Season: 1952–53
Football League First Division
League
Ted Drake’s first full season as Chelsea manager — appointed on 1 June 1952 after Billy Birrell — was another First Division escape.
- Division
- Football League First Division (Tier 1)
- Manager
- Ted Drake
- Top scorer (league)
- Roy Bentley (12)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- Roy Bentley (17)
- Avg. league attendance
- 43,842
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Fifth round
- League Cup
- —
- Europe
- —
- Other
- London Challenge Cup: Semi-finals (drew Millwall 3–3, 6 Oct 1952; beat Millwall 2–0 in the replay, 13 Oct 1952; beat Finchley 5–3 aet, 20 Oct 1952; lost to West Ham United 1–5, 3 Nov 1952)
Notes
Ted Drake’s first full season as Chelsea manager — appointed on 1 June 1952 after Billy Birrell — was another First Division escape. Chelsea finished 19th of 22 with 35 points from 12 wins, 11 draws and 19 defeats (56–66), level with Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City but behind Wednesday on goal average (0.848 to 0.861) and ahead of City (0.828). Stoke City and Derby County went down. Home form was 10–4–7 (35–24); away only two wins (2–7–12, 21–42). Arsenal took the title on goal average from Preston North End. Biggest league wins were 4–0 over Blackpool and Aston Villa at the Bridge in September; the heaviest reverses 0–4 at Middlesbrough and Manchester City. Drake brought in Johnny McNichol from Brighton, Ron Greenwood from Brentford, Les Stubbs from Southend and, in February, teenage winger Frank Blunstone from Crewe. Roy Bentley led the league scoring with 12 and finished with 17 in all competitions (5 in the FA Cup). Johnny McNichol followed with 11 league goals and Eric Parsons with 7. In the FA Cup Chelsea reached the fifth round after a marathon with West Bromwich Albion: Derby County 4–4 away and 1–0 after extra time at the Bridge, then West Brom 1–1, 0–0 aet, 1–1 aet at Villa Park and finally 4–0 at Highbury — before Birmingham City ended the run 4–0 at Stamford Bridge. London Challenge Cup path went through Millwall (after a replay) and Finchley to the semi-finals, where West Ham United won 5–1. Home league gates averaged 43,842 (high 72,614 vs Arsenal in April; low 17,173 vs Stoke on Boxing Day’s return).
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)
No entries found for this season’s 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/1952%E2%80%9353_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1952%E2%80%9353_Football_League
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1952.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1952.htm
- http://free-elements.com/England/Goals/CheL/CheL1952.html
- http://www.mychelseafc.com/chelsea_news/previous_cup_results/1952.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Bentley
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Drake
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_McNichol
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Blunstone
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Greenwood
- https://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/stats/Report/gate/a1952-53.html
- https://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/forums/threads/london-challenge-cup-results-only.6585/
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html