MEET THE FIRST CHELSEAFC FC GOAL KEEPER

William Foulke was our first ever goalkeeper and remains one of our most famous despite playing only one season at the club.

He was signed for £50 from Sheffield United where he had won two FA Cup winner's medals and won one England cap but the Chelsea directors had as much an eye on his box office appeal as they had his goalkeeping ability.

At six foot two and 22 stone, Foulke was a giant. He weighed just one pound less than his two full-backs combined and Chelsea decided to accentuate his bulky presence by placing two small boys behind his goal in order to distract the opposition. Incidentally, the youngsters would also retrieve the ball when it went out of play and it is believed that these were the first-ever ball boys.

Despite this Foulke was no freak show. He was an athletic and agile keeper and was one of the first to punch the ball away from danger. On his debut, the first ever competitive game played by Chelsea, he saved a penalty.