During the 1956–57 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 The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

. Despite topping the table early in the season, a poor run of form dropped the club to the lower reaches of mid-table by February 1957. A strong final two months of the season lifted the Bees to an 8th-place finish.

Season summary

With

having failed to challenge for promotion since relegation to the

Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

in 1954, reduced attendances at

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 ...

meant that manager

Bill Dodgin Sr. William Dodgin (17 April 1909 – 16 October 1999) was an English professional footballer who played as a left half and later served as a manager, coach and scout. Football career Dodgin played in the Football League, most notably for Clapto ...

again had little to spend in the transfer market, with his lone acquisition being full back

Sid Russell Sidney Edward James Russell (4 October 1937 – 18 June 1994) was an English cricketer and footballer. Sid Russell was born in Feltham, Middlesex and played in 142 first-class cricket matches for Middlesex (1960-1964), Marylebone Cricket Club ...

from local

Sunday league football Sunday league football is a term used in Britain and Ireland to describe the amateur association football competitions which take place on Sunday rather than the more usual Saturday. The term pub league may also be used, owing to the number of ...

. Frank Latimer and

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 ...

were released after many years' service, in addition to more recent signings Leonard Geard, James Robertson and George Stobbart. Brentford had a dream start to the 1956–57 season, winning the opening four matches and sitting atop the table. Three subsequent defeats dropped the Bees to as low as 13th-place, before top spot was again reached after another three wins in September 1956. Forwards Jeff Taylor and George Francis (supported by Jim Towers) were in imperious form, with Taylor having scored 9 goals and Francis 8 goals after 10 matches. A 4–0 defeat away to

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

on 22 September ended the run and Brentford won just three of next 20 league matches, with Taylor and Francis completely losing form and Towers spending periods out injured. The signing of Chelsea forward

Eric Parsons Eric George Parsons (9 November 1923 – 7 February 2011) was a footballer who played for West Ham United, Chelsea and Brentford in England. Career An outside forward and crowd favourite whose blistering pace earned him the nickname "the Ra ...

had little impact. The Bees reached their nadir on 19 January 1957, losing 7–0 to

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

, a scoreline which equalled the club's record defeat. Three matches later, Brentford lost 5–1 to Northampton Town and completed a slide from 1st position on 18 September 1956 to 17th on 16 February 1957. Jim Towers' return to full fitness coincided with the team's return to form in March, with George Francis scoring five goals amidst a run of four consecutive wins. After victory over Southend United on 12 March, chairman Frank Davis announced that manager Bill Dodgin Sr. would be leaving Griffin Park at the end of the campaign. Brentford lost just two of the remaining 11 matches of the season and battled to an 8th-place finish. A number of club records were set or equalled during the season: * Record league defeat: 0–7 versus Walsall, 19 January 1957 * Consecutive away league wins: 5 (21 April – 29 August 1956) * Consecutive league draws: 5 (16 March – 6 April 1957) * Most home league games without a clean sheet: 16 (3 March – 20 October 1956)

League table

Results

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

Legend

Football League Third Division South

FA Cup

* Sources: 100 Years Of Brentford,Statto11v11
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Playing squad

:''Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1956–57 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