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1900–01 Brentford F.C. season

Brentford
1900–01 season
Chairman William Lewis
Stadium York Road
Southern League Second Division 1st (promoted)
FA Cup Fourth qualifying round
Top goalscorer League: Turnbull (15)
All: Turnbull (15)

During the 1900–01 English football season, Brentford competed in the Southern League Second Division. An unbeaten league season led to Brentford topping the division, before failing to beat Swindon Town in a promotion-relegation test match. Promotion was finally assured when the club was elected into the Southern League First Division in July 1901.

Despite the final implications of jumping the hurdle from amateur to professional status during the previous season, Brentford went into the 1900–01 Southern League Second Division campaign in a healthy state. The club moved from Cross Roads near South Ealing station back to Brentford and would play their matches at Boston Park Cricket Club's ground York Road, a move beneficial for both clubs. Harry Underwood, a member of the Brentford committee, also managed to persuade a number of local tradesmen, to whom the club owed over £100 (£11,000 in 2017), to write off the debt. Now under the charge of William Lewis as a team manager of sorts, Brentford trimmed down the playing staff and signed two new professional players – left back Harry Gilmour and inside forward Joe Turner. Because of the reduction in size of the Southern League Second Division, Brentford also entered the London League to help generate revenue.

Brentford began the Southern League season in fine form, but suffered a number of defeats in the early London League matches and consequently five new players were signed – goalkeeper Dave Clear, full back Jack Graham, half back William Hainsworth, inside right Roddy McLeod and centre forward Peter Turnbull. McLeod and Turnbull proved to be master-stroke signings and along with existing forwards Ralph McElhaney, E. Andrews and Joe Turner, the quintet fired Brentford to an unbeaten Southern League season. The Bees' 1st-place finish in the Second Division led to a test match at the end of the season versus Swindon Town, who had finished bottom of the First Division. With Brentford needing to win to secure promotion and with the score at 0–0, the match at Elm Park went into extra time and was called off after 107 minutes due to bad light.


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