1954–55 Chelsea F.C. season explained

Season:1954–55
League Result:1st
Cup1 Result:Fifth round
League Topscorer:
Roy Bentley (21)
Season Topscorer:
Roy Bentley (21)
Highest Attendance:75,043 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (9 April 1955)
Lowest Attendance:30,239 vs Burnley (23 August 1954)
Pattern B1:_whitecollarplain
Pattern So1:_whitetop
Leftarm1:0000ff
Body1:0000ff
Rightarm1:0000ff
Socks1:000000
Pattern B2:_whitecollarplain
Pattern So2:_whitetop
Leftarm2:ff0000
Body2:ff0000
Rightarm2:ff0000
Socks2:000000
Prevseason:1953–54

The 1954–55 season was Chelsea Football Club's 50th of competitive football, their Golden Jubilee and their 20th consecutive year in the English top flight. It was also the club's most successful year up to that point, as they won the Football League Championship for the first time.

The success was unexpected; Chelsea had never won a major trophy before and their league positions since the Second World War had ranged from 8th to 20th. They also began this season inauspiciously, and the club were languishing in 12th place after four consecutive defeats in October. Subsequently, results improved and the team lost just three of their next 25 matches, ultimately securing the title with a game to spare. Key to the success were two wins against their principal title rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers and a ten match unbeaten streak during the title run-in. Club captain Roy Bentley finished as top scorer, with 21 goals, and the club attracted an average home gate of 48,307, the highest in the division.

As champions of England, Chelsea were invited to enter the inaugural European Cup. They initially accepted, but later withdrew from the competition under pressure from the Football League, who saw the tournament as a distraction to domestic football.[1]

Results

First Division

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
21 August 1954 Leicester CityA1–138,941Bentley
23 August 1954 BurnleyH1–030,239Parsons
28 August 1954 Bolton WanderersH3–252,756Bentley, Lewis, Ball (o.g.)
31 August 1954 BurnleyA1–152,756Bentley
4 September 1954 Cardiff CityH1–142,688Lewis
6 September 1954 Preston North EndH0–136,947
11 September 1954 Manchester CityA1–136,230Bentley
15 September 1954 Preston North EndA2–127,549Parsons, McNichol
18 September 1954 EvertonH0–259,199
20 November 1954 Sheffield UnitedA2–114,137Stubbs, Lewis
25 September 1954 Newcastle UnitedA3–145,659McNichol, Bentley (2)
2 October 1954 West Bromwich AlbionH3–367,440Parsons, Bentley, Lewis
9 October 1954 Huddersfield TownA0–129,556
16 October 1954 Manchester UnitedH5–655,966Armstrong, O'Connell (3), Lewis
23 October 1954 BlackpoolA0–119,694
30 October 1954 Charlton AthleticH1–254,113Parsons
6 November 1954 SunderlandA3–342,416McNichol (2), Stubbs
13 November 1954 Tottenham HotspurH2–152,961Bentley, Lewis
20 November 1954 Sheffield WednesdayA1–125,913McNichol
27 November 1954 PortsmouthH4–140,358McNichol, Stubbs, Bentley, Blunstone
4 December 1954 Wolverhampton WanderersA4–332,095McNichol, Bentley (2), Stubbs
11 December 1954 Aston VillaH4–036,162Parsons, McNichol (2), Bentley
18 December 1954 Leicester CityH3–133,215Parsons, McNichol, Froggatt/Milburn (o.g.)
25 December 1954 ArsenalA0–147,178
27 December 1954 ArsenalH1–165,922O'Connell
1 January 1955 Bolton WanderersA5–230,988Sillett, O'Connell, Bentley (2), Higgins (o.g.)
22 January 1955 Manchester CityH0–234,160
5 February 1955 EvertonA1–150,658Bentley
12 February 1955 Newcastle UnitedH4–350,667McNichol, Bentley (3)
26 February 1955 Huddersfield TownH4–135,786Parsons, Bentley, Stubbs, Blunstone
5 March 1955 Aston VillaA2–324,822Parsons, McNichol
9 March 1955 West Bromwich AlbionA4–27,764Sillett (2), Saunders, Bentley
12 March 1955 BlackpoolH0–055,227
19 March 1955 Charlton AthleticA2–041,415O'Connell, Blunstone
23 March 1955 Cardiff CityA1–016,649O'Connell
29 March 1955 SunderlandH2–133,203Willemse, McDonald (o.g.)
2 April 1955 Tottenham HotspurA4–253,159Sillett (pen.), Wicks, McNichol (2)
8 April 1955 Sheffield UnitedH1–150,978Parsons
9 April 1955 Wolverhampton WanderersH1–075,043Sillett (pen.)
16 April 1955 PortsmouthA0–040,230
23 April 1955 Sheffield WednesdayH3–051,421Sillett (pen.), Parsons (2)
30 April 1955 Manchester UnitedA1–234,933Bentley

FA Cup

DateRoundOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
8 January 1955 R3WalsallStamford Bridge2–040,020O'Connell, Stubbs
29 January 1955 R4Bristol RoversEastville Stadium3–135,952Parsons, McNichol, Blunstone
19 February 1955 R5Notts CountyMeadow Lane0–141,930

Players Used

[2]

PlayerPositionLeagueGoalsCupGoalsGamesGoals
Charlie ThomsonGoalkeeper160
Bill RobertsonGoalkeeper260
Ken ArmstrongRight-half391
Stan WicksCentre-half211
Alan DicksCentre-half10
Ron GreenwoodCentre-half210
John HarrisCentre-half/right-back310
Derek SaundersLeft-half421
Peter SillettRight-back216
Stan WillemseLeft-back361
Eric ParsonsRight-wing4211
Frank BlunstoneLeft-wing233
Jim LewisLeft-wing176
John McNicholInside-Forward4014
Roy Bentley (c)Centre forward4121
Les StubbsInside-left275
Robert EdwardsOutside-left10
Peter BrabrookForward30
Bobby SmithCentre forward40
Seamus O'ConnellInside-Forward107

References

General
Specific

Notes and References

  1. Book: Glanvill, Rick . Chelsea FC: The Official Biography . 254 . 2005 . Headline . London . 0755314654.
  2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/4374647.stm "Champions of a different era"

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "1954–55 Chelsea F.C. season".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.