History of Colchester United F.C.
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Colchester United is an
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football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
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 ...
. The History of Colchester United F.C. spans the club's roots, forming in 1937 as a professional club alongside amateur counterparts Colchester Town through to present day. Colchester played in the Southern League from 1937 to 1950 when 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 ...
and remained in the lower two divisions of the league between 1950 and 1990, when they were relegated to the Football Conference. United were promoted from the conference in 1992 and have remained a league club since. The club made a slow climb through the
Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...
and then 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 2006, the club finished 2nd in
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 ...
, the club's highest ever finish to that point, resulting in promotion to the Championship – the second tier of English football. The following season, Colchester achieved a 10th-place finish in the Championship, their record highest finish, this despite having the divisions lowest average attendance. The following season, Colchester were relegated back to League One. In 2016 they finished 23rd and were relegated to League 2 where the club are currently competing.


Colchester Town Era: 1873–1936

Colchester Town F.C. Colchester Town Football club was an amateur football club based in Colchester, Essex, England. Established in 1873, the club folded in 1937 after the formation of Colchester United. History Colchester Football Club was established in October 1 ...
was founded in October 1873, although they were not part of any league or association until September 1882, when club was a founder member of the Essex County FA and a season later won the inaugural Essex Senior Cup defeating Braintree by 3–1. Town reached the coveted Essex Senior Cup Final on two further occasions, losing to Ilford in 1892 and
Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...
in 1900. By 1885 a club rule change meant that it was permissible to play in shirts rather than knitted jerseys and Town changed its colours in dramatic fashion from blue tops to chocolate and pink quarters. As the new century began, the club changed its colours again – adopting red jerseys and white knickerbockers. Nicknamed 'The Oysters', Colchester Town was not the only club in the borough, as The Excelsior club emerged and were on par with The Oysters, so much so that in September 1890 it was agreed that the two clubs would merge to play stronger teams whilst keeping their own identity for local fixtures. With their Cambridge Road ground required for building work and the emergence of Colchester Crown, a new team to the area, it was feared that Town would fold but funds were found to prepare a new pitch for 1902–03 at Reed Hall. Town suffered a nomadic existence over the next few years playing at The Drury Field and then at Albert Road. In 1908, the club vacated Albert Road for Sheepen Road for a pitch which became known as The Oval. The pitch was a quagmire having previously been the Borough's refuse dump. Players often took it upon their selves to jump in the nearby river after proceedings to wash off the 'municipal dust'. The Oval was often under water and Town would be forced to hire a pitch at Land Lane. The 4th Battalion Kings Rifle Regiment were the incumbent regiment in the town's Sobrahan Barracks from 1906 and in order to progress into the
South Essex League The South Essex League was a football league that was held in Essex and East London. History The league was formed for the 1892–93 season. Only four clubs in the league managed to fulfill all their fixtures, with Barking Excelsior winning th ...
had prepared a pitch on
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 ...
. The first ever match staged at Layer Road was on 30 September 1907, when the KRR entertained
South Weald South Weald is a mainly farmland and park settlement in the Borough of Brentwood in Essex, England. The civil parish of South Weald was absorbed by Brentwood Urban District in 1934. In 1931 the civil parish had a population of 6370. South Weald con ...
, the Essex Senior Cup holders, which the KRR won 10–2. Matters came to a head in early 1909, as Town's attractive fixture with Norwich City Reserves in the
East Anglian League The East Anglian League was a football league in the East Anglia region of England. History The league was established in 1903 as the South East Anglian League. The founder member clubs were Chelmsford City, Colchester Crown, Colchester Town, ...
was switched to Land Lane, but attracted takings of only four pounds – meanwhile the KRR's played in front of a record 4,000 Layer Road crowd as they entertained Ilford in the
FA Amateur Cup The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when the Football Association abolished official amateur status. History Following the legalisation of professionalism within footba ...
. The KRR's were posted to India and on 19 April 1909, the Town committee seized the chance to secure a three-year lease on Layer Road. For 1910–11, Town joined the South Essex League. Many famous names visited Layer Road in exhibition matches with
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
,
Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
,
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and
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
to name a few. When Town entertained
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in the autumn of 1911 the Committee issued what is believed to be the earliest known programme issue. Town struggled in the South Essex League until in 1912–13 they won the title. The club also won the
Essex and Suffolk Border League The Essex and Suffolk Border Football League is a football competition based in England. The league has a total of four divisions headed by the Premier Division which sits at step 7 (or level 11) of the National League System. The top club may ...
, the East Anglian League and the Worthington-Evans Cup. For the 1914–15 season, a friendly match was arranged with Sparta of Rotterdam but with War looming, any chance of the game going ahead was curtailed. On 31 August 1914, the Committee met and closed down the football club. The Layer Road enclosure was earmarked for drill purposes or recreational activities by HM Forces. Seven club members are died during
The Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and their names were inscribed on a tablet in the Layer Road dressing room. Following the announcement of Armistice the committee reformed and the club purchased the Layer Road enclosure. Town entered the 1919–20 English Cup (
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 ...
) and were narrowly defeated in the Fourth qualifying round replay by Ilford at Layer Road in front of their own record crowd. In 1922–23 they joined the Middlesex and District League winning the title at the first attempt. Three years later Town found themselves in the
Spartan League The Spartan League was a football league in England covering London and adjacent counties. Established in 1907, it merged with the South Midlands League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands League. History The Spartan League was establish ...
, their best season saw them finishing fourth in 1928–29, but more often they were placed around 10th in the thirteen-team League. The East Anglian Cup was secured in 1931–32 with limited success, 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 1935–36. Town finished joint top with Harwich & Parkeston in that inaugural Eastern Counties League season. Although Town were joint-reigning champions, attendances were poor and moves were afoot to form a new professional club in Colchester. 2 March 1936 marked the end for Town and the birth of a team that would become Colchester United. The committee had hoped to run the Amateurs alongside the Professionals, but Essex County rules stated that a single group could not run the affairs of clubs of differing status.


Formation and Southern League Success: 1937–1939

On 14 July 1937 came the announcement that the professional new club would be named
Colchester United F.C. 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 ...
– a week after new manager Ted Davis' used his
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 ...
contacts enabled the players to be kitted out in the same blue and white strip as his former club. United's first-ever Layer Road game was against Bath City on Thursday 2 September in the Southern League Midweek Section. United won 6–1 with Reg Smith registering the club's first-ever hat-trick. Two days later 11,000 witnessed a thrilling 3–3 Layer Road draw with neighbours
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 ...
in the Southern League. Bill Barraclough became United's first sending off when he questioned the referee's parentage in the November fixture with Norwich City Reserves. United adopted the nickname of 'The U's' to distinguish themselves from 'The Oysters' of Town. The popularity of United finally spelt the end for Colchester Town. The Oysters, in serious financial difficulty, folded in December 1937, having dropped into the six-club
Essex Senior League The Essex Senior Football League is an English men's football league. It contains clubs from the Essex FA, Hertfordshire FA, London FA, Middlesex FA and the Amateur Football Alliance. It is a feeder league to Division One North of the Isthm ...
before re-appearing to complete an Essex Senior Cup tie in January 1938 in order to avoid a hefty fine. This enabled United to enter a reserve side into the Eastern Counties League a month later, with their squad now boosted by Colchester Town's redundant amateurs. United finished mid-table in their first season and reached the Southern League Cup Final. A two-legged affair – they lost 2–1 at
Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...
over Easter 1938 but triumphed 3–1 at Layer Road to win the club's first-ever trophy. In their second season, the 1938–39 season, United claimed the Southern League championship scoring 110 goals in 44 games, finished runners up in the Midweek section and reached the Southern League Cup semi-finals. With hopes of election to the Football League, director Walter Clark presented U's case to the Football League members on 23 May 1938, however, Colchester did not receive a single vote in their favour. Once again War loomed over Europe. After just three Southern League games in the 1939–40 season, War was declared and, as with Town beforehand, the club closed down. United continued to play friendly matches against local opposition up until December 1939, with the Army Fire Fighting Corp taking over the ground for drill practice.


