Stamford Chidge interviews John Boyle, a key player in Chelsea’s ‘Kings of the Kings Road’ side of the 1960’s and ’70’s.
Born in Motherwell, Scotland, John Boyle signed for Chelsea as a 15-year-old whilst on holiday in London. He made his Chelsea debut on 20th January 1965 in a League Cup semi-final against Aston Villa as an 18-year-old which Chelsea won 3-2.
John Boyle was something of an unsung hero and yet vital player for the successful ‘Kings of the Kings Road’ Chelsea side of the 1960s and early 1970s and will be remembered by many supporters as a tenacious ball winning midfielder.
An absolute gentleman with a softly spoken Scottish brogue, John reflects on his time playing for Chelsea, some of the great players and managers of that era, his relationship with the fans and some of the huge domestic and European matches he played in for Chelsea.
Chelsea Career Summary
Debut: Wednesday, 20th January 1965, Aston Villa 2 – 3 Chelsea
Age on debut: 18 years 0 months 26 days
100th Appearance: Saturday, 20th May 1967, Tottenham Hotspur 2 – 1 Chelsea
200th Appearance: Saturday, 2nd January 1971, Crystal Palace 2 – 2 Chelsea
Last Appearance: Saturday, 25th August 1973, Derby County 1 – 0 Chelsea
Appearances
| Season | League | F.A. Cup | Lg Cup | Europe | Oth* | Ttl |
| 1964 / 65 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 1965 / 66 | 30 (3) | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 43 (3) |
| 1966 / 67 | 36 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| 1967 / 68 | 32 (1) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 (1) |
| 1968 / 69 | 34 (1) | 5 (1) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 44 (2) |
| 1969 / 70 | 7 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 (1) |
| 1970 / 71 | 20 (1) | 3 | 1 | 7 (2) | 0 | 31 (3) |
| 1971 / 72 | 24 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 34 |
| 1972 / 73 | 8 (3) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 (3) |
| 1973 / 74 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 198 (10) | 25 (1) | 21 | 22 (2) | 0 | 266 (13) |
Goals
| Season | League | F.A. Cup | Lg Cup | Europe | Oth* | Ttl |
| 1964 / 65 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966 / 67 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 1967 / 68 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1968 / 69 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
Stats from www.Stamford-Bridge.com
