Brentford

1983–84 season
Chairman	Martin Lange
Manager	Fred Callaghan (until 2 February 1984) Frank Blunstone (2–9 February 1984) Frank McLintock (from 9 February 1984)
Stadium	Griffin Park
Third Division	20th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Second round
Football League Trophy	Second round
Top goalscorer	League: Joseph (18) All: Joseph (24)
Highest home attendance	17,859
Lowest home attendance	2,301
Average home league attendance	4,735
Home (Aug–Dec) colours Home (Dec–May) colours Away colours

During the 1983–84 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division. A season of transition ended with a narrow escape from relegation.

Season summary

Frank McLintock took over as Brentford manager on 9 February 1984.

After two seasons in which, were it not for bad mid-season form, strong run-ins may have yielded a promotion challenge, Brentford manager Fred Callaghan kept his squad together.^[1] Save for the retirement of key midfielder Stan Bowles, Bowles' replacement Terry Bullivant was the only significant piece of transfer activity at Griffin Park during the 1983 off-season.^[1] Goalkeeper Trevor Swinburne arrived to provide competition for Paddy Roche.^[2] With forward Tony Mahoney still not fully fit after recovering from a broken leg, Bill Garner was brought in from non-League football on non-contract terms.^[2]

Brentford showed poor form between the beginning of the season and Christmas Eve 1983 (as of November 2023, the 4–3 defeat to Wimbledon was the final Football League match played on that date).^[3][4] Two wins and 10 defeats from the opening 19 Third Division matches left the club just above the foot of the table.^[3] In the midst of the barren run in the league, a two-legged tie with then-First Division champions Liverpool in the second round of the League Cup failed to produce much cheer, with the Bees suffering an 8–1 aggregate defeat.^[3] A reduction in size of Griffin Park in the intervening years meant that the 17,858 crowd which attended the first leg was not bettered prior to the club's final first team match at the ground in July 2020.^[5][6]

Player/assistant manager Ron Harris was replaced with former Brentford manager Frank Blunstone in October 1983 and Harris later remarked that it had been an acrimonious parting.^[2] An ever-increasing list of injuries and suspensions led manager Fred Callaghan to make a number of signings during the final two months of 1983, including new captain Ian Bolton for £2,000 and previously on-loan defender Paul Roberts from Millwall for a £10,000 fee.^[2] Stan Bowles came out of retirement to assist the team on a non-contract basis.^[2] The signings had an effect, with the Bees going four matches undefeated in late December 1983 and early January 1984 to rise out of the relegation places.^[3] Defeats in the following two matches led chairman Martin Lange to act and sack manager Fred Callaghan on 2 February.^[2] Lange paid tribute to Callaghan by stating that Callaghan could "leave the club proud in the knowledge that he leaves the club far better equipped than when he arrived".^[2]

Assistant Frank Blunstone took caretaker charge of the team for one match before the appointment of former Leicester City manager Frank McLintock on 9 February.^[2] McLintock installed former Brentford player John Docherty as his assistant.^[2] McLintock took over a club in 21st position with 20 matches to play and conducted an overhaul of the playing staff, selling central defender Alan Whitehead and bringing in right back Bobby Fisher and midfielder Tommy Finney from Cambridge United, plus Nigel Gray and Bill Roffey on loan.^[2] Attacker Bob Booker was recalled to the starting lineup, Ian Bolton and Tony Mahoney were dropped,^[1] Terry Bullivant and Graham Wilkins departed on loan and Stan Bowles retired for a second time.^[2]

A slight upturn in form meant that Brentford went into their final match of the season versus Walsall perched atop the relegation zone in 20th place and needing a victory, but a 1–1 draw was all that could be mustered.^[1] Circumstances transpired that 21st-place Scunthorpe United's 1–1 draw on the same day, in their penultimate match of the season, meant that the Iron needed to win their final match by a margin of seven goals to secure their safety.^[1] Brentford's Third Division status was retained when Scunthorpe United lost in their season finale on the following Tuesday night.^[1]

League table

Results

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Playing squad

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1983–84 season.