Post-War Election: 1945–1950

Former Town player Syd Fieldus had kept the club alive but dormant during the War years. Fieldus was appointed Secretary-Manager and attended the first post-War Southern League meeting in the summer of 1945. Fieldus forged a strong relationship with the Garrison, and as United only had four contracted players, the Colchester team was complemented by servicemen of varying degrees of ability for the 1945–46 season.
Ted Fenton TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depart ...
was appointed manager for the 1946–47 season, who had turned out for Colchester Town in the early 1930s whilst a teenager. Fenton had excellent contacts and wasted no time in assembling his team from an array of professionals looking for a new start after the long War years. United finished mid-table in that first season after hostilities. During the 1947–48 season, Colchester United had a magnificent run 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 ...
, consisting of a 3–2 victory against neighbours Chelmsford City in the Fourth qualifying round, followed by a win over Banbury Spencer by a slim 2–1 margin.
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 ...
, of the
Third Division North The Third Division North 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 South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...
were duly dispatched by a
Bob Curry Robert Curry (2 November 1918 – June 2001) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward for Sheffield Wednesday and Colchester United in the Football League. Career Early career Curry started his football career wi ...
goal with both sides missing penalties. Ironically it was First Division Huddersfield, the club that had inspired United's own team strip, who were next to be put to the sword, and a fourth round win over
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 ...
drew Colchester against
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, where they bowed out in a 5–0 defeat. Expectations of another great FA Cup run for the 1948–49 season fuelled the imagination and a record Layer Road crowd of 19,072 gathered for the first-round tie with
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on 27 November 1948. Thick fog forced the abandonment of the tie after just 35 minutes. Colchester lost 4–2 in the rescheduled tie. On 3 June 1950, Colchester United were elected to the Football League with an enviable Supporters Club membership of over 16,000 and an average gate of 8,500 – an amazing achievement when, because of the War, they had only been in competition for seven full seasons. The U's departed non-League with the following impressive record: * Southern League champions: 1938–39 * Southern League runners-up: 1949–50 * Southern League Cup winners: 1937–38, 1949–50 * Southern League Cup runners-up: 1947–48, 1948–49


Into the Football League: 1950–1959

Colchester's first-ever League game was against old Southern League foes Gillingham at Priestfield on 19 August 1950. A crowd of 19,542 witnessed a 0–0 draw. Five days later
Bob Curry Robert Curry (2 November 1918 – June 2001) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward for Sheffield Wednesday and Colchester United in the Football League. Career Early career Curry started his football career wi ...
scored United's first-ever League goal in a 1–1 draw at
Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...
. However, it was not until 31 August in the 1950–51 season that Layer Road enjoyed its first U's goal. Arthur Turner struck five minutes into a 4–1 win in the return game with Swindon. Colchester remained unbeaten in their first seven games – a run equalling a record for new clubs entering the Football League set by Aberdare Athletic in 1921–22. The 1951–52 season started with six defeats in the opening seven games due mainly to an injury-ravaged squad. United sat rooted to the foot of the Third Division South table, but a mid season revival including completing the double over local rivals Ipswich hoisted United to 10th in the final standings.
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 ...
became United's first big time transfer when he moved to First Division
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
for a massive £15,000 fee. In the 1952–53 season, a run of just one point from the last six games then saw United slip from 13th to just one place and two points above the re-election zone. Criticised by supporters for his style of play, manager Jimmy Allen resigned on 2 May 1953. The Board appointed Ron Meades as player-manager. Meades had presented his CV claiming to have been with
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
and more recently manager of Western League side Wadebridge Town. A piece of investigative journalism by U's reporter Arthur Wood revealed that Meades was a fraud and after four days in charge Meades was asked to leave by a very embarrassed United hierarchy. Jack Butler, a former Arsenal player, was hurriedly appointed manager. Butler had little time to prepare his side and a 13-game run without winning saw United in 23rd spot. Crowds plummeted and the club had to go to the Football League to apply for re-election after finishing 10 points adrift of the safety of 22nd place. Fortunately the U's polled 45 votes. From being prolific scorers in their early history United scored just 50 League goals in 1953–54. Another run of eight consecutive defeats saw United at the bottom of the League on Christmas Day 1954. A four-game turn about in form saw United rise out of the re-election places, but after falling ill in November, Butler was given indefinite leave until the end of his contract in 1956. Suffering from a nervous breakdown Butler resigned in January 1955. The Board chose
Benny Fenton Benjamin Robert Vincent Fenton (28 October 1918 – 29 July 2000) was an English professional association football, football player and manager. He played for West Ham United F.C., West Ham United, Millwall F.C., Millwall, Charlton Athletic F.C. ...
to be Butler's replacement as
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 ...
, although United picked up just one point from their last eight games. Colchester had to again go to the Football League to retain their status, accompanied 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 ...
for the second successive season, both being successful. Fenton assembled his own squad for 1955–56. He signed
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 ...
who would have an incredible run of appearances in United's goal, and then Fenton gained a reputation for spotting players in Scottish Junior football with the acquisition of John Fowler, Sammy McLeod and Bobby Hill. United finished 12th, their best-ever League finish. 1956–57 proved to be Colchester's best finish in their history, a position that was not bettered until 2006. For most of the season United were certainties for promotion. They went 20 League games undefeated between December 1956 and Easter 1957. United hosted third-placed rivals Ipswich at Layer Road, Colchester having a seven-point advantage, although Town had a game in hand. A record crowd for a Layer Road League game – 18,559 – witnessed a 0–0 draw. Over 4,000 were turned away and 120 fans watched from the Popular Side roof as the game went down in United folklore when Fenton missed a 21st-minute penalty. A 2–1 win over second-placed
Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...
, who trailed by four points as a result, put United in first place. But three consecutive draws allowed Torquay to close the gap to one point with Ipswich five points adrift. Colchester won their final game of the season 2–0 against
Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
to go top, but both Ipswich and Torquay's final games were 24 hours later. Both won, United slipped to third and Ipswich went up as champions level with Torquay and a point ahead of The U's. With Football League re-organisation on the agenda, the priority for 1957–58 was to finish in the top twelve as those clubs would join the top twelve in the Third Division North to form the new country-wide
Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...
. The remainder would form 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 ...
. It was not until the last game of the season that a 4–2 Layer Road win over
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secured 12th place and that coveted place in the Third Division. A very good fifth-placed finish in 1958–59, nine points behind second-placed
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, included a club record 8–2 win over
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on 4 October 1958. The highlight of the season was another FA Cup run. Early round victories over Bath, Yeovil and
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brought the mighty Arsenal to Layer Road in the fourth round. The result was a 2–2 draw and in the return 62,686 saw The Gunners run out 4–0 winners on a frost-bound pitch obscured by thick fog.


