One hundred years ago this weekend… Scenes following the final whistle of Brentford’s match with Brighton and Hove Albion led to Griffin Park being shut by the FA.
The punishment was handed out after the Commission’s investigation into how the sending-off of Bees forward Jack Allen ended with bricks being thrown at match referee Mr. E. Butler by a section of the crowd.
Griffin Park was closed for a fortnight, with Allen being banned from playing for a month. The referee of tonight’s game between Brentford and Chelsea should maybe be warned that the locals don’t like their players being sent off!
This was not a one-off case, as only a few years earlier, a Brentford fan by the name of Percy Sands pleaded guilty to assaulting a Charlton Athletic player during a match, which was reported at the time as follows:
“At the Brentford Police Court yesterday, Percy Sands, of Ealing Road, Brentford, pleaded guilty to assaulting  J. Wilson, the Charlton Athletic outside-left. The complainant stated that while taking part in a match between Brentford and Charlton, a man, who he could not identify, jumped the barrier and struck him violently in the face. The man then tried to escape but was followed by another of the players, who brought him back and handed him over to the police to obtain his name. The defendant expressed regret and said that he suffered from shell shock and got very excited. In imposing a penalty of twenty shillings, the Chairman advised the defendant that he had better keep away from football grounds and so avoid getting excited.”
Dave Lane
