2019–20 Colchester United F.C. Season
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The 2019–20 season was
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
's 83rd season in their history and their fourth successive season competing in
League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
. Along with competing in League Two, the club participated in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
,
EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
and
EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
. In a season that was severely disrupted by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Colchester reached the
play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
after the season was drawn to an early close. The U's occupied a play-off spot when the season was postponed on 13 March 2020. The campaign officially ended on 9 June following a vote by all League Two member clubs. Final league positions were determined on a points-per-game basis, and Colchester's 1.57 points-per-game was enough to secure sixth position in the league and the third of four play-off spots. In their play-off semi-final first leg with
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
, the U's won 1–0 at home, but lost 3–2 on aggregate following a 3–1
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 ...
defeat at
St James Park St James Park and variants may refer to: Municipalities * St James Park, New Zealand, a suburb of Hamilton, New Zealand Football stadiums * St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, England * St James Park (Exeter), Exeter, England * St James Park, g ...
. Colchester equalled their best-ever performance in the EFL Cup, reaching the quarter-finals. After dispatching of League Two rivals
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
in the first round, the U's travelled to
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building * ...
in round two. Their resolute defending took the tie to a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
which they won 5–4. In the third round, Colchester hosted further Premier League opposition, with
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
visiting the
Colchester Community Stadium Colchester Community Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as the JobServe Community Stadium, is a football stadium in Colchester, England. It is the home of Colchester United Football Club. It has a capacity of 10,105 and opened in August 200 ...
. Again, Colchester's staunched defending took the tie to penalties and they went on to win 4–3. In the fourth round, Colchester beat league rivals
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team co ...
3–1 to set up a trip to
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
to take on
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. Three second-half goals were enough for the home side to seal a convincing victory. In the EFL Trophy, Colchester won their first group with wins over Gillingham and local rivals
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
, but were defeated in the second round by
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
. Colchester's FA Cup campaign ended in the first round with a home defeat by
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
.