Between Two Divisions: 1960–1970

United lost just two games at Layer Road during the 1959–60 season but won just three on their travels and finished a creditable 9th in the table. In the 1960–61 season, United lost ten home games finishing in 23rd position and suffering relegation for the first time in their history to the Fourth Division. Obtaining just one point from eleven games, including seven straight defeats, the U's hit rock bottom in October 1960 and they never managed to climb out of the bottom four. Colchester did enjoy some early season success when in the inaugural
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
competition they comprehensively defeated First Division Newcastle 4–1 at Layer Road in front of 9,130 before bowing out to Southampton in Round Two. United commenced their 1961–62 campaign by going unbeaten in their first nine League games and scored 31 goals in the first eight home games to top the Fourth Division. United set their club record victory in the match against
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. Both Martyn King and his strike partner Bobby Hunt scored four goals each, and Bobby Hill one, as The U's ran out 9–1 winners. Millwall took the title by one point from runners-up Colchester with 11 defeats on the road costing the U's dearly. For 1962–63, Martyn King led the League scoring charts with 26 goals while Bobby Hunt scored 19. A leaky defence, U's conceded 93 goals, meant that mid-table was the best U's could hope for. The 1963–64 season proved to be one of change. Out went manager Benny Fenton who took over the manager's role at
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in November 1963. Replacing him was former
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and
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centre-half
Neil Franklin Cornelius "Neil" Franklin (24 January 1922 – 9 February 1996) was an English footballer who played for Crewe Alexandra, Hull City, Stockport County and Stoke City as well as the England national team. Career Stoke City Franklin was ...
. His first transfer at Layer Road was to sell Bobby Hunt to First Division-bound
Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
for £20,000. Hunt already had 20 goals from 33 League games when he left with King reaching 18 by the end of a disappointing 16th placed campaign. In the 1964–65 season, Franklin sold King to Wrexham in October. This, and the Hunt sale the previous season, did not impress the U's faithful. Bringing in 14 new players in just a season and a half proved too much of an upheaval for United. Colchester were relegated back to the Fourth Division with Franklin having already being given a year's contract extension mid-season. In 1965–66, as they did four years previously, United bounced back up from the Fourth Division at the first attempt. United won ten games on their travels, a new club record, and lost just three times at Layer Road. Colchester led the table at Easter but defeats by
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
(twice) and Torquay saw United drop to fourth place prior to the last game of the season. A disastrous 2–1 defeat at mid-table
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had U's fans biting their nails as Luton were only a point behind and their game at
Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
had kicked off 15 minutes later. In the end the game finished 1–1 and with the U's, Tranmere and the Hatters tied on 56 points it was down to goal average to separate the sides. Franklin's side pipped Tranmere by 0.08 (equivalent to about 6 goals difference in today's rules). Franklin boosted his squad with the signings of forwards Peter Bullock and Ken Hodgson. The moves proved profitable as the pair scored 15 and 16 League goals respectively. Fellow striker Reg Stratton scored 24 goals and it was something of a surprise that U's only finished mid-table. Franklin suggested that the 1966–67 season would be one of consolidation in readiness for a push for the elusive Second Division place that Colchester desired. In 1967–68, a fantastic season for FA Cup football, Colchester were dreadful in the League. A trip to Torquay earned United a first-round replay at Layer Road which they won 2–1 to set up a local derby at Chelmsford. New Writtle Street was packed with 16,400 as United despatched the Southern Leaguers by 2–0. Once again Layer Road hosted a top flight side as West Bromwich Albion visited in the third round. An all ticket crowd of just under 16,000 saw United take an early lead through Stratton only for the Baggies to equalise with a questionable penalty. United sank by 4–0 at
The Hawthorns The Hawthorns is an all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F ...
in the replay. With all the attention on the FA Cup, U's League form had dipped. From being within a striking distance of a promotion place, Colchester lost 15 of their remaining 22 games after Boxing Day 1967 winning just once. Colchester's third relegation in eight seasons was too much and Franklin was sacked just two days after the season's end. Colchester's new manager was
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 ...
. He had led Crystal Palace from the Fourth to the Second Division and his mandate was clear – he needed to emulate his work at
Selhurst Park Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international footba ...
. United finished 1968–69 in 6th position just four points short of promotion. For 1969–70, Graham adopted a policy of employing an older more experienced player. He chose
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 i ...
, formerly of West Brom, and previously playing in Canada, to become his captain. An eleven-game unbeaten home run gave United hope of a promotion push but a crippling injury list – even trainer Dennis Mochan had to dig out his boots – was a bridge too far as United finished tenth.


Cup Heroics: 1970–1980

Graham increased the average age of United's squad for the 1970–71 season with the summer signings of ex-England international
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 ...
, Brian Garvey,
John Kurila John Kurila (10 April 1941 – 6 March 2018) was a Scottish footballer, who played as a wing half in The Football League. Career John was born in Scotland of Lithuanian parentage. He was raised in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, Scotland. Kuril ...
,
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 ...
and Brian Owen. In the FA Cup, United disposed of 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 ...
via a Crawford hat trick in round one and then defeated Cambridge United in round two. Colchester knocked out non-League
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 ...
at Underhill in the third round only to be drawn away to
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 ...
. Trailing 3–1 with just five minutes left, United staged a remarkable comeback to earn a replay. With the knowledge of the fifth-round draw having been made, United trounced hapless Dale by 5–0 to earn a home tie with mighty
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
on 13 February 1971. Leeds were top of the First Division and boasted ten internationals in their side, Colchester were eighth in the Fourth Division. Nobody gave the U's a chance but they raced into a 3–0 lead, in front of a 16,000 Layer Road crowd, with goals from Crawford (2) and Dave Simmons before Leeds generated something of a comeback to finally lose 3–2. The result was sensational as was the fact that United were in the FA Cup Quarter Finals. Sixth round opponents Everton did their homework and Graham's 'Granddads Army' finally succumbed to the tune of 5–0 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 ...
. While United finished sixth, just two points off promotion – they simply had too many fixtures to complete in rapid succession as a result of the cup run. The U's goalscoring prowess however did qualify them for the 1971–72 pre-season
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 ...
. The competition was open to the two highest scoring teams from each division that had not won promotion. U's saw off Luton and
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
