1998–99 season of Brentford F.C.
Brentford 1998–99 football season
During the 1998–99 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Third Division . The club finished the season as champions after victory over runners-up Cambridge United on the final day.
Lloyd Owusu , a £25,000 buy from non-League football , finished the season as top scorer with 25 goals. After relegation to the Third Division at the end of the previous season, the ownership of Brentford changed hands for the second time in two summers, when Ron Noades took over the club as owner and chairman during the 1998 off-season. Noades installed himself as manager and appointed a three-man coaching team of Ray Lewington , Terry Bullivant and Brian Sparrow . Nearly £1.5 million was spent to assemble almost an entirely new starting lineup, with goalkeeper Jason Pearcey , defenders Danny Boxall , Darren Powell , Rob Quinn and Hermann Hreiðarsson (the club's then-record £750,000 signing),[ 2] midfielders Martin Rowlands and Tony Folan and forwards Lloyd Owusu and Darren Freeman added to the ranks.[ 3]
9 wins in the opening 13 league matches put the Bees firmly in control at the top of the table, though three successive defeats in the midst of the run temporarily dropped the club back to 7th place.[ 4] There was some early-season excitement in the League Cup , with a 4–2 aggregate victory over First Division club West Bromwich Albion in the first round setting up a two-legged tie with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur .[ 4] 3–2 defeats in each of the two legs (with Brentford taking the lead in both matches) ended the cup run, with memorable goals being scored by Andy Scott , Darren Freeman and Lloyd Owusu.[ 5]
Three league defeats in a four-match spell in November and injuries and suspensions to Andy Scott, Darren Powell, Danny Boxall, Jamie Bates and Martin Rowlands led Noades to further strengthen the squad with forward Leo Fortune-West and midfielder Gavin Mahon .[ 3] [ 4] Though Fortune-West would be sold on a matter of months later, Mahon replaced Warren Aspinall in midfield and remained an ever-present until the end of the season.[ 6] [ 7] Five wins in the following six league matches saw the club begin 1999 firmly placed in the automatic promotion places.[ 4] A spell of just one win from a spell of seven league matches in January and February saw Noades reach for the chequebook again and sign forward Scott Partridge from Torquay United for £100,000.[ 3] [ 4]
With the purchase of new captain Paul Evans and buoyed by the goalscoring of Partridge and Owusu,[ 3] [ 8] the Bees went undefeated from late February through to early May.[ 4] The club secured automatic promotion back to the Second Division with two matches to spare after a 3–0 victory over Exeter City on 1 May.[ 4] [ 9] A resounding 4–1 win over Swansea City in the following match returned Brentford to the top of the table for the first time since 20 October 1998.[ 4] The victory set up a "winner takes all" match for the title on the final day at the Abbey Stadium versus nearest challengers Cambridge United .[ 4] Lloyd Owusu's 25th goal of the season was enough for victory and for Brentford to win the Third Division championship.
Source:
[citation needed ] Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(C) Champions;
(O) Play-off winners;
(P) Promoted
Brentford's goal tally listed first. No. Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorer(s) 1 8 August 1998 Mansfield Town H 3–0 4,846 Rapley (2), Freeman 2 15 August 1998 Halifax Town A 0–1 3,876 3 22 August 1998 Brighton & Hove Albion H 2–0 6,355 Thomas (og ), Scott 4 29 August 1998 Barnet A 3–0 2,710 Quinn , Rowlands , Owusu 5 31 August 1998 Rochdale H 2–1 4,873 Powell , Rapley 6 5 September 1999 Hull City A 3–2 4,058 Owusu , Aspinall , Scott 7 8 September 1998 Torquay United A 1–3 2,340 Bates 8 12 September 1998 Rotherham United H 0–3 4,803 9 19 September 1998 Scarborough A 1–3 2,028 Owusu 10 26 September 1998 Darlington H 3–0 4,486 Powell , Rowlands , Owusu 11 3 October 1998 Peterborough United A 4–2 6,056 Freeman , Scott (2), Folan 12 17 October 1998 Hartlepool United H 3–1 4,883 Freeman , Aspinall (pen ), Rowlands 13 20 October 1998 Scunthorpe United H 2–1 4,700 Scott , Owusu 14 3 November 1998 Plymouth Argyle A 0–3 4,650 15 7 November 1998 Shrewsbury Town A 0–2 2,799 16 10 November 