During the 1990–91 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division . Five wins in the final six matches of the season propelled the Bees from mid-table into the play-offs , where the club was defeated by Tranmere Rovers in the semi-finals.
Quick Facts Chairman, Manager ...
Close
Steve Perryman resigned as manager on the eve of the season.
Third Division Brentford conducted little transfer business during the 1990 off-season, buying only Sheffield United goalkeeper Graham Benstead and selling full back Roger Stanislaus to Bury .[1] Midfielder Eddie May was transfer-listed at his own request, while midfielders Keith Jones , Kevin Godfrey and forward Richard Cadette rejected new contracts and instead signed weekly deals. 10 days before the first match of the season, the club was rocked by the resignation of manager Steve Perryman ,[1] who had been in charge since February 1987.[3] Perryman's assistant Phil Holder took over and began his first job in football management .
Just two defeats from the opening 12 league matches of the season had Brentford flirting with automatic promotion, before successive defeats in late October and early November dropped the club into the play-off places.[4] Aided by the goalscoring of fit-again Gary Blissett , the Bees showed good league form through November and December and ended 1990 in the automatic promotion places.[4] After loss to Oldham Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup , attention turned to the Football League Trophy , in which the Bees went all the way to the Southern Area finals before being defeated over two legs by league rivals Birmingham City .[4] The run in the Trophy affected Brentford's promotion-chasing form, with the team having won just seven of 17 matches since the turn of the year.[4] A draw and a defeat in the wake of the Trophy exit gave way to improved form for the remainder of the season, with five wins from six matches sealing a 6th-place finish and a two-legged tie with Tranmere Rovers in the play-off semi-finals.[4] A 3–2 defeat on aggregate ended Brentford's season.[4]
More information Pos, Pld ...
Close
Brentford's goal tally listed first.
Pre-season and friendlies
More information Date, Opponent ...
Close
More information No., Date ...
No.
Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s)
1
25 August 1990 Bournemouth H 0–0 5,669
2
1 September 1990 Mansfield Town A 2–0 2,513 Smilie , Godfrey
3
8 September 1990 Chester City H 0–1 4,812
4
15 September 1990 Swansea City A 2–2 4,127 Bates , Jones (pen )
5
18 September 1990 Rotherham United
A 2–2 4,288 Holdsworth , Smilie
6
22 September 1990 Bolton Wanderers
H 4–2 5,077 May , Brooke , Jones , Holdsworth
7
29 September 1990 Grimsby Town
H 1–0 5,951 Jones
8
2 October 1990 Preston North End A 1–1 5,025 Godfrey
9
6 October 1990 Bradford City
A 1–0 6,402 Godfrey
10
14 October 1990 Cambridge United H 0–3 3,139
11
20 October 1990 Huddersfield Town
H 1–0 5,509 May
12
23 October 1990 Reading A 2–1 6,562 Gayle , Holdsworth
13
26 October 1990 Tranmere Rovers A 1–2 8,575 Holdsworth (pen )
14
4 November 1990 Southend United
H 0–1 10,605
15
10 November 1990 Bury H 2–2 5,303 Blissett , Cockram
16
24 November 1990 Exeter City A 1–1 4,764 Blissett
17
2 December 1990 Leyton Orient A 1–0 5,359 Godfrey
18
16 December 1990 Stoke City A 2–2 10,995 Cadette , Smilie
19
23 December 1990 Wigan Athletic H 1–0 6,495 Blissett (pen )
20
26 December 1990 Birmingham City A 2–0 6,669 Blissett (2)
21
29 December 1990 Crewe Alexandra
A 3–3 3,636 Blissett , Cadette , Cockram
22
1 January 1991 Shrewsbury Town H 3–0 7,064 Blissett , Gayle , Cockram
23
12 January 1991 Mansfield Town H 0–0 6,064
24
19 January 1991 Bournemouth A 0–2 4,421
25
26 January 1991 Swansea City H 2–0 7,102 Blissett , Jones
26
2 February 1991 Rotherham United H 1–2 5,540 Jones
27
5 February 1991 Bolton Wanderers A 0–1 6,731
28
16 February 1991 Exeter City
H 1–0 5,118 Millen
29
23 February 1991 Bury H 1–1 7,559 Cadette