at Layer Road to reach the final against West Bromwich Albion, at The Hawthorns. A thrilling encounter saw the tie level at 4–4 after extra time leading to Colchester's first-ever penalty shoot-out. Albion missed two and U's one leaving youngster Phil Bloss to slam home the decisive winning spot-kick. After the exploits of the previous season's cup run and now Watney Cup success, United were firm favourites for promotion. But with an ageing side and an increasing club debt, Graham turned full circle and introduced youth to United's side. Steve Leslie, Steve Foley, Lindsay Smith, Micky Cook and
John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaugh ...
were just some who came in during the rapid break up of Granddad's Army. All would become regulars in United's side but youth alone was not sufficient for United to maintain a serious promotion bid and they finished 1971–72 in eleventh place, nine points adrift of promotion. At the club's AGM in September 1972, Graham was so incensed of the questioning of his team and tactics by a shareholder that he tendered his resignation. The shareholder, it was alleged, had won his five shares in a raffle but his actions put United in chaos. A month later an unknown Jim Smith was appointed manager. He had led
Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
to the
Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
title and one of his first signings was Boston striker
Bobby Svarc Robert Louis "Bobby" Svarc (born 8 February 1946) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. Career Svarc, born in Leicester, England, began his career at Leicester City, making 13 appearances, scoring two goals befo ...
for £6,000 but United had just six points from 13 games and sat bottom of the entire League. Smith's arrival gave an initial boost and he actually collected the Manager of the Month award for lifting United off the bottom. The U's earned a maximum 48 votes from their fellow clubs after finishing 22nd. Smith brought wisely in the summer, bringing in Mike Walker and Mick Packer from Watford and splashing out a club record £11,000 on striker
Paul Aimson Paul Edward Aimson (3 August 1943 – 9 January 2008) was an English footballer who played as a forward in the Football League, most notably for York City, where he scored 113 goals in 249 games in all competitions during two spells with the clu ...
. Whilst Aimson suffered a career-ending injury early in the season, Svarc scored 25 league goals including a record equalling four goal haul at Chester in November 1973. U's led the table around Christmas time, but failure to beat
Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
and Gillingham at Layer Road cost them the championship. United were promoted in third place five points behind Peterborough and two adrift of the Gills. The final home game of the season drew a 10,007 crowd as Gillingham stole runners-up spot with a 2–0 win. This would be the last time that Layer Road hosted a five-figure League attendance. For the 1974–75 season, United were back in the Third Division but the board warned that a break-even gate of 9,200 was required and that players would be sold if gates didn't reach 7,500. Crowds fell way short of the board's ambitions with an average of 4,941 as United finished eleventh. Having reached the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup only four seasons previously, United emulated that achievement in the League Cup. Beating
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and
Southend Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
, the U's hosted First Division
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
beating the Cumbrians 2–0 to earn a home tie with Southampton. A 0–0 draw at Layer Road led to an amazing 1–0 replay win at The Dell, setting up a Quarter Final tie with
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 ...
. The Midlanders proved too strong for United winning 2–1. The League Cup run brought recognition – only it was for U's manager Smith who left to join Second Division Blackburn in the summer of 1975. His coach Bobby Roberts was appointed manager. United did not win any of their first five games of the 1975–76 season, and Blackburn paid £25,000 taking Bobby Svarc. Roberts' side rallied mid-season to climb to twelfth place but defeats including 6–1 at Chesterfield and 6–0 at
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
put Colchester back into the relegation mire. United were relegated with Steve Leslie leading scoring with a record low total of just six league goals. The Board kept faith with Roberts for the 1976–77 campaign and, just as they did in the 1960s, United bounced back at the first attempt. United reached the fourth round of the FA Cup only to lose to First Division Derby in a replay at The Baseball Ground. In 1977–78, Colchester soared to the top of the Third Division table with four straight wins at the start of the following season. Embarking on a League Cup run that saw United thump Second Division Blackburn 4–0 in a second-round replay before facing up to Leeds at
Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The g ...
in the next round. Leeds gained some revenge with a 4–0 win. One win in ten after January and the sale of
Colin Garwood Colin Arthur Garwood (born 29 June 1949 in Heacham, Norfolk) is an English former professional association football, footballer who scored 157 goals from 426 games in the Football League playing as a Forward (association football), striker for P ...
to
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
for £25,000 spelt the end of United's promotion aspirations. Colchester finished in eighth place and eight points behind third-placed
Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...
. Cash-strapped United splashed out £15,000 on
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 ...
's
Trevor Lee :not to be confused with actress Camryn Grimes who voices Mrs. Claus in Mickey Saves Christmas Trevor Lee Caddell (born September 30, 1993) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ...
who became the first black player to represent Colchester's first team. Once again, United fell short of promotion finishing seventh – nine points behind third-placed
Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
. In the final game of the 1978–79 season on 9 May, United recorded their biggest ever away win in the League with a 5–1 romp at Tranmere. Colchester had another cup run, and after disposing of Oxford, with a
Bobby Gough Robert George Gough (born 20 July 1949) is an English former footballer who played as a forward. In a fifteen-year professional career in the English Football League he scored 114 goals in 474 league appearances. After failing to make an impr ...
hat trick, defeating Leatherhead with a 4–0 replay win and overcoming tricky away ties at Darlington and Newport, the U's welcomed Manchester United to Layer Road. Colchester came close to an Old Trafford replay only for
Jimmy Greenhoff James Greenhoff (born 19 June 1946) is an English former association football, footballer. He was a skilful Forward (association football), forward and although capped five times at England national under-23 football team, under-23 level, once a ...
to score an 86th-minute winner. The 1979–80 season saw Colchester beat Watford over two legs in the League Cup and were then drawn at home to Aston Villa. A 2–0 defeat at home meant to many that the tie was over, but remarkably United went to Villa Park and won 2–0 to take the game to extra time and then penalties. So successful were all the takers that it was necessary for the goalkeepers to take their turn. U's stalwart Mike Walker missed his and Colchester bowed out 9–8. The U's were in fine form in the League from then on going ten games undefeated and level on points with
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
at the top. Chairman Maurice Cadman announced that Layer Road needed £280,000 of basic improvements just to meet the then safety legislation. The club could not relocate because the club could not sell the land for housing, among other reasons. Tracking the leaders for most of the season, with ten away wins to boot, United succumbed to successive defeats by Blackpool, Blackburn and Reading, and with injuries to Steve Foley and Bobby Gough, the goalscoring was left to Lee who returned 18 League and Cup strikes. Colchester finished fifth place and six points short of the promotion places. It was the closest that the club had come to the Second Division since the 1956–57.


