During the
1956β57 English football season,
Brentford competed in the
Football League Third Division South. Despite topping the table early in the season, a poor run of form dropped the club to the lower reaches of mid-table by February 1957. A strong final two months of the season lifted the Bees to an 8th-place finish.
Brentford had a dream start to the 1956β57 season, winning the opening four matches and sitting atop the table.[2] Three subsequent defeats dropped the Bees to as low as 13th-place, before top spot was again reached after another three wins in September 1956.[2]ForwardsJeff Taylor and
George Francis (supported by
Jim Towers) were in imperious form, with Taylor having scored 9 goals and Francis 8 goals after 10 matches.[3] A 4β0 defeat away to
Ipswich Town on 22 September ended the run and Brentford won just three of next 20 league matches,[2] with Taylor and Francis completely losing form and Towers spending periods out injured.[3] The signing of
Chelsea forward
Eric Parsons had little impact.[1]
The Bees reached their nadir on 19 January 1957, losing 7β0 to
Walsall, a scoreline which equalled the club's record defeat.[4] Three matches later, Brentford lost 5β1 to
Northampton Town and completed a slide from 1st position on 18 September 1956 to 17th on 16 February 1957.[2] Jim Towers' return to full fitness coincided with the team's return to form in March, with George Francis scoring five goals amidst a run of four consecutive wins.[3] After victory over Southend United on 12 March, chairman Frank Davis announced that manager Bill Dodgin Sr. would be leaving Griffin Park at the end of the campaign.[1] Brentford lost just two of the remaining 11 matches of the season and battled to an 8th-place finish.[2]
A number of club records were set or equalled during the season:
Record league defeat: 0β7 versus Walsall, 19 January 1957[4]
Consecutive away league wins: 5 (21 April β 29 August 1956)[5]
Consecutive league draws: 5 (16 March β 6 April 1957)[5]
Most home league games without a clean sheet: 16 (3 March β 20 October 1956)[5]