Ex-Chelsea left-winger Block passes away at 79 this week

Chelsea were saddened to learn this week of the passing of Micky Block who played 40 games for us over the space of four seasons. He was 79. 

Block, a left-winger, was a member of the first Chelsea side to play in the FA Youth Cup final, in 1958, alongside the likes of Jimmy Greaves, Barry Bridges and Ken Shellito and although that tie was lost to Wolves, he made his first-team league debut with a further 19 appearances that same season.

A solidly built but pacy player and an England youth international, his first senior outing had come the previous season in the short-lived Southern Floodlit Cup. His first league game a year later in September 1957 was a draw at home to West Brom, with Block taking the place of Jim Lewis who in turn had been deputising for broken leg victim Frank Blunstone, both veterans of our 1954/55 title-winning side.

Block's first goal came three days later in a win at Newcastle and one of his three strikes that campaign was in a goal-laded 5-4 defeat at Arsenal.

The 1958/59 season yielded 16 appearances and one goal, in a big win over Wolves, but in the following three years he was used sparingly with fit-again Blunstone and Peter Brabrook ahead of him when it came to winger selection.

Block's final Chelsea game was in October 1961 when he scored the only goal in a defeat at home to Leicester. Having never quite realised his early potential at Chelsea, he joined Brentford in January 1962 for £5,000 and he was a regular there before moving on to Watford and then Chelmsford City.

Chelsea send condolences to Micky's family and friends at this difficult time.