After a what was then becoming traditional first round exit of theLeague Cup,[1] Brentford had a strong start to the league season, going top on 22 August 1977 after a 4–1 victory over Fourth Division newcomersWimbledon.[2] The three-pronged attack offorwardsGordon Sweetzer,Andrew McCulloch and midfielderSteve Phillips proved fruitful after 10 league matches and Phillips and Sweetzer topped the Fourth Division goalscoring chart with eight apiece.[1] Injuries to Gordon Sweetzer,Dave Carlton,John Fraser,[3]captainJackie Graham and asuspension suffered by Andrew McCulloch nullified Brentford's threat through theChristmas period and the club dropped back into the upper reaches of mid-table.[1][2]
By mid-January 1978, Brentford began to recover and the £10,000 signing offull backBarry Tucker would prove to be the final piece of the jigsaw in manager Bill Dodgin Jr.'s starting XI.[1] A 4–0 win overRochdale atGriffin Park on 6 March put the Bees back on the cusp of the promotion places for the first time since mid-December,[2] but the shock transfer of forward Gordon Sweetzer toCambridge United two days later for a £30,000 fee was seen as a massive risk.[1] Sweetzer had scored 40 goals from his 72 appearances for the club over 18 months, but manager Dodgin felt that with Steve Phillips having scored 16 goals from midfield so far in the season, Phillips could move up to the forward line to partner Andrew McCulloch.[1] In addition, Phillips was allowed to play a free role in matches, roaming between midfield, thewings and the forward line.[4] Dodgin's decision proved to be a masterstroke, with Phillips scoring 16 goals in the final 15 matches of the season and promotion to theThird Division was secured with two matches still to play.[1]
Phillips' 36 goals meant that he finished the season as the top scorer inEnglish league football,[1] while Andrew McCulloch and the departed Gordon Sweetzer supported ably with 22 and 14 goals respectively.[2] The 58 goals Phillips' and McCulloch's strike partnership yielded equated to just under 63% of the club's total scored in league matches.[5]
One club record was equalled during the season:
Highest away Football League aggregate score: 10 (6–4 versusCrewe Alexandra, 3 September 1977)[6]
^Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011).The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies. Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing.ISBN978-1906796709.
^Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006).Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications.ISBN978-0955294914.
Oakland Stompers
