1956–57 Brentford F.C. season
Brentford’s 1956–57 season saw them compete in the Football League Third Division South. The Bees started strong, topping the table after four wins, but a bad run in the autumn pushed them down to mid-table by February. They finished the season well, ending in 8th place after a late surge in March and April.
Manager Bill Dodgin Sr. had limited funds, with chairman Frank Davis keeping spending tight. The club’s only new signing was full back Sid Russell from local football, and several long-serving players were released, including Frank Latimer and Billy Sperrin, along with more recent signings Leonard Geard, James Robertson and George Stobbart.
Early in the season, forwards Jeff Taylor and George Francis, backed by Jim Towers, were in excellent form. Taylor scored 9 and Francis 8 in the first 10 games. After a 4–0 defeat at Ipswich Town on 22 September, Brentford won only three of the next 20 league matches as Taylor and Francis cooled and Towers missed time with injuries. The signing of Chelsea forward Eric Parsons did little to help.
The worst moment came on 19 January 1957, a 7–0 defeat to Walsall—the club’s heaviest ever. Three games later they lost 5–1 to Northampton Town, dropping from 1st place on 18 September to 17th by 16 February. Tower’s return to fitness helped spark a revival in March, with Francis scoring five goals as Brentford won four in a row. After beating Southend United on 12 March, chairman Frank Davis announced that Dodgin would leave at the season’s end. Brentford then lost only two of the final 11 matches to finish 8th.
Season highlights included several club records being set or equalled. Francis finished as top scorer with 23 league goals (24 in all competitions). The club’s best home attendance was 18,760, the lowest 6,088, with an average league attendance of 11,482.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:08 (CET).