Brighton & Hove Albion 1924-25 Season

Brighton & Hove Albion 1924-25 Season Overview

The opening nine games of the 1924-25 season promised much for Brighton & Hove Albion. An encouraging start saw the Albion sitting second in Division Three South after losing just once up until mid-October, but inconsistent form from that point on resulted in an eventual finishing position of eighth for Charlie Webb’s side.

Luton Town were the only opponents to defeat the Albion in those nine fixtures, winning 3-1 when the two met at Kenilworth Road on Saturday 13^th September 1924. Brentford (4-2), Gillingham (2-0), Aberdare Athletic (2-1), Newport County (4-1) and Merthyr Town (3-1) were all beaten, although given that all four of those sides finished in the bottom half of the table, Brighton’s early lofty position was perhaps more to do with the quality of the opposition rather than Webb having a group of players capable of challenging for the title.

Defeat against Plymouth Argyle at the Goldstone Ground on Saturday 11^th October 1924 brought that flying start to a halt. Brighton won just one of their next 10 when beating Watford 2-0 at home on Saturday 1^st November 1924, failing to score in six consecutive matches against Northampton Town (0-1), Charlton Athletic (0-0), Queens Park Rangers (0-2), Reading (0-0), Swansea Town (0-0) and Exeter City (0-2) as part of that run.

A 2-1 success on Christmas Day 1924 away at Bristol Rovers – one of only five wins on the road all season – broke that sequence. For the remainder of the 1924-25 season, Brighton’s wins came in fits and starts. A burst of three victories over Bristol City (1-0), Southend United (2-1) and Watford (1-0) between Saturday 14^th February 1925 and Saturday 28^th February 1925 was followed by four games without a victory.

Four successive games were then won between Saturday 25^th March 9125 and Good Friday 10^th April 1925 against Aberdare (4-1), QPR (5-0), Methyr (2-1) and Swindon Town (3-1). Those victories followed the signing of centre forward Sam Jennings from West Ham United, who notched eight goals in the final 11 games of the season.

That mini run of victories was followed by three successive defeats and two victories which rounded off the campaign, a 2-0 win against Exeter on Saturday 25^th April 1925 and a 3-1 win over Norwich City on Saturday 2^nd May 1925.

The FA Cup provided some entertainment, even if Brighton’s involvement in the competition came to an ultimately disappointing end with a 1-0 defeat away at Southampton in the second round. That tie at the Dell was set up thanks to a first round replay win over Watford. The initial meeting had finished 1-1 at Vicarage Road on Saturday 10^th January 1925 with the second attempt going to extra time before the Albion triumphed 4-3 in the season’s most entertaining fare. Bob Dennison hit a hat-trick with Jimmy Hopkins the other scorer on Wednesday 4^th January 1925.

Tommy Cook finished as top scorer with 18 goals in 33 games. His form was rewarded on Saturday 28^th February 1925 when he became the first ever Brighton player to receive a full cap for England, starting in a 2-1 victory over Wales in a Home Championship fixture at the Vetch Field. For a player from Division Three South to represent England was an outstanding achievement and Cook attracted plenty of attention from bigger clubs in the wake of his Three Lions bow.