Chelsea’s second decade started with the absence of professional football. The First World War was raging around the globe and competitive sport was on hold, minds in Britain were very much focused on more serious matters.

Despite that, there were regional matches played, although they were not regarded as official fixtures and the teams, with so many footballers away serving in the armed forces, were largely made up of guest players available on the day.

The Pensioners did finish top of the table in the London Combination twice, in 1916 and 1918, before Division One returned for the 1919/20 season. And what a return it was for the west London club.

With many of our pre-war heroes still on the books and back at the Bridge, plus the goals of newly recruited star striker Jack Cock, Chelsea’s first campaign after World War One was our best to that point.

A third-place finish in the top flight for 1919/20 was the highest any London club had managed, proving the capital could compete with the traditional football powerhouses in the north and the Midlands.

That was combined with a run to that year’s FA Cup semi-finals. The only disappointment was defeat to Aston Villa meant we wouldn’t feature in the final, the first of three to be played at Stamford Bridge.

However, we weren’t able to continue that success, as a the following seasons saw us often competing at the other end of the table, before our second decade ended with Chelsea back in the Second Division.

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