Before the arrival of Chelsea, the stadium at Stamford Bridge was primarily used for athletics. However, as of the start of the 1905/06 season, this corner of west London got the professional football it deserved.

Less than a year later, a huge crowd of 67,000 newly adopted and enthusiastic Chelsea supporters crammed into Stamford Bridge to cheer the team on in a 1-1 draw with fellow promotion hopefuls Manchester United in the Second Division.

Just one year after that, Chelsea defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 to seal promotion to the top flight for the first time. Both Chelsea and Stamford Bridge were already earning widespread plaudits for our impact on the English game.

Unfortunately, it took a while to give our new supporters more to celebrate. Mid-table finishes were the best we could manage before two more seasons in the second division, following relegation in 1910.

Things started to look up when we reached our first FA Cup final in 1915. Famously known as the ‘Khaki Cup Final’ due to the large number of spectators at Old Trafford in military uniform, it resulted in a Chelsea defeat to Sheffield United. But by then, the world was at war and professional football had been suspended for the duration, bringing our opening decade to an early end.

Here are some of our favourites images from Chelsea's first decade...