During the 1977–78 English football season, Brentford competed in the Football League Fourth Division. 58 goals from Steve Phillips and Andrew McCulloch helped the club to a 4th-place finish and promotion to the Third Division. Phillips' 36 goals was the most in English league football by any player during the season.

Quick Facts Chairman, Manager ...

Brentford

1977–78 season
Chairman	Dan Tana
Manager	Bill Dodgin Jr.
Stadium	Griffin Park
Fourth Division	4th (promoted)
FA Cup	Second round
League Cup	First round
Top goalscorer	League: Phillips (32) All: Phillips (36)
Highest home attendance	14,496
Lowest home attendance	5,492
Average home league attendance	8,578
Home colours Away colours
← 1976–77 1978–79 →

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Having spent much of the previous season rebuilding the unbalanced squad left by his predecessor John Docherty, Brentford manager Bill Dodgin Jr. shrugged off two off-season disappointments (failing to agree a fee with Bristol City for John Bain and Terry Johnson's refusal to sign a new contract) by bringing in goalkeeper Len Bond for £8,000 and midfielders Barry Lloyd and Willie Graham.^[1] Expectations were high going into the 1977–78 Fourth Division season, with Dodgin's attractive brand of attacking football having led to 14 wins from the final 18 matches of the previous season.^[1]

After a what was then becoming traditional first round exit of the League 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 newcomers Wimbledon.^[2] The three-pronged attack of forwards Gordon Sweetzer, Andrew McCulloch and midfielder Steve 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] captain Jackie Graham and a suspension suffered by Andrew McCulloch nullified Brentford's threat through the Christmas 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 of full back Barry Tucker would prove to be the final piece of the jigsaw in manager Bill Dodgin Jr.'s starting XI.^[1] A 4–0 win over Rochdale at Griffin 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 to Cambridge 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, the wings 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 the Third Division was secured with two matches still to play.^[1]

Phillips' 36 goals meant that he finished the season as the top scorer in English 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 versus Crewe Alexandra, 3 September 1977)^[6]

Brentford's goal tally listed first.

Players' ages are as of the opening day of the 1977–78 season.

More information Pos., Name ...

Pos.	Name	Nat.	Date of birth (age)	Signed from	Signed in	Notes
Goalkeepers
GK	Len Bond		(1954-01-12)12 January 1954 (aged 23)	Bristol City	1977
GK	Graham Cox		(1959-04-30)30 April 1959 (aged 18)	Youth	1975
Defenders
DF	Michael Allen		(1949-03-30)30 March 1949 (aged 28)	Middlesbrough	1971
DF	John Fraser		(1953-07-12)12 July 1953 (aged 24)	Fulham	1976
DF	Pat Kruse		(1953-11-30)30 November 1953 (aged 23)	Torquay United	1977
DF	Danis Salman		(1960-03-12)12 March 1960 (aged 17)	Youth	1975
DF	Nigel Smith		(1958-07-03)3 July 1958 (aged 19)	Queens Park Rangers	1975
DF	Barry Tucker		(1952-08-28)28 August 1952 (aged 24)	Northampton Town	1978
Midfielders
MF	Doug Allder		(1951-12-30)30 December 1951 (aged 25)	Unattached	1977
MF	Steve Aylott		(1951-09-03)3 September 1951 (aged 25)	Oxford United	1976
MF	Dave Carlton		(1952-11-24)24 November 1952 (aged 24)	Northampton Town	1976
MF	Jackie Graham (c)		(1946-07-16)16 July 1946 (aged 31)	Guildford City	1970
MF	Willie Graham		(1959-02-14)14 February 1959 (aged 18)	Northampton Town	1977
MF	Barry Lloyd		(1949-02-19)19 February 1949 (aged 28)	Hereford United	1977
MF	Gary Rolph		(1960-02-24)24 February 1960 (aged 17)	Youth	1976
MF	Paul Shrubb		(1955-08-01)1 August 1955 (aged 22)	Hellenic	1977
MF	Paul Walker		(1960-12-17)17 December 1960 (aged 16)	Youth	1976
Forwards
FW	Tommy Baldwin		(1945-06-10)10 June 1945 (aged 32)	Unattached	1977
FW	Andrew McCulloch		(1950-01-03)3 January 1950 (aged 27)	Oxford United	1976
FW	John Murray		(1948-03-02)2 March 1948 (aged 29)	Reading	1978
FW	Steve Phillips		(1954-08-04)4 August 1954 (aged 23)	Northampton Town	1977
Players who left the club mid-season
MF	Terry Glynn		(1958-12-17)17 December 1958 (aged 18)	Orient	1977	Released
FW	Gordon Sweetzer		(1957-01-27)27 January 1957 (aged 20)	Queens Park Rangers	1975	Transferred to Cambridge United

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• Sources: The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies,^[10] Timeless Bees^[11]

• Supporters' Player of the Year: Andrew McCulloch^[15]
• Players' Player of the Year: Andrew McCulloch^[15]
• Adidas Golden Boot: Steve Phillips^[16]
• Evening Standard Player of the Month: Steve Phillips (March 1978)^[1]
• Football League Fourth Division Manager of the Month: Bill Dodgin Jr. (March 1978)^[3]