Season: 1977–78
Football League First Division
League
Back in the First Division after promotion, Chelsea finished 16th of 22 with 36 points — 11 wins, 14 draws and 17 defeats (46–69) — four clear of relegated West Ham (32), with Newcastle and Leicester bottom on 22.
- Division
- Football League First Division (Tier 1)
- Manager
- Ken Shellito
- Top scorer (league)
- Tommy Langley (11)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- Tommy Langley (13)
- Avg. league attendance
- 28,322
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Fifth round
- League Cup
- Second round
- Europe
- —
Notes
Back in the First Division after promotion, Chelsea finished 16th of 22 with 36 points — 11 wins, 14 draws and 17 defeats (46–69) — four clear of relegated West Ham (32), with Newcastle and Leicester bottom on 22. Home they were hard to beat: 7–11–3 (28–20); away a struggle at 4–3–14 (18–49). Ken Shellito, appointed 7 July 1977 after Eddie McCreadie’s summer resignation, managed the whole campaign. Early results were mixed — a 1–0 at Old Trafford (Garner) and a 1–0 over Clough’s Forest (Aylott) — before a midwinter surge that included a 5–4 thriller at Birmingham and a 5–3 home win over Ipswich. Spring brought heavy away nights (0–6 at Everton) but enough Bridge points to stay up. Tommy Langley led the scoring with 11 in the league and 13 in all competitions. Clive Walker added 7 league goals and 10 in all comps (three in the FA Cup); Ray Wilkins 6 (7 all comps); Bill Garner 5; Ken Swain 4 (5 all comps); Steve Finnieston 3 (4 all comps); Trevor Aylott and Ray Lewington 2 apiece; singles for Ian Britton, Micky Droy, Ron Harris, Garry Stanley and Steve Wicks, plus one own goal. Wilkins’ midfield support and Langley’s finishing carried Shellito’s return season. The FA Cup was the highlight: Liverpool were beaten 4–2 at the Bridge in the third round before 45,449 (Walker ×2, Finnieston, Langley), then Burnley 6–2 in the fourth. The fifth round brought Orient — 0–0 away and a 1–2 home replay (own goal; Kitchen ×2). The League Cup ended at the second round with a 0–2 defeat at Anfield on 30 August. Biggest league win was the 5–4 at Birmingham on New Year’s Eve; heaviest reverse the 0–6 at Everton on 29 April. Home league gates averaged 28,322 — high 44,093 against West Ham on Boxing Day, low 18,008 against Birmingham on 24 August. Umbro’s all-blue home look continued into the site’s existing 1977–1978 row; HFK lists a 1977–1978 yellow-and-blue change panel after 1976–1977 A.
Kits
Yellow and blue came back as the away colours.
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_F.C.#Kit_manufacturers_and_shirt_sponsors
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/1977%E2%80%9378_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977%E2%80%9378_Football_League
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977%E2%80%9378_Football_League_First_Division
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977%E2%80%9378_FA_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977%E2%80%9378_Football_League_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Shellito
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_McCreadie
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Langley
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Wilkins
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Walker
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.fchd.info/lghist/fl1978.htm
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/1977.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/1977.htm
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Managers.htm
- http://free-elements.com/England/Goals/CheL/CheL5.html
- http://free-elements.com/England/Goals/CheL/CheL1977.html
- https://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/stats/Report/gate/a1977-78.html
- https://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/final/f1977-78.html
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html