Financial Difficulties and Decline: 1980–1990

The club received their first-ever shirt sponsorship from Royal London Insurance in the 1980–81 season but failed to win in the opening eight games. Beating Millwall 3–0 in the ninth attracted national coverage. Sergeant Frank Ruggles of
Essex Police Essex Police is a territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Essex, in the East of England. Essex Police is responsible for a population of over 1.8 million people and an area of . The chief constable is Ben-Julian Harri ...
marched on the field and tried to arrest Lions' defender
Mel Blyth Melvin Bernard Blyth (born 28 July 1944) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre back. During his playing career, he joined Scunthorpe United in 1967. One year later, he signed for Crystal Palace before joining Sou ...
for swearing. Six consecutive home wins saw Colchester well placed at Christmas. But when Trevor Lee moved to Gillingham in a club record deal worth £90,000 form dipped and United slipped down the table. Roberts matched the record fee in recruiting
Roger Osborne Roger Charles Osborne (born 9 March 1950) is a former professional association football, footballer who is best known for scoring the winning goal in the 1978 FA Cup Final. Biography Born in Otley, Suffolk, Otley, East Suffolk (county), East S ...
and also paid £15,000 for both
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 ...
and Phil Coleman. Eight games without a win meant relegation by just two points, and amid news of a 25,000 all-seater stadium development came the stark reality of a new all-time lowest attendance of 1,430 at the final day win over Carlisle. The Council refused the new stadium plans. Three points for a win helped United hit top spot in Division Four by November 1981 scoring an incredible 41 goals. The U's also reached the FA Cup third round, drawing with Newcastle at
St James' Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Park ...
before losing a thrilling 4–3 replay. £25,000 brought striker John Lyons who scored on his debut as Colchester thrashed rivals Sheffield United 5–2 in front of the Match of the Day cameras. But a host of injuries and suspensions saw United free-fall down the table and Roberts was asked to resign in April 1982. He refused and was promptly sacked a month later. Colchester had gone from promotion certainties to sixth, 16 points off the pace despite boasting a prolific strike force. Former Ipswich centre-half Allan Hunter accepted a player-manager's role and introduced former Ipswich coach
Cyril Lea Cyril Lea (born 5 August 1934) is a Welsh former footballer. He was born in Wrexham, and was capped on two occasions by Wales. He played for Leyton Orient and Ipswich Town, and was responsible for team selection at Portman Road for two months b ...
as his assistant for 1982–83. United led the table undefeated in seven games. The season then turned in the most tragic of circumstances as John Lyons committed suicide at home in November 1982 within 48 hours after turning out at Layer Road against Chester. On the back of having to give up his own playing career through injury and the Lyons tragedy, Hunter resigned in January 1983 with United in seventh place. Lea took over until the end of the campaign and won 8 of his first eleven games. Four defeats in 17 days during April cost U's and again they finished sixth just two points away from promotion. Four months after becoming caretaker, Lea was appointed full-time with
Stewart Houston Stewart Mackie Houston (born 20 August 1949) is a Scottish former football player and coach who played as a left-back. Born in Dunoon, he began his professional career in 1967 with Chelsea, before moving to Brentford and then Manchester Unit ...
assisting. United embarked on another League Cup run, securing a fine 1–1 draw at Second Division Swansea, United Chairman Cadman then pledged that if more than 5,000 attended the second leg at Layer Road that he would give Lea funds to buy two more players. The U's beat the Swans 1–0 in front of 5,204 and his promise was underwritten when Colchester drew
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 third round on 8 November 1983. The 13,031 crowd was the last-ever five figure gate at Layer Road and the slick Red Devils ran out comfortable 2–0 winners. As had become the norm U's form tailed off and they ended 15 points adrift of promotion in eighth place despite 31 goals from
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 ...
. Chairman Maurice Cadman announced that win bonuses would be dropped for the 1984–85 season with an insurance-backed promotion bonus on offer and the club was available for sale at £150,000. United also lost their shirt sponsors but Jonathan Crisp paid £150,000 for overall control of United, promising Second Division football within five years. In the light of the horrific
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 ...
, the timber-constructed Layer Road stands and terracing meant that it was of utmost importance to accelerate United's move to a new stadium. With
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 ...
following on the heels of Bradford, Layer Road faced £500,000 worth of safety improvements. With no money, the club closed areas of Layer Road reducing capacity to 4,900. United were just not quite good enough for promotion finishing seventh and ten points adrift of fourth place. Topping the table in October 1985, the U's imploded, suffering six successive League defeats, four without scoring. Lea couldn't find a strike partner for Adcock following Keith Bowen's career-ending car crash. The manager had a good record and produced a free-scoring side but could not get the club over the promotion finishing line and three weeks from the end of the season he was sacked. Former goalkeeper Mike Walker, coach of U's reserves, took over as Caretaker and United were unbeaten in the remaining eight matches – winning five. Walker had hoisted U's to seventh just nine points short of promotion. It was a notable season for hat tricks with
Perry Groves Perry Groves (born 19 April 1965) is an English former association football, footballer, known chiefly for his time at Arsenal F.C., Arsenal. He was a fast-paced player who usually played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger, and occasionally as a Stri ...
twice achieving the feat against
Southend Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...
and brothers
Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
and
Tony English Anthony Karl English (born 19 October 1966) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender for Colchester United in the Football League. Career Born in Luton, as a junior he played for Coventry City before joining the Co ...
scoring trebles within five days of each other. The English brothers were both sent off at
Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...
in a game which United won 2–0. Colchester were the bookies favourites for 1986–87 despite selling Groves to Arsenal for £75,000. Maurice Cadman handed over the chair to Crisp and Walker was appointed full-time becoming Colchester's fourth manager of the 1980s. For the first time promotion play-offs were introduced and seven successive away defeats meant the U's would have to attempt promotion via this method.
Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...
won at Layer Road with a 2–0 win. The scoreless return at Molineux meant yet another season in the basement division. Tony Adcock joined Second Division
Manchester City 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 Salford to the west. The tw ...
for £80,000. Walker recruited former U's boss Allan Hunter as his coach whilst Crisp announced an ill-advised bombshell. In light of the worsening hooliganism countrywide he adopted a 100% members-only scheme banning away fans. To deflect the furore Crisp leaked details of a proposed new stadium and introduced developers Norcross Estates as shirt sponsors. Only 1,300 members attended the first fixture of the 1987–88 season, a drop of 1,400 on the previous average. Walker broke the club's transfer record spending £40,000 on striker
Dale Tempest Dale Michael Tempest (, born 30 December 1963, in Leeds) is a former professional footballer, best known for his time spent playing in Hong Kong. Born in England but spent much of his youth in Peebles, Scotland, Tempest had played for several Eng ...
while a new lowest crowd was set as 1,140 watched the 29 September 1987 win over Swansea. Having rebuilt his side winning seven out of eight games Walker was sensationally sacked by Crisp as United were joint top of the Fourth Division. Crisp claimed Walker had resigned, but an alleged personal matter between the pair was said to have been the spark. Walker was awarded Manager of the Month ''after'' he had been sacked. New manager Roger Brown took over a successful team and destroyed it. Recommended to Crisp by his advisors, Brown had been a factory manager and in charge at Poole Town. From top spot on New Years Day Brown's team won just five games to finish ninth – United's lowest position for 15 seasons. When hundreds of Wolves fans claimed membership and boosted the Layer Road attendance to 2,413, Crisp scrapped his membership scheme declaring it had only been an experiment. The seeds of United's sad demise had been sown and the season's average was a paltry 1,769. Crisp considered selling Layer Road and ground sharing with Ipswich whilst the new stadium was built. He was swayed by a group of ex-directors of the club. The stadium plans were delayed over land ownership, and if plans had gone ahead, United would have been totally homeless with no assets bar players. Having already inflicted United's joint record defeat of 7–0 back in 1952,
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 ...
went one better and despatched Brown's sorry team by 8–0 at Brisbane Road on 15 October 1988. He was then sacked. Caretaker Steve Foley disposed of Brown's misfits introducing his own youth team players Gary Bennett, Mark Radford and Scott Daniels. League form did not improve and United sunk to 92nd, a position they had not occupied since 1972. Foley's team embarked on another FA Cup run. They saw off
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
, Swansea and Second Division
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
. In the fourth round, a 3–3 draw at
Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...
forced Sheffield United back to fog-shrouded Layer Road. U's lost 2–0 but they had the mercurial former Glasgow 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 ...
in charge with England
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
winner Alan Ball as his assistant. Crowds rose to over 3,500 as the town became gripped by the passion of Wallace. Paul McGee was sold to
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
for a new record £150,000 fee and on 29 April 1989 United travelled to closest rivals Darlington in a do-or-die battle. Robert Scott's goal earned a 2–1 win to lift U's off the bottom for the first time since Brown's departure. Two successive home wins against Halifax and
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
confirmed U's Fourth Division status. Hopes of building on the Wallace regime were tattered when Colchester failed to win any of the opening eight games of 1989–90. Only two wins were secured before the turn of the year. Ball left for
Stoke Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom. Stoke may refer to: Places United Kingdom The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below. Berkshire * Stoke Row, Berkshire Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stok ...
and it was a closely guarded secret that Wallace was very ill with the onset of Parkinson's Disease. Steve Foley was put in temporary charge. Many wanted him appointed permanently but Foley preferred his youth team duties. Crisp's regime was now over £1m in debt and his next new manager was former Ipswich and England defender
Mick Mills Michael Dennis Mills MBE (born 4 January 1949) is an English former footballer who played for Ipswich Town, Southampton and Stoke City. He managed Stoke City, Colchester United and Birmingham City. During his career he achieved Ipswich Town's ...
, recently sacked from Stoke. The new appointment had immediate effect as U's won three out of four in February and, as with the season before, faced up to a crunch game at the home of their nearest rivals. Leading Wrexham twice United succumbed to a 3–2 defeat. However, six defeats in the last eight games ended United's 40 season Football League tenure. Crisp's dream of Second Division football in five years was light years away and new plans for a stadium were rejected. Colchester bowed out of the Football League with the following record: *
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 ...
runners-up: 1961–62 *
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 ...
promoted: 1965–66, 1973–74, 1976–77 *
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 ...
quarter-finalists: 1970–71 *
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
quarter-finalists: 1974–75 *
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


