Colchester United Football Club is a professional
association football
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 ...
club based in the city 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 ...
,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its early years playing in the
Southern Football League
The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...
until they were elected to the
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 Engla ...
in 1950. Between 1950 and 1990, Colchester spent their time between the
Third Division and
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 ...
, during which time they produced one of their most memorable results, a 3–2 victory in the fifth round of 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 ...
over
Don Revie
Donald George Revie OBE (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an England international footballer and manager, best known for his successful spell with Leeds United from 1961 until 1974, which immediately preceded his appointment as England manage ...
's
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
in
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
.
Colchester United were relegated to the
Football Conference
The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...
in 1990 following a decline in the late 1980s, but won the Conference title in
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
to make a swift return to League football. They achieved promotion to the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
following a 1–0 win against
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
in the
play-off final
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 were again promoted in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, achieving second place in League One. The following season, they achieved their highest league finish in club history, ending the season 10th in the
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 ...
ahead of
East Anglia
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
n 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 ...
,
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
and also Essex rivals
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 ...
, despite having the division's lowest attendance. The club returned to League One in 2008 following relegation from the Championship and then made a return to the fourth tier for the first time in 18 years in 2016.
Colchester United play their home games at
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 ...
in Colchester. They relocated to the stadium in 2008 when they moved away from
Layer Road
Layer Road was a Football League stadium in Colchester, England. It was only used for football matches and was the home ground of Colchester United before being replaced by the Colchester Community Stadium. The stadium held spectators and was ...
, their home stadium for 71 years.
History
![Colchester United FC League Performance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Colchester_United_FC_League_Performance.svg)
Until 1937,
Colchester Town were Colchester's main club and were the original tenants of
Layer Road
Layer Road was a Football League stadium in Colchester, England. It was only used for football matches and was the home ground of Colchester United before being replaced by the Colchester Community Stadium. The stadium held spectators and was ...
. Colchester Town joined the
Eastern Counties League
The Eastern Counties Football League, currently known as the Thurlow Nunn League for sponsorship purposes, is an English football league at levels 9 and 10 of the English football league system. It currently contains clubs from Norfolk, Suff ...
in 1935, but their poor performances in the league convinced supporters that the club should turn professional, much like nearby
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 ...
. With club officials against the idea of turning professional, a new professional club was formed in March 1937, Colchester United, which would also play at Layer Road. United joined the
Southern Football League
The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...
as crowds for Town matches dwindled. In December 1937, Colchester United formed a reserve team, signing many of Town's players. As a result of this and Town struggling with
£300 debts, Colchester Town folded the same month.
The club were Southern League champions in
1939
This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Third Reich
*** Jews are forbidden to ...
prior to the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Following the war, in
1947–48, the U's produced one of the most notable
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 ...
runs by a non-league side, defeating fellow non-leaguers
Banbury Spencer in the first round, before beating Football League clubs
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
,
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...
and
Bradford Park Avenue
Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club is an association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in , at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The name derived from their former hom ...
. They finally fell to
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
in the fifth round. This set them in good stead for potential election to the Football League.
Colchester United were elected to the Football League in 1950 on the back of their second Southern League Cup win and ending the
1949–50 season second to
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
on
goal average
A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...
alone.
They spent eleven years in the
Third Division South
The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...
and
Third Division following the league's reorganisation, with a best finish of third place in
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
, just one point behind rivals Ipswich Town and
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
.
The club suffered their first relegation in
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
as they finished 23rd in the Third Division, but didn't have to wait long until their first Football League promotion, spending just one season in 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 ...
as they ended the season second to
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
by just one point. This trend continued over the next two decades as they were relegated to the Fourth Division in
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
and promoted to the Third Division in
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
, then relegated in
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Januar ...
and promoted in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
, relegated in
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
and promoted in
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
before a final relegation to the Fourth Division in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
.
During this time, the club embarked on one of the most notable runs in FA Cup history, as manager
Dick Graham
Richard D. Graham (6 May 1922 – 7 March 2013) was an English footballer and football manager who played and coached in the Football League. He played as a goalkeeper for Crystal Palace, making over 150 league appearances.
He went on to manage ...
took his ageing side to the
1970–71 quarter-finals, dispatching non-league
Ringmer
Ringmer is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. The village is east of ...
,
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 ...
,
Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
and
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
following a replay. With the draw having been made prior to the replay against Rochdale, the U's knew they would face a home tie with
First Division Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
, and duly trounced Dale 5–0. In the match with Leeds, the U's raced to an unprecedented 3–0 lead in front of a 16,000 Layer Road crowd, with two goals from
Ray Crawford
Ray Crawford (October 26, 1915 – February 1, 1996) was an American fighter ace, test pilot, race-car driver and businessman.
