1983–84 Chelsea F.C. season

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Swansea City (6 December 1983)
Biggest defeat0–2 v Leicester City (25 October 1983)

The 1983–84 season was Chelsea Football Club's 70th competitive season. After five years in the Second Division, Chelsea won promotion to the First Division as champions, losing only four of their 42 league matches and pipping Sheffield Wednesday to the title on goal difference.

Season summary

Manager John Neal revamped his squad after narrowly avoiding relegation to the Third Division the previous season. New signings included goalkeeper Eddie Niedzwiecki, centre-back Joe McLaughlin, midfielder Nigel Spackman, winger Pat Nevin, and striker Kerry Dixon.

Neal also added experience in the form of veteran utility player John Hollins, who rejoined the club on a free transfer from Arsenal. Hollins had made 473 league appearances for Chelsea between 1963 and 1975 before moving to Queens Park Rangers. He retired as a player at the end of the 1983-84 season but stayed on as a coach and eventually succeeded Neal as manager in 1985.

Chelsea opened the season with a resounding 5–0 home win over Derby County. Dixon scored twice and followed up with the winner in a midweek Milk Cup tie at Gillingham, both goals in victory at Brighton and four in the return leg against Gillingham. He continued to score prolifically, ending the season as the Second Division's leading scorer with 29 goals, 34 in all competitions.

By the end of November, Chelsea lay in 2nd place behind Sheffield Wednesday, having lost only one of their opening 17 league matches - 2–1 at Hillsborough. After losing twice at home in December and at Middlesbrough in the first match of the New Year, they closed out the season with a 17 match unbeaten run. This included a remarkable draw at Cardiff in which Chelsea scored three times in the last six minutes after trailing 3–0 at half-time. Promotion was sealed by a 5–0 win over Leeds at the end of April.

With two matches of the season remaining, Chelsea trailed Sheffield Wednesday by two points, albeit with a significantly better goal difference. When Wednesday were held to a goalless draw by Manchester City in their penultimate fixture, Chelsea took advantage by beating Barnsley 3–1 to move into pole position and clinched the title with a 1–0 win at Grimsby.

Squad statistics

  • Substitute appearances in parentheses.
Pos. Name League League Cup FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England Steve Francis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GK Wales Eddie Niedzwiecki 42 0 5 0 1 0 48 0
DF England Micky Droy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF England Keith Dublin 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
DF England John Hollins 29 1 5 0 1 0 34 1
DF England Chris Hutchings 4 1 1 0 0 0 5 1
DF Wales Joey Jones 34 1 4 0 1 0 39 1
DF Scotland Joe McLaughlin 41 0 5 0 1 0 47 0
DF England Colin Pates 42 0 5 0 1 0 48 0
MF England John Bumstead 30(1) 7 4 0 0 0 34(1) 7
MF England Alan Hudson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF England Dale Jasper 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
MF England Keith Jones 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF England Colin Lee 25(8) 3 4(1) 0 0 0 29(9) 3
MF Scotland Tony McAndrew 13 4 0 0 1 0 14 4
MF England Nigel Spackman 40 3 5 0 1 0 46 3
MF Wales Mickey Thomas 17 4 0 0 0 0 17 4
FW England Paul Canoville 17(3) 6 4 1 1 0 22(3) 7
FW England Kerry Dixon 42 28 5 6 1 0 48 34
FW Scotland Derek Johnstone 0(2) 0 0 0 0 0 0(2) 0
FW Scotland Pat Nevin 38 14 3(1) 0 1 0 42(1) 14
FW England Peter Rhoades-Brown 6 1 1 0 0 0 7 1
FW Scotland Duncan Shearer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FW Scotland David Speedie 32(5) 13 2(1) 0 1 0 35(6) 13
FW England Clive Walker 6 3 2 1 0 0 8 4

[1] [2]

League table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation
1 Chelsea (C, P) 42 25 13 4 90 40 +50 88 Promotion to the First Division
2 Sheffield Wednesday (P) 42 26 10 6 72 34 +38 88
3 Newcastle United (P) 42 24 8 10 85 53 +32 80
4 Manchester City 42 20 10 12 66 48 +18 70
5 Grimsby Town 42 19 13 10 60 47 +13 70
6 Blackburn Rovers 42 17 16 9 57 46 +11 67
7 Carlisle United 42 16 16 10 48 41 +7 64
8 Shrewsbury Town 42 17 10 15 49 53 −4 61
9 Brighton & Hove Albion 42 17 9 16 69 60 +9 60
10 Leeds United 42 16 12 14 55 56 −1 60
11 Fulham 42 15 12 15 60 53 +7 57
12 Huddersfield Town 42 14 15 13 56 49 +7 57
13 Charlton Athletic 42 16 9 17 53 64 −11 57
14 Barnsley 42 15 7 20 57 53 +4 52
15 Cardiff City 42 15 6 21 53 66 −13 51
16 Portsmouth 42 14 7 21 73 64 +9 49
17 Middlesbrough 42 12 13 17 41 47 −6 49
18 Crystal Palace 42 12 11 19 42 52 −10 47
19 Oldham Athletic 42 13 8 21 47 73 −26 47
20 Derby County (R) 42 11 9 22 36 72 −36 42 Relegation to the Third Division
21 Swansea City (R) 42 7 8 27 36 85 −49 29
22 Cambridge United (R) 42 4 12 26 28 77 −49 24
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Results

