The Brentford FC Blind Commentary Scheme
This was an amazing initiative set up by the Brentford Supporters Club, in the early1950’s which became a Brentford fixture for over 60 years.
We were the second club in the country, after Preston North End, to offer such a service with listeners receiving wired earphones.
Plymouth Argyle had earlier also provided a commentary but without earphones, with the listeners sitting close to a commentator.
The Brentford Manager, Jimmy Bain, was the first commentator alongside Supporters Secretary Cyril Tyler, but halfway through the first commentary, he had to rush to the changing room to deal with an injury to Bees’ winger Jackie Gibbons.
So the Supporters’ Chairman Peter Pond-Jones took over and he carried on doing so for the next sixteen years!
Peter Pond Jones with (L-R) Alan Simpson, Eric Sykes, Tony Booth, Johnny Speight
The Club’s programme editor Eric White joined him, and they continued jointly commentating for much of that time.
They were sometimes later joined by legendary TV and Radio comedy scriptwriter Alan Simpson ( of Hancock’s Half Hour and Steptoe and Son fame) Arthur Winslow and Roland Blake.
Later, they were replaced by Alan Rogers, assisted by Mary Farley (who supplied the tea and cakes!), and as we entered the 1980’s Alan Denman and myself, Geoff Buckingham commentated for around 30 years or more.
Subsequently I was joined on a rota with others, including Steve Leggett, Ian Westbrook, Stuart Costick, Chris Wickham and Mark Burridge, until the scheme eventually merged with the Bees World, then BeesPlayer internet commentary, when Lois Melville joined.
Guests initially included former Bees record goalscorer Jim Towers, then, later, Graham Haynes, Mark Buckingham, Natalie Sawyer, Billy Reeve, Bees skipper Kevin O’Connor, Gary Alexander, Richard Lee, Sam Saunders and Mike Cable. In recent times, a host of former Brentford players, including Charlie Mc Donald, Jonathan Douglas, Terry Evans, Allan Cockram, Marcus Gayle and Karleigh Osborne , have featured on the commentary alongside current regular commentator Mark Burridge, and away matches are often now included.
There were two occasions when visiting club supporters were also given commentaries. One being in the 1950’s when we beat Norwich City 7-0, and the other in 1964 when we beat Wrexham 9-0!
Maybe we should have included visiting supporters more often!”
Geoff Buckingham
