Season: 1955–56
Football League First Division
- FA Charity Shield
League
Defending champions — and a season that started with silverware but finished near the bottom half.
- Division
- Football League First Division (Tier 1)
- Manager
- Ted Drake
- Top scorer (league)
- Roy Bentley (14)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- Roy Bentley (16)
- Avg. league attendance
- 34,132
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Fifth round
- League Cup
- —
- Europe
- European Cup: Withdrew (invited as champions; drawn vs Djurgården; replaced by Gwardia Warsaw)
- Other
- FA Charity Shield: Winners (beat Newcastle United 3–0, 14 Sep 1955)
Notes
Defending champions — and a season that started with silverware but finished near the bottom half. Ted Drake’s Chelsea opened by lifting the FA Charity Shield, beating FA Cup holders Newcastle United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge on 14 September 1955 (Roy Bentley, Frank Blunstone and an Alf McMichael own goal; attendance 12,802). In the First Division, though, the title defence never took hold. Chelsea finished 16th of 22 with 39 points from 14 wins, 11 draws and 17 defeats (64–77), one point above Cardiff City on goal average and six clear of the drop zone. Home form was 9–4–8 (33–26); away 5–7–9 (31–51). As English champions Chelsea had accepted an invitation to the inaugural European Champion Clubs’ Cup and were drawn against Swedish champions Djurgården. In July 1955 the Football League Management Committee asked the club to reconsider, arguing that European ties were not in the League’s best interests; chairman Joe Mears — himself a committee member, contacted while ill — and the board withdrew. Polish side Gwardia Warsaw took Chelsea’s place. No European match was played. Captain Roy Bentley again led the scoring with 14 league goals and 16 in all competitions (one in the Charity Shield, one in the FA Cup). Les Stubbs had 10 in the league, Eric Parsons and Ron Tindall 7 each, Frank Blunstone 6. The FA Cup brought a marathon fourth-round tie with Burnley — five meetings across three neutral grounds before Chelsea finally won 2–0 at Tottenham — then a 0–1 exit at Everton in the fifth round. Biggest league win was 6–1 at home to Everton on 14 April; heaviest defeat 0–5 at Burnley on 10 March. Home league gates averaged 34,132 (high 48,273 vs Portsmouth on 3 September; low 8,473 vs Charlton Athletic on 22 February).
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)
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/1955%E2%80%9356_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955%E2%80%9356_Football_League
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_FA_Charity_Shield
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955%E2%80%9356_European_Cup
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.fchd.info/lghist/fl1956.htm
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1955.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1955.htm
- http://free-elements.com/England/Goals/CheL/CheL1955.html
- http://www.mychelseafc.com/chelsea_news/previous_results/55results.htm
- https://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/stats/Report/gate/a1955-56.html
- https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/the-elusive-dream--chelsea-and-the-european-cup-
- https://www.chelseaheritagepartnership.com/post/our-first-meeting-with-djurgarden-70-years-late
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Challenge_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Bentley
- 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