From the museum: 70th anniversary of Chelsea’s first league title
From the official Chelsea FC website:
It was on this day 70 years ago Chelsea won the league title for the first time. Here we celebrate the class of 1955 and recall the day silverware was secured with help from artefacts on display in the Chelsea Museum…
‘The sun shines, cricket draws nearer, and the football season slowly fades. But, as always, it does not move away on tiptoe. It goes at the top of its voice with some of its problems not worked out until the very last moment.’
So wrote The Times’ football correspondent on 23 April 1955, at the beginning of a preview of the days’ fixtures.
The biggest games in the country were taking place at Stamford Bridge, and at Ninian Park in Cardiff. If Chelsea beat already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday, and Portsmouth failed to win in Wales, we would be crowned champions of England, precisely 50 years after our founding.
Manager Ted Drake had played an enormous role in steering Chelsea to this position. Having take over in 1952, he set about modernising the club – such as ditching the nickname The Pensioners in favour of the Blues – and rejuvenating the squad. He also urged more partisanship from the supporters, renowned as the most cosmopolitan and laid-back in football.
Chelsea had finished the season prior unbeaten in 21, and carried that momentum into the following campaign. Any fears a poor run of results in October 1954 would derail us proved unfounded, as we went on to lose just three times in 24 games leading up to Wednesday’s visit.
Drake’s side effectively blended aggressive, direct football with great team spirit and stamina. While the football may not have been as pleasing on the eye as previous Chelsea teams had produced, it was clearly more effective and appealed to fans. We recorded the highest average attendance in the country as over a million supporters passed through the gates at Stamford Bridge.
On this Saturday, expectations were high among the 51,000-strong crowd in SW6. A first piece of major silverware was in sight.
An original programme from the day, costing sixpence, is in the museum. A sketch of Stamford Bridge is below the fixture details.
Chelsea took the lead midway through the first half when Eric Parsons headed in Frank Blunstone’s cross. With 20 minutes remaining, Peter Sillett, one of Drake’s key acquisitions, extended our advantage from the penalty spot. Parsons made sure of the two points (the number then awarded for a win) late on, hooking an effort past Wednesday’s replacement keeper Norman Curtis.
Over in Cardiff, the Bluebirds cancelled out an early Portsmouth goal and held on for a 1-1 draw, boosting their own survival hopes. The news reached Stamford Bridge a quarter-of-an-hour after the full-time whistle had blown. The crowd flocked onto the pitch in celebration. Chelsea were champions of England.
‘From the tear-dimmed supporters worn with the years of waiting for this moment to the youngest Chelsea follower came the call for the players and the man behind the players,’ the Blues’ great chronicler Albert Sewell wrote of the moment.
With the pitch invisible beneath the jubilant mass, a microphone was hastily rigged up on the upper tier of the East Stand. Chairman Joe Mears was first to thank those present for their unerring support, before handing over to an emotional Drake, flanked by his team.
‘This is the happiest moment of my life,’ the manager said. ‘I congratulate all the boys and every one of my staff – office, training and playing. Right throughout they are one and all Chelsea!’
The players, captained by top goalscorer Roy Bentley, were offered a bonus of either £20 or a tailored suit. They received a league winners’ medal, including the one awarded to inside forward John McNichol, which is on display in our Museum. Most importantly, they had written their names into Chelsea folklore.
’Fifty years of indeterminate struggle, of hopes and disappointments, of fickle behaviour, have at last found a point of solid achievement,’ the Times reported. ‘And it has come to pass, most happily, in Chelsea’s year of Golden Jubilee.’
You can find out more about our history and see amazing artefacts in the flesh at the Chelsea FC Museum at Stamford Bridge!
‘Chelsea Supporters Group’ can also be found on X and Facebook