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Right-wing pace merchant Phil Driver was signed by Geoff Hurst from
Wimbledon for £20,000 early in the 1980/81 campaign as the manager, the
most notable beneficiary of Alf Ramsey's 'wingless wonders' formation,
opted to use two traditional wide-men to supply opportunities for his
burly centre-forward, Colin Lee. To say that Driver bore little
resemblance to a traditional winger would be an understatement: a lanky
six-footer with a shock of blonde hair and the waif-like body of a
supermodel, he appeared more Peter Crouch than Peter Barnes, but in full
flow he was a sight to behold, as Newcastle United found out on the day
that he ran amok on the right flank as Chelsea blitzed the Geordies
6-0.
He made an impressive debut as a substitute in a 2-0 victory over
Bristol Rovers which was most notable for an incredible own-goal by
Rovers' centre-forward Bob Lee who, back to defend a set-piece, managed
to a slice a clearance from the edge of the penalty area past his
'keeper at a ferocious pace. Driver's first start came in a 1-0 win at
Orient which immediately preceded his stunning show against Newcastle.
His first goal for the club - and only strike of his first season -
followed soon after and what a goal it was as Phil ran from his own half
before slipping the ball under Welsh international goalkeeper Dai
Davies as Chelsea thrashed Wrexham 4-0 at the Racecourse Ground. With
Driver in good form on the right flank and Peter Rhoades-Brown matching
him on the left, Colin Lee was positively prolific in snaffling up the
opportunities which came his way. Chelsea topped the Division Two table
going into December but then fell away spectacularly as both wide men
and their midfield counterparts suddenly lost their way. Incredibly, the
Blues failed to score in all but three of their last 22 League matches.
Twelve starts and eleven substitute appearances was a reasonable return
from the Huddersfield-born youngster and an impressive start to the
following campaign appeared to give notice that he was about to explode
back onto the scene. Substitute appearances in each of the new season's
first four games preceded a brace of goals in his first start of the
campaign, a 2-2 draw with Charlton. A spectacular strike followed to
clinch a 2-1 victory over Norwich three days later but a knee injury
suffered at Cambridge a week later brought his season to a premature
end. He battled back to fitness in time for the start of the following
campaign but in 13 appearances that year he failed to rediscover
anything like his best form.
The 1982/83 season - at the end of which
Chelsea finished in their lowest ever position, only securing their
place in the old Division Two on the season's final day - proved to be
something of a watershed for the Stamford Bridge club. Manager John Neal
decided a major upheaval was necessary to boost his ailing club and a
number of players were released just as soon as the final ball had been
kicked in anger. That summer Phil returned to Wimbledon on a free
transfer but, ironically, was never able to fully recover from a broken
leg suffered in a pre-season clash with the Blues just a matter of weeks
later, eventually managing just four appearances in two seasons at
Plough Lane prior to announcing his retirement. (Kelvin Barker)
1978–1980 Wimbledon 16 (3)
1980–1983 Chelsea 44 (4)
1983–1984 Wimbledon 4 (0)
1984–1985 Maidstone United 9 (2)
1986–1989 St Albans City 63 (7)
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