Second Division

Main article:
1983–84 Football League Second Division
27 August 1983 1 Chelsea 5–0 Derby County London
Spackman 4'
Walker 52'
Hutchings 54'
Dixon 63', 68'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 17,388
3 September 1983 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 1–2 Chelsea Hove
Young 76' Dixon 26' (pen.), 81' Stadium: Goldstone Ground
Attendance: 20,874
7 September 1983 3 Blackburn Rovers 0–0 Chelsea Blackburn
Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 5,873
10 September 1983 4 Chelsea 2–1 Cambridge United London
Bumstead 20'
Walker 76'		 Goldsmith 2' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 14,425
17 September 1983 5 Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 Chelsea Sheffield
Lyons 47'
Megson 84'		 Walker 2' Stadium: Hillsborough
Attendance: 20,596
24 September 1983 6 Chelsea 0–0 Middlesbrough London
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 15,822
1 October 1983 7 Huddersfield Town 2–3 Chelsea Huddersfield
Stanton 74'
Lillis 84'		 Dixon 12', 50'
Canoville 56'		 Stadium: Leeds Road
Attendance: 13,280
8 October 1983 8 Fulham 3–5 Chelsea London
Davies 17', 22', 76' Dixon 9', 86'
Jones 45'
Nevin 49'
Lee 59'		 Stadium: Craven Cottage
Attendance: 24,787
15 October 1983 9 Chelsea 2–0 Cardiff City London
Nevin 17'
Lee 63'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 15,459
22 October 1983 10 Carlisle United 0–0 Chelsea Carlisle
Stadium: Brunton Park
Attendance: 6,774
29 October 1983 11 Chelsea 3–2 Charlton Athletic London
Speedie 24', 32'
Dixon 78'		 Robinson 71'
Moore 75'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 17,789
5 November 1983 12 Oldham Athletic 1–1 Chelsea Oldham
Palmer 64' Bumstead 75' Stadium: Boundary Park
Attendance: 5,807
12 November 1983 13 Chelsea 4–0 Newcastle United London
Spackman 8'
Rhoades-Brown 36'
Speedie 46', 67'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 30,628
15 November 1983 14 Charlton Athletic 1–1 Chelsea London
Harris 52' Nevin 62' Stadium:
The Valley

