AT THE mid-point of the 1977-78 season, FA Cup success and avoiding relegation was all Chelsea could hope for – a far cry from the early 1970s when the Blues, under Dave Sexton, won two trophies and reached three consecutive cup finals. An over-ambitious rebuilding project contributed to Sexton’s downfall and in 1974, the departure of Peter Osgood and Alan Hudson ripped the heart from the team. Despite receiving half a million pounds from their sale, Chelsea never replaced them. Sexton left just seven months after chairman Brian Mears had backed his manager in the Osgood-Hudson affair, and the club limped-on in 1974-75, eventually appointing Eddie McCreadie. In some ways, making a change with three games to go hinted the board had accepted relegation. McCreadie,…