Part Two – How we enlisted the help of the then England Team Manager, Ron Greenwood, and tracked down the last Brentford player to play for England prior to Ivan Toney!
As we approached Brentford’s 90th year, Graham and I hit on the idea of bringing out a book to commemorate this milestone. Although Graham himself had regularly written a serialisation of the club’s history, over a number of seasons, in the club programme, we felt it would be good to produce an easy-to-read booklet in time for Christmas 1979. And this had never been done before.
Frankly, with the club still run on a bit of a shoestring, we never knew if the club would necessarily still be around in ten years’ time for it’s Centenary!
We hit on the name “The Brentford Story”
We approached the club for it’s blessing, which it duly gave. But it did not have the resources to give us any other help, although the General Manager Denis Piggott gave us an interview.
So we financed it, marketed and produced it ourselves. It was, by necessity, a more modest effort than subsequent books about the club. But it ultimately did sell 2000 copies, and we gave the profits to the Brentford Supporters’ Club.
A big help in this was a certain man who had played for Brentford in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s and, following his subsequent playing success at Chelsea, and management success at West Ham United, became England Team Manager. Ron Greenwood. We felt it would give our project a huge boost if he could possibly agree to write the foreword for ‘The Brentford Story’.
So we put pen to paper and wrote to him, care of The Football Association. As we knew he would be very busy with the important job of running the England Team, we did not hold out much hope.
Yet, within days he wrote back and said he would be happy to!
That gave Graham and I a huge fillip, and we gratefully proceeded to publish the book, just in time to fit into supporters Christmas stockings!
Priced at just 70p it was within reach of most pockets, albeit it was a modest publication compared with many bigger books that subsequently followed.
Graham and I agreed that he would write the first half, up to the break out of World War Two, and I would write the post war history. We did, though, swap contact details, and also got great help from Ernald Gifford of The Brentford & Chiswick Times, The Ealing Gazette and the now defunct Evening Mail.
Graham tracked down the phone number of former Brentford star of the 1930’s, 40’s and very early 50’s. Leslie Smith. This was a real coup, as Leslie was the last Englishman prior to Ivan Toney to play for England. He also scored both goals at Wembley when The Bees beat Portsmouth at Wembley in The London War Final. On top of that he loaned us photos of him scoring the two goals! It was great chatting to him, and he revealed that he nearly missed the game because he got delayed travelling to Wembley from his RAF base. In fact his ‘replacement’ was already changed and about to take to the pitch by the time he arrived at the stadium!
Working with Graham on this initiative was sheer pleasure. He was a sheer pleasure to work with.
Although I myself stepped back from writing for a while, Graham continued apace and went on to play a vital role, and set a fine example, with the co-writing of much bigger books in the future (as featured on these pages) and often freely came up with information to help other supporter/writers with their own publications.
Graham’s indomitable spirit and enthusiasm was typified by him choosing to take his Summer holiday in Portugal, so that it coincided with a short Brentford FC tour there. It enabled him to provide information to Brentford Clubcall describing the performances of new signing, Maltese International John Buttigieg!
Graham also tracked down former Brentford reserve player Bradley Walsh, who had subsequently risen to the very top in showbiz. This culminated in some very interesting interviews and articles, and a party of Brentford supporters attending one of Bradley’s West End shows.
As well as his gift for writing, Graham had a significant ability to encourage, and to collaborate with other writers. It was telling that so many others were keen on working with him. He was so unselfish and amenable, yet very passionate about his writing and about his beloved club.
That passion for Brentford came to the fore when the climax to the 1991/1992 season approached.
Brentford were closing in on promotion from the old Third Division, and the final game of that season saw the Bees visiting play off chasing Peterborough United in a clash that could determine if Brentford would miss out, or win promotion, or even win the title. Real drama in prospect!
Unfortunately, shortly before that game, Graham had been diagnosed with a serious Heart Disease, and had to urgently undergo a Double Heart Bypass operation. But no way was he going to miss that game. So he postponed his operation until afterwards!
I can tell you, those of us close to Graham at London Road in the very tense dying minutes of that match were extra anxious as to the impact on Graham!
The latter moments of that game, with The Posh constantly pumping the ball into Graham Benstead’s Brentford goalmouth as the home side attempted to cancel out Gary Blisset’s first half headed goal, were the tensest I have ever experienced. Would Brentford hold out? And would Graham’s heart hold out too?! Fortunately, Brentford held out to gain a famous 1-0 victory that saw us win the division as well as promotion.
Graham promptly went under the surgeon’s knife a few days later, but therefore missed the Civic parade and celebrations.
Fortunately he made a good recovery from what I can now personally vouch for as being a very challenging operation to undergo. His recovery was aided, and his spirits lifted, by a special surprise whist he was recuperating at his Hampshire home.
With special permission from the club, Ian Westbrook and myself were able to take the Third Division Champions Trophy to him as per the photo here.
And, after getting caught in motorway traffic and heavy rainfall, we just about returned the trophy to Griffin Park in time for it to be put back into the club safe before nightfall. That was almost as hair-raising as the dying moments at Peterborough!
Graham would have seen the funny side of that, and, fortunately, he eventually returned to watching his beloved Brentford, and contributing many more excellent writing pieces for many more seasons, until, very sadly, fate took a bad turn on Saturday 26th April, and he tragically collapsed within a goal kick of his beloved Griffin Park…
Graham’s funeral was attended by many Brentford supporters, and staff, including Mark Burridge, Peter Gilham and club director Alan Bird. Afterwards, we decided to launch a ‘Graham Haynes Trophy’, to be awarded annually to fellow supporters who voluntarily gave up their time to benefit the club and its supporters. This trophy was awarded for ten consecutive seasons, and was presented on the pitch, by Graham’s widow Janet, at the final home game of each season.
We felt Graham would have approved of those efforts.
We are sure he would also be smiling down on the Brentford supporters who have carried on the tradition of lovingly writing about his beloved Brentford Football Club.
Graham Haynes has been and is to this day, sadly missed, never forgotten.
Geoff Buckingham