Pos.	Name	Nat.	Date of birth (age)	Signed from	Signed in	Notes
Goalkeepers
GK	Paddy Roche		(1951-01-04)4 January 1951 (aged 32)	Manchester United	1982
GK	Trevor Swinburne		(1953-06-20)20 June 1953 (aged 30)	Carlisle United	1983
Defenders
DF	Ian Bolton		(1953-07-13)13 July 1953 (aged 30)	Watford	1983
DF	Bobby Fisher		(1956-08-03)3 August 1956 (aged 27)	Cambridge United	1984
DF	Nigel Gray		(1956-11-02)2 November 1956 (aged 26)	Swindon Town	1984	On loan from Swindon Town
DF	Jim McNichol		(1958-06-09)9 June 1958 (aged 25)	Luton Town	1978
DF	Paul Roberts		(1962-04-27)27 April 1962 (aged 21)	Millwall	1983	Loaned from Millwall before transferring permanently
DF	Bill Roffey		(1954-02-06)6 February 1954 (aged 29)	Orient	1984	On loan from Orient
DF	Terry Rowe		(1964-06-08)8 June 1964 (aged 19)	Youth	1982
DF	Danis Salman		(1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 23)	Youth	1975
DF	Tony Spencer		(1965-04-23)23 April 1965 (aged 18)	Youth	1982
DF	Graham Wilkins		(1955-06-28)28 June 1955 (aged 28)	Bury	1982	Loaned to Southend United
Midfielders
MF	Bob Booker		(1958-01-25)25 January 1958 (aged 25)	Bedmond Sports & Social	1978
MF	Terry Bullivant		(1956-09-23)23 September 1956 (aged 26)	Charlton Athletic	1983	Loaned to Reading
MF	Tommy Finney		(1952-11-06)6 November 1952 (aged 30)	Cambridge United	1984
MF	Mark Hopson		May 1966 (aged 17)	Youth	1982
MF	Terry Hurlock (c)		(1958-11-22)22 November 1958 (aged 24)	Leytonstone/Ilford	1980
MF	Chris Kamara		(1957-12-25)25 December 1957 (aged 25)	Portsmouth	1981
MF	Tony Lynch		(1966-01-20)20 January 1966 (aged 17)	Youth	1983
MF	Gary Roberts		(1960-04-05)5 April 1960 (aged 23)	Wembley	1980
Forwards
FW	Keith Cassells		(1957-07-10)10 July 1957 (aged 26)	Southampton	1983
FW	Francis Joseph		(1960-03-06)6 March 1960 (aged 23)	Wimbledon	1982
FW	Tony Mahoney		(1958-09-29)29 September 1958 (aged 24)	Fulham	1982
Players who left the club mid-season
DF	Ian Davies		(1957-03-29)29 March 1957 (aged 26)	Manchester City	1983	Returned to Manchester City after loan
DF	Andy Rollings		(1954-12-14)14 December 1954 (aged 28)	Torquay United	1983	Released
DF	Alan Whitehead		(1956-11-20)20 November 1956 (aged 26)	Bury	1981	Loaned to Scunthorpe United, transferred to Scunthorpe United
MF	Stan Bowles		(1948-12-24)24 December 1948 (aged 34)	Unattached	1983	Released
MF	Ron Harris		(1944-11-13)13 November 1944 (aged 38)	Chelsea	1980	Released
FW	Bill Garner		(1947-12-14)14 December 1947 (aged 35)	Chelmsford City	1983	Released

• Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties,^[9] Timeless Bees^[10]

Coaching staff

Fred Callaghan (27 August 1983 – 2 February 1984)

Name	Role
Fred Callaghan	Manager
Frank Blunstone	Assistant Manager
Eddie Lyons	Physiotherapist

Frank Blunstone (2 – 9 February 1984)

Name	Role
Frank Blunstone	Caretaker Manager
Eddie Lyons	Physiotherapist

Frank McLintock (9 February – 12 May 1984)

Name	Role
Frank McLintock	Manager
John Docherty	Assistant Manager
Eddie Lyons	Physiotherapist

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Substitute appearances in brackets.

Pos	Nat	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		FL Trophy		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK		Paddy Roche	25	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	28	0
GK		Trevor Swinburne	21	0	1	0	4	0	2	0	28	0
DF		Ian Bolton	14	1	1	0	—		2	0	17	1
DF		Bobby Fisher	17	0	—		—		2	0	19	0
DF		Jim McNichol	19 (1)	4	4	0	3	0	0	0	26 (1)	4
DF		Paul Roberts	34	0	4	1	—		1	0	39	1
DF		Andy Rollings	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
DF		Terry Rowe	18 (3)	1	2	0	2 (1)	0	1	0	23 (4)	1
DF		Danis Salman	21	0	2	0	3	0	1	0	27	0
DF		Tony Spencer	5 (1)	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	7 (1)	0
DF		Alan Whitehead	18	0	3	0	4	0	—		25	0
DF		Graham Wilkins	12 (1)	0	0 (1)	0	1	0	0	0	13 (2)	0
MF		Bob Booker	26 (3)	4	0 (1)	0	3 (1)	0	2	0	31 (5)	4
MF		Stan Bowles	7 (1)	0	1	0	—		—		8 (1)	0
MF		Terry Bullivant	24	1	3	0	4	0	0	0	31	1
MF		Tommy Finney	14 (1)	2	—		—		1	1	15 (1)	3
MF		Ron Harris	3	0	—		2	0	—		5	0
MF		Terry Hurlock	32	4	4	1	2	0	2	0	40	0
MF		Chris Kamara	37 (1)	7	3	1	4	0	1	0	45 (1)	8
MF		Tony Lynch	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	4	0
MF		Gary Roberts	40 (1)	10	4	3	3	2	1 (1)	0	48 (2)	15
FW		Keith Cassells	26 (4)	9	1	1	2	0	0 (2)	0	29 (6)	10
FW		Bill Garner	2 (1)	1	—		—		—		2 (1)	1
FW		Francis Joseph	42 (1)	18	4	2	4	2	2	2	52 (1)	24
FW		Tony Mahoney	15 (8)	3	4	1	1	0	1	0	21 (8)	4
Players loaned in during the season
DF		Ian Davies	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
DF		Nigel Gray	16	1	—		—		1	0	17	1
DF		Bill Roffey	13	1	—		—		—		13	1