Attendance: 14,393
19 November 1983 15 Chelsea 2–2 Crystal Palace London
Hollins 37'
Speedie 63'		 Locke 10'
Evans 24'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 19,060
22 November 1983 16 Swansea City 1–3 Chelsea Swansea
Pascoe 33' Bumstead 7'
Nevin 21'
Dixon 42'		 Stadium: Vetch Field
Attendance: 7,848
26 November 1983 17 Leeds United 1–1 Chelsea Leeds
McCluskey 46' Dixon 58' Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 20,680
3 December 1983 18 Chelsea 0–1 Manchester City London
Tolmie 44' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 29,142
6 December 1983 19 Chelsea 6–1 Swansea City London
Canoville 8', 40', 84'
Nevin 24'
Dixon 50'
Bumstead 81'		 Walsh 57' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 12,389
10 December 1983 20 Barnsley 0–0 Chelsea Barnsley
Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 10,300
17 December 1983 21 Chelsea 2–3 Grimsby Town London
Dixon 26' (pen.)
Bumstead 60'		 Waters 65'
Emson 75'
Ford 77'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 13,151
26 December 1983 22 Shrewsbury Town 2–4 Chelsea Shrewsbury
Brown 44'
MacLaren 75'		 Dixon 64' (pen.)
Speedie 71'
Bumstead 81', 84'		 Stadium: Gay Meadow
Attendance: 7,582
27 December 1983 23 Chelsea 2–2 Portsmouth London
Canoville 6'
Dixon 39'		 Hateley 4'
Dillon 11' (pen.)		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 25,409
31 December 1983 24 Chelsea 1–0 Brighton & Hove Albion London
Speedie 77' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 18,542
2 January 1984 25 Middlesbrough 2–1 Chelsea Middlesbrough
Hamilton 39'
Currie 87'		 McAndrew 55' Stadium: Ayresome Park
Attendance: 11,579
14 January 1984 26 Derby County 1–2 Chelsea Derby
Plummer 87' Cherry 5' (o.g.)
McAndrew 76' (pen.)		 Stadium: Baseball Ground
Attendance: 16,727
21 January 1984 27 Chelsea 3–2 Sheffield Wednesday London
Thomas 16', 40'
Nevin 80'		 Smith 82'
Bannister 85'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 35,147
4 February 1984 28 Chelsea 3–1 Huddersfield Town London
Dixon 20', 44'
Speedie 62'		 Doyle 55' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 17,922
11 February 1984 29 Cambridge United 0–1 Chelsea Cambridge
McAndrew 6' Stadium: Abbey Stadium
Attendance: 10,602
25 February 1984 30 Chelsea 0–0 Carlisle United London
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 16,543
3 March 1984 31 Chelsea 3–0 Oldham Athletic London
Speedie 19'
Dixon 71'
McAndrew 75' (pen.)		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 12,736
10 March 1984 32 Newcastle United 1–1 Chelsea Newcastle upon Tyne
McDermott 70' Speedie 52' Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 36,506
16 March 1984 33 Chelsea 2–1 Blackburn Rovers London
Nevin 39'
Speedie 45'		 Garner 70' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 18,905
31 March 1984 34 Cardiff City 3–3 Chelsea Cardiff
Gibbins 18'
Owen 22' (pen.)
Vaughan 25'		 Dixon 84'
Lee 85'
Spackman 90' (pen.)		 Stadium: Ninian Park
Attendance: 11,060
7 April 1984 35 Chelsea 4–0 Fulham London
Dixon 1', 38'
Speedie 18'
Nevin 67'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 31,947
14 April 1984 36 Crystal Palace 0–1 Chelsea London
Nevin 83' Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 20,540
21 April 1984 37 Chelsea 3–0 Shrewsbury Town London
Dixon 6', 87'
Nevin 32'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 17,295
24 April 1984 38 Portsmouth 2–2 Chelsea Portsmouth
Biley 62'
Dillon 71'		 Thomas 5'
Nevin 56' (pen.)		 Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 19,267
28 April 1984 39 Chelsea 5–0 Leeds United London
Thomas 6'
Dixon 18', 23', 52'
Canoville 89'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 33,447
4 May 1984 40 Manchester City 0–2 Chelsea Manchester
Nevin 65'
Dixon 70'		 Stadium: Maine Road
Attendance: 21,713
7 May 1984 41 Chelsea 3–1 Barnsley London
Speedie 37'
Nevin 77', 89'		 Geddis 60' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 29,541
12 May 1984 42 Grimsby Town 0–1 Chelsea Cleethorpes
Dixon 41' Stadium: Blundell Park
Attendance: 13,995

[3]

Milk Cup

Main article: 1983–84 Football League Cup
30 August 1983 1st Round 1st Leg Gillingham 1–2 Chelsea Gillingham
Shaw 14' Walker 38'
Dixon 57'		 Stadium: Priestfield
Attendance: 8,633
13 September 1983 1st Round 2nd Leg Chelsea 4–0 Gillingham London
Dixon 40', 44', 54', 84' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 9,704
5 October 1983 2nd Round 1st Leg Leicester City 0–2 Chelsea Leicester
Dixon 23'
Canoville 44'		 Stadium: Filbert Street
Attendance: 7,825
25 October 1983 2nd Round 2nd Leg Chelsea 0–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)		 Leicester City London
A. Smith 26'
English 83'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 15,646
9 November 1983 3rd Round Chelsea 0–1 West Bromwich Albion London
Thompson 70' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 22,932

[3]

FA Cup

Main article: 1983–84 FA Cup
7 January 1984 3rd Round Blackburn Rovers 1–0 Chelsea Blackburn
Brotherston 3' Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 10,944

[3]

References

  1. ^ CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB Players Statistics Season 1983-84 - bounder.friardale.co.uk
  2. ^ worldfootball.net - Chelsea FC Squad 1983/1984
  3. ^ a b c CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB Match Results Season 1983-84 - bounder.friardale.co.uk
  • Glanvill, Rick (2006). Chelsea FC: The Official Biography – The Definitive Story of the First 100 Years. Headline Book Publishing Ltd.
    ISBN 0-7553-1466-2
    .
  • Hockings, Ron. 100 Years of The Blues – A Statistical History of Chelsea FC 1905–2006.

External links
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