During the 1950–51 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 The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

. Amidst a period of transition, the Bees repeated the previous season's 9th-place finish.

Season summary

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 ...

began the 1950–51 season with

Billy Dare William Thomas Charles Dare (14 February 1927 – 8 May 1994) was an English footballer who played as a forward. He was described as "gutsy" and as a "stocky little battler" and was the first ever footballer to sign for a club on live television ...

as the only recognised goalscorer on the club's books. The squad was augmented by young

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Bernard Kelly and former

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

right half A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Ken Horne Kenneth William Horne (25 June 1926 – 3 September 2015) was an English professional footballer and coach, best remembered for his 11 years in the Football League with Brentford, for whom he made over 220 appearances. He was inducted into the c ...

replaced the retired

Malky MacDonald Malcolm MacDonald (26 October 1913 – 26 September 1999) was a Scottish professional association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager, best remembered for his time as a Utility player#Association football, utility pl ...

. Aside from four wins in a row in August and September 1950, Brentford had a torrid first half of the season and fell to just one place above relegation by mid-November. Injuries and constant tinkering meant manager Gibbons had been unable to field a settled XI. A 4–0 win over

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

was the turning point. A new half back line was formed, with forwards Tony Harper and

Jimmy Hill James William Thomas Hill, OBE (22 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was an English footballer and later a television personality. His career included almost every role in the sport, including player, trade union leader, coach, manager, director ...

moving back to play alongside

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 ...

Ron Greenwood Ronald Greenwood CBE (11 November 1921 – 9 February 2006) was an English football player and manager, best known for being manager of the English national football team from 1977 until 1982, as well as being manager of West Ham United for 13 ...

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 ...

, who had been converted into a full back, was re-deployed in his original forward position. Manager Jackie Gibbons also recruited football analyst

Charles Reep Thorold Charles Reep (22 September 19043 February 2002) was an analyst credited with creating the long ball game, which has characterised English football. Biography Reep trained as an accountant after leaving Plymouth High School in 1923. He w ...

in February 1951. Fred Monk,

Billy Sperrin William Thomas Sperrin (9 April 1922 – 21 June 2000) was an English football inside forward and coach. He made 100 appearances as a player for Brentford and was later a member of the coaching staff at Hillingdon Borough for 12 years. Club ...

and Billy Dare scored regularly from mid-January 1951 through to the end of the season and helped the team secure a second-successive 9th-place finish. Monk set a new club record when he scored in 10 consecutive matches between February and April 1951.

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 1950–51 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