Biography
Born in Roswell, New Mexico, Crawford served as a U.S. Army Air Corps fighter pilot and flew the P-3 ...
and one from
Dave Simmons. Leeds did grab two goals back but Colchester held on for a famous 3–2 victory.
The club faced
Everton in the quarter-finals but succumbed to a 5–0 defeat in front of 53,028 at
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpool ...
.
Financial difficulties and a number of changes at board level in the mid-1980s caused a slide towards the lower end of the Fourth Division table and crowd numbers to dwindle.
Despite a brief turn around in form under former
Rangers manager
Jock Wallace
John Martin Bokas Wallace (6 September 1935 – 24 July 1996) was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. Wallace played as a goalkeeper, and has the unique distinction of being the only player ever to play in the English, Welsh and Sco ...
, United were relegated from the Football League for the first time since their election.
![Roy McDonough](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Roy_McDonough.jpg)
Despite their relegation, the U's remained a full-time club while playing in the
Football Conference
The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...
, as they sold their Layer Road ground to the
Colchester Borough Council
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. Colchest ...
to clear the club's debts.
The club finished the season as runners-up to Barnet during their first season outside of the Football League, but, under the stewardship of
player-manager
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
Roy McDonough
Roy McDonough (born 16 October 1958) is an English former professional football player and manager in the English Football League.
Playing career
Roy McDonough was born in Solihull, he was one of four brothers and a twin to Gaz McDonough. He ...
, the U's won the league the following season on goal difference over bitter rivals
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 ...
. In addition to earning a swift return to League football, the club also won the
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
in
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
.
The club had a successful
1995–96 season as they reached the
1995–96 Football League play-offs, but were defeated by
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, ...
at the semi-final stage.
The club narrowly missed the play-offs in
1996–97 but did however reach the
Football League Trophy Final held at
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 ...
. The U's drew 0–0 with
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 ...
but were defeated 4–3 on
penalties
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 ...
. The following season however, Colchester were promoted via the
Third Division play-off Final with a 1–0 Wembley win against Torquay United.
![Phil Parkinson 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Phil_Parkinson_1.png)
Colchester consolidated their position in the third tier of English football for a number of seasons, before achieving their then-highest league finish of second place only to Essex rivals
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 ...
in the
2005–06 season. Under
Phil Parkinson
Philip John Parkinson (born 1 December 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently manager of National League side Wrexham.
Parkinson is the only manager to take an English fou ...
's stewardship, the U's were promoted to the second tier for the first time in their history. However, when Parkinson left to take the reins at
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...
, his assistant
Geraint Williams
David Geraint Williams (born 5 January 1962) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a midfielder from 1980 until 2000, notably featuring in the Premier League for Ipswich Town, as well as in the Foo ...
was handed the daunting task of guiding Colchester into their first season in the Championship. He led the side to a 10th position finish, above
East Anglia
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
n rivals Ipswich Town,
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
and Essex rivals Southend United, while gaining the
Pride of Anglia
Various English association football clubs located in East Anglia vie for being the Pride of Anglia, an unofficial title celebrated by fans of the clubs involved. These clubs include Cambridge United, Colchester United, Ipswich Town, Norwich City ...
title in the process for the first time in their history.
The momentum however did not continue into their second season in the Championship, as they finished bottom of the league and were relegated back to
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 ...
.
During the club's second season in the Championship, Layer Road hosted its final game on 26 April 2008 as the U's fell to a 1–0 defeat to
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
. The club then moved to their new ground, 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 ...
, in the summer of 2008 in preparation for life back in the third tier. Despite hoping to make an immediate return to the Championship, the club made a dreadful start to the
2008–09 campaign, which saw manager Geraint Williams lose his job, leaving the club second from bottom. He was replaced by former Wycombe Wanderers manager
Paul Lambert
Paul Lambert (born 7 August 1969) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Ipswich Town.
Lambert played as a midfielder and won the Scottish Cup in 1987 with St Mirren as a 17-year-ol ...
as he guided the club to a mid-table finish.
The
2009–10 season kicked off with a bang as Colchester United thrashed recently relegated Norwich City 7–1 on the opening day of the season at
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is an association football stadium located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship side Norwich City. The stadium is located toward the east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum.
N ...
. Manager Lambert then defected to Norwich when their manager
Bryan Gunn
Bryan James Gunn (born 22 December 1963) is a Scottish former professional goalkeeper and football manager. After learning his trade with Aberdeen in the early 1980s, he spent most of his playing career at Norwich City, the club with which h ...
was sacked following a poor start to the season. This ensured a fiery return fixture, held at the Community Stadium in January 2010.