Season overview


Preseason

Colchester's place in
League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
for the 2019–20 season was confirmed on the final day of the 2018–19 season on 4 May 2019 after a dramatic late goal for Newport County ensured they finished ahead of the U's in seventh place achieving a place in the
play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
. The club announced the first departures of the close season on 14 May when twelve under-23 and Academy graduates were not offered new deals. These players included David Agboola, Aaron Barnes, George Brown, Ken Charles, Noah Chesmain, Chris Forino, Arjanit Krasniqi,
Eoin McKeown Eoin Francis Okorie McKeown (born 5 November 1998) is an English footballer who plays for side Tamworth, where he plays as a forward. He joined the Colchester United Academy from Hoddesdon Town following at trial with the club in 2015. He j ...
, Paul Rooney, Decarrey Sheriff, Sam Warde, and Will Wright. On 17 May, young midfielder
Kwame Poku Kwame Afriyie Adubofour Poku (born 11 August 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship side Peterborough United. Born in England, he represents Ghana internationally. Club career Born in Croydon, Poku jo ...
signed his first professional contract, joining United from
Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...
following a successful trial at the end of the 2018–19 season. On 20 May, Colchester announced that all out of contract players had been offered new deals, except for
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 ...
Mikael Mandron, who was allowed to leave the club after two years and 95 appearances, and winger Ryan Gondoh, who had spent the end of last season on loan at
Halifax Town FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in and play at the Shay. They replaced Halifax Town A.F.C., which went into administration in the 2007–08 season. ...
. Brennan Dickenson opted against signing a new contract with Colchester, instead signing for newly promoted
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
club
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
on 30 May. On 7 June, Colchester announced the signing of former Leicester City under-23 midfielder
Sammie McLeod Sammie Thomas McLeod (born 6th December 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Worthing. McLeod joined Leicester City in 2017 from Maidstone United. After appearing in the U18 Premier League, he joined Mal ...
on a two-year contract, joining from Maldon & Tiptree to link up with the U's under-23 side. On 11 June, forward Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, who had been on loan at Derry City until 1 June, had his contract extended by a further year after Colchester activated a clause in his contract. He would remain on loan with Derry until the end of the
2019 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2019 League of Ireland Premier Division is the 35th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began in February 2019 and concluded in October 2019. Fixtures were announced in December 2018. On 23 September, Dundalk won t ...
season on 19 November. Long-serving defender
Tom Eastman Thomas Michael Eastman (born 21 October 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Harrogate Town on loan from club Colchester United. Eastman is a product of the Ipswich Town Academy, where he progressed throug ...
agreed a two-year contract extension on 13 June. On 18 June, Colchester signed former
VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...
defender Danny Collinge on a two-year contract. Sam Saunders ended his short association with the club on 21 June by announcing his retirement from playing at the age of 35. After making 141 appearances for the club, defender Frankie Kent left Colchester to sign for League One
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
for an undisclosed fee on 22 June. On 26 June, Colchester signed
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
international winger
Luke Gambin Luke David Gambin (born 16 March 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League Two club Sutton United. Born in England, he represents the Malta national team. Career Barnet Born in Sutton, London, Gambin began his ...
on a two-year contract from
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
.
Sammie Szmodics Samuel Joseph Szmodics (born 24 September 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers. Szmodics started his career with hometown club Colchester United, where from the age o ...
ended a 16-year association with Colchester United on 28 June when he signed for
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
side
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
on a three-year deal in an undisclosed compensation deal after his U's contract had expired. On 1 July, Colchester made several movements in the transfer market. First, they announced Diaz Wright had signed a one-year contract extension with the club. Then, winger Michael Fernandes arrived from
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
on a two-year deal, Next, it was announced
goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
and player
Rene Gilmartin Rene Patrick Gilmartin (born 31 May 1987) is an Irish professional football coach and former professional footballer who is currently the goalkeeping coach at Ipswich Town. He has previously appeared in the Football League for Walsall, Watford, ...
had opted to leave the U's to join Bristol City, before announcing the signing of
Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...
-born
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
defender
Omar Sowunmi Omar Kolawole Olufemi Sowunmi (born 7 November 1995) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for club Sutton United. Primarily a defender, Sowunmi has been used as a striker in the past. Career Ipswich Town Born in Colchester, Ess ...
on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. On 2 July, Colchester announced that TEXO Scaffolding would be the new front of home shirt sponsors for kits for the next three seasons. Later the same day, the club announced the signing of
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
youth international Matthew Weaire from
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
on a two-year contract. On 3 July, Luke Ige arrived from
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
on a one-year contract to join up with the Under-23 squad. On 4 July, Colchester made a double signing with
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
forward Jevani Brown arriving on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee, while
Paris Cowan-Hall Paris Declan Joseph Cowan-Hall (born 5 October 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward and winger. Having started his career as a youngster at Portsmouth, he went on to play in the Football League for Grimsby Town, ...
later arrived at the club following his release from
Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
. The winger also signed a two-year deal with the U's. Colchester started their pre-season friendlies with a game at
Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
Premier Division side Bowers & Pitsea on 5 July where they ran out 2–0 winners. The second-half goals were scored by
Louis Dunne Louis Anthony Dunne (born 7 September 1998) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder, for Hayes & Yeading United, on loan from National League South club Chelmsford City. Dunne is the son of former Colchester United playe ...
and
Luke Norris Luke Michael Norris (born 3 June 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Stevenage. Having played in the youth academies at Luton Town, Hitchin Town and Brentford, Norris made his debut in the Brentford fir ...
. In the U's second pre-season friendly on 9 July, they took on
Dulwich Hamlet Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in East Dulwich in south-east London, England. They are currently members of and play at Champion Hill. History The club was formed in 1893, by Lorraine 'Pa' Wilson. T ...
of the
National League South The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
. Colchester again won 2–0, with second-half goals from
Courtney Senior Courtney Fitzroy Senior (born 30 June 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Barnet. He is a product of the Brentford Academy and made his professional debut on loan at League Two club Wycombe Wanderers in Febr ...
and summer signing Omar Sowunmi. On 13 July,
Dean Gerken Dean Jeffery Gerken (born 22 May 1985) is an English professional Association football, footballer who last played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for club Colchester United F.C., Colchester United. He started his career as ...
signed for Colchester following his release from
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
at the end of the 2018–19 season. He had been training with the U's and signed ahead of their friendly with Cefn Druids the same day. New signing Gerken played the opening 45-minutes as the U's beat the Welsh side 3–0 with goals from Andre Hasanally in the first half, and Omar Sowunmi and Luke Norris in the second half. On 16 July, Colchester won 3–0 at
Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates ...
with goals coming from three new signings; Paris Cowan-Hall, Michael Fernandes and Luke Gambin. On 19 July, young winger Todd Miller left the club to join
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
side
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
, with the U's expected to receive compensation for the teenager. The same day, in their first home friendly of pre-season, Colchester suffered a 5–0 defeat to neighbours and rivals Ipswich Town. The visitors led 1–0 going into half-time, with four goals arriving in the second-half. After turning down a new contract with the club, goalkeeper
Dillon Barnes Dillon Barnes (born 8 April 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Haringey Borough. Born in England, he represents the Jamaica national team. Barnes began his career with Barnet and later Fulham. He failed to make a ...
signed for Championship club
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
on a two-year contract on 22 July. On 23 July,
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
won 2–1 with a late goal in the U's latest pre-season friendly after Luke Norris had handed the home side the lead early in the second-half. In Colchester's final pre-season friendly, Luke Norris scored again to secure a late 1–1 draw with
Dover Athletic Dover Athletic Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 198 ...
on 27 July.