Three Trips to Wembley: 1990–2000

Lincoln and Darlington had both returned to the League at the first attempt from the Conference and the onus was on new player-manager
Ian Atkins Ian Leslie Atkins (born 16 January 1957) is an English football manager, scout, and former player. Atkins amassed over 300 appearances for Shrewsbury Town, the club where he began his career. He also made appearances in the Football League for S ...
to achieve the same. United remained full-time wearing a navy and white striped kit. Layer Road was sold back to the council for £1.2m to help clear debts with the club leasing for a maximum of three seasons.
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
Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of Ket ...
were U's main challengers and it took until April for U's to hit top spot, but Colchester finished runners-up by two points. Atkins then left to join
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
as coach. New chairman James Bowdidge appointed
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 ...
in a player-manager role. At just 34, McDonough had been Atkins' assistant and vowed to go for goals abandoning Atkins' stoic sweeper system. McDonough equalled the club record scoring four at
Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...
, but couldn't have planned the astonishing goal that gave U's victory at sole rivals Wycombe. In the dying moments, goalkeeper Scott Barrett's long punt down field skidded up off the greasy surface into the net to give Colchester a priceless 2–1 win, and U's completed the double soon after winning 3–0 at Layer Road. The U's became the first team in history to be knocked out of the FA Cup without conceding a goal. Twice they drew 0–0 with Exeter only to lose on penalties; the consolation was that they led Wycombe by seven points as 1992 dawned. A dreadful 4–1 defeat at
Welling Welling is an area of South East London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley, west of Bexleyheath, southeast of Woolwich and of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. ...
and a lackadaisical 4–4 draw at
Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...
threatened to derail U's surge back to the League. United's focus wasn't solely on the Conference they progressed 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 of 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 ...
having knocked out
Kingstonian Kingstonian Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London which currently plays in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was founded in 1885 by YMC ...
,
Merthyr 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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Telford Telford () is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, about east of Shrewsbury, south west of Stafford, north west of Wolverhampton and from Birmingham in the same direction. With an est ...
and Macclesfield on the way. At just 34, McDonough had delivered his promise. He himself had netted 29 times with Steve McGavin (26) and Gary Bennett (18) part of the 98 goal League haul. as Wycombe trailed by eight goals going into the last game. United annihilated
Barrow Barrow may refer to: Places England * Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria ** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area ** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency) * Barrow, Cheshire * Barrow, Gloucestershire * Barro ...
5–0 with a
Mike Masters Michael Masters (born April 26, 1967) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He is the first American to score a goal in Wembley Stadium. He played one season in the American Soccer League, three season in its ...
hat trick to claim the Championship. A week later 32,254 roared United, in their first-ever Wembley appearance, to a famous non-League double gaining revenge over
Witton Albion Witton may refer to one of several places in England: *Witton, historic name of an area of Northwich, Cheshire **Witton Albion F.C. *Witton Gilbert, County Durham *Witton-le-Wear, County Durham *Witton, an area of Blackburn, Lancashire * Witton, B ...
with Masters, McGavin and Nicky Smith scoring in a 3–1 win. Colchester's time in the Conference led to the following achievements: * Football Conference champions: 1991–92 * Football Conference runners-up: 1990–91 *
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 With the advent of the
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 ...
, it meant that Colchester jumped two Leagues, in name, to Division Three. U's lost four of their first five league games and sunk to the bottom and they also suffered a hefty FA fine for their indiscipline on the field. The attacking approach was not as effective against League teams as United conceded 7, 5 and 4 goals on six occasions. Despite this they rallied, with a young
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 ...
blossoming and finished just four points shy of a play-off place. The early games of 1993–94, United just could not defend and McDonough, having used six goalkeepers in the wake of Barrett's departure, found himself in goal at Hereford in October 1993. McGavin moved to Birmingham for £150,000 in January with no funds made available, taking a consortium of local businessmen to raise £10,000 to buy
Steve Whitton Stephen Paul Whitton (born 4 December 1960) is an English former footballer who played as a striker. He was born in East Ham, London. Career In a playing career spanning 20 years (1978–1998), Whitton made more than 450 league appearances. He ...
on deadline day to fill the gap. On the last day of a disappointing campaign, McDonough received a silver salver from Chairman Gordon Parker in recognition of his 500th career appearance. Three days later it was Parker, his father-in-law, that told McDonough he was sacked. George Burley was appointed manager in July 1994. His reign started with six straight defeats as Burley dug out his boots, brought in new faces and called upon Dale Roberts as coach. United then suffered just one defeat in the next 20 League and Cup matches. Burley resigned as manager on Christmas Eve 1994 after being tapped up by Ipswich, who had been refused permission to speak to him, and Burley walked out with Colchester in 5th place. Ex-player
Steve Wignall Steven Leslie Wignall (born 17 September 1954) is an English former professional football manager and player. During his playing career, Wignall, who played as a central defender, made over 600 appearances in the Football League. Career Playing ...
was appointed as new manager in January 1995. United gained just two points from the last four games of the season and finished 12 points adrift. Wignall resigned Tony Adcock and the loan signing of
Scott McGleish Scott McGleish (born 10 February 1974) is an English footballer who plays for Leverstock Green. In a career spanning 29 years across four decades, McGleish has made over 900 league appearances. He is one of five outfield players in English footb ...
rejuvenated United's season and the U's just needed to beat
Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
in their last fixture to reach the play-offs. Paul Gibbs cross-cum-shot sealed a narrow win to send Colchester to the play-offs.
Neil Warnock Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English former football manager and player. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the Premier League to ...
's
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...
stood in United's way of a second trip to Wembley. Mark Kinsella's long ranger sealed a 1–0 first leg lead and rammed Warnock's words down his throat. Warnock had taunted: ''"Little teams like Colchester shouldn't even be on the same pitch as big clubs like Plymouth."'' His side, assembled for over £1m, quickly moved in front at
Home Park Home Park is a football stadium in Plymouth, England. The ground has been the home of Football League One club Plymouth Argyle since 1901.
against a U's side costing £2,000, but Kinsella pulled the score back level and more with a vital away goal. Five minutes from time U's hearts were broken when Plymouth added a third. For 1996–97, Kinsella finally got the move his talents deserved. A bargain £150,000 took him to Charlton and there was early League Cup cheer when U's turned a 3–2 deficit with a 3–1 victory at First Division West Bromwich Albion – all the more noteworthy as striker Whitton played the entire second half in goal. Paul Buckle scored Colchester's first ever Golden Goal against
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 ...
in the Auto Windscreen Shield and wins over
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
and
Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
set up a Southern Final with
Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
. All looked lost with a 2–0 first leg defeat but
Paul Abrahams Paul Abrahams (born 31 October 1973) is an English former footballer who played as a forward or as a winger in the Football League, most notably for Colchester United, where he made over 100 league appearances in two spells between 1992 and 1 ...
' glorious Golden Goal sent United to Wembley. The Wembley Final against Carlisle, played in front of 45,077, ended in a 0–0 draw after extra time.
Peter Cawley Peter Cawley (born 15 September 1965) is an English former footballer who played as a defender. Career Cawley is best known for his spell at Colchester United, where he made more than 200 appearances during his six years at the club between 1 ...
and a young
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 ...
missed from the spot leaving the Cumbrians to hoist the trophy in the cruellest of manners. Three wins and a draw after Wembley meant that United missed out on the play-offs by just one point. In the 1997–98 season, Wignall broke the club's transfer record spending £50,000 on Neil Gregory. The U's won 10 of their last 15 missing automatic promotion by one point, but more importantly qualifying for the play-offs. Barnet held a 1–0 lead at Layer Road, but a brace from David Gregory, the second in extra time, turned the tie in U's favour and earned a third trip to Wembley in six years. David Gregory's 22nd-minute penalty was enough to fire U's back to the third tier after 17 years away. Division Two boasted fallen giants in Manchester City and Stoke and
Kevin Keegan Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. A forward, he played for several professional clubs from 1968 to 1984. Having begun his career at Scunthorpe United, he moved to Liverpool in 1971 and ...
led the
Mohamed Al-Fayed Mohamed Al-Fayed (; arz, محمد الفايد ; born 27 January 1929) is an Egyptian-born businessman whose residence and chief business interests have been in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s. His business interests include ownership of ...
revolution at Fulham. A preferred site was found for the new stadium at Cuckoo Farm, which was owned by the council. From the magnificent stage of
Maine Road Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest atte ...
and a loyal 25,000 home crowd, Wignall faced his FA Cup nemesis at the tiny Northumberland outpost of Bedlington.
Bedlington Terriers Bedlington Terriers Football Club is a football club based in Bedlington, England. The club are currently members of the and play at Welfare Park. History The club was established in 1949 as Bedlington Mechanics. They joined the Northumberlan ...
walloped United 4–1 the most embarrassing defeat in the club's history. U's won just one of the next nine including a 5–1 home defeat to Gillingham in the Auto Windscreen Shield. In January 1999, seven days after unleashing a raw
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 ...
into the first team, Wignall quit citing that he had taken his team as far as he could and was frustrated at the role agents were playing in transfer deals he was trying to set up. Steve Whitton, his assistant became Caretaker before
Mick Wadsworth Michael Wadsworth (born 3 November 1950) is an English association football, football coach and former player. Born in Barnsley his playing career spanned only one season in The Football League with Scunthorpe United F.C., Scunthorpe United, a ...
fought off the challenge of
Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
's
Steve Cotterill Stephen John Cotterill (born 20 July 1964) is an English former footballer who played as a striker. He is currently the manager of side Shrewsbury Town. Cotterill had a nine-year career as a footballer playing for Burton Albion, Wimbledon, ...
to become the new manager. He kept Whitton on and brought in a number of foreign players including Brazilian Fumaça and Frenchmen
Stéphane Pounewatchy Stéphane Zeusnagapa Pounewatchy (born 10 February 1968) is a French former Association football, footballer, turned football agent. He was a Defender (association football), defender who plied his trade in France, England and Scotland. Career ...
and Fabrice Richard. Fumaca's Colchester career lasted just 14 minutes after being pole-axed. The season's end brought swingeing cuts to the playing staff. Nine were axed including Joe Dunne and Tony Adcock, who fell tantalisingly four goals short of Martyn King's club record of 131 career goals.