The game saw a record crowd of 10,064 watch as the U's fell to a 5–0 defeat, with
Ian Henderson Ian Henderson may refer to:
*Ian Henderson (footballer) (born 1985), English footballer for Rochdale
* Ian Henderson (musician), New Zealand drummer
*Ian Henderson (news presenter) (born 1952), Australian news presenter
*Ian Henderson (police office ...
being
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 ...
on his United debut against his former club.
The season ended with Colchester finishing in 8th position. The club finished in 10th position for both the
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
and
2011–12 seasons, before narrowly avoiding relegation to
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 ...
in the
2012–13 season, defeating Carlisle United 2–0 on the final day of the season to ensure their safety. The club then finished the
2013–14 season in 16th position.
Colchester secured League One safety on the final day of the
2014–15 season when they beat promotion hopefuls
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
1–0 on 3 May 2015. However, Colchester could not stave off relegation to League Two in the
2015–16 season as they finished the campaign in 23rd position, confining them to the fourth tier of
English football
Association football is the most popular sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association f ...
for the first time in 18 years.
Colours and crest
When the club was formed, Colchester United continued in the tradition of their predecessors
Colchester Town and played in blue and white striped shirts combined with white shorts. For the majority of the club's history, the kit has remained true to the traditional design, with slight variations occurring in 1967 and 1968, when candy stripes were preferred, with white on blue used for
1967–68 and blue on white for
1968–69. The stripes were removed altogether between 1969 and 1973, with blue shirts and blue shorts adopted between 1969 and 1972 as modelled by
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, and white shirts for
1972–73 during a failed relaunch. The original stripes were reinstated for the following campaign, and remained largely unchanged since this period. The club briefly used blue kits with white pinstripes between 1982 and 1986, and a crosshatch design between 1988 and 1990.
The club adopted the
coat of arms of Colchester
The coat of arms of Colchester is the arms and other insignia associated with the city and borough of Colchester, England.
The shield is more commonly used than the full arms. There are two versions of the arms that are commonly seen. The first w ...
for their club crest upon their formation in June 1937. The coat of arms, which features the living cross of
St Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
and the crowns of the
Three Kings
The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the G ...
, was used until 1972, when a dispute between the club and
Colchester Borough Council
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. Colchest ...
pushed United to design a new crest.
Tied to the rebranding of the club and the new all-white kit, the U's earned a new nickname (The Eagles) with a new badge featuring a
Roman eagle
An ''aquila'' (, "eagle") was a prominent symbol used in ancient Rome, especially as the standard of a Roman legion. A legionary known as an ''aquilifer'', the "eagle-bearer", carried this standard. Each legion carried one eagle.
The eagle had ...
standard. Following a disastrous season where the club were obliged to seek re-election, the kits were reverted and the club played with no crest on the shirts until 1979.
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
replaced
Umbro
Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 100 c ...
as kit manufacturer and the shirts were adorned with a simple ''CUFC'' cypher.
The club emblem was modified to a circular badge in 1983 based on the 1972 design and was once again adjusted in 1986, updating the image of the eagle. In 1994, the crest was modified from a circular shape to a shield shape, with the golden eagle set against a blue and white striped background, a nod to the club's traditional shirt colours.
A slightly updated version was introduced in 2004 which rounded the shield, a design which has since remained unchanged.
A number of different manufacturers have provided the kits for Colchester United since the mid-1970s, with kits supplied by Umbro (1975–1979), Adidas (1979–1982),
Le Coq Sportif
Le Coq Sportif (, "the athletic rooster") is a French manufacturing company of sports equipment. Founded in 1882 by Émile Camuset and located in Entzheim, the company first issued items branded with its now-famous rooster trademark in 1948. The ...
(1982–1986), Olympic (1987–1988), Spall (1988–1990, 1993–1995), Ribero (1991–1993), Vandanel (1995–1997),
Patrick Patrick may refer to:
* Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name
* Patrick (surname), list of people with this name
People
* Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint
*Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...
(1997–2000), Strike Force (2000–2004),
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
(2004–2006),
Diadora
Diadora is an Italian sportswear and footwear manufacturing company based in Caerano di San Marco (Veneto), subsidiary of Geox, founded in 1948. Diadora produces football boots and athletic shoes, as well as a range of apparel that includes ...
(2006–2008),
Puma
Puma or PUMA may refer to:
Animals
* ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae
** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat
Businesses and organisations
* Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company
* Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...
(2008–2016) and
Macron (2016–present).
Since the
1980–81, the club has offered sponsorship for its shirts, and offered away strip sponsorship from the
1999–2000 season. Primary shirt sponsorships have included
Royal London Group
The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Limited, along with its subsidiaries, is the largest mutual insurer in the United Kingdom, with Group funds under management of over £150 billion. Group businesses provide around nine million policie ...