August

On the eve of the season opener against
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
, Colchester signed former
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
Cohen Bramall on a two-year contract. Colchester were held to a 1–1 draw by Port Vale at the
Colchester Community Stadium Colchester Community Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as the JobServe Community Stadium, is a football stadium in Colchester, England. It is the home of Colchester United Football Club. It has a capacity of 10,105 and opened in August 200 ...
on 3 August. The visitors took the lead through a
Tom Pope Thomas John Pope (born 27 August 1985) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Centre forward, centre forward for side Congleton Town F.C., Congleton Town. A Crewe Alexandra F. ...
penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...
in the fifth minute, but the U's equalised through Luke Norris on the stroke of half-time.
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
hosted the U's on 10 August and won 1–0 with a second-half goal from Antoni Sarcevic. The U's earned their first victory of the season on 13 August in their
EFL Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
first round tie with
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
. On the back of a goalless first-half, both teams had a man
sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
for violent conduct in the 62nd-minute, with Cohen Bramall shown red for Colchester and Jerry Yates for Swindon. Tom Eastman broke the deadlock in the 77th-minute, before substitute Courtney Senior doubled the lead in the second minute of
injury time Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
. Fellow substitute
Brandon Comley Brandon Comley (born 18 November 1995) is a professional footballer who plays for EFL League Two side Walsall. Born in England, he represents the Montserrat national team. Comley came through the Queens Park Rangers Academy, joining at the ag ...
added a third in the seventh minute of injury time to complete the 3–0 victory and see the U's reach the second round for the first time since 2010. On 17 August, Colchester hosted Cambridge United in the league. A ninth minute Luke Norris penalty gave the U's a 1–0 lead going into the interval, but two Cambridge goals in the second-half left Colchester to a 2–1 defeat. Ipswich Town confirmed the signing of Kane Vincent-Young on 19 August for an undisclosed fee reportedly in the region of £500,000. He left the U's to sign a four-year deal with Town with the option of a further year. Colchester continued their winless run with another second-half collapse against
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...
on 20 August.
Frank Nouble Frank Herman Nouble (born 24 September 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for League Two club Colchester United. Nouble started his career with the youth team at Chelsea before signing for West Ham United. Whil ...
and Luke Norris had given the U's a 2–0 first-half lead, but goals for Grimsby in the 48th and 87th-minutes succumbed them to a draw and more dropped points. On 24 August, the U's picked up their first league win of the season, beating
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
1–0 courtesy of a Luke Norris penalty, who racked up his fourth goal in five league matches. In the second round of the EFL Cup on 27 August, Colchester travelled to Premier League
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building * ...
. Following a goalless 90-minutes, the match went to a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
.
Andros Townsend Andros Darryl Townsend (born 16 July 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Everton. A graduate of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, Townsend was initially loaned out to several League One and then Champions ...
stepped up to take the first penalty for the hosts, but his effort was saved by Dean Gerken in the U's goal. Each of the following penalties were scored by their takers, and U's Academy product Noah Chilvers converted the decisive spot kick to send Colchester through to the third round and their first win in the League Cup against top-flight opponents since 1979. On 28 August, Colchester signed young Bristol City striker Freddie Hinds on loan until January. On 29 August, the U's signed another striker with the arrival of
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
's
Theo Robinson Theo Larayan Ronaldo Shadiki Robinson (born 22 January 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker. Born in England, he won seven caps for Jamaica in 2013. He began his career at Watford, making his debut in the English Football ...
on loan until January. After making his first-team debut on the opening weekend of the season, Andre Hasanally signed his first professional contract with the club on 30 August, signing until June 2022. Colchester rounded out August with a 1–0 win at
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic ...
on 31 August. Frank Nouble's strike on the stroke of half-time proved to be the difference between the sides.