The Championship and a New Home: 2000–2010

Within two weeks of the 1999–2000 season, manager Wadsworth declared that, living in
Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wake ...
, Colchester was too far south to drive – then, directly after a League Cup tie at
Selhurst Park Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international footba ...
, joined Crystal Palace. Wadsworth had removed fans favourites and brought in a number of highly paid players, spending the entire playing budget. Most of these players were linked to controversial football agent Barry Silkman. When midfielder Brian Launders was sacked for gross misconduct, Silkman took United to Court and this exposed the influence agents had on the game, something Steve Wignall had pre-empted. As a result, United, now led by Chairman
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 ...
, invoked a policy of not dealing with agents ever again. Heard appointed Steve Whitton as manager in August 1999. One win in eleven including a 5–2 mauling at
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
saw United bottom by October. Whitton re-instated Joe Dunne,
Tony Lock Graham Anthony Richard Lock (5 July 1929 – 30 March 1995) was an English cricketer, who played primarily as a left-arm spinner. He played in forty nine Tests for England taking 174 wickets at 25.58 each. Lock took 2,844 first-class wickets ...
and Richard Wilkins and re-signed Steve McGavin. A thrilling 5–4 January 2000 win over Bristol Rovers was the highlight of the season and the emergence of the skilful Lua Lua, with 14 goals, complemented 16 from McGavin. Colchester were not going to hold on to Lua Lua for long and a stunning hat-trick at
QPR 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 R ...
turned a 1–0 first leg defeat into a 4–3 aggregate win. The virtuoso performance by the youngster from
Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...
persuaded Newcastle boss Bobby Robson to part with a staggering £2.25m in September 2000, and the deal secured the medium term future of the club. Whitton steered his troops to six points clear of relegation. The 2001–02 season kicked off with an entertaining 6–3 win at Chesterfield. United were top of Division Two by the end of August and knocked First Division Portsmouth out of the League Cup at
Fratton Park Fratton Park is a football ground in Portsmouth, England, which is the home of Portsmouth F.C. Fratton Park remains as the only home football ground in Portsmouth FC's entire history. The early Fratton Park was designed by local architect A ...
. Despite Whitton equalling the record transfer fee of £50,000 for
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
international
Adrian Coote Adrian Coote (born 30 September 1978) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. Born in England, he made six appearances for the Northern Ireland national football team, Northern Ireland nation ...
, the U's finished 15th – a steady year on year improvement after recording 18th and then 17th places previously. Whitton was content with the way he was progressing the club but the supporters were not. The collapse of
ITV Digital ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network. Its main shareholders were Carlton Communications plc and Granada plc, owners o ...
spelt disaster for many clubs who had spent their money on players or new facilities before it had reached them. Prudently, Heard never budgeted more than his club could afford. Whitton was unable to bolster his squad to push on quicker and after losing to Conference side Chester in the FA Cup at Layer Road and seven games without a win he left by mutual consent in January 2003. 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 ...
took caretaker charge, fared well, and put himself forward as a candidate. However, with his many contacts at FA Board level, Heard introduced a surprise when he appointed Reading's player-coach
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 ...
as United's new boss. Parkinson saved United from relegation certainty to 12th place, their highest position for 23 years. He brought in Sports Science and revolutionised the way players trained, ate and rested. The 2003–04 season was almost a Cup campaign of its own. U's played a record 15 ties in progressing in the FA Cup and LDV Trophy. Helped by the astute signings of Wayne Andrews and Premiership youngsters
Craig Fagan Craig Anthony Fagan (born 11 December 1982) is a football coach and former player who was most recently assistant manager of Southend United. He played as a winger or forward, notably in the Premier League for Birmingham City, Derby County and ...
and
Rowan Vine Rowan Lewis Vine (born 21 September 1982) is an English former footballer. A striker, Vine previously played League football for Portsmouth, Brentford, Colchester United, Luton Town, Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers (QPR), Hull City, Milton ...
, United blazed a trail to the FA Cup fifth round defeating
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...
, Accrington Stanley and
Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
, courtesy of a Vine hat trick, before succumbing to
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
by 1–0 at
Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...
in the fifth round. The U's were then faced with the task of clawing back a 3–2 deficit from the LDV Vans Trophy Southern Final first leg at Steve Wignall's Southend. A 1–1 draw and a barrage of fixtures proved too much and United slipped from 5th to 14th whilst on the Cup trail, losing influential
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 ...
to a serious knee injury. Nine points separated United and the play-offs at the end of the season. West Brom became the last-ever top flight club to visit Layer Road on 21 September 2004. Colchester didn't disappoint winning the League Cup tie 2–1 to earn a trip to another Premiership side in Southampton, where United scared their lofty opponents before bowing out 3–2. League form was relatively poor with nine home defeats and just four wins in a 25-game mid season spell. No team managed to score more than two goals in the League against the U's but a mid-table spot was always on the cards. A tricky set of draws in the FA Cup had Colchester winning through their travels to
Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
,
Rushden & Diamonds Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town. The cl ...
and Hull, although the Mansfield tie required a replay, before being paired with Premiership Blackburn at Ewood Park, but lost 3–0. With 15th place in 2004–05 season considered a backward step, U's fans became increasingly frustrated at Parkinson's 4–5–1 tactics at Layer Road. The season kick started with the arrival of his old Reading teammate
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 ...
on loan from Swindon. U's were in the top four by Christmas and their 12-match unbeaten run was halted at Swindon on Boxing Day. Parkinson's side simply embarked on another run of seven straight wins, 10 if Cup ties are included, and topped the table in January 2006. The FA Cup brought more success on and off the pitch. Leamington were thrashed 9–1 in the first round on 5 December 2005, equalling a 44-year club record. U's won at
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
and then beat Championship sides Sheffield United and
Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
to set up a mouth watering tie at Chelsea.
José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix GOIH (; born 26 January 1963), is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma. Once dubbed "The Special One" by the British ...
's side had been assembled for around £225m whilst United were valued at £150,000. More than 6,000 fans in the 41,810 live televised game witnessed the incredible, as
Ricardo Carvalho Ricardo Alberto Silveira de Carvalho (; born 18 May 1978) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Carvalho began his career at Porto, where he had loan spells at Leça, Vitória de Setúbal and Alverca, ...
's
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 ...
put United in front. Chelsea threw on their big guns
Joe Cole Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger in the Premier League, Ligue 1, League One and United Soccer League. He is regarded as one ...
,
Frank Lampard Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielder ...
and
Hernán Crespo Hernán Jorge Crespo (; born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He is the current manager of Qatari club Al-Duhail. A prolific striker, Crespo scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 19 years. At in ...
to win 3–1. United captured a little piece of worldwide acclaim and a huge bonus to their bank balance, but league form dropped alarmingly. The U's won just one in 13, including Cup ties, went seven out of eight League games in February without scoring and lost the top of the table clash with Southend by 3–0 at Layer Road. Wins at Bournemouth and at home to Rotherham meant United only had to secure a draw in the last match at Yeovil. Ironically United's first ever professional match in 1937 was in the Somerset town and they nervously held onto a 0–0 draw to gain promotion to The Coca-Cola Championship – three points behind Essex neighbours Southend. The average gate of 3,969 was paltry compared to some of the sides that they would face but Parkinson had delivered U's ultimate dream. Chris Iwelumo's 19 goals and 15 by midfielder
Neil Danns Neil Alexander Danns (born 23 November 1982) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Macclesfield F.C., Macclesfield and the Guyana national football team, Guyana national team. In December 2022, Da ...
put both players in the shop window. Parkinson, however, resigned on 13 June 2006. Geraint Williams oversaw pre-season training and, after a lengthy recruitment process, was charged with the daunting task of leading United in their first season in the Championship. He employed
Mick Harford Michael Gordon Harford (born 12 February 1959) is an English football manager and former professional player. He is the chief recruitment officer at Luton Town, a club where he has spent a large portion of both his playing and non-playing caree ...
as his assistant and the pair worked miracles for a club that was now owned by
Robbie Cowling Robbie or Robby is a surname. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. People Given name Robbie *Robbie Amell (born 1 ...
, a very successful local businessman. United entertained Ipswich in the first League derby for 49 years and a Karl Duguid goal gave U's the victory they so dearly aspired to. Parkinson returned with his struggling Hull team in November 2006 and Iwelumo scored four and a share of the club record as United trounced The Tigers 5–1. Parkinson was sacked five days later whilst United recorded eight home wins on the spin to be in a play-off position by Christmas. Talk turned to sharing
Portman Road Portman Road is a football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, which has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted many England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly internatio ...
if United reached the Premiership with Cuckoo Farm still to rise from the drawing board. Reading paid a new record £2.5m for England U20s international
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 ...
, but the loss did not affect United too much as they continued to take playing against the likes of Leeds, Sunderland and Birmingham in their stride. Iwelumo netted an impressive 18 goals but Cureton went even better netting 24 times winning the Championship Golden Boot. Unbelievingly United were just one point off a play-off place with two games to go. Defeat at chief rivals
Stoke Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom. Stoke may refer to: Places United Kingdom The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below. Berkshire * Stoke Row, Berkshire Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stok ...
ended their hopes but the 10th-placed finish was the highest in the club's history making them 30th in the entire Football League. Gates at Layer Road had risen to 5,466, the highest since 1970–71 with most games sold out, and, the first turf was cut at Cuckoo Farm. Ahead of United's largely unexpected second season in the Championship Cureton, Iwelumo, Wayne Brown and
