Season: 1950–51
Football League First Division
League
Billy Birrell’s fifth peacetime season nearly ended in relegation.
- Division
- Football League First Division (Tier 1)
- Manager
- Billy Birrell
- Top scorer (league)
- Roy Bentley (8)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- Roy Bentley (11)
- Avg. league attendance
- 39,667
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Fifth round
- League Cup
- —
- Europe
- —
- Other
- London Challenge Cup: Round 1 (lost to Millwall 1–2, 9 Oct 1950)
Notes
Billy Birrell’s fifth peacetime season nearly ended in relegation. Chelsea finished 20th of 22 with 32 points from 12 wins, 8 draws and 22 defeats (53–65) — level with Sheffield Wednesday and Everton, who both went down. Survival came on goal average: Chelsea’s 0.815 edged Wednesday’s 0.771 by 0.044 of a goal. Six points adrift of safety with four matches left, they won all four — Liverpool 1–0 and Wolves 2–1 at home, Fulham 2–1 away, then Bolton Wanderers 4–0 at the Bridge on the last day. Home form was 9–4–8 (31–25); away only three wins (3–4–14, 22–40). Tottenham Hotspur, newly promoted, took the title. Roy Bentley led the scoring with 8 league goals and 11 in all competitions. Bobby Smith (7), Hugh Billington, Bobby Campbell and Billy Gray (6 each) shared the next tier. In the FA Cup Chelsea beat Third Division North Rochdale 3–2 at Spotland, Exeter City after a 1–1 draw and 2–0 Bridge replay, then fell to Fulham — 1–1 in front of 69,434 at Stamford Bridge, 0–3 in the Craven Cottage replay. London Challenge Cup exit came in round one at Millwall (1–2). Home league gates averaged 39,667 (high 65,992 vs Tottenham in October; low 23,723 vs Burnley in March). Eric Parsons arrived from West Ham United for £23,000 at the end of November.
Kits
Home stayed on the classic royal-blue rugby-collar look through the mid-1950s (HFK has finer panels including Sept–Oct 1934 hooped-sock experiments, Nov 1934–1944, wartime 1944–46, and 1946–48 / 1948–49 / 1949–55). Away remained red with a white collar from the 1933–34 switch; the 1955 champions wore this era’s home look.
- 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/1950%E2%80%9351_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950%E2%80%9351_Football_League
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1950.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1950.htm
- http://free-elements.com/England/Goals/CheL/CheL1950.html
- http://www.mychelseafc.com/chelsea_news/previous_cup_results/1950.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Bentley
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Smith_(footballer,_born_1933)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Birrell
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Parsons
- https://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/stats/Report/gate/a1950-51.html
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html