September

On 2 September, transfer deadline day, Colchester signed young Charlton Athletic midfielder Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu on loan until January, with injuries ruling out Tom Lapslie, Harry Pell and Diaz Wright, and with Brandon Comley and Luke Gambin on international duty. Sarpong-Wiredu and Kwame Poku both made their debuts on 3 September in Colchester's 3–2
EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
win against Gillingham. Paris Cowan-Hall scored his first goal for the U's after just eight minutes, before Gillingham equalised. Theo Robinson then scored his first goal for the club after 55-minutes to put the visitors back in front, before Cowan-Hall recorded his second goal of the evening to put Colchester 3–1 up. Former U's player Mikael Mandron pulled a goal back for Gillingham but Colchester held on for victory. On 5 September, Colchester signed former loanee winger
Callum Harriott Callum Kyle Harriott (born 4 March 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Yeovil Town. He is a product of the Charlton Athletic academy. Born in England, he represents the Guyana national football team internationally. Cl ...
on a two-year contract following his release from
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
during the summer. On 7 September, Colchester were held to a goalless draw by
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
at the Community Stadium. On 14 September, Colchester were beaten 1–0 at
Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club are a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team compete in , the third tier of the English football league system, and have played their home games at The New Lawn since ...
following a Luke Prosser
own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
. Colchester returned to winning ways on 17 September with another 3–0 win against Swindon Town, on this occasion away in the league. Tom Eastman opened the scoring in first-half injury time before a Theo Robinson brace sealed the win. On 21 September, Colchester won 2–1 at home to
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...
. Kwame Poku scored his debut professional goal after just three minutes, before Ryan Jackson doubled the U's lead in the 28th-minute. Conor Wilkinson pulled a goal back for the visitors just after half-time but Colchester held on to move them up to tenth in the League Two table. Colchester drew their biggest crowd of the season of 9,481 when they hosted Premier League side
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
in the third round of the EFL Cup on 24 September. Colchester had last reached the third round in the 2004–05 campaign. Colchester were dominated by the opposition for much of the game, registering just four shots and none on target while Spurs had 75 per cent possession. Despite this, a resilient U's side held on for 90-minutes with the tie ending goalless and going on to a penalty shoot-out. Dean Gerken in the Colchester goal saved the first penalty from
Christian Eriksen Christian Dannemann Eriksen (born 14 February 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United and the Denmark national team. He is renowned for his vision, technique, passing, and fr ...
, and despite Jevani Brown's poor Panenka penalty kick keeping the score level overall,
Lucas Moura Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva (born 13 August 1992), known as Lucas Moura (), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a winger and forward for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Moura started his professional career at São Pa ...
hit the bar only for Tom Lapslie to score the winning penalty for the U's. This put them through to the fourth round for the first time since the 1974–75 when they reached the quarter-finals. The U's returned to league action on 28 September, drawing 1–1 at
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020. Initially kno ...
. Theo Robinson scored Colchester's goal, his fourth of the season.


