During the 1947–48 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 Second Division. In the Bees' first second-tier season since 1934–35, the club slumped to a 15th-place finish.

Season summary

After relegation to the Second Division at the end of the 1946–47 season,

were forced to cash in on their assets and received £16,000 from the sales of George Smith and Scotland international Archie Macaulay. No less than 14 players departed

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

during the off-season, with five players coming in at a cost of nearly £20,000 – half back David Nelson and forwards Peter Buchanan, Tommy Dawson,

Tommy Dougall Thomas Dougall (17 May 1921 – January 1997) was a Scottish professional footballer who played in the Football League for Sunderland and Brentford as an outside right. He later managed in non-League football. Personal life Dougall was the ...

and

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 ...

, with Gibbons rejoining the club after making 11 appearances while an amateur during the 1938–39 season. After a poor start to the season, Jimmy Hogan was brought in as a coach. It was long-serving trainer Bob Kane's final season with the club. Brentford had an awful start to the season, winning one and losing eight of the opening 9 matches to leave the club rooted to the bottom of the table. Bit-part half back

Cyril Toulouse Cyril Harvey Toulouse (24 December 1923 in Acton – 22 January 1980) was an English professional footballer who played for Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur, Guildford City and Oxford United. Playing career Toulouse joined Brentford from non-lea ...

was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in exchange for

Jack Chisholm Jack Richardson Chisholm (9 October 1924 – 24 August 1977) was an English footballer who played as a centre half. Known for his leadership and physical presence, Chisholm is regarded as one of the best defenders to have played for Plymouth A ...

, who lead the team's recovery from the centre of the field. Just three defeats in 13 matches between late-September and mid-December 1946 finally lifted the club out of the relegation places. More players came and went in the second half of the season – Tony Harper and

Fred Monk Frederick John Monk (9 October 1920 – October 1987) was an English professional footballer and coach who played in Football League for Brentford and Aldershot. He is best remembered for his time with Brentford, for whom he made over 200 appe ...

came in from

non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

, with

Percy Gleeson Percival Peter Gleeson (18 July 1921 – October 2015) is an English former professional football inside forward who played in the Football League for Brentford. He later made 367 appearances and scored 111 goals for Southern League club Guild ...

, George Stewart and Arthur Shaw transferring out. Brentford finished a tumultuous season in 15th place, 11 points above the relegation zone and lost just four of the final 20 matches of the league campaign. The season ended with an irksome 1–0 defeat to local rivals (and Second Division champions) Queens Park Rangers in the Ealing Hospital Cup final. The club record for fewest goalscorers in a season was equalled, with just eight players registering a goal.

League table

Results

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

Legend

Football League Second Division

FA Cup

* Sources
Statto11v11
100 Years Of Brentford

Playing squad

:''Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1947–48 season.'' * Sources: 100 Years of Brentford, Timeless Bees

Coaching staff

Statistics

Appearances and goals

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

Goalscorers