John BUMSTEAD

Behind the boyish looks and undemonstrative persona of John Bumstead lurked a very steely competitor indeed. Never one to go in search of personal glory, Bumstead could be relied upon on the pitch to do the simple things very, very well. A loyal player who stayed faithful to The Blues through two relegations, he performed an essential role in the centre of Chelsea's midfield for 13 years and rarely had a poor game in that time. A product of the club's youth team, in November 1978 John made an impressive debut at the age of 19 when he shackled England's Tony Currie albeit in a 2-1 defeat at Leeds. He scored his first goal for the club three weeks later, it being the only bright spot in a humiliating 7-2 defeat at Middlesbrough. He made just eight appearances that season as Chelsea were relegated but became a regular first-team player in the following campaign as The Blues mounted a strong push for promotion. He scored three times, in victories over Wrexham and Swansea and in a 2-2 draw at QPR, but suffered a dislocated ankle against Shrewsbury in February.

He was unable to return until after Easter and in his absence the promotion charge floundered. Fully fit at the start of the 1980/81 season, Bumstead started in all but one of Chelsea's matches that campaign. He scored just once, a goal which earned a 1-1 draw at Notts County, as The Blues attack misfired spectacularly after Christmas and the team which had been top of the table in early winter eventually finished 12th. John's fearless, courageous challenges meant that injuries were a recurring theme throughout his career and they restricted him to 29 appearances the following season. He impressed against the similarly combative Steve Williams as Southampton were dispatched in the League Cup but in February a shocking challenge by Watford's Jan Lohmann meant he missed the following week's FA Cup victory over Liverpool. He scored six times that year including a brace against Charlton at the Valley, the first of which was a ferocious 35-yard drive which the supporters still fondly recall to this day. (Kelvin Barker)

 John Bumstead was a regular feature in the Chelsea side during their pitiful 1982/83 season when they avoided relegation to Division Three by just two points. He scored five times, the pick of them being a spectacular sliding shot from distance in the pouring rain against Grimsby. Incredibly, considering Chelsea, s lack of success that season, all of John, s goals came in matches which Chelsea won. Bumstead deservedly survived the revamp which John Neal gave his team in the summer of 1983 and his performances alongside Nigel Spackman in the heart of Chelsea's midfield laid the foundations for the more flamboyant players in the team to perform. He scored an impressive seven times during Chelsea's irrepressible charge to the title and added a new string to his bow with three goals curled home spectacularly from direct free-kicks. He did his best to repeat the trick during a 5-0 victory over Leeds which clinched promotion but watched in amazement as he twice struck the post with identical efforts.

An early season injury, followed by the impressive form of his replacement Keith Jones, meant that Bumstead spent a fair chunk of the 1984/85 season out of the side. He made just 26 starts as The Blues gave a good account of themselves on their return to the top flight and it was no coincidence that John was a regular in the team during the final weeks of the season as Chelsea fought for a top-six finish and a spot in the following season's UEFA Cup. Bizarrely, all three of his goals during that campaign were scored against Aston Villa, two in a 4-2 defeat at Villa Park and the other during a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge. John was back to his best the following season as The Blues made a concerted push for the league title. His performance in an early season victory over Everton was perhaps his best for the club to date and although the title push faded in the spring, Bumstead had the consolation of playing in the side which won the Full Members Cup with a 5-4 victory over Manchester City at Wembley. (Kelvin Barker).

 During Chelsea's disappointing 1986/87 season, John Bumstead was perhaps the only player who appeared to flourish. He made 36 appearances and scored a season's best nine goals, including one of the strikes at Southampton on Boxing Day which secured a 2-1 victory that lifted Chelsea off the bottom of the table. They eventually finished 14th and John finished the season in fine style with a spectacular diving header during a 3-3 draw with Liverpool on the season's final day. An injury picked up in pre-season meant that Bumstead was unavailable for the first four months of the 1987/88 campaign. He returned on New Years Day but Chelsea were by now plummeting down the table and they were eventually relegated via the play-offs. He scored just once that season, one of Chelsea's four goals in a game at Oxford which they conspired to draw after leading 3-0 at half-time. Bumstead scored a bizarre goal at Leeds early the following season when he misjudged a cross and the ball flew in off his heel. He was injured at Scunthorpe two weeks later and again missed a large chunk of the season but returned to the side in time for the title run-in and scored the goal, again against Leeds, which clinched promotion and the Second Division championship.

John began the following season out of the team but proved an effective replacement for Steve Clarke at right-back when the Scotsman was moved into the middle to cover for the injured Graham Roberts. He eventually made 39 appearances, including another victorious Full Members Cup Final at Wembley. He also scored the winner against Arsenal in March 1990, a feat which has, to date (2003), not been repeated by any Chelsea player in a league match at Highbury since! John was disappointingly omitted from the side for much of his final season but he had a brief run in the autumn of 1990. Assigned to the task of shackling the two current golden boys of English football, David Platt of Aston Villa and Paul Gascoigne of Spurs, Bumstead turned the clock back in fine style with two man-of-the-match performances as Chelsea won both games. He even managed to score his final goal for The Blues in a 3-2 victory over Spurs. That summer, after 13 years of understated excellence, he joined Charlton Athletic on a free transfer. (Kelvin Barker)