October

On 5 October, Colchester started the month with a 3–1 win against League Two's bottom club
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
. The visitors opened the scoring with a first-half deflected goal, but Tom Eastman equalised shortly after the break. It wasn't until the 82nd-minute that the U's took the lead after Frank Nouble had been fouled in the penalty area and he stepped up to convert the spot kick. A minute later, he turned provider for Kwame Poku to score his second Colchester goal and seal the victory. After beating the Tottenham Hotspur first-team in the EFL Cup, Colchester hosted their under-21 side in the EFL Trophy group stage. A Luke Norris headed goal put Colchester ahead on 44 minutes, but the visitors equalised 15-minutes from full-time through
Tashan Oakley-Boothe Tashan Dinnachi L. Oakley-Boothe (born 14 February 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One side Lincoln City on loan from Stoke City. Career Tottenham Hotspur Oakley-Boothe was born in Lambeth ...
. The game ended 1–1 and the match went to a penalty shoot-out, which Spurs won to claim a bonus point. On 11 October, teenage defender Ollie Kensdale joined National League South side
Bath City Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club have ...
in a month-long loan deal. Colchester visited
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team co ...
on 12 October, and despite taking a first half lead through Luke Prosser, the home side scored twice in the second half to claim victory. On 18 October, Noah Chilvers joined Ollie Kensdale at Bath City in a month-long loan deal. On 19 October, Colchester suffered their second successive defeat, on this occasion a 1–0 reverse against League Two's bottom side
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...
. Colchester held league leaders
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
to a 0–0 draw at
Gresty Road Gresty Road or the Alexandra Stadium, currently known as the Mornflake Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Crewe, Cheshire, England. The home ground of Crewe Alexandra, it has an all-seated capacity of 10,153. History Cre ...
on 22 October, but had the chance to win the game from the penalty spot in the seventh minute of stoppage time. However, Crewe goalkeeper Will Jääskeläinen saved Frank Nouble's effort after U's forward Theo Robinson had been sent off in an off the ball incident after the penalty had been awarded. Colchester returned to winning ways on 26 October for the first time in three weeks with a 3–1 home win against Newport County. The visitors were in front after just five minutes, but first-half goals from Ryan Jackson and Ben Stevenson put the U's in control. A goal from Courtney Senior 15 minutes from the full-time whistle rounded off the victory for Colchester. On 29 October, Colchester reached the quarter-final of the League Cup for only the second time in the club's history, coming from behind to win 3–1 for the second time in three days. Crawley were the hosts and opened the scoring on 20-minutes, but a Luke Norris header two minutes later levelled the score. In the second-half, Colchester went ahead after Cohen Bramall's
free kick A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play. Association football In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offence ...
hit the bar, struck Crawley goalkeeper
Michael Luyambula Michael Ngemba Luyambula (born 8 June 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Regionalliga West club Sportfreunde Lotte. Born in Germany, Luyambula came through Borussia Dortmund's youth system but was released without ...
and went in. Substitute and former-Crawley loanee Luke Gambin sealed victory in the 79th-minute, his first goal for the U's.


November

Colchester travelled to
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
on 2 November where they won 3–2. The U's took an eighth-minute lead through Brandon Comley, but Mansfield equalised on the stroke of half-time. Courtney Senior reinstated Colchester's lead on 74-minutes, before Luke Gambin scored his second in as many games three minutes from full-time to secure victory. In the 90th-minute,
Omari Sterling-James Omari Shaquil Jabari Sterling-James (born 15 September 1993) is a footballer who plays as a winger or forward for club Ebbsfleet United and the Saint Kitts and Nevis national team. He previously played in the Football League for Cheltenha ...
pulled a goal back for the home side. On 8 November,
Cameron James Cameron Lewis James (born 11 February 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender or midfielder for Chelmsford City. James joined Colchester United's Academy at the age of nine, progressing through the age groups to ma ...
joined National League South side Maidstone United on loan for a month. Colchester suffered defeat in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
first round for the fourth consecutive season when they lost 2–0 to League One side
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
on 9 November. U's youngsters Luke Ige and Ollie Sims were loaned out to Witham Town and Bowers & Pitsea respectively on initial 28-day contracts. On 12 November, Colchester played their final group game in the EFL Trophy. They faced Ipswich Town and won 1–0 with a first senior goal from Ryan Clampin, topping the group in the process. Colchester were held to a 1–1 draw at
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
on 23 November. Luke Norris scored his fifth league goal of the season to hand the visitors the lead, but in the second-half, Dean Gerken fouled
Reuben Reid Reuben James Reid (born 26 July 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays for Southern Football League Premier South side Weston-super-Mare as a striker. Born in Bristol, he has played in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle, ...
in the penalty area and Conor Thomas converted to equalise.


