Season: 1933–34
Football League First Division
League
Leslie Knighton’s first season after David Calderhead’s 26-year spell ended with Chelsea 19th in the First Division on 36 points — two clear of the drop, as Newcastle United and Sheffield United went down.
- Division
- Football League First Division (Tier 1)
- Manager
- Leslie Knighton
- Top scorer (league)
- George Mills (14)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- Hughie Gallacher (16)
- Avg. league attendance
- 29,774
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Fifth round
- League Cup
- —
- Europe
- —
- Other
- London Challenge Cup: Semi-finals (beat Queens Park Rangers 2–1, 9 Oct 1933; beat Millwall 4–1, 23 Oct 1933; lost to Arsenal 2–3, 13 Nov 1933)
Notes
Leslie Knighton’s first season after David Calderhead’s 26-year spell ended with Chelsea 19th in the First Division on 36 points — two clear of the drop, as Newcastle United and Sheffield United went down. A rough autumn included a 1–6 thrashing at Huddersfield and a 0–4 home defeat to Tottenham before 67,454, the season’s biggest Stamford Bridge crowd. George Mills led the league scoring with 14 goals; Hughie Gallacher finished with 13 in the league and 16 in all competitions. The FA Cup brought two replay wins — 1–0 at West Bromwich Albion after extra time, then 3–0 at Nottingham Forest — before a 1–3 exit at Stoke City in the fifth round. Average home league attendance was 29,774. In the London Challenge Cup the Blues reached the semi-finals before losing to Arsenal.
Kits
Historical Football Kits opens a distinct 1933–1934 home panel after 1930–1933: royal blue with a contrasting rugby collar, white shorts and black socks with blue-and-white turnovers. The change strip switched from maroon to red with a white collar at the start of this season.
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html
Illustration from hex colours (not official kit photography).
On this day (related years)
History
Eras, trophies, and great matches in the History section.
Explore history →Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chelsea_F.C._seasons
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1933%E2%80%9334_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1933%E2%80%9334_Football_League
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1933.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1933.htm
- http://free-elements.com/England/Goals/CheL/CheL1933.html
- https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/eng/aveeng1934.htm
- https://www.cfchistory.co.uk/chelsea-season-stats.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Knighton
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html