(1980–1986),
0800 Linkline (1986–1987),
Norcross Estates (1987–1990), Holimarine (1990–1991), Colchester Hippodrome (1991–1992),
The Sun (1992, 1992–1993), Strovers (1993–1994),
SGR Colchester
Heart Colchester (formerly SGR Colchester) was a radio station broadcasting to Colchester and the surrounding areas. The station was launched in 1993 as SGR Colchester by the East Anglian Radio group, which also operated the Ipswich-based SGR-FM, ...
(1994–1996), Goldstar Fabrications (1996–1997), Guardian Direct (1997–1999),
East Anglian Daily Times
The ''East Anglian Daily Times'' is a British local newspaper for Suffolk and Essex, based in Ipswich.
History
The newspaper began publication on 13 October 1874, incorporating the ''Ipswich Express'', which had been published since 13 August ...
(1999–2000),
JobServe
JobServe Ltd is a private company headquartered in Tiptree, Essex, United Kingdom, which runs an employment website, job adverts being placed on the site on behalf of employers and employment agencies. It is part of the Aspire Media Group Ltd.
...
(2000–2002, 2018–2019),
Tiptree Jams (2002–2004),
ICS Triplex (2004–2005), Easy-Skip (2005–2006), MutualPoints.com (2006–2007),
Haart
The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of multiple ...
(2007–2008), Weston Homes (2008–2010, 2013–2018), ROL Cruise (2010–2012), and TEXO Scaffolding (2019–present). Away shirt sponsorship has been provided by Ashby's (1999–2000),
Ridley's (2000–2002), 188Trades.com (2005–2006), Smart Energy (2006–2009), JobServe (2009–2010, 2012–2020), Strikerz Inc. (2020–2021), and Workhorse Group.
For the
2012–13 season, the U's marked their 75th anniversary with a special kit. The shirt was coloured in the traditional blue and white stripes, however, the kit did not carry a main sponsorship logo, as the club looked to promote local businesses on a game-by-game basis and to reflect on the club's early days without sponsorship.
Stadia
Layer Road
Colchester's
Layer Road
Layer Road was a Football League stadium in Colchester, England. It was only used for football matches and was the home ground of Colchester United before being replaced by the Colchester Community Stadium. The stadium held spectators and was ...
stadium was built in 1910 and was home to United's predecessors Colchester Town. The U's shared the facilities with Town, as Colchester United's first ever game at the ground came on 2 September 1937, a 6–1 win against
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 ...
. Gale-force winds almost destroyed the Layer Road End of the ground in January 1938. This was followed by the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and Layer Road was closed down by the club and passed over to
Colchester Garrison
Colchester Garrison is a major garrison located in Colchester in the county of Essex, Eastern England. It has been an important military base since the Roman era. The first permanent military garrison in Colchester was established by Legio XX ...
. After the war, the club returned to the ground, as the Main Stand was extended for the
1946–47 season. Soon after, the Popular Side stand was demolished and the timber re-used to improve the Layer Road End.
The ground hosted the record home crowd for a Colchester United game on 27 November 1948 for an
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 tie with
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 ...
. 19,072 fans gathered for the game which lasted just 35 minutes. The game was abandoned due to thick fog.
More storm damage meant that the U's went into the
1949–50 season with no roof to the Layer Road End due to a steel shortage.
During Colchester's first season in the
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 Engla ...
, Layer Road hosted an average crowd of 10,573. This was to be the only time the club hosted a five-figure average at the ground. It wasn't until 1959 that the stadium had floodlights installed, with proceeds from an FA Cup game against
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 ...
funding the installation. In 1971, the ground was purchased from
Colchester Borough Council
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. Colchest ...
with a series of covenants placed on the ground, including the clause that the ground could not be sold for development into housing. In 1980, the club's chairman Maurice Cadman announced that Layer Road was in need of
£280,000 of basic safety improvement to meet legislation. Plans were drawn up to remove the Open End altogether and construct a 5,000 capacity stand at the Layer Road End and a new main stand on the Popular side. The plans never came to fruition, as further plans for a new stadium were rejected by the Council on the basis of the covenant. Following the
Bradford City stadium fire
The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during a Football League Third Division match on Saturday, 11 May 1985 at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, killing 56 spectators and injuring at least 265. The stadium was k ...
and the
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster ( it, Strage dell'Heysel ; german: link=no, Katastrophe von Heysel ; french: Drame du Heysel ; nl, Heizeldrama ) was a crowd disaster that occurred on 29 May 1985 when mostly Juventus fans escaping from a breach by ...
, Layer Road faced £500,000 worth of safety improvements. With the club struggling financially, sections of the ground were closed off, reducing capacity to 4,900.
