Nationality: British
Position: Forward
D.O.B.: 20th February 1947, Windsor
Time Spent With Chelsea: 1964-1974, 1978-1979
Other Clubs: Southampton, Norwich City, Philadelphia (USA)
Signed From: Brought through Chelsea Juniors.
Cost: -
Debut: December 1964 - Workington (H)
Number of Appearances: 379 (150 goals)
Departed Chelsea: 1979
International Record: (Under-23’s 6 appearances (4 goals) – (Full 4 appearances))
Where are they now?: Match day representative at Southampton (St Mary’s).
As Osgood continued to score goal after goal, he became one of the most wanted centre-forwards in the English game, but Ossie was happy with his lot at Chelsea.
He was surrounded by the players of the same age and it was clear that if the side could stay together then there was a real potential for honour and glory. The Chelsea side was filled at the time with such talent as Ron Harris, Eddie McCreadie, John Hollins, Ian Hutchinson, Peter Houseman and Charlie Cooke. Ossie was an integral part of this lot. 
By 1970 the club was beginning to fire on all cylinders; Cooke and Houseman were the able providers for Osgood who also appeared to be able to read Ian Hutchinson’s mind.
This emergence of Ian Hutchinson added a further dimension to Osgood’s game, a striving partnership that flourished when Hutch was able to steer clear of injuries. With Ossie’s inspiration and Hutch’s perspiration, they cemented a relationship on and off the pitch which contributed to their telepathy.
Osgood said of that partnership:
“My partnership with Hutch was the most effective I had at Chelsea. If he could have stayed fit, there’s no end to what we could have done together. 1969/70 was our peak season when we scored 59 goals between us, 31 and 28, and could have played blindfolded…….he was terrific to play with Hutch, very brave, too brave, as he was always injured, which is a shame as we hit it off so well. He’s my best mate”.
In 1970 Osgood became the first player to score in every round of the FA Cup, a record that still stands. He was Leed’s nemesis in the Final replay at Old Trafford when he finished off a fine move by throwing himself onto a diving header which left Leed’s keeper David Harvey with no chance and equalised, bringing Chelsea back into the game. 
The Chelsea side of 1970/71 was magnificently successful and they continued this success into Europe. European glory was consummated with a 2-1 replay victory in May 1971 over Real Madrid in Athens in the final of the Cup Winners Cup.
Of course Osgood recalls the game with great fondness:
“It wasn’t a great Real Madrid we played. They were rebuilding a bit, but they are still a force to be reckoned with. We fancied ourselves against them as we knew we had plenty of grit and flair as well. In the replay John Dempsey scored a goal early on and the second came from a dummy from Tommy Baldwin. We worked well together, he was screaming at me, and two players went with him and gave me the chance. I curled it in the corner with my left foot, it was a terrific goal. Again, it was team goal, but a great goal to score in the final, that was the main thing. I had the knack of doing that”.
Osgood has always meant a great deal to the average Chelsea fan. His loyalty in remaining at the club when he could have left in his prime was regarded as a sign of great allegiance. Osgood was a hero, furthermore, he was a hero who would never let the club down. 
In March 1974, after almost ten full years at The Bridge, he was sold to Southampton where he continued to plunder goals. A brief loan spell at Norwich in 1976 was followed by a move to America with Philadelphia. Then in December 1978 Ossie came home, returning to Chelsea, but by now, his playing days were all but over. He made only a further 11 appearances and scored 2 goals before calling it a day.
In a Chelsea career total of 375 appearances he scored 150 goals! What else can you say?
Peter Osgood radiated power. He was phenomenal. No other striker compared with him for unpredictability, ingenuity and range of imagination.
Peter Leslie Osgood was “The King of the Bridge” and as he says himself:
"Blue has always been my colour and always will be”.
Sources:
“Chelsea – Football Under the Blue Flag” (Brian Mears and Ian Macleay) ISBN: 1-84018-432-9
“Upfront with Chelsea” (Chris Westcott) ISBN: 1-84018-450-7
“The Stamford Bridge Encyclopedia” (Paul Harrison) ISBN: 1-85158-749-7
stevefurlong@chelsea-mad.co.uk