Stamford Chidge and Martin King interview John Bumstead, an unsung hero for Chelsea, and talk about his love for the club; what it was like to experience the lows of relegation and highs of promotion during the 1980’s; playing for John Neal and Bobby Campbell and playing with the likes of Nigel Spackman and Kerry Dixon and against David Platt and Paul Gascoigne.
John Bumstead or Johnny B as he was affectionately known by the supporters, played for Chelsea from 1978 until 1991, making 409 appearances, the 9th highest appearance maker for Chelsea and scoring 44 goals.
There are few Chelsea players who have experienced the rollercoaster of what it was like to play for Chelsea in that 13 year period of the doldrums of Division Two; near relegation to Division Three; promotion to Division One; winning the Full Members Cup; relegation back to Division Two via a play off and then promotion again the next season with a record number of points. Throughout it all he remained loyal to his boyhood club until being transferred to Charlton.
Johnny B was the ultimate selfless team player, playing at the heart of Chelsea’s midfield, doing the simple things very well and he hardly ever had a bad game for the club.
Johnny B scores against Liverpool in 1987
Chelsea infamously relegated by Middlesbrough in a play-off in 1988
Johnny B scores against Arsenal in 1990
He may have been small in stature but he was a steely competitor and his fearless, courageous challenges meant that injuries were a recurring theme throughout his career. He had an eye for goal and was an accomplished free kick taker with his last goal for Chelsea coming in a 3-2 victory over Spurs on December 1st 1990, the start of an unbeaten run against our North London rivals that was to last for 28 years. But perhaps he should best be remembered for the way he could shackle opposition flair players from the likes of Tony Currie to David Platt and Paul Gascoigne.
Bumstead’s last goal for Chelsea in the 3-2 win against Spurs that started the 28 year unbeaten run
If you were to sum John Bumstead up, I can think of no better description than understated excellence.
Playing Career:
Chelsea (Dec 1976 to Jun 1991) – From Chelsea Juniors
Charlton Athletic
Chelsea Career Summary
Debut: Wednesday, 22nd November 1978, Leeds United 2 – 1 Chelsea
Age on debut: 19 years 11 months 26 days
100th Appearance: Saturday, 5th December 1981, Chelsea 2 – 1 Sheffield Wednesday
200th Appearance: Wednesday, 21st November 1984, Chelsea 4 – 1 Manchester City (Substitute)
300th Appearance: Saturday, 2nd January 1988, Chelsea 0 – 0 Tottenham Hotspur
400th Appearance: Saturday, 10th November 1990, Chelsea 1 – 1 Norwich City
Last Appearance: Saturday, 16th February 1991, Chelsea 0 – 0 Wimbledon
Appearances
| Season | League | F.A. Cup | Lg Cup | Europe | Oth* | Ttl |
| 1978 / 79 | 8 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (2) |
| 1979 / 80 | 28 (1) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 30 (2) |
| 1980 / 81 | 41 (1) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 44 (1) |
| 1981 / 82 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 29 |
| 1982 / 83 | 36 (1) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 42 (1) |
| 1983 / 84 | 31 (1) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 35 (1) |
| 1984 / 85 | 25 (4) | 1 (1) | 6 (1) | 0 | 0 | 32 (6) |
| 1985 / 86 | 32 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 42 |
| 1986 / 87 | 29 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 36 |
| 1987 / 88 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 24 |
| 1988 / 89 | 29 (2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 31 (2) |
| 1989 / 90 | 28 (7) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 38 (7) |
| 1990 / 91 | 13 (5) | 1 | 4 (3) | 0 | 0 | 18 (8) |
| Total | 338 (24) | 21 (1) | 34 (5) | 0 | 16 | 409 (30) |
Goals
| Season | League | F.A. Cup | Lg Cup | Europe | Oth* | Ttl |
| 1978 / 79 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1979 / 80 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1980 / 81 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981 / 82 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1982 / 83 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 1983 / 84 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 1984 / 85 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1985 / 86 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1986 / 87 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 1987 / 88 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988 / 89 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1989 / 90 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 1990 / 91 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 44 |
Stats reproduced from www.stamford-bridge.com