Layer Road was sold back to Colchester Borough Council in the early 1990s for £1.2 million to help clear the club's debts, as Colchester United leased the stadium back. The council then started to identify and investigate potential sites for a new stadium. In the meantime, the club refreshed the stadium ahead of the
1996–97 season with the Clock End all-seated and covered. With the lease due to expire in 2002,
Kirklees
Kirklees is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Kirklees Council with the status of a metropolitan borough. The largest town and administrative centre of Kirklees is Huddersfield, and the district also includes ...
McAlpine were commissioned as consultants for a new stadium in 1998. A preferred site at Cuckoo Farm in Colchester was identified, with the additional benefit being that the land was already Council-owned.
Plans for a new stadium were submitted in April 1999, with planning consent approved in 2003. The Council backed the £14.23 million project by taking out a £10.23 million loan in November 2006, with the remaining £4 million supplied in the form of grants from the
Football Foundation
The Football Foundation is the United Kingdom's largest sports charity, channelling funding from the Premier League, The FA and the government (through Sport England) into transforming the landscape of grassroots sport in England.
History
Launc ...
and local government and development agencies.
Scottish firm
Barr Construction
Barr Construction was a major Scottish contracting organisation operating throughout the United Kingdom.
History
The company started in the late 19th century as a joinery firm known as W & J Barr & Sons and gradually expanded into civil engine ...
were announced as contractors for the stadium, with work beginning in July 2007.
Colchester Community Stadium
With building work neared completion, Colchester United announced the official name for the stadium would be 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 ...
, but owing to a deal with building firm Weston Homes, the ground would initially be known as the Weston Homes Community Stadium. The ten-year sponsorship would be worth up to £2 million for the club and included shirt sponsorship for the
2008–09 season. Upon the expiry of the deal,
JobServe
JobServe Ltd is a private company headquartered in Tiptree, Essex, United Kingdom, which runs an employment website, job adverts being placed on the site on behalf of employers and employment agencies. It is part of the Aspire Media Group Ltd.
...
won the naming rights for the stadium in a further ten-year sponsorship ahead of the
2018–19 season.
The club played their final match at Layer Road in front of 6,300 on 26 April 2008 as they fell to a 1–0 defeat to
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
.
Colchester United hosted the opening ramp-up event to Spanish club
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...
on 4 August 2008. The first goal scored at the stadium came from
Aritz Aduriz
Aritz Aduriz Zubeldia (; ; born 11 February 1981) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker.
He spent most of his career with Athletic Bilbao, scoring 172 goals across all competitions for the team over three spells ...
for Bilbao after 15 minutes, with
Scott Vernon
Scott Malcolm Vernon (born 13 December 1983) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Vernon played in the Football League and the Scottish Premiership for 16 years, notably with lengthy spells with Oldham Athlet ...
equalising with a
penalty kick
A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
on 32 minutes. The game ended 2–1 to ten-man Bilbao with
David López Moreno scoring a penalty on 83 minutes. The first competitive fixture at the Community Stadium came on 16 August 2008 when Colchester hosted
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...
in front of a crowd of 5,340.
Mark Yeates
Mark Stephen Anthony Yeates (born 11 January 1985) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Bamber Bridge.
Yeates began his career with Tottenham Hotspur but failed to make the transition to the first team, spending time ...
scored the first competitive goal at the stadium in a 2–2 draw with
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 30 August 2008 and registered their first win on 25 October 2008, winning emphatically against
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 ...
. They scored five goals from
David Perkins,
Dean Hammond
Dean John Hammond (born 7 March 1983) is an English retired footballer. He previously played in the Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion, Leyton Orient, Colchester United, Leicester City and Southampton.
Football career
Brighton & Hove ...
,
Akanni-Sunday Wasiu and two netted by Mark Yeates.
Colchester Community Stadium has a capacity of 10,105
and the record attendance at the ground was 10,064 when Colchester hosted
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
on 16 January 2010 as they fell to a 5–0 defeat.
Supporters and rivalries
Colchester United has an official supporters association known as the CUSA. They were formed in 1995 and is run entirely by fans on a volunteer basis. The club produces its own match day programme, titled "We Are United", which replaced the former untitled official programmes from the beginning of the
2012–13 season. The club have also had a number of
fanzine
A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...
publications produced over the years, including "The U'sual", "Floodlight", "Out of The Blue" and "The Blue Eagle". The club
mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
is an eagle named ''Eddie the Eagle''. And Luke Bootye
The 2003
Football Fans Census
Football Fans Census (sometimes known as FFC), is the trading name of Football Fans Central Ltd, a small market research company which specialises in research into the views and opinions of English football supporters.