1998 Southend United H 4–1 4,285 Owusu (3), Freeman 17 21 November 1998 Leyton Orient A 1–2 6,340 Folan 18 28 November 1998 Chester City H 2–1 5,173 Owusu , Rowlands 19 12 December 1998 Exeter City A 1–0 2,793 Owusu 20 18 December 1998 Cambridge United H 1–0 5,069 Folan 21 26 December 1998 Brighton & Hove Albion A 1–3 4,838 Freeman 22 28 December 1998 Cardiff City H 1–0 9,535 Hreiðarsson 23 2 January 1999 Barnet H 3–1 6,011 Freeman , Bryan , Mahon 24 9 January 1999 Mansfield Town A 1–3 4,095 Owusu 25 23 January 1999 Rochdale A 0–2 2,113 26 30 January 1999 Cardiff City A 1–4 11,509 Boxall 27 2 February 1999 Carlisle United H 1–1 3,674 Barr (og ) 28 6 February 1999 Hull City H 0–2 5,086 29 13 February 1999 Torquay United H 3–2 4,299 Owusu , Bryan , Hreiðarsson 30 16 February 1999 Swansea City A 1–2 5,109 Hreiðarsson 31 20 February 1999 Rotherham United A 4–2 3,899 Mahon , Owusu (3) 32 27 February 1999 Scarborough H 1–1 4,783 Bryan 33 9 March 1999 Peterborough United H 3–0 4,195 Partridge , Mahon , Owusu 34 13 March 1999 Shrewsbury Town H 0–0 5,082 35 16 March 1999 Halifax Town H 1–1 3,713 Partridge 36 20 March 1999 Carlisle United A 1–0 2,564 Partridge 37 3 April 1999 Hartlepool United A 1–0 2,719 Owusu 38 5 April 1999 Plymouth Argyle H 3–1 6,979 Evans , Mahon , Folan 39 10 April 1999 Scunthorpe United A 0–0 5,604 40 13 April 1999 Chester City A 3–1 1,766 Anderson , Evans , Bryan 41 17 April 1999 Leyton Orient H 0–0 8,245 42 24 April 1999 Southend United A 4–1 5,248 Owusu (3), Partridge 43 27 April 1999 Darlington A 2–2 2,514 Scott , Partridge 44 1 May 1999 Exeter City H 3–0 6,977 Quinn , Scott , Partridge 45 4 May 1999 Swansea City H 4–1 7,156 Owusu , Evans , Hreiðarsson , Partridge 46 8 May 1999 Cambridge United A 1–0 8,936 Owusu
Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1998–99 season. Appearances and goals [ edit ] Substitute appearances in brackets. Players listed in italics left the club mid-season. Source: Soccerbase Players listed in italics left the club mid-season. Source: Soccerbase Players listed in italics left the club mid-season. Source: Soccerbase Name Nat From To Record All Comps Record League P W D L W % P W D L W % Ron Noades 8 August 1998 8 May 1999 56 30 10 16 0 53.57 46 26 7 13 0 56.52
Games played 56 (46 Third Division, 3 FA Cup , 4 League Cup , 3 Football League Trophy ) Games won 30 (26 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) Games drawn 10 (7 Third Division, 2 FA Cup, 0 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) Games lost 16 (13 Third Division, 0 FA Cup, 3 League Cup, 0 Football League Trophy) Goals scored 101 (79 Third Division, 8 FA Cup, 8 League Cup, 6 Football League Trophy) Goals conceded 68 (56 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 8 League Cup, 1 Football League Trophy) Clean sheets 18 (14 Third Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 2 Football League Trophy) Biggest league win 3–0 on five occasions, 4–1 on three occasions Worst league defeat 3–0 on two occasions, 4–1 versus Cardiff City , 30 January 1999 Most appearances 56, Lloyd Owusu (46 Third Division, 3 FA Cup, 4 League Cup, 3 Football League Trophy) Top scorer (league) 22, Lloyd Owusu Top scorer (all competitions) 25, Lloyd Owusu
Players transferred in Date Pos. Name Previous Club Fee Ref. 7 July 1998 FW Darren Freeman Fulham Free [ 3] 9 July 1998 DF Danny Boxall Crystal Palace Free [ 3] 9 July 1998 GK Jason Pearcey Grimsby Town Free [ 3] 9 July 1998 DF Rob Quinn Crystal Palace £40,000 [ 3] 25 July 1998 DF Darren Powell Hampton £15,000 [ 11] 29 July 1998 FW Lloyd Owusu Slough Town £25,000 [ 3] 6 August 1998 MF Martin Rowlands Farnborough Town £45,000 [ 3] 25 August 1998 MF Dirk Hebel Tranmere Rovers Free [ 12] 22 September 1998 MF Tony Folan Crystal Palace £100,000 [ 3] 24 September 1998 DF Hermann Hreiðarsson Crystal Palace £750,000 [ 3] 30 October 1998 FW Drewe Broughton Norwich City £15,000 [ 3] 17 November 1998 FW Leo Fortune-West Lincoln City £60,000 [ 3] 18 November 1998 MF Gavin Mahon Hereford United £50,000 [ 3] 28 January 1999 GK Andy Woodman Northampton Town £75,000 [ 3] 19 February 1998 FW Scott Partridge Torquay United £100,000 [ 3] 3 March 1999 MF Paul Evans Shrewsbury Town £110,000 [ 3] Players loaned in Date from Pos. Name From Date to Ref. 21 August 1998 DF Chris Coyne West Ham United 21 September 1998 [ 3] 22 January 1999 