30
3 March 1991 Leyton Orient A 2–1 5,136 Cadette , Holdsworth
31
9 March 1991 Stoke City H 0–4 7,249
32
12 March 1991 Preston North End H 2–0 4,856 Bates , Blissett
33
16 March 1991 Grimsby Town A 0–2 6,685
34
19 March 1991 Cambridge United A 0–0 4,931
35
23 March 1991 Bradford City H 6–1 5,601 og , Evans , Jones , Cadette (2), Gayle
36
30 March 1991 Birmingham City H 2–2 6,757 Ratcliffe , Blissett
37
1 April 1991 Wigan Athletic A 0–1 2,160
38
6 April 1991 Crewe Alexandra H 1–0 5,066 Fleming
39
13 April 1991 Shrewsbury Town A 1–1 2,841 Ratcliffe
40
16 April 1991 Fulham H 1–2 7,839 Rostron
41
20 April 1991 Huddersfield Town A 2–1 6,489 Jones , Peters
42
23 April 1991 Fulham A 1–0 6,765 Rostron
43
27 April 1991 Reading
H 1–0 6,398 Millen
44
30 April 1991 Chester City A 2–1 1,275 Gayle , Holdsworth
45
4 May 1991 Tranmere Rovers
H 0–2 7,341
46
11 May 1991
Southend United
A
1–0
9,666
Gayle
Close
More information Round, Date ...
Close
FA Cup
More information Round, Date ...
Close
More information Round, Date ...
Close
More information Round, Date ...
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance
Scorer(s)
SPR
27 November 1990
Fulham
A
1–1
2,761
Blissett
SPR 29 January 1991 Leyton Orient H 2–0 1,348 Blissett (2)
SR1
21 February 1991
Wrexham
H
0–0 ( a.e.t. ) , won 3–0 on pens )
2,247
SQF
28 February 1991
Hereford United
A
2–0
2,207
Smilie , Holdsworth
SSF
5 March 1991
Southend United
A
3–0
3,937
Smilie , Jones , Cadette
SAF (1st leg) 26 March 1991 Birmingham City A 1–2 16,219 Gayle
SAF (2nd leg)
9 April 1991
Birmingham City
H
0–1 (lost 3–1 on aggregate)
8,745
Close
Source: Statto , 11v11 , The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1990–91 season.
More information Pos., Name ...
Close
Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties
More information Name, Role ...
Close
Appearances and goals
Substitute appearances in brackets.
More information Pos, Nat ...
Close
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties
Goalscorers
More information Pos., Nat ...
Close
Players listed in italics left the club mid-season.
Source: The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties
Management
More information Name, Nat ...
Name
Nat
From
To
Record All Comps
Record League
P W D L W % P W D L W %
Phil Holder
25 August 1990
22 May 1991
62 27 16 19 0 43.55 |46 21 13 12 0 45.65
Close
Summary
Games played 62 (46 Third Division , 3 FA Cup , 4 League Cup , 7 Football League Trophy , 2 Football League play-offs )
Games won 27 (21 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy, 0 Football League play-offs)
Games drawn 16 (13 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy, 1 Football League play-offs)
Games lost 19 (12 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 3 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy, 1 Football League play-offs)
Goals scored 83 (59 Third Division, 9 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 9 Football League Trophy, 2 Football League play-offs)
Goals conceded 63 (47 Third Division, 4 FA Cup, 5 League Cup, 4 Football League Trophy, 3 Football League play-offs)
Clean sheets 24 (18 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 4 Football League Trophy, 0 Football League play-offs)
Biggest league win 6–1 versus Bradford City , 23 March 1991
Worst league defeat 4–0 versus Stoke City , 9 March 1991
Most appearances 61, Graham Benstead (45 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 7 Football League Trophy, 2 Football League play-offs)
Top scorer (league) 10, Gary Blissett
Top scorer (all competitions) 15, Gary Blissett
More information Players transferred in, Date ...
Close
Supplier: Chad Sponsor(s): KLM
Source: Brentford F.C.
Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties . Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 9781906796723 .
Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 . Yore Publications. p. 182. ISBN 978-0955294914 .