1964–65 Chelsea F.C. season

51st competitive season of Chelsea F.C.

Chelsea 1964-65 football season

Chelsea

1964-65 season

Chairman

Joe Mears

Manager

Tommy Docherty

First Division

3rd

FA Cup

Semi-finals

Football League Cup

Winners

Top goalscorer

League:
Barry Bridges (20)
All:
Barry Bridges (27)

Highest home attendance

61,277 vs Liverpool (16 April 1965)

Lowest home attendance

20,952 vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (12 December 1964)

Home colours

Away colours

Third colours

← 1963–64

1965–66 →

The 1964-65 season was Chelsea Football Club's 51st of competitive football, and their 38th in the English top flight.

Season summary

Chelsea were involved in a battle for the First Division championship with Manchester United and newly-promoted Leeds United. The three clubs also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, with the two Uniteds paired together while Chelsea faced off against reigning league champions Liverpool. A 2–0 defeat at Villa Park saw Chelsea's hopes of a league and cup 'double' evaporate, and their title hopes then nosedived with only two wins from the remaining eight league matches.

The season ended in controversy and ignominy after eight Chelsea players were alleged by manager Tommy Docherty to have broken a curfew imposed prior to their penultimate match, resulting in those responsible being sent back to London in disgrace.^[1] The Blues' heavily-weakened side were thrashed 6–2 by Burnley, and defeat to Blackpool in their final match meant Chelsea had to settle for a third place finish, five points behind the top two.

However, some consolation was gained from success in the nascent Football League Cup. Chelsea overcame Birmingham City, Notts County, Swansea Town, Workington and Aston Villa, before beating Leicester City 3–2 on aggregate in the final to claim the first domestic cup title in the club's history.

Results

First Division

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea

22 August 1964 1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–3	Chelsea	Wolverhampton
			Tambling 4', 77' Venables 16'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 25,181

Chelsea v Aston Villa

26 August 1964 2	Chelsea	2–1	Aston Villa	London
	Tambling 5' Bridges 55'		Hateley 61'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 30,389

Chelsea v Sunderland

29 August 1964 3	Chelsea	3–1	Sunderland	London
	Murray 10' Graham 49' Shellito 54'		Herd 87'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 46,710

Aston Villa v Chelsea

31 August 1964 4	Aston Villa	2–2	Chelsea	Birmingham
	Hateley 84' Wylie 87'		Murray 36' Tambling 51'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 19,740

Leicester City v Chelsea

5 September 1964 5	Leicester City	1–1	Chelsea	Leicester
	Appleton 18'		Hollins 54'	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 22,186

Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday

9 September 1964 6	Chelsea	1–1	Sheffield Wednesday	London
	Venables 47' (pen.)		Pearson 43'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 31,973

Chelsea v Fulham

12 September 1964 7	Chelsea	1–0	Fulham	London
	Bridges 30'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,472

Sheffield Wednesday v Chelsea

16 September 1964 8	Sheffield Wednesday	2–3	Chelsea	Sheffield
	Dobson 3' Fantham 57'		Graham 30' Murray 71', 76'	Stadium: Hillsborough Attendance: 18,176

Chelsea v Leeds United

19 September 1964 9	Chelsea	2–0	Leeds United	London
	Venables 35' Hollins 76'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 38,006

Arsenal v Chelsea

26 September 1964 10	Arsenal	1–3	Chelsea	London
	Court 68'		Tambling 57' Venables 65' Murray 88'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 54,936

Chelsea v Manchester United

30 September 1964 11	Chelsea	0–2	Manchester United	London
			Best 32' Law 73'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 60,769

Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers

3 October 1964 12	Chelsea	5–1	Blackburn Rovers	London
	Bridges 15', 17', 71' Tambling 51' R. Harris 76'		McEvoy 88'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 34,913

Nottingham Forest v Chelsea

10 October 1964 13	Nottingham Forest	2–2	Chelsea	Nottingham
	Crowe 22', 44'		Bridges 30' Venables 86'	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 35,320

Chelsea v Stoke City

17 October 1964 14	Chelsea	4–0	Stoke City	London
	Graham 49', 86' Murray 61' Tambling 68'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 28,650

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea

24 October 1964 15	Tottenham Hotspur	1–1	Chelsea	London
	Jones 81'		Graham 82'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 52,927

Chelsea v Burnley

31 October 1964 16	Chelsea	0–1	Burnley	London
			Irvine 53'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 29,040

Sheffield United v Chelsea

7 November 1964 17	Sheffield United	0–2	Chelsea	Sheffield
			Murray 9' Bridges 80'	Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 23,505