When the free-to-air dig ...
revealed that Colchester United fans considered
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 ...
to be their primary rival, with both Wycombe and
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 ...
considering the U's to be their primary rival. Colchester fans considered
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 ...
to be their secondary rivals, with Southend only third.
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 ...
additionally considered Colchester to be their tertiary rivals. However, in the 2012–13 census, Colchester fans changed their chief rivals from Wycombe to Southend, with Wycombe falling to second and Ipswich to third. Ipswich Town fans also named Colchester United as their third rivals after
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
and
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
. The U's remained primary choice for both Southend and Wycombe fans. United were also ranked as the 12th least offensive club to the supporters of all other
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 Engla ...
clubs.
Colchester's main recent rivalry is with fellow
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
side Southend United, with whom they contest the
Essex derby
In English football, the Essex derby is the local derby between the two professional teams in the English county of Essex – Colchester United and Southend United. The first Essex derby match that took place was a 4–2 victory for Southend ...
. The competitive head-to-head record is 34 wins to Southend, 30 wins for Colchester and 17 draws. The most recent result was a 2–0 win for the U's on 20 April 2021.
The club also contest the
Pride of Anglia
Various English association football clubs located in East Anglia vie for being the Pride of Anglia, an unofficial title celebrated by fans of the clubs involved. These clubs include Cambridge United, Colchester United, Ipswich Town, Norwich City ...
award, which they have won once when they finished in 10th position in the
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 ...
ahead of
East Anglia
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
n rivals Ipswich Town and Norwich City.
Records and statistics
Micky Cook is the current Colchester United record holder for most appearances, holding the record for appearances made in both the league at 613, and in all competitions with 700 between 1969 and 1984.
Mike Walker ranks in second with 524 appearances in all competitions, and
Tony English
Anthony Karl English (born 19 October 1966) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender for Colchester United F.C., Colchester United in the English Football League ...
third with 515.
Tony Adcock
Anthony Charles Adcock (born 27 March 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Colchester United, where he holds the goalscoring record with 149 goals in all competitions for the club in two spells ...
holds the record for most goals in all competitions with 149, but
Martyn King
Martyn Noel Geoffrey King (23 August 1937 – 25 December 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward.
Career
King signed for Colchester United from local side Pegasus in 1956, but it was not until 1959, when he was on ...
is the club's record league goalscorer with 132 goals.
Colchester United's widest margin victory in the league was a 9–1 win over
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 30 December 1961 at
Layer Road
Layer Road was a Football League stadium in Colchester, England. It was only used for football matches and was the home ground of Colchester United before being replaced by the Colchester Community Stadium. The stadium held spectators and was ...
. Their highest losing margin came on 15 December 1988 when they were thrashed 8–0 at
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 ...
.
The club's record home attendance was for an
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 tie at Layer Road with
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 ...
on 27 November 1948, when 19,072 fans turned up for a game that was abandoned after 35 minutes due to thick fog.
The record
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 ...
attendance was 10,064 when Norwich City won 5–0 in a fiery match on 16 January 2010.
The highest transfer fee received for a Colchester United player is £2,500,000 for
Greg Halford
Gregory Halford (born 8 December 1984) is an English semi-professional and former professional footballer who plays for Isthmian League North Division club Hashtag United. He is naturally a right-back or centre-back but can play in numerous pos ...
by Reading in January 2007. The highest fee paid by Colchester United for a player was £400,000 for
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 ...
striker Steven Gillespie
Steven Gillespie (born 4 June 1985) is an English retired footballer who played as a striker.
Career
Early career
Born in Liverpool, Merseyside, Gillespie began his career as a trainee for Liverpool.
Gillespie began his career with Liverpool ...
in the summer of 2008.
Players
First-team squad
Out on loan
Under-23s
Under-18s
Former players
Notable former players
At the end of the
2006–07 season, Colchester United created a "Hall of Fame", with inducted players being one of "those who have made a difference to the club's history". Fans chose two inaugural players;
Peter Wright and record appearance holder
Micky Cook. Wright had previously been named as Colchester United's "Player of the Century" by Colchester's Gazette newspaper in 2000. A committee decided on a further three players to join the Hall of Fame in the same season, with
Brian Hall,
Mark Kinsella
Mark Anthony Kinsella (born 12 August 1972) is an Irish football manager and former player, currently a coach at Drogheda United after previously being both the manager and assistant manager. He played as a central midfielder for most of his ca ...
and
Tony English
Anthony Karl English (born 19 October 1966) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender for Colchester United F.C., Colchester United in the English Football League ...
chosen. New inductees have been announced most seasons since 2007, with the entire team that famously defeated
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
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 ...
in 1971 entered into the Hall of Fame. The manager of that team,
Dick Graham
Richard D. Graham (6 May 1922 – 7 March 2013) was an English footballer and football manager who played and coached in the Football League. He played as a goalkeeper for Crystal Palace, making over 150 league appearances.
