1959–60 Brentford F.C. season

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.

Brentford
1959–60 season
ChairmanFrank Davis
ManagerMalky MacDonald
StadiumGriffin Park
Third Division6th
FA CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Francis (26)
All: Francis (31)
Highest home attendance21,600
Lowest home attendance6,300
Average home league attendance11,912

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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1]

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.[1] 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
Main article: 1959–60 Football League Third Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
4 Grimsby Town 46 18 16 12 87 70 1.243 52
5 Coventry City 46 21 10 15 78 63 1.238 52
6 Brentford 46 21 9 16 78 61 1.279 51
7 Bury 46 21 9 16 64 51 1.255 51
8 Queens Park Rangers 46 18 13 15 73 54 1.352 49
Source:

Results
Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Legend
Win Draw Loss

Football League Third Division
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
Main article: 1959–60 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

Playing squad
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1959–60 season.
Pos. Name Nat. Date of birth (age) Signed from Signed in
Goalkeepers
GK Gerry Cakebread England (1936-04-01)1 April 1936 (aged 23) Youth 1954
Defenders
DF Vernon Avis England (1935-10-24)24 October 1935 (aged 23) Youth 1952
DF Ken Coote England (1928-05-19)19 May 1928 (aged 31) Wembley 1949
DF Ken Horne England (1926-06-25)25 June 1926 (aged 33) Blackpool 1950
DF Tom Wilson (c) England (1930-07-03)3 July 1930 (aged 29) Fulham 1957
Midfielders
HB George Bristow England (1933-06-25)25 June 1933 (aged 26) Youth 1950
HB Ian Dargie England (1931-10-03)3 October 1931 (aged 27) Tonbridge 1952
HB Billy Goundry England (1934-03-28)28 March 1934 (aged 25) Huddersfield Town 1955
HB Bill Livingstone Scotland (1929-02-08)8 February 1929 (aged 30) Chelsea 1959
HB Charlie McInally Scotland (1939-02-01)1 February 1939 (aged 20) St Roch's 1958
HB Ron Peplow England (1935-05-04)4 May 1935 (aged 24) Southall 1955
HB Sid Russell England (1937-10-04)4 October 1937 (aged 21) Jolly X 1956
Forwards
FW George Francis England (1934-02-04)4 February 1934 (aged 25) Youth 1955
FW Johnny Hales Scotland (1940-05-15)15 May 1940 (aged 19) St Roch's 1958
FW Dennis Heath England (1934-09-28)28 September 1934 (aged 24) Youth 1954
FW Tommy Higginson Scotland (1937-01-06)6 January 1937 (aged 22) Kilmarnock 1959
FW George McLeod Scotland (1932-11-30)30 November 1932 (aged 26) Luton Town 1958
FW Eric Parsons England (1923-11-09)9 November 1923 (aged 35) Chelsea 1956
FW Johnny Rainford England (1930-12-11)11 December 1930 (aged 28) Cardiff City 1953
FW Jim Towers England (1933-04-15)15 April 1933 (aged 26) Youth 1954
  • Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,[3] Timeless Bees[4]

Coaching staff
Name Role
Scotland Malky MacDonald Manager
England Fred Monk Trainer
England Jack Holliday Assistant Trainer

Statistics

Appearances and goals
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 England Gerry Cakebread 46 0 2 0 48 0
DF England Vernon Avis 11 0 0 0 11 0
DF England Ken Coote 42 0 2 0 44 0
DF England Ken Horne 20 0 2 0 22 0
DF England Tom Wilson 19 0 0 0 19 0
HB England George Bristow 35 2 2 0 37 2
HB England Ian Dargie 20 0 0 0 20 0
HB England Billy Goundry 40 2 2 0 42 2
HB Scotland Bill Livingstone 19 0 2 0 21 0
HB Scotland Charlie McInally 1 0 0 0 1 0
HB England Ron Peplow 8 0 0 0 8 0
HB England Sid Russell 15 0 0 0 15 0
FW England George Francis 46 26 2 5 48 31
FW Scotland Johnny Hales 18 3 2 0 20 3
FW England Dennis Heath 13 2 0 0 13 2
FW Scotland Tommy Higginson 2 0 0 0 2 0
FW Scotland George McLeod 36 4 1 0 37 4
FW England Eric Parsons 25 6 1 0 26 6
FW England Johnny Rainford 46 8 2 0 48 8
FW England Jim Towers 44 23 2 1 46 24
  • Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
  • Source: 100 Years Of Brentford[3]

Goalscorers
Pos. Nat Player FL3 FAC Total
FW England George Francis 26 5 31
FW England Jim Towers 23 1 24
FW England Johnny Rainford 8 0 8
FW England Eric Parsons 6 0 6
FW Scotland George McLeod 4 0 4
FW Scotland Johnny Hales 3 0 3
HB England George Bristow 2 0 2
HB England Billy Goundry 2 0 2
FW England Dennis Heath 2 0 2
Opponents 2 0 2
Total 78 6 84
  • 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 Scotland 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
Players transferred in
Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref.
27 June 1959 FW Scotland John Docherty Scotland St Roch's n/a [5]
11 July 1959 FW Scotland Tommy Higginson Scotland Kilmarnock n/a [5]
July 1959 DF England Jimmy Gitsham n/a n/a [6]
July 1959 HB Scotland Bill Livingstone England Chelsea Free [7]
August 1959 GK England Fred Ryecraft England Southall Free [8]
February 1960 FW Scotland Danny O'Donnell Scotland Kirkintilloch Rob Roy n/a [9]
Players transferred out
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref.
26 December 1959 HB Scotland Jimmy Lafferty Scotland St Mirren n/a [5]
Players released
Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref.
January 1960 FW England Billy Bloomfield Retired [10]
May 1960 HB Scotland Bill Livingstone England Hastings United n/a [7]
May 1960 FW Wales Len Newcombe England Guildford City n/a [11]

Notes
  1. The original fixture on 7 November 1959 was abandoned at half time due to fog, with the score at 1–1.

References
  1. White 1989, p. 233-236.
  2. "Brentford results for the 1959–1960 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  3. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 385. ISBN 0951526200.
  4. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  5. "Players' Transfers – 1959". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  6. "Jimmy Gitsham". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  7. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 97.
  8. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 139.
  9. "Player Appearances and goalscoring records – O". Scottish Football Historical Archive. p. 586. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  10. "Billy Bloomfield". brentfordfc.co.uk. 11 September 2003. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  11. Haynes & Coumbe 2006, p. 116.
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