Season: 1934–35
Football League First Division
League
Leslie Knighton’s second season brought a clear step up the table: Chelsea finished 12th in the First Division on 41 points (16 wins, 9 draws, 17 defeats, 73–82), seven places better than the near-relegation scrape of 1933–34.
- Division
- Football League First Division (Tier 1)
- Manager
- Leslie Knighton
- Top scorer (league)
- Dick Spence (19)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- Dick Spence (19)
- Avg. league attendance
- 31,961
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Third round
- League Cup
- —
- Europe
- —
- Other
- London Challenge Cup: Semi-finals (beat Wimbledon 2–1, 10 Oct 1934; beat Charlton Athletic 2–0, 24 Oct 1934; lost to Brentford 0–1, 12 Nov 1934)
Notes
Leslie Knighton’s second season brought a clear step up the table: Chelsea finished 12th in the First Division on 41 points (16 wins, 9 draws, 17 defeats, 73–82), seven places better than the near-relegation scrape of 1933–34. New faces reshaped the attack — winger Dick Spence arrived from Barnsley in October and finished with 19 league goals, including four in a 4–1 home win over Liverpool; Joe Bambrick joined from Linfield at Christmas and struck 16, four of them in a 7–1 demolition of Leeds United in March. Hughie Gallacher left for Derby County in November after seven league appearances. The FA Cup ended at the first hurdle: a 1–1 home draw with Second Division Luton Town (Argue) and a 0–2 replay defeat at Kenilworth Road. Average home league attendance was 31,961, with a high of 50,687 against Derby County on 29 December. In the London Challenge Cup the Blues reached the semi-finals before losing to Brentford.
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/1934%E2%80%9335_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934%E2%80%9335_Football_League
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1934.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1934.htm
- http://free-elements.com/England/Goals/CheL/CheL1934.html
- https://www.stamford-bridge.com/seasonsummary.php?season=1934%2F35
- https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/eng/aveeng1935.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
- https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/chelsea-vs-luton-town---the-stats