He went on to manage ...
was inducted as the first manager to the Hall of Fame in November 2007. The following list contains all those inducted into the Hall of Fame.
*
Tony Adcock
Anthony Charles Adcock (born 27 March 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Colchester United, where he holds the goalscoring record with 149 goals in all competitions for the club in two spells ...
*
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 ...
*
Percy Ames
Percy Talbot Ames (13 December 1931 – 4 December 1998) was an English Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper in the Football League for Colchester United F.C., Colchester United, where h ...
*
Micky Cook
*
Bobby Cram
Robert Cram (19 November 1939 – 14 April 2007) was an English professional footballer.
Career
Born in Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, Cram joined West Bromwich Albion as an amateur in September 1955, at the age of 15. He turned professional ...
*
Ray Crawford
Ray Crawford (October 26, 1915 – February 1, 1996) was an American fighter ace, test pilot, race-car driver and businessman.
Biography
Born in Roswell, New Mexico, Crawford served as a U.S. Army Air Corps fighter pilot and flew the P-3 ...
*
Jamie Cureton
Jamie Cureton (born 28 August 1975) is an English former professional footballer. A striker, he is currently player-manager at Enfield.
He began his career at Norwich City in 1994, and after the club's relegation from the Premier League at the ...
*
Bob Curry
*
Karl Duguid
Karl Anthony Duguid (born 21 March 1978) is an English former professional footballer. He spent the majority of his playing career with Colchester United where, over two stints, he made over 400 league appearances. He also played for Plymouth ...
*
Joe Dunne
Joseph John Dunne (born 25 May 1973) is an Irish Manager (association football), football manager and former association football, footballer who is currently assistant manager of Newport County A.F.C., Newport County.
Dunne played as a defen ...
*
Tony English
Anthony Karl English (born 19 October 1966) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender for Colchester United F.C., Colchester United in the English Football League ...
*
Steve Foley
*
Duncan Forbes
*
Brian Garvey
*
Brian Gibbs
*
John Gilchrist
*
Dick Graham
Richard D. Graham (6 May 1922 – 7 March 2013) was an English footballer and football manager who played and coached in the Football League. He played as a goalkeeper for Crystal Palace, making over 150 league appearances.
He went on to manage ...
*
David Gregory
*
Brian Hall
*
Bobby Hunt
*
Chris Iwelumo
Christopher Robert Iwelumo (; born 1 August 1978) is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played as a striker.
Iwelumo started his career with St Mirren before moving to Danish club Aarhus Fremad for two years. A move to Stoke Cit ...
*
Kemal Izzet
Kemal "Kem" Izzet (; born 29 September 1980) is an English football coach and former professional player. He most notably played for Colchester United between 2001 and 2013, where he made over 400 league appearances. He was previously on the b ...
*
Vic Keeble
Victor Albert Williams Keeble (25 June 1930 – 29 January 2018) was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward for Colchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham United.
Early life
Victor Albert Williams Keeble was born 25 June 1 ...
*
Martyn King
Martyn Noel Geoffrey King (23 August 1937 – 25 December 2019) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward.
Career
King signed for Colchester United from local side Pegasus in 1956, but it was not until 1959, when he was on ...
*
Mark Kinsella
Mark Anthony Kinsella (born 12 August 1972) is an Irish football manager and former player, currently a coach at Drogheda United after previously being both the manager and assistant manager. He played as a central midfielder for most of his ca ...
*
John Kurila
*
Steve Leslie
*
Brian Lewis
*
Lomana LuaLua
Trésor Lomana LuaLua (; born 28 December 1980) is a Congolese professional footballer who last played as a striker. He is currently the attacking coach for Spalding United.
LuaLua was born in Kinshasa, but moved to England at a young age. Af ...
*
Mick Mahon
Michael John Mahon (born 17 September 1944) is an English former footballer who played as a winger. He scored 57 goals in 256 league games during a six-year career in the English Football League.
A former North Shields and Loughborough United ...
*
Roy McDonough
Roy McDonough (born 16 October 1958) is an English former professional football player and manager in the English Football League.
Playing career
Roy McDonough was born in Solihull, he was one of four brothers and a twin to Gaz McDonough. He ...
*
Mick Packer
Michael David Packer (born 20 April 1950) is an English former professional footballer who played as a fullback.
Career
In 1968 Packer was listed in the Watford match programme v Oldham as "Roy Packer"
https://oldwatford.com/1968/12/14/14th- ...
