1988–89 Brentford F.C. season

In October 1988, youth product Marcus Gayle made the first of 230 appearances across two spells with Brentford.[1]

After a disappointing end to what was a positive first full season in charge, Brentford manager Steve Perryman identified that his principle starting XI would be complete with a creative winger and a reliable goalscoring forward.[2] Perryman broke the Bees' incoming transfer record by spending £77,500 on Sheffield United forward Richard Cadette in July 1988.[3] Perryman brought experienced winger Neil Smillie back to Griffin Park, 11 years after Smillie had initially played for the Bees on loan.[4] Also arriving at Griffin Park was goalkeeper Tony Parks from Tottenham Hotspur for a £60,000 fee and replaced Gary Phillips, who joined Reading for £25,000.[3] On the eve of the season, right back Roger Joseph, who had been named in the 1987–88 Third Division PFA Team of the Year, joined Wimbledon for a new club record outgoing transfer fee of £150,000.[4]

Brentford enjoyed one of the most exciting seasons in years, producing some notable results in both the Third Division and the cup competitions.[5] The Bees trod water in mid-table for most of the season, before a run of eight wins and two draws from a 10-match spell in March and April 1989 raised the club to 7th position, one place outside the play-off zone,[6] despite the club record £350,000 sale of influential midfielder Andy Sinton to Queens Park Rangers.[3] Two consecutive defeats in early May left Brentford in 9th place, still with a chance of a play-off finish going into the final two matches of the season,[6] but a 1–1 draw with Swansea City at Griffin Park in the penultimate match of the season ended any mathematical chances.[7] Despite drawing the final match of the season, defeats for former play-off-contending rivals Chester City and Notts County raised Brentford to a credible 7th-place finish.[6]

In the cup competitions, Brentford advanced to the second round of the League Cup and the Southern Area semi-finals of the Football League Trophy.[6] Notably the Bees faced local rivals Fulham in both competitions and in the Third Division, winning two, drawing two and losing one of the five matches between the sides during the season.[6] In the FA Cup, Brentford advanced to the sixth round for the first time since the 1948–49 season.[8] Non-league club Halesowen Town were dispatched in the first round, but it took replays to see off Peterborough United and Walsall in the second and third rounds respectively.[6] The Bees faced high-flying Second Division club Manchester City in the fourth round at a sold-out Griffin Park and emerged 3–1 victors thanks to a Gary Blissett brace and one goal from Keith Jones.[9] Brentford also drew promotion-chasing Second Division opposition in the fifth round – Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.[9] 3,000 travelling supporters watched Brentford hold Rovers at 0–0 until the 80th minute, when Gary Blissett scored the first of the only two goals of the match to put the Bees into the hat for the sixth round.[9] Brentford were drawn against First Division giants Liverpool at Anfield, for a match which would be one of the club's biggest occasions of the postwar era.[9] Steve McMahon opened the scoring after 15 minutes and the Bees held firm until midway through the second half, when three Liverpool goals in a 16-minute spell saw the match finish with an unflattering 4–0 scoreline.[9]

Central defender Terry Evans missed just one match during the season and finished with 62 appearances, the club record for a player in a single season.[10]

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1988–89 season.

Pos.	Name	Nat.	Date of birth (age)	Signed from	Signed in	Notes
Goalkeepers
GK	Tony Parks		(1963-01-26)26 January 1963 (aged 25)	Tottenham Hotspur	1988
GK	Jeremy Roberts		(1966-11-24)24 November 1966 (aged 21)	Darlington	1988
Defenders
DF	Jamie Bates		(1968-02-24)24 February 1968 (aged 20)	Youth	1986
DF	John Buttigieg		(1963-10-05)5 October 1963 (aged 24)	Sliema Wanderers	1988
DF	Jason Cousins		(1970-10-04)4 October 1970 (aged 17)	Youth	1989
DF	Terry Evans		(1965-04-12)12 April 1965 (aged 23)	Hillingdon	1985
DF	Andy Feeley		(1961-09-30)30 September 1961 (aged 26)	Leicester City	1987
DF	Marcus Gayle		(1970-09-27)27 September 1970 (aged 17)	Youth	1988
DF	Colin Lee		(1956-06-12)12 June 1956 (aged 32)	Chelsea	1987	Youth Development Officer
DF	Keith Millen		(1966-09-26)26 September 1966 (aged 21)	Youth	1985
DF	Graham Pearce		(1959-07-08)8 July 1959 (aged 29)	Farnborough Town	1988
DF	Roger Stanislaus		(1968-11-02)2 November 1968 (aged 19)	Arsenal	1987
Midfielders
MF	Allan Cockram		(1963-10-08)8 October 1963 (aged 24)	St Albans City	1988
MF	Andy Driscoll		(1971-10-21)21 October 1971 (aged 16)	Youth	1989
MF	Kevin Godfrey		(1960-02-24)24 February 1960 (aged 28)	Leyton Orient	1988
MF	Keith Jones (c)		(1965-10-14)14 October 1965 (aged 22)	Chelsea	1987
MF	Steve Perryman		(1951-12-21)21 December 1951 (aged 36)	Oxford United	1986	Manager
MF	Simon Ratcliffe		(1967-02-08)8 February 1967 (aged 21)	Norwich City	1989
MF	Neil Smillie		(1958-07-19)19 July 1958 (aged 30)	Reading	1988
Forwards
FW	Andy Ansah		(1969-03-19)19 March 1969 (aged 19)	Dorking	1989
FW	Gary Blissett		(1964-05-29)29 May 1964 (aged 24)	Crewe Alexandra	1987
FW	Richard Cadette		(1965-03-21)21 March 1965 (aged 23)	Sheffield United	1988
FW	Jon Purdie		(1967-02-22)22 February 1967 (aged 21)	Oxford United	1989	Loaned from Oxford United before transferring permanently
FW	Tony Sealy		(1959-05-07)7 May 1959 (aged 29)	Unattached	1989
Players who left the club mid-season
GK	John Smeulders		(1957-03-28)28 March 1957 (aged 31)	Bournemouth	1988	Returned to Bournemouth after loan
MF	Bob Booker		(1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 30)	Bedmond Sports & Social	1978	Transferred to Sheffield United
MF	Andy Sinton		(1966-03-19)19 March 1966 (aged 22)	Cambridge United	1985	Transferred to Queens Park Rangers
FW	Paul Birch		(1968-12-03)3 December 1968 (aged 19)	Portsmouth	1987	Retired
FW	Dean Holdsworth		(1968-11-08)8 November 1968 (aged 19)	Watford	1988	Returned to Watford after loan

• Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,[11] Timeless Bees[12]

Supplier: Hobot
Sponsor(s): KLM

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Source: Brentford F.C.

• Supporters' Player of the Year: Terry Evans[18]
• Players' Player of the Year: Terry Evans[18]
• Football League Third Division Manager of the Month: Steve Perryman (February 1989)[3]
• Evening Standard Player of the Month: Terry Evans (January 1989), Gary Blissett (February 1989)[4]