August 1930 |
2 May 1931 |
47 |
25 |
7 |
15 |
53.19 |
42 |
22 |
6 |
14 |
52.38 |
Summary
Games played |
47 (42 Third Division South, 5 FA Cup) |
Games won |
25 (22 Third Division South, 3 FA Cup) |
Games drawn |
7 (6 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
Games lost |
15 (14 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
Goals scored |
101 (90 Third Division South, 11 FA Cup) |
Goals conceded |
69 (64 Third Division South, 5 FA Cup) |
Clean sheets |
8 (7 Third Division South, 1 FA Cup) |
Biggest league win |
8–2 versus Crystal Palace, 25 December 1930 |
Worst league defeat |
4–0 on two occasions |
Most appearances |
47, Jimmy Bain (42 Third Division South, 5 FA Cup) |
Top scorer (league) |
27, Billy Lane |
Top scorer (all competitions) |
32, Billy Lane |
Notes
- ↑ Match played at Wembley Stadium, London due to Clapton Orient's Lea Bridge Stadium being temporarily closed due it failing to satisfy Football League requirements. This is the only occasion on which Brentford have played a league match on neutral territory.
References
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