Season: 1937–38
Football League First Division
League
Leslie Knighton’s fifth season opened with a bang: a 6–1 home win over Liverpool, a climb to the top of the First Division after beating Brentford in October, and a 75,952 gate for the 2–2 with Arsenal.
- Division
- Football League First Division (Tier 1)
- Manager
- Leslie Knighton
- Top scorer (league)
- George Mills (13)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- George Mills (13)
- Avg. league attendance
- 33,975
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Third round
- League Cup
- —
- Europe
- —
- Other
- London Challenge Cup: Round 1 (drew Charlton Athletic 2–2, 4 Oct 1937; lost replay 0–3, 13 Oct 1937); Empire Exhibition Trophy: Quarter-finals (lost to Aberdeen 0–4, Ibrox, 27 May 1938)
Notes
Leslie Knighton’s fifth season opened with a bang: a 6–1 home win over Liverpool, a climb to the top of the First Division after beating Brentford in October, and a 75,952 gate for the 2–2 with Arsenal. The early promise faded — only two league wins in the next 21 matches — and Chelsea finished 10th on 41 points (14 wins, 13 draws, 15 defeats, 65–65). George Mills again led the scoring with 13 league goals (and 13 in all competitions, with no FA Cup contribution); Wilf Chitty added 11 and Jimmy Argue 9. The FA Cup ended at the first hurdle: Everton won 1–0 at Stamford Bridge on 8 January, the day before former long-serving manager David Calderhead died. Home league gates averaged 33,975. In the London Challenge Cup they drew Charlton then lost the replay. After the league season Knighton’s side went out of the Empire Exhibition Trophy in Glasgow at the quarter-final stage, beaten 0–4 by Aberdeen at Ibrox.
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/1937%E2%80%9338_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937%E2%80%9338_Football_League
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1937.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1937.htm
- http://free-elements.com/England/Goals/CheL/CheL1937.html
- http://www.mychelseafc.com/chelsea_news/previous_cup_results/1937.htm
- https://www.rsssf.org/tablesg/glasgow-exhibit38.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_Exhibition_Trophy
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Knighton
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mills_(footballer,_born_1908)
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html