Season: 1957–58
Football League First Division
League
The season Jimmy Greaves arrived — and Chelsea found a little more sparkle in mid-table.
- Division
- Football League First Division (Tier 1)
- Manager
- Ted Drake
- Top scorer (league)
- Jimmy Greaves (22)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- Jimmy Greaves (22)
- Avg. league attendance
- 38,430
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Fourth round
- League Cup
- —
- Europe
- —
- Other
- Southern Floodlit Challenge Cup: Round 1 (lost to Fulham 1–2, 15 Oct 1957)
Notes
The season Jimmy Greaves arrived — and Chelsea found a little more sparkle in mid-table. Ted Drake’s side finished 11th of 22 in the First Division with 42 points from 15 wins, 12 draws and 15 defeats (83–79), level on points with Nottingham Forest and placed below them on goal average. Home form was 10–5–6 (47–34); away 5–7–9 (36–45). Greaves, still 17, debuted at White Hart Lane on the opening day and scored the equaliser in a 1–1 draw. He finished with 22 league goals — all of his competitive haul for the year — the start of a Chelsea career that would bring 132 goals in 157 matches. Ron Tindall had 16 in the league, Jim Lewis and Peter Brabrook 8 each, Tony Nicholas 6. Johnny McNichol scored 4 in the league and 4 in the FA Cup before moving to Crystal Palace in March. The FA Cup brought a 2–0 win at Doncaster Rovers in the third round, then a shock exit: Third Division North side Darlington held Chelsea 3–3 at the Bridge and won the Feethams replay 4–1 after extra time. In the Southern Floodlit Challenge Cup Chelsea went out in the first round, 1–2 at Fulham on 15 October. The Bridge saw both ends of the season’s drama. Biggest league win by margin was 6–1 against Burnley on 21 September; on Christmas Day Chelsea and Portsmouth shared eleven goals in a 7–4 home win. Heaviest league reverse was 1–4 to Blackpool in March. Home league gates averaged 38,430 (high 66,007 vs Arsenal on 26 October; low 17,038 vs Leeds United on 7 December).
Kits
Under reviewWhite shirts appeared as occasional cup/third options in the late 1950s.
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/1957%E2%80%9358_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957%E2%80%9358_Football_League
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.fchd.info/lghist/fl1958.htm
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1957.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1957.htm
- http://free-elements.com/England/Goals/CheL/CheL1957.html
- http://www.mychelseafc.com/chelsea_news/previous_results/57results.htm
- https://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/stats/Report/gate/a1957-58.html
- https://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/final/f1957-58.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Challenge_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Greaves
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Drake
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html