December

On 3 December, Colchester were defeated in the second round of the EFL Trophy at home to Stevenage in front of a crowd of just 959. Stevenage led 2–0 after half an hour of play, but the home side pulled a goal back in the second-half from a Chris Stokes own goal. Teenage midfielder Kwame Poku, who had only joined Colchester in the summer of 2019, signed a new -year contract extension with the club on 5 December to keep him with the U's until summer 2022. On 7 December, Colchester earned their first win in almost a month with a 93rd-minute winner against Salford City in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs. Harry Pell scored his first goal of the season with an injury time header. Midfielder Diaz Wright joined
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
side
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...
on loan until 6 January 2020. Also leaving the club on loan was fellow midfielder Tyrique Hyde, who joined
Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
in the National League South for one month. After falling behind by two goals in their League Two game at
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
on 14 December, Colchester battled back in the second half to claim a 2–2 draw. Former Colchester loanee
Abo Eisa Abobaker Mamoun Eisa (born 5 January 1996) is a Sudanese professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League Two side Grimsby Town. Eisa began his career playing non-league football with St Albans City, Uxbridge and Wealdstone. In 20 ...
scored late in the first half for the home side, then
Kevin van Veen Kevin van Veen (born 1 June 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for Scottish Premiership side Motherwell. He formerly played professionally for FC Oss, Helmond Sport, SC Cambuur, Northampton Town and Scunthorpe Uni ...
doubled Scunthorpe's advantage two minutes into the second half. Luke Norris scored to reduced the deficit just before the hour mark, and Luke Prosser scored his second of the season four minutes later to earn a point for the U's. Colchester travelled to
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
for the first time in their history to face
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
in the EFL Cup quarter-final. The visitors held their Premier League opposition in the first half, going in to the interval at 0–0. In the second half, it took
Marcus Rashford Marcus Rashford (born 31 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Manchester United and the England national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his explosive ath ...
six minutes to open the scoring, and five minutes later, Ryan Jackson scored an own goal to double United's lead.
Anthony Martial Anthony Jordan Martial (; born 5 December 1995) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the France national team. After playing youth football for Les Ulis, Martial began his pr ...
added a third on 61-minutes to complete the scoring. Colchester continued their good run of league form with a commanding 3–0 win over
Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
at the Community Stadium on 21 December.
Nathaniel Knight-Percival Nathaniel Lawrence Knight-Percival (born 31 March 1987) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a defender (association football), defender for Kidderminster Harriers F.C., Kidderminster Harriers. He started his ...
's own goal in the 26th-minute put the U's 1–0 up and Callum Harriott's first goal since his return to the club doubled Colchester's advantage in the 41st-minute. In the second half, Cohen Bramall registered his first goal in the
English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
with a well taken free kick seven minutes after the restart to seal the victory. In the early League Two kickoff on Boxing Day, Colchester beat Leyton Orient 3–1 at
Brisbane Road Brisbane Road, originally known as Osborne Road, is a football stadium in Brisbane Road, Leyton, East London, England. It has been the home ground of Leyton Orient since 1937, before which it was the home of amateur football team Leyton F.C., w ...
to move up to fourth in the table. Theo Robinson gave the U's a 1–0 lead after 41-minutes, then Harry Pell doubled Colchester's lead in the 64th-minute. Orient pulled a goal back four minutes from time, but Robinson added a second for himself and scored Colchester's third goal in the 91st-minute. Fourth-placed Colchester hosted second-placed
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
in their final game of 2019 on 29 December. The visitors took an eighth-minute lead through Jake Taylor, but Harry Pell levelled the score after 16-minutes to earn his second goal in as many games. After the break, Theo Robinson put the U's in front with his third goal in two games. Tom Lapslie was sent off for a foul in the penalty area and denying a goalscoring opportunity, a penalty which substitute Ryan Bowman converted. Colchester held on with ten men to draw 2–2.