Chelsea v Everton

14 November 1964 18	Chelsea	5–1	Everton	London
	Graham 9', 16' Bridges 18' Murray 78' Tambling 82'		Gabriel 44'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 30,716

Birmingham City v Chelsea

21 November 1964 19	Birmingham City	1–6	Chelsea	Birmingham
	Jackson 60'		Mortimore 6' Graham 8', 80', 90' McCalliog 29', 85'	Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 19,803

Chelsea v West Ham United

28 November 1964 20	Chelsea	0–3	West Ham United	London
			Sealey 7' Peters 24' Hurst 38'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 44,204

West Bromwich Albion v Chelsea

5 December 1964 21	West Bromwich Albion	0–2	Chelsea	West Bromwich
			Bridges 70' Graham 78'	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 15,277

Chelsea v Wolverhampton Wanderers

12 December 1964 22	Chelsea	2–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	London
	Bridges 45', 49'		Crawford 19'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 20,952

Sunderland v Chelsea

19 December 1964 23	Sunderland	3–0	Chelsea	Sunderland
	Sharkey 22' Harvey 31' Herd 82'			Stadium: Roker Park Attendance: 41,236

Chelsea v Blackpool

26 December 1964 24	Chelsea	2–0	Blackpool	London
	Bridges 61', 64'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 30,581

Chelsea v Leicester City

2 January 1965 25	Chelsea	4–1	Leicester City	London
	Murray 40' Graham 43' McCreadie 63' Bridges 86'		Stringfellow 54'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 28,344

Fulham v Chelsea

16 January 1965 26	Fulham	1–2	Chelsea	London
	Cook 86'		Tambling 14' Graham 68'	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 26,400

Leeds United v Chelsea

23 January 1965 27	Leeds United	2–2	Chelsea	Leeds
	Storrie 16' Charlton 52'		Graham 2' Bridges 50'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 47,109

Chelsea v Arsenal

6 February 1965 28	Chelsea	2–1	Arsenal	London
	Graham 13', 85'		Radford 59'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 46,798

Blackburn Rovers v Chelsea

13 February 1965 29	Blackburn Rovers	0–3	Chelsea	Blackburn
			Tambling 44' Murray 55' Bridges 77'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 16,683

Chelsea v Nottingham Forest

6 February 1965 30	Chelsea	0–1	Nottingham Forest	London
			Barnwell 35'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 29,038

Stoke City v Chelsea

22 February 1965 31	Stoke City	0–2	Chelsea	Stoke-on-Trent
			Murray 10' Graham 80'	Stadium: Victoria Ground Attendance: 28,005

Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur

10 March 1965 32	Chelsea	3–1	Tottenham Hotspur	London
	Venables 42' Tambling 44' Bridges 73'		Gilzean 75'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 51,390

Manchester United v Chelsea

13 March 1965 33	Manchester United	4–0	Chelsea	Manchester
	Best 3' Herd 23', 49' Law 75'			Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 56,261

Chelsea v Sheffield United

22 March 1965 34	Chelsea	3–0	Sheffield United	London
	Murray 27', 80' Bridges 52'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 31,837

Everton v Chelsea

31 March 1965 35	Everton	1–1	Chelsea	Liverpool
	Gabriel 4'		Murray 14'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 40,384

Chelsea v Birmingham City

3 April 1965 36	Chelsea	3–1	Birmingham City	London
	Tambling 15' Lynn 68' (o.g.) Bridges 84'		Lynn 25' (pen.)	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 28,975

West Ham United v Chelsea

12 April 1965 37	West Ham United	3–2	Chelsea	London
	Hurst 4', 23' Sissons 19'		Venables 53' Bridges 65'	Stadium: Upton Park Attendance: 33,288

Chelsea v Liverpool

16 April 1965 38	Chelsea	4–0	Liverpool	London
	Tambling 22' Hinton 37' Murray 50', 60'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 62,587

Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion

17 April 1965 39	Chelsea	2–2	West Bromwich Albion	London
	Murray 21' Tambling 23'		Crawford 15' Howshall 42'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 30,792

Liverpool v Chelsea

19 April 1965 40	Liverpool	2–0	Chelsea	Liverpool
	Chisnall 8' Strong 26'			Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 41,847

