During the
1908β09 English football season,
Brentford competed in the
Southern League First Division. A disastrous season ended with a bottom-place finish, but the club was spared relegation after the First Division was expanded in June 1909.
Brentford endured a forgettable
Southern League First Division season, matching the 33 points won during the previous season, but instead finishing five places lower at the bottom of the table.[2] The return of Jimmy Jay in October helped solidify the back lines, which up to that point were leaking goals.[1]ForwardAlex McCulloch, signed during the 1908 off-season, caught the eye of manager Halliday's former club
Bradford Park Avenue and departed for a Β£350 fee in November, with
Geordie Reid arriving at Griffin Park in part-exchange.[1] Reid would top-score for the Bees during the season with 18 goals.[1] There was some cheer late in the season, with the Bees winning the Southern Professional Charity Cup.[1]
Brentford's bottom-place finish was initially no cause for concern, with plans afoot for 16 Southern League clubs, plus another two from a list of six (which included Brentford), to form a
Third Division of the
Football League.[1] The chance fell through when the Football League
First and
Second Division clubs voted against the formation of a Third Division, but Brentford were saved from relegation when the
Southern League opted to expand to 22 clubs in June 1909, with
Croydon Common being promoted from the Second Division and thus preserving Brentford's First Division status.[1]
Source: [citation needed] Rules for classification: The system of using
goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used until the 1976-77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.