Sun 23rd Feb - Buying Cup Tickets

Got the first train out of Staines on Sunday morning and arrived at Fulham Broadway at around 8:30am, with the end of the queue for tickets just outside the old station entrance. In those days before the internet the system was simple, and surprisingly quick, just queue to main entrance turnstiles, buy tickets and go home. Had my two 5/- tickets by 11am, no problem. This was going to be our year for the Cup.

Sat 22nd Feb 1969 - Bobby weighs in with four

I vaguely remember this game was in doubt due to some snow, or heavy frost in morning, but apart from Tambling scoring four I do remember for some reason Sunderland playing in all red, rather than their usual strip. (This sort of kit change was very unusual in the days before replica kits)

Up 1-0 at half time, Brichenall scoring off the underside of the bar, before Bobby scored a 9 minute hat trick in the second half, firstly from an Ossie backheel after 56 minutes, then a tap in after Montgomery (their 1973 Cup Final hero ) saved well from Houseman, and then converting a Charlie Cooke pass to make it 4-0. Colin Suggett pulled one back before Tambling completed the scoring with a 74th minute header from a Houseman cross.

Final result ; Chelsea 5 Sunderland 1

Ossie had a knee strapped at end, but expected to be fit for next week's FA Cup Quarter Final home tie v West Brom.

The match programme lists ticket arrangements for this tie;

32,000 Ground Tickets (5/- (25p)) will be on sale here tomorrow from 10a.m. There will be 3,300 unreserved bench seats in front of the West Stand available next Saturday on payment of a 4/- (20p) transfer on the day. Admission to the East Stand Standing Enclosure will on payment of 1/6d transfer on the day. 9,000 seating tickets (+3,000 for visitors) were sold by postal application and cheques, postal and money orders to value of £7500 were returned to unsuccessful applicants!

Saturday 15th February 1969 - Blow for Harris

I'm looking at the scrap book laughing my head off, the newspaper headline for a match we lost 1-0 away at Leeds was "Chelsea skipper booked at Leeds". In those days you did almost need to commit murder to earn a booking, and a measly 3 bookings resulted in a hefty suspension. (Ossie was to be suspended for 6 weeks after 3 bookings in 1970/71). Also notable was the the hacks actually reported on the game in those long gone days, and the following report lives on from 40 years ago;

Despite the treacherous conditions Leeds and Chelsea put on a cracking display and deserved the cheers they received at the end from the Elland Road fans. But the cheers must have rung a hollow note for Chelsea's John Dempsey and David Webb, for 55 minutes they had folied every one of those now famous corner kick ploy of Jack Charlton.

Only once they were bettered - and Leeds won. Eddie Gray took a corner and Charlton rose high once more. The ball went either from his head or from a distracted defender to the unmarked Peter Lorimer who hit it home off the inside of the post. A bitter blow for Chelsea but one doubts if they could complain. Leeds had done enough before to deserve the goal and were unlucky not to win by a bigger margin.

But full marks to the Londoners. If Leeds impressed me immensely with their running, enterprise and effectiveness in attack, Chelsea equalled them in the manner in which they met this effervescent Yorkshire side. And in their less frequent attacks Webb, with an overhead scissors kick, and Bobby Tambling, with a 32nd minute inches wide drive, reminded Leeds of the dangers of overstretching themselves.

Ron Harris, Chelsea's skipper, was booked for a foul on Mike O'Grady in the 89th minute - a sad ending (LOL) to a match which had provided football of a finer quality than the conditions initially indicated.

Chelsea : Bonetti, Hollins, Harris, Osgood (wearing #4 as he did for a number of games that season), Dempsey, Webb, Cooke, Boyle, Birchenall,Tambling, Houseman, sub Hutchinson

I actually went to Craven Cottage this day (persuaded by a friend that Fulham v Charlton would be a great game , the reverse fixture having ended 5-3) - the visitors won 1-0 in one of most boring games I've ever seen and I froze my arse off standing on the Hammersmith End.

14th February 1969 - The season so far

So far 1968/69 was a typical Chelsea season, some brilliance and more than our fair share of disappointing results, demonstrated by our Inter Cities Fairs Cup (forerunner of UEFA Cup) exit on the toss of a coin against those giants of world football from DWS Amsterdam.

In the aftermath of a fantastic 3-2 FA Cup 5th Round victory in midweek over Stoke we prepared for our visit to dirty Leeds, where we'd been thrashed 7-0 last season, with the prospect of a home FA Cup quarter final v West Bromwich Albion on the horizon, and lying 7th in the First Division table, 15 points behind leaders Liverpool. (nobody seemed to be especially downbeat about this clear under achievement but then we didn't have the internet in those days)

Our top goalscorer in league at that stage was Tommy Baldwin with 13 goals.

League record P 28 W 11 D 8 L 9 F 48 A 39 - and we think we have problems today !