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties^[11]

Goalscorers

Pos.	Nat	Player	FL3	FAC	FLC	FLT	Total
FW		Francis Joseph	18	2	2	2	24
MF		Gary Roberts	10	3	2	0	15
FW		Keith Cassells	9	1	0	0	10
MF		Chris Kamara	7	1	0	0	8
MF		Bob Booker	4	0	0	0	4
DF		Jim McNichol	4	0	0	0	4
FW		Tony Mahoney	3	1	0	0	4
MF		Tommy Finney	2	—	—	1	3
FW		Bill Garner	1	—	—	—	1
DF		Bill Roffey	1	—	—	—	1
DF		Nigel Gray	1	—	—	0	1
DF		Ian Bolton	1	0	—	0	1
DF		Paul Roberts	0	1	—	0	1
MF		Terry Bullivant	1	0	0	0	1
DF		Terry Rowe	1	0	0	0	1
Opponents			2	0	1	0	3
Total			69	10	5	3	87

• Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
• Source: The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties^[11]

Management

Name	Nat	From	To	Record All Comps					Record League
				P	W	D	L	W %	P	W	D	L	W %
Fred Callaghan		27 August 1983	1 February 1984	33	8	9	16	024.24	25	5	8	12	020.00
Frank Blunstone (caretaker)		4 February 1984	4 February 1984	1	0	0	1	000.00	1	0	0	1	000.00
Frank McLintock		11 February 1984	12 May 1984	22	7	8	7	031.82	20	6	8	6	030.00

Transfers & loans

Players transferred in
Date	Pos.	Name	Previous Club	Fee	Ref.
July 1983	MF	Terry Bullivant	Charlton Athletic	Free	[2]
August 1983	FW	Bill Garner	Chelmsford City	Non-contract	[2]
August 1983	GK	Trevor Swinburne	Carlisle United	£12,000	[2]
September 1983	MF	Tony Lynch	Maidstone United	n/a	[2]
September 1983	DF	Keith Millen	Crystal Palace	n/a	[2]
November 1983	DF	Paul Roberts	Millwall	£10,000	[2]
November 1983	DF	Andy Rollings	Torquay United	Trial	[2]
December 1983	DF	Ian Bolton	Watford	£2,000	[2]
December 1983	MF	Stan Bowles	Unattached	Non-contract	[2]
February 1984	MF	Tommy Finney	Cambridge United	n/a	[2]
February 1984	DF	Bobby Fisher	Cambridge United	£5,000	[2]
Players loaned in
Date from	Pos.	Name	From	Date to	Ref.
1 September 1983	DF	Paul Roberts	Millwall	October 1983	[12]
11 November 1983	DF	Ian Davies	Manchester City	December 1983	[2]
March 1984	DF	Nigel Gray	Swindon Town	End of season	[2]
March 1984	DF	Bill Roffey	Orient	End of season	[2]
Players transferred out
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Fee	Ref.
August 1983	GK	David McKellar	Carlisle United	£4,000	[2]
March 1984	DF	Alan Whitehead	Scunthorpe United	£40,000	[2]
Players loaned out
Date from	Pos.	Name	To	Date to	Ref.
January 1984	DF	Alan Whitehead	Scunthorpe United	March 1984	[2]
March 1984	MF	Terry Bullivant	Reading	n/a	[2]
March 1984	DF	Graham Wilkins	Southend United	n/a	[2]
Players released
Date	Pos.	Name	Subsequent club	Join date	Ref.
October 1983	MF	Ron Harris	Aldershot	1984	[2]
December 1983	DF	Andy Rollings	Maidstone United	n/a	[2]
1983	FW	Bill Garner	n/a	n/a	[2]
February 1984	MF	Stan Bowles	Retired		[2]
May 1984	FW	Tony Mahoney	Crystal Palace	June 1984	[2]
May 1984	DF	Jim McNichol	Exeter City	July 1984	[2]
May 1984	GK	Paddy Roche	Halifax Town	July 1984	[2]
May 1984	DF	Graham Wilkins	Southall	1984	[2]

Awards

• Supporters' Player of the Year: Chris Kamara^[13]
• Players' Player of the Year: Chris Kamara^[13]

References