True Blues — Chelsea FC
ΕΛ

Season: 1963–64

Football League First Division

League

Back in the First Division after promotion, Tommy Docherty’s young Chelsea finished 5th of 22 with 50 points — 20 wins, 10 draws and 12 defeats (72–56), a point behind Tottenham and two behind Everton.

Division
Football League First Division (Tier 1)
Manager
Tommy Docherty
Top scorer (league)
Bobby Tambling (17)
Top scorer (all comps)
Bobby Tambling (19)
Avg. league attendance
31,305

Cups & Europe

FA Cup
Fourth round
League Cup
Second round
Europe
—

Notes

Back in the First Division after promotion, Tommy Docherty’s young Chelsea finished 5th of 22 with 50 points — 20 wins, 10 draws and 12 defeats (72–56), a point behind Tottenham and two behind Everton. Home they were 12–3–6 (36–24); away 8–7–6 (36–32). It was a solid return to the top flight: Liverpool took the title with 57, Manchester United finished second, and Chelsea closed the year one place outside the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup berths that went to the top four. Bobby Tambling led the line with 17 league goals and 19 in all competitions (two more in the FA Cup). Barry Bridges hit 15 in the league, Bert Murray 12, Terry Venables 8 and Frank Blunstone 6. Marvin Hinton arrived from Charlton in late August; Graham Moore left for Manchester United in November. John Hollins signed professional forms in July and made his competitive debut in the League Cup; Peter Houseman debuted in December. Frank Blunstone’s last league appearance came on the final day. In the FA Cup they reached the fourth round: a 1–1 draw at White Hart Lane and a famous 2–0 replay win over Tottenham before 70,123 at the Bridge (Tambling and Murray), then a 1–2 home defeat to Second Division Huddersfield Town. They re-entered the Football League Cup after the boycott seasons and went straight out in the second round, 0–3 at Swindon Town on 25 September — Hollins, Hinton and Dennis Brown among the debutants that night. There was no European football. The campaign’s biggest league win was 5–1 at Blackpool on Boxing Day (Bridges two, plus Murray, Houseman and Venables); Tambling scored all four in a 4–2 win at Arsenal in March. Heaviest league reverse was 1–4 at Wolves in September. Home league gates averaged 31,305 (high 57,401 vs Tottenham on 21 September; low 19,434 vs West Brom on 21 March). Most of the season the crest-era shirt was still worn with white shorts; blue shorts appeared in competitive football from 4 March 1964 at Stoke, with the settled all-blue look following in 1964–65.

Kits

Under review
Home
Away
Third—

In 1960 a crest appeared on the shirt for the first time; a white change shirt with red bands was tried in 1961 before all-red returned, and yellow-and-blue debuted in 1963-64.

Illustration from hex colours (not official kit photography).

On this day (related years)

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History

Eras, trophies, and great matches in the History section.

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Sources

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