During the 1931–32 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 Football League Third Division South. Despite leading the division for two months in mid-season, the Bees fell away and finished 5th.

Season summary

manager Harry Curtis' additions to his squad for the 1931–32 Third Division South season were minor – backup goalkeeper Dave Smith, amateur half back

Jackie Gibbons Albert Henry Gibbons (10 April 1914 – 4 July 1984) was an English professional footballer and manager who played in the Football League for Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford and Bradford Park Avenue. After his retirement as a player, he managed in ...

and forwards George Cook, George Robson and

Bert Stephens Herbert James Stephens (13 May 1909 – September 1987) was an English professional footballer, best remembered for his time as an outside forward in the Football League with Brighton & Hove Albion. At the time of his retirement in 1948, Stephen ...

. The team had a very strong first half of the season, rising to the top of the table by 5 December 1931 and staying there until 13 February 1932, when a run of just five defeats in 31 matches in all competitions came to an end.

Billy Lane William David Lane (born February 6, 1970 in Miami, Florida) is an American builder of custom motorcycles, owner of Choppers Inc. in Melbourne, Florida, known for his 2009 conviction and imprisonment in Florida for a drunk-driving incident in 2006 ...

kept up his prolific goalscoring form from the previous two seasons, scoring 20 goals in a 27 match spell, with

Jackie Foster John Thomas Foster (21 March 1903 – after 1936) was an English professional footballer and coach who played as an outside right. He made over 430 appearances in the Football League over sixteen seasons for a total of seven clubs, most notably ...

Bill Berry William Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958) is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guitar ...

and Jackie Gibbons also supporting with regular goals. As in the previous two seasons, Brentford's suffered a slump in the second half of the campaign, losing 9 of 14 matches between mid-February and late April to drop to as low as 9th, though two wins from the final two matches of the season elevated the side to a 5th-place finish. Brentford had also reached the fourth round of the FA Cup for the second successive season, exiting the competition after a heavy 6–1 defeat at the hands of top-flight

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

at Maine Road. It had been rumoured in April 1932 that manager Curtis had tendered his resignation, but chairman Louis P. Simon recognised his good work over the previous six years and persuaded him to stay. A run of four successive home

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

draws during the season equalled the club record, while Billy Lane's seventh and final Brentford hattrick (scored versus

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...

on 12 September 1931) set a new club record.

Reserve team

Brentford's reserve team finished as champions of the London Combination for the first time. The team went undefeated at home from 21 November 1931, setting off a run which extended until 4 November 1933. Ralph Allen captained the team and scored a large percentage of the goals.

League table

Results

:''Brentford's goal tally listed first.''

Legend

Football League Third Division South

FA Cup

* Sources
Statto11v11
100 Years of Brentford

Playing squad

:''Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1931–32 season.'' * Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Timeless Bees, Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939

Coaching staff

Statistics

Appearances and goals

*Players listed in ''italics'' left the club mid-season. *Source: 100 Years of Brentford

Goalscorers