Burnley v Chelsea

24 April 1965 41	Burnley	6–2	Chelsea	Burnley
	Lochhead 1', 16', 45', 66', 88' Irvine 19'		R. Harris 31' Houseman 86'	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 15,215

Blackpool v Chelsea

26 April 1965 42	Blackpool	3–2	Chelsea	Blackpool
	Charnley 9', 44', 51'		Tambling 40' Mortimore 80'	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 16,008

^[2]

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Manchester United (C)	42	26	9	7	89	39	2.282	61	Qualification for the European Cup preliminary round
2	Leeds United	42	26	9	7	83	52	1.596	61	Qualification for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round
3	Chelsea	42	24	8	10	89	54	1.648	56
4	Everton	42	17	15	10	69	60	1.150	49
5	Nottingham Forest	42	17	13	12	71	67	1.060	47
6	Tottenham Hotspur	42	19	7	16	87	71	1.225	45
7	Liverpool	42	17	10	15	67	73	0.918	44	Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round^[a]
8	Sheffield Wednesday	42	16	11	15	57	55	1.036	43
9	West Ham United	42	19	4	19	82	71	1.155	42	Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round^[b]
10	Blackburn Rovers	42	16	10	16	83	79	1.051	42
11	Stoke City	42	16	10	16	67	66	1.015	42
12	Burnley	42	16	10	16	70	70	1.000	42
13	Arsenal	42	17	7	18	69	75	0.920	41
14	West Bromwich Albion	42	13	13	16	70	65	1.077	39
15	Sunderland	42	14	9	19	64	74	0.865	37
16	Aston Villa	42	16	5	21	57	82	0.695	37
17	Blackpool	42	12	11	19	67	78	0.859	35
18	Leicester City	42	11	13	18	69	85	0.812	35
19	Sheffield United	42	12	11	19	50	64	0.781	35
20	Fulham	42	11	12	19	60	78	0.769	34
21	Wolverhampton Wanderers (R)	42	13	4	25	59	89	0.663	30	Relegation to the Second Division
22	Birmingham City (R)	42	8	11	23	64	96	0.667	27	Relegation to the Second Division

Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

^ Liverpool qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the 1964–65 FA Cup winners.
^ West Ham United qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as the Cup Winners' Cup winners.

League Cup

Birmingham City v Chelsea

23 September 1964 2nd Round	Birmingham City	0–3	Chelsea	Birmingham
			Graham 34' Tambling 68', 90'	Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 15,300

Chelsea v Notts County

26 October 1964 3rd Round	Chelsea	4–0	Notts County	London
	McCalliog 17' Tambling 56', 60' A. Harris 74'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 6596

Chelsea v Swansea Town

11 November 1964 4th Round	Chelsea	3–2	Swansea Town	London
	Brown 13' Graham 36', 78'		Todd 30' Williams 52'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 5979

Workington v Chelsea

25 November 1964 5th Round	Workington	2–2	Chelsea	Workington
	Carr 40' Napier 53'		Bridges 12', 34'	Stadium: Borough Park Attendance: 18,000

Chelsea v Workington

16 December 1964 5th Round Replay	Chelsea	2–0	Workington	London
	Osgood 82', 84'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 7936

Aston Villa v Chelsea

20 January 1965 Semi-Final 1st Leg	Aston Villa	2–3	Chelsea	Birmingham
	Hateley 58', 82'		Tambling 35' Bridges 45' Boyle 83'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 12,022

Chelsea v Aston Villa

10 February 1965 Semi-Final 2nd Leg	Chelsea	1–1	Aston Villa	London
	Graham 62'		Hateley 30'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 17,425

Chelsea v Leicester City

15 March 1965 Final 1st Leg	Chelsea	3–2	Leicester City	London
	Tambling 34' Venables 70' (pen.) McCreadie 81'		Appleton 46' Goodfellow 75'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 20,690

Leicester City v Chelsea

5 April 1965 Final 2nd Leg	Leicester City	0–0	Chelsea	Leicester
				Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 26,957

^[2]

FA Cup

Chelsea v Northampton Town

9 January 1965 3rd Round	Chelsea	4–1	Northampton Town	London
	Tambling 44' Bridges 55', 78' Foley 57' (o.g.)		Foley 68' (pen.)	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 44,345

West Ham United v Chelsea

30 January 1965 4th Round	West Ham United	0–1	Chelsea	London
			Tambling 10'	Stadium: Upton Park Attendance: 37,000

Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur

20 February 1965 5th Round	Chelsea	1–0	Tottenham Hotspur	London
	Bridges 17'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 63,205