January

Colchester maintained their unbeaten run with a 1–1 draw with Crawley on New Year's Day. Frank Nouble's fourth goal of the season in the 64th-minute was later cancelled out by a Luke Prosser own goal. On 4 January, Jevani Brown left the club to join League Two rivals Forest Green Rovers on loan until the end of the season, having played 17 games for the U's but only five in the league. Also on 4 January, Colchester were held to a disappointing 0–0 draw against ten-man, bottom of the table Stevenage.
Tom Soares Thomas James Soares (born 10 July 1986) is an English professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Marlow F.C., Marlow. He has previously played for Crystal Palace F.C., Crystal Palace, Stoke City F.C., Stoke City, ...
had been sent off for the home side in the 19th-minute, but a dominant Colchester couldn't get the ball past Stevenage goalkeeper Paul Farman. On 6 January, Percy Kiangebeni joined Southern League Premier Division South side
Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...
on loan for a month. On 8 January, Tyrique Hyde extended his loan spell at Dartford for a further month. On 10 January, both Cameron James and Diaz Wright joined National League South side
Welling United Welling United Football Club is a professional football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The club's first team play in the National League South, at the sixth tier of English football. History Welling United Foot ...
on loan for one month. Colchester were held to a 1–1 draw on 11 January at League Two's bottom club Morecambe. The U's had taken a 35th-minute lead through Frank Nouble, but were pegged back on 69-minutes. Ryan Jackson was then sent off seven minutes from time for a second booking. On 14 January, Colchester confirmed the signing of Theo Robinson on loan from Southend until the end of the season. On 18 January, Plymouth Argyle defender Tafari Moore joined Colchester on loan until the end of the season. He went straight into the U's squad to face Macclesfield Town the same day. Later that day, Moore played 60-minutes as Colchester ended a streak of four consecutive draws to record a 2–1 victory. Callum Harriott opened the scoring after 14-minutes, before the lead was doubled following a
Fiacre Kelleher Fiacre Blane Kelleher (born 10 March 1996) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Colchester United. Early and personal life Born in Cork, Kelleher is from Blackrock. He has three older brothers who played hurlin ...
own goal. The visitors reduced the deficit in the second half but the U's held on to extend their unbeaten run to 13 games. Colchester were held to a 0–0 draw at home by
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
on 21 January. Their game in hand to clubs around them meant they moved back into the play-off places. On 25 January, midfielder Louis Dunne joined Southern League Premier Division South side
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
on loan until the end of February. Colchester moved up to fifth in the League Two table with a 0–0 draw at second-placed Exeter City on 25 January to record their sixth draw in seven games. The U's hosted league leaders Swindon Town on 28 January. The visitors took the lead three minutes after half-time, but Luke Norris scored against his old club to level the score on 74-minutes. 15 minutes later and Colchester had taken a 3–1 lead following a Theo Robinson brace in the 85th and 89th-minutes. The match finished 3–1 to the U's as they recorded their third victory of the season against Swindon.


February

Colchester's unbeaten run, stretching back to October, was finally ended on 1 February to managerless Cambridge United. Similar to Colchester's August home defeat to Cambridge, Luke Norris had given the U's the lead, but two goals within the space of 70 seconds late in the second half ended their 16-game streak. On 5 February, the club announced the departure of Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe to
Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...
side Hapoel Hadera on a permanent contract. The U's bounced back from their defeat to Cambridge in impressive style, beating Plymouth Argyle 3–0 on 8 February. Argyle had started the day in the automatic promotion positions, but three first-half goals sealed victory for the home side. Ben Stevenson opened the scoring for Colchester after 14-minutes, then Theo Robinson headed in his tenth goal of the season on the half-hour mark. Six minutes later, he earned himself a brace to record a convincing victory. On 11 February, Colchester were beaten at home by Grimsby Town. After taking the lead through captain Luke Prosser after 17-minutes,
Charles Vernam Charles Terence Priestley Vernam (born 8 October 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League One side Lincoln City. A product of the Scunthorpe United and Derby County youth academies, he turned professio ...
scored for the away side four minutes later. The U's retook the lead three minutes before half time with Theo Robinson's twelfth goal for the club. However, Vernam scored two goals in the space of three second-half minutes to snatch a victory for Grimsby. Colchester fell to their heaviest league defeat of the season on 15 February when they were beaten 3–0 at Port Vale. After leaving league rivals Macclesfield Town in January, defender Miles Welch-Hayes on 21 February on a free transfer. He signed a contract until summer 2022. On 23 February, Colchester won their first match in three games with a 2–1 victory at Salford City. Kwame Poku's solo effort put the U's ahead, before Callum Harriott doubled the advantage after 41-minutes. Two minutes later, the home side pulled a goal back through Ashley Hunter, but the visitors held on for the win. On 29 February, Colchester dropped out of the play-off places and had Omar Sowunmi sent off as they fell to a 2–0 home defeat to Cheltenham Town.