GK Andy Woodman Northampton Town 27 January 1999 [ 3] 3 March 1999 DF Mohamed Berthé Bournemouth 10 March 1999 [ 13] 25 March 1999 DF Stephen Jenkins Southampton 4 April 1999 [ 3] Players transferred out Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Fee Ref. 6 July 1998 GK Carl Hutchings Bristol City £135,000 [ 6] 6 August 1998 MF Robert Taylor Gillingham £400,000 [ 6] 10 August 1998 MF Scott Canham Leyton Orient Free [ 6] 17 November 1998 FW Drewe Broughton Peterborough United £15,000 [ 6] 9 February 1999 MF Warren Aspinall Colchester United Free [ 6] 23 February 1999 FW Kevin Rapley Notts County £50,000 [ 6] 26 February 1999 FW Leo Fortune-West Rotherham United £35,000 [ 6] 25 March 1999 DF Jamie Bates Wycombe Wanderers Free [ 6] Players loaned out Date from Pos. Name To Date to Ref. 21 October 1998 MF Charlie Oatway Lincoln City 16 November 1998 [ 6] 20 November 1998 FW Kevin Rapley Southend United 20 February 1999 [ 6] November 1998 MF Kevin Dennis Chesham United December 1998 [ 14] 5 February 1999 GK Kevin Dearden Barnet 10 March 1999 [ 6] 8 February 1999 MF Warren Aspinall Colchester United 24 March 1999 [ 15] 8 February 1999 MF Kevin Dennis Welling United 8 March 1999 [ 16] 26 February 1999 MF Ryan Denys Carshalton Athletic End of season [ 17] 11 March 1999 GK Kevin Dearden Huddersfield Town End of season Players released Date Pos. Name Subsequent club Join date Ref. 1 October 1998 FW Niall Thompson Vancouver 86ers 1998 [ 6] January 1999 MF David McGhee Stevenage Borough 1 August 1999 30 June 1999 GK Kevin Dearden Wrexham 1 July 1999 [ 20] 30 June 1999 MF Kevin Dennis Hampton & Richmond Borough 1 July 1999 [ 16] 30 June 1999 MF Ryan Denys Hampton & Richmond Borough 1 July 1999 [ 17] 30 June 1999 MF Dirk Hebel Bonner SC 1999 30 June 1999 DF Andy Walker n/a n/a [ 22]
Supplier: Super League Sponsor(s): GMB
Source: Brentford F.C.
^ Match played behind closed doors . ^ Despite the match taking place at Griffin Park , Brentford wore their away strip, due to competition rules stating "where the colours (shirts, shorts or stockings) of the two competing clubs are similar, both clubs must change, unless arrangements are mutually agreed by the competing clubs". ^ Brentford Football Club Official Matchday Magazine versus Hull City . 7 May 2005. pp. 46–47. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Premier and Football League transfers" . www.11v11.com . Retrieved 21 April 2016 . ^ a b c d e f g h i "Brentford results for the 1998–1999 season" . Statto.com . Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016 . ^ "Latest Brentford Results, Fixtures & Betting Odds" . Soccer Base . Retrieved 22 April 2016 . ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Premier and Football League transfers" . www.11v11.com . Retrieved 21 April 2016 . ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 . Yore Publications. p. 99. ISBN 978-0955294914 . ^ a b Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Exeter City . Charlton, London: Morganprint. 1 May 1999. pp. 30–31. ^ "English Division Three Table on Saturday 1st May 1999" . Statto.com . Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016 . ^ "Hermann Hreidarsson" . 11v11.com . Retrieved 11 November 2016 . ^ "Powell becomes a Bee" . This Is Local London . Retrieved 4 January 2018 . ^ Dirk Hebel at Soccerbase ^ Mohamed Berthé at Soccerbase ^ "Comeback Kenny is back in goal" . Watford Observer . Retrieved 21 October 2017 . ^ Warren Aspinall at Soccerbase ^ a b Kevin Dennis at Soccerbase ^ a b Ryan Denys at Soccerbase ^ Kevin Dearden at Soccerbase ^ "Four players have received Free Transfers from the Club, Kevin Dennis, Ryan Denys, Dirk Hebel and Andy Walker, whilst Kevin Dearden who made a total of 254 appearances for the Club since signing from Tottenham in September 1993, has been released from his contract by mutual consent". brentfordfc.co.uk . 4 June 1999. ^ Sewell, Albert, ed. (1999). News Of The World Football Annual 1999–2000 . Hammersmith, London: Invincible Press. p. 346. ISBN 000218883X . ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2013). The Big Brentford Book Of The Nineties . Sunbury, Middlesex: Legends Publishing. p. 291. ISBN 9781906796723 . ^ Brentford Matchday Magazine versus Brighton & Hove Albion . Charlton, London: Morganprint. 22 August 1998. p. 3.
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