Richard Garcia Richard Garcia (born 4 September 1981) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for Australia's U23 team, having previously managed A-League Men's side Perth Glory. As a player, Garc ...
all left on a rather sour note in the summer. Cureton fetched £850,000 from Norwich prompting boss Williams to smash the club's own record by paying a reported £300,000 for
MK 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 ...
Clive Platt. On the same day he spent another six figure sum on
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 ...
and news broke that
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
legend
Teddy Sheringham Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham, MBE (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham began his career at Millwall, where he ...
would be donning a blue and white shirt. Robbie Cowlings move from owner to chairman prompted an about turn where agents were concerned. He admitted that if Colchester were to compete then they would have to use agents. Peter Heard stepped down after 16 years as chairman to become life president. Williams failed to find an adequate replacement for Brown and his defence leaked goals all season. Platt and Cureton's replacement
Kevin Lisbie Kevin Anthony Lisbie (born 17 October 1978) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in London, he earned ten international caps for Jamaica. He is now a coach at Leyton Orient. Club career Charlton Athletic Born in Ha ...
had no trouble scoring as United maintained their ability in the opponents' box. It was clear by Christmas that United would be in a relegation battle particularly after a dismal home defeat to Blackpool. Cowling made funds available during the January transfer window with Chris Coyne arriving for another record £300,000 with £250,000 spent on both Phil Ifil and
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 ...
. They could have been relegated on 5 April 2008 but a 2–0 win over Ipswich ensured that it wouldn't be U's neighbours applying the final nail, although the inevitable happened four days later when, without playing, relegation was confirmed. Layer Road hosted its last ever League game on 26 April 2008, just over 70 years after its first, when The U's lost 1–0 to a Stoke City side on its way to the Premier League. Chief Executive Marie Partner bid a sad farewell to Layer Road as she ceremonially locked the gates for the last time. Life at the new stadium began with the announcement of a sponsorship deal that would see it being named The Weston Homes Community Stadium. The first-ever match was a reduced capacity ramp-up event against Spanish side
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.
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 ...
had the honour of scoring U's first goal at their new home as 5,610 watched a 2–1 defeat. Fans favourite Karl Duguid left in the summer to pursue Championship football with Plymouth and Kevin Lisbie joined neighbours Ipswich for a reported £650,000 fee. Short on firepower manager Geraint Williams broke U's transfer record yet again bringing in Cheltenham's
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 ...
for £400,000. In order to iron out any teething problems United were granted permission by the Football League to play their first two games away from home and thus the first-ever League fixture came on 16 August against Huddersfield when a 0–0 draw was played out. Mark Yeates became the first U's scorer in a competitive match at WHCS when he bagged both goals in a 2–2 draw with Oldham on 30 August. United couldn't force a win at home and following a 3–0 home defeat to MK Dons that left United in the bottom four with a record of 1 League win from 6, Williams was relieved of his duties. On 10 October 2008 former Wycombe 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 ...
was unveiled as Colchester's new manager. He quickly inspired The U's to record their first home victory in a thumping 5–0 win over Carlisle 15 days later. On 18 November 2008 the Stadium was rewarded with its first-ever international match when a
Henri Lansbury Henri George Lansbury (born 12 October 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Championship side Luton Town. He previously played for Arsenal, where he ascended from the club's academy. Lansbury also had spells ...
goal gave England Under-19's a 1–0 win over their German counterparts in front of a record crowd of 9,692. Lambert set to work bringing in several loan players including
Marc Tierney Marc Peter Tierney (born 23 August 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a left back most recently for Football League Championship club Bolton Wanderers. Predominantly a left back, Tierney could play in other positio ...
,
Jimmy Walker James John Walker (June 19, 1881November 18, 1946), known colloquially as Beau James, was mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932. A flamboyant politician, he was a liberal Democrat and part of the powerful Tammany Hall machine. He was forced t ...
and
Alan Maybury Alan Paul Maybury (born 8 August 1978) is an Irish professional football coach and former player, who currently manages Scottish League One club Edinburgh. Maybury was a defender, who could play in either full-back position. He played for Le ...
. A terrific run of 10 wins and four draws from 18 games earned Lambert the January Manager of the Month award as United rose to just 7 points off the play-offs. A new club record attendance was set in April when 9,559 watched one of those defeats by Leeds, but The U's fell back to finish in 12th position – 13 points off a Play-Off place. The U's had enjoyed their best-ever away season with 11 victories but endured their worst-ever home season with 12 defeats. Lambert vowed he would have a mass clear out in the summer and called each player in one by one before May was out to tell them their fate. He had identified his targets and Robbie Cowling was willing to try and fund those wishes. In came David Fox,
Ashley Vincent Ashley Derek Vincent (born 26 May 1985) is an English former football player and manager. He played on the wing or as a striker, and was renowned for his pace. He graduated through the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth system to win a contract wit ...
, Alan Maybury,
Lee Beevers Lee Jonathan Beevers (born 4 December 1983) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender or midfielder. He previously had spells with Ipswich Town, Boston United, Lincoln City, Colchester United, Walsall and Mansfield Town. Born ...
, Ben Williams and Magnus Okonghuae all on permanent deals with Mark Yeates, leading scorer in that first WHCS season, joining Middlesbrough for a reported £350,000, Chris Coyne leaving for Australia, Scott Vernon being touted as a transfer makeweight and John White,
Jamie Guy Jamie Leslie Guy (born 1 August 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward . He enjoyed a six-year career with Colchester United between 2004 and 2010, playing on loan for Tiptree United, Gravesend & Northfleet ...
,
Matt Lockwood Matthew Dominic Lockwood (born 17 October 1976) is an English former footballer and coach who is currently head coach of the Montserrat national football team. He played for teams including Leyton Orient, Nottingham Forest and Dundee. Lockwoo ...
, Phil Ifil,
Matt Heath Matthew Philip Heath (born 1 November 1981) is an English former footballer who last played for Tadcaster Albion. Heath has previously played in the Premier League for Leicester City and in the Football League for Stockport County, Coventry Cit ...
and
Johnnie Jackson John Alec Jackson (born 15 August 1982) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder or as a defender. He is the current manager of League Two club AFC Wimbledon. Club career Tottenham Hotspur Born ...
feeling the backlash. To add to its growing reputation the WHCS staged it second international on 16 July 2009 when England Ladies hosted Iceland Ladies before 4,170 fans. Lambert saved his best transfer news until three days before the season opener at Norwich when he secured U's old boy Kevin Lisbie on a season-long loan after the striker refused to move to within 30 minutes of Ipswich as demanded by Town manager
Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came during ...
. Lisbie responded in magnificent fashion as United walloped their Norfolk neighbours in a truly sensational 7–1 thrashing at Carrow Road. A week later U's confirmed top spot in League One with a 2–1 win over Yeovil but amazingly Norwich contacted Robbie Cowling after the game wanting to appoint Lambert as their new manager following their sacking of 7–1 fall-guy Bryan Gunn. Cowling refused at first, but then relented when it became clear Lambert's mind was made up despite no official approach by Norwich. He offered Lambert the chance to talk to Norwich on the proviso that no position could be accepted until compensation was discussed and agreed between the two clubs. Compensation was never agreed and so Lambert resigned, on a match day with U's due to host Gillingham, taking assistant
Ian Culverhouse Ian Brett Culverhouse (born 22 September 1964) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is currently the manager of Boston United. Culverhouse began his career with Tottenham Hotspur. He found first team opport ...
and Gary Karsa with him, both of whom resigned the day after Lambert's appointment. Robbie Cowling and Steve Bradshaw both came out fighting vowing to take Norwich to a Football League tribunal and declaring that the next U's manager would be of Premier League quality and better than Lambert. They did not go against their words as former
Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
boss Aidy Boothroyd was unveiled on 3 September 2009. Boothroyd's U's banished the home hoodoo with 7 wins from 8 League games to the end of the year and he enjoyed 9 games without defeat after his appointment. He signed
John-Joe O'Toole John Joseph O'Toole (born 30 September 1988) is an Irish professional footballer who currently plays as a defender for Mansfield Town. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-21 level. Club career Watford Born in Harrow, Greater ...
,
Kayode Odejayi Olukayode Ishmael "Kayode" Odejayi (born 21 February 1982) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker, most recently for Guiseley. He is a former Nigeria international. Club career Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Odejayi started ...
and
Danny Batth Daniel Tanveer Batth (born 21 September 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Sunderland. Batth began his career with his local side Wolverhampton Wanderers, joining their youth academy as a teenager. In orde ...
on loan with the first named pair agreeing to join permanently ahead of the January transfer window. With the Lambert compensation saga set to run on and on, Robbie Cowling refused Norwich fans additional tickets over and above their normal allocation for the return match in January 2010 saying he would rather have an empty seat than one occupied by extra City fans. The decade ended with United consolidated in a promising top four position after a 2–1 home win over Southampton in front of 8,514.


2010–present

On 20 May 2010, manager Aidy Boothroyd left Colchester to join
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 ...
as manager. Colchester appointed former
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 ...
and
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 ...
manager John Ward as his replacement on 31 May 2010. In 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, Colchester finished in 10th place in
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 ...
. The 2012–13 season started poorly, with just no wins from their first nine games. As a result, on 24 September 2012, they sacked John Ward and appointed
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 ...
as his replacement. They defeated Carlisle United 2–0 on the final day of the season to ensure that they remained in
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 ...
. The club then finished the 2013–14 season in 16th position. Following a poor start to the 2014–15 season, manager
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 ...
left Colchester by mutual consent and they appointed academy