During the
1897–98 English football season,
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
competed in the
London League First Division. A hugely successful season saw the Bees win the
London Senior Cup
The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of Ar ...
, the
Middlesex Senior Cup and finish as runners-up in the league.
Season summary
After winning promotion from the
London League Second Division at the first attempt, the Brentford committee bolstered the team's firepower for its first season in the First Division by signing
forwards Thomas Knapman, John Richardson and Ernest Booth.
[White, p. 68-70.] Goalkeeper Jack Foster, then one of the club's highest appearance-makers, elected to retire from football and
Arthur Charlton, one of the club's first great players,
moved to
Nottingham and was succeeded as
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
by Herbert Edney – though Charlton would return to play for Brentford sporadically through the season.
Brentford obliterated all opposition throughout the season, with the goals of forward
Oakey Field providing the firepower to help the club win the
London Senior Cup
The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of Ar ...
and the
Middlesex Senior Cup.
The pileup of London League fixtures meant that the Bees had to close the season with seven matches in just over three weeks, which included two matches in one day on 16 April.
Brentford went into the final day of the season knowing that a victory over strugglers
Barking Woodville would seal the league title, but the best the jaded team could manage was a 0–0 draw, which allowed
Thames Ironworks, who won their final match, to finish the season as champions.
League table
Results
:''Brentford's goal tally listed first.''
Legend
London League First Division
FA Cup
London Senior Cup
Middlesex Senior Cup
*
Source: 100 Years of Brentford
Playing squad
*
"A. Bee" and "A. Newman" are aliases
*
Source: 100 Years of Brentford
Statistics
Management
Summary
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1897-98 Brentford F.C. season
Brentford F.C. seasons
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...