*
Dave Simmons
*
Graham Smith
*
Nicky Smith
*
Reg Stewart
*
Mike Walker
*
Peter Wright
In addition to the Hall of Fame, which excludes players who are currently active,
Lomana LuaLua
Trésor Lomana LuaLua (; born 28 December 1980) is a Congolese professional footballer who last played as a striker. He is currently the attacking coach for Spalding United.
LuaLua was born in Kinshasa, but moved to England at a young age. Af ...
was named as Colchester United's cult hero by fans in a poll by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
in 2004, with the
Congolese international registering 39% of the overall vote. He narrowly pipped Mark Kinsella who garnered 38% of the vote, while influential
player-manager
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
Roy McDonough earned 23%.
Player of the Year
Club officials
Board members
*Executive chairman: Robbie Cowling
*Directors:
Tony Humes
Anthony Humes (born 19 March 1966) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is currently director of football at English club Colchester United.
Humes played as a defender in the Football League for Ipswich Town bet ...
,
Steve Ball, Corin Haines, Dimitri Halajko, Nancy Hayes
*Life president:
Peter Heard Peter Heard is president and ex-chairman of Colchester United Football Club, a Football Association councillor and former FA board member. He was born in Colchester, and used to be a referee.
As the representative for Football League Division One h ...
Coaching staff
*Director of football:
Tony Humes
Anthony Humes (born 19 March 1966) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is currently director of football at English club Colchester United.
Humes played as a defender in the Football League for Ipswich Town bet ...
*Technical Director:
Steve Ball
*Sporting Director: Dmitri Halajko
*Head Coach:
Matt Bloomfield
Matthew James Bloomfield (born 8 February 1984) is an English professional football coach and former midfielder who spent the majority of his career with Wycombe Wanderers, having started his career with Ipswich Town, graduating from the club's ...
*Assistant managers: Richard Thomas
*Goalkeeping coach: Lee Harrison
*First Team Physio: Hayden Clifton
*First Team Analyst: TBC
*First Team Data Analyst: Alec Hodgkinson
*Athletic Performance Data Analyst: TBC
*Sport Scientist/Fitness Coach: TBC
*Head of Recruitment: Ross Embleton
*Academy Manager: James McFarlane
*Assistant Academy Manager: TBC
*Head of Coaching: Sean Thacker
*Transition & U21s Lead Coach: Dave Huzzey
*U18s Lead Coach:
Elliott Ward
Elliott Leslie Ward (born 19 January 1985) is a retired English professional footballer who played as a defender. He played in the Premier League for West Ham United and Norwich City.
Playing career
West Ham United
Ward was born in Harrow, ...
*U18s Assistant Coach: Adam Lewis
*Academy Goalkeeping Coach:
Paul Smith
*Academy Sports Scientist: Dan Newman
*Head of Academy Physiotherapist: Hashim Ali
*Academy Video Analyst: Zac Thornton
*Academy Video Analysis Assistant: TBC
*Laundry Manager: Martyn Cardy
*Kit Assistant: Richard Bone
Former managers
Honours
Colchester United's honours include the following:
*
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 ...
(level 3)
**Runners-up:
2005–06
*
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 ...
/
Third Division (level 4)
**Runners-up:
1961–62
**Play-off winners:
1997–98
**Promoted:
1965–66,
1973–74,
1976–77
*
Conference
A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...
(level 5)
**Winners:
1991–92
**Runners-up:
1990–91
*
Southern Football League
The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...
**Winners:
1938–39
**Runners-up:
1949–50
*
Football League 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 Leag ...
**Runners-up:
1996–97
*
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
**Winners:
1991–92
*
Watney Cup
The Watney Mann Invitation Cup (normally referred to as simply the Watney Cup) was a short-lived English football tournament held in the early 1970s.
It was held before the start of the season, and was contested by the teams that had scored th ...
**Winners: 1971–72
*
Southern League Cup
**Winners: 1937–38, 1949–50
**Runners-up: 1947–48, 1948–49
*
Southern League Mid-Week Section
**Runners-up:
1937–38,
1938–39
*
Essex Senior Cup
The Essex Senior Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knock-out system football competition that has been running since 1884, and is the most prestigious cup competition in the county of Essex. The competition is run mainly for Non-League foot ...
**Winners: 2009–10
**Runners-up: 2011–12
Notes
:A. : As part of the club's 75th anniversary, for the 2012–13 season, shirt sponsorship was provided by local businesses on a game-by-game basis.
References
External links
Colchester United official websiteColchester United archive database*
{{Authority control
Sport in Colchester
Football clubs in England
Football clubs in Essex
Association football clubs established in 1937
1937 establishments in England
Sport in Essex
English Football League clubs
National League (English football)
Southern Football League clubs