Chelsea v Peterborough United

6 March 1965 6th Round	Chelsea	5–1	Peterborough United	London
	Tambling 11', 15' Hollins 13' Bridges 30' Murray 88'		Crowe 41'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 63,635

Liverpool v Chelsea

27 March 1965 Semi-Final	Liverpool	2–0	Chelsea	Birmingham
	Thompson 62' Stevenson 78' (pen.)			Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 67,686

^[2]

Squad

Players who made one appearance or more for Chelsea F.C. during the 1964-65 season

Pos.	Nat.	Name	League		League Cup		FA Cup		Total
Pos.	Nat.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK	ENG	Peter Bonetti	41	0	9	0	5	0	55	0
GK	ENG	John Dunn	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
DF	ENG	Allan Harris	1	0	2	1	0	0	3	1
DF	ENG	Ron Harris	42	2	6	0	5	0	53	2
DF	ENG	Marvin Hinton	40	1	6	0	5	0	51	1
DF	ENG	Eddie McCreadie	34	1	5	1	2	0	41	2
DF	ENG	John Mortimore	28	2	8	0	5	0	41	2
DF	ENG	Ken Shellito	13	1	1	0	0	0	14	1
DF	ENG	Frank Upton	3	0	4	0	1	0	8	0
DF	ENG	Ian Watson	2	0	3	0	0	0	5	0
DF	ENG	Allan Young	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
MF	SCO	John Boyle	6	0	4	1	2	0	12	1
MF	SCO	Joe Fascione	0	0	3	0	0	0	3	0
MF	SCO	George Graham	30	17	7	4	5	0	42	21
MF	ENG	John Hollins	41	2	6	0	5	1	52	3
MF	ENG	Peter Houseman	9	1	3	0	0	0	12	1
MF	SCO	Thomas Knox	13	0	1	0	0	0	14	0
MF	SCO	Jim McCalliog	3	2	5	1	0	0	8	3
MF	SCO	Billy Sinclair	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	SCO	Jimmy Smart	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
MF	ENG	Terry Venables	39	7	5	1	5	0	49	8
FW	ENG	Barry Bridges	41	20	5	3	5	4	51	27
FW	ENG	Dennis Brown	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	1
FW	ENG	Bert Murray	40	17	6	0	5	1	51	18
FW	ENG	Peter Osgood	0	0	1	2	0	0	1	2
FW	ENG	Bobby Tambling	33	15	7	6	5	4	45	25

^[3]

References

^ REMEMBER WHEN… BLACKPOOL NIGHT LED TO BURNLEY BATTERING - chelseafc.com
^ ^a ^b ^c CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB Match Results Season 1964-65 - bounder.friardale.co.uk
^ CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB Summary of Season 1964-65 / Players Statistics - Appearances - bounder.friardale.co.uk

Soccerbase
Hockings, Ron. 100 Years of the Blues: A Statistical History of Chelsea Football Club. (2007)

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1964–65 in English football

« 1963–64

1965–66 »

FA competitions

Football League

Lower leagues

European competitions

Related to national team

Club seasons
First Division	Arsenal Aston Villa Birmingham City Blackburn Rovers Blackpool Burnley Chelsea Everton Fulham Leeds United Leicester City Liverpool Manchester United Nottingham Forest Sheffield United Sheffield Wednesday Stoke City Sunderland Tottenham Hotspur West Bromwich Albion West Ham United Wolverhampton Wanderers
Second Division	Bolton Wanderers Bury Cardiff City Charlton Athletic Coventry City Crystal Palace Derby County Huddersfield Town Ipswich Town Leyton Orient Manchester City Middlesbrough Newcastle United Northampton Town Norwich City Plymouth Argyle Portsmouth Preston North End Rotherham United Southampton Swindon Town Swansea Town
Third Division	Barnsley Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Brentford Bristol City Bristol Rovers Carlisle United Colchester United Exeter City Gillingham Grimsby Town Hull City Luton Town Mansfield Town Oldham Athletic Port Vale Peterborough United Queens Park Rangers Reading Scunthorpe United Shrewsbury Town Southend United Walsall Watford Workington
Fourth Division	Aldershot Barrow Bradford City Bradford Park Avenue Brighton & Hove Albion Chester Chesterfield Crewe Alexandra Darlington Doncaster Rovers Halifax Town Hartlepools United Lincoln City Millwall Newport County Notts County Oxford United Rochdale Southport Stockport County Torquay United Tranmere Rovers Wrexham York City