The 1981–82 season was Colchester United's 40th season in their history and first season back in fourth tier of English football, the

Fourth Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

following relegation the previous campaign. Alongside competing in the Fourth Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup and the League Cup. Colchester mounted a serious promotion challenge for much of the season, but a downturn in form in the second half of the season led to Bobby Roberts losing his job as

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

, with Allan Hunter recruited to replace him in May when the U's promotion hopes were over for the season. They exited both cups in the third round, although they took Second Division

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

to a thrilling

extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...

finale at Layer Road where the hosts were eventually defeated 4–3.

Season overview

After the board had decided to keep the faith in Bobby Roberts for the new season despite relegation, the introduction of the three-points for a win format for this year helped Colchester hit the top of the league by November 1981, scoring an impressive 41 goals. The U's also reached the third round of the FA Cup, taking

to a replay before losing 4–3 following

at Layer Road. A £25,000 outlay brought

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

John Lyons to Layer Road who promptly scored on his debut as Colchester thrashed promotion rivals Sheffield United 5–2 in front of the Match of the Day cameras. However, a host of injuries and suspensions in the latter stages of the season saw Colchester drop down the table, and as such the board requested Roberts resign in April. He refused to do so and was sacked a month later. Former player Ray Bunkell filled the brief void before Allan Hunter was brought in as his replacement, tasked with his first managerial role. Colchester had gone from promotion favourites to sixth, 16 points off the promotion places, despite a prolific strike force in

Ian Allinson Ian James Robert Allinson (born 1 October 1957) is an English football manager and former player and former manager of St Albans City. In his playing career, Allinson amassed over 300 league appearances for Colchester United in two spells, an ...

, who scored 26 goals, and

Kevin Bremner Kevin Johnston Bremner (born 7 October 1957) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He made nearly 450 appearances in the English and Scottish Football Leagues, representing ten different clubs. Football career B ...

, who scored 24 goals.

Players

Transfers

In

* Total spending: ~ £25,000

Out

* Total incoming: ~ £0

Match details

Fourth Division

Results round by round

League table

Matches

League Cup

FA Cup

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

, - !colspan="14", ''Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season''

Goalscorers

Disciplinary record

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a

clean sheet In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.

References

General

Books * Websites *

Specific

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colchester United F.C. Season 1981-82 1981-82 English football clubs 1981–82 season