Season postponement

Colchester made a quick return to the play-off positions with a convincing 3–0 away win at Carlisle United on 7 March. Kwame Poku opened the scoring for the U's on 41-minutes, and the lead was doubled by Luke Norris two minutes later. Poku then earned himself a brace in the 59th-minute. On 13 March, the EFL suspended the season until 3 April at the earliest in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. On 3 April, the EFL provided an update to the postponement of the season by suspending all football indefinitely until matches were safe to resume. On 27 April, two days after they were scheduled to have played their final game of the 2019–20 season, Colchester United became the first English Football League team to announce the release of first-team players in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chairman Robbie Cowling announced that four first-team players, namely Brandon Comley, Ryan Jackson, Frank Nouble, and club captain Luke Prosser, would not be offered new deals once their contracts expired at the end of June. This was despite the fact that Cowling admitted under normal circumstances he "would have been determined to re-sign". The following day, the club released a list of twelve further players who would not be offered new deals on the expiry of their current contracts. These included Dean Ager, Callum Anderson, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Louis Dunne, Chandler Hallett, Tyrique Hyde, Luke Ige, Tariq Issa, Cameron James, Callum Jones, Percy Kiangebeni, and Bailey Vose. On 9 June, League Two clubs voted in favour of ending the season with immediate effect. As Colchester were placed sixth in the League Two table, they were confirmed a
play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
place, with the U's set to face Exeter City in the
semi-finals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
. Colchester played their play-off semi-final first leg at an empty Colchester Community Stadium on 18 June. The hosts won the tie 1–0 through a Cohen Bramall free-kick late in the second-half. In the play-off semi-final second leg on 22 June, Colchester were beaten 3–1
after 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 Draw (tie), tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is ...
, with Exeter heading to the
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
final with a 3–2 aggregate victory. The hosts had taken an early lead, before taking control of the tie with a second goal just before the hour mark. Courtney Senior levelled the score on aggregate 2–1 after 78-minutes, before the tie went to extra time. With nine minutes remaining, Exeter scored again to progress to the final and spelt another season in League Two for the U's.


Players


Transfers and contracts


In


Out


Loans in


Loans out


Contracts

New contracts and contract extensions.


Match details


Preseason friendlies

Colchester United announced four pre-season fixtures on 24 May with games lined up at
Dulwich Hamlet Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in East Dulwich in south-east London, England. They are currently members of and play at Champion Hill. History The club was formed in 1893, by Lorraine 'Pa' Wilson. T ...
,
Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates ...
and
Dover Athletic Dover Athletic Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 198 ...
, and a home fixture against
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
. A further fixture was added on 5 June with a game against Bowers & Pitsea, and then on 10 June,
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
were named as Colchester's sixth pre-season opponents. Colchester scheduled a friendly against
Welsh Premier League The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 20 ...
side Cefn Druids during pre-season trip to Wales for 13 July.


League Two


Results round by round


League table


Matches

On 20 June 2019, the
EFL League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
fixtures were revealed.


Play-offs


FA Cup

The first round draw was made on 21 October 2019.


EFL Cup

The first round draw was made on 20 June. The second round draw was made on 13 August 2019 following the conclusion of all but one first-round matches. The third round draw was confirmed on 28 August 2019, live on
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
. The draw for the fourth round was made on 25 September 2019. The quarter-final draw was conducted on 31 October, live on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
.


EFL Trophy

On 9 July 2019, the pre-determined group stage draw was announced with Invited clubs to be drawn on 12 July 2019. The draw for the second round was made on 16 November 2019 live on
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
.


Squad statistics


Appearances and goals

, - !colspan="16", ''Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season''


Goalscorers


Disciplinary record


Player debuts

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


Honours and awards


End-of-season awards


See also

* List of Colchester United F.C. seasons


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colchester United F.C. Season 2019-20 2019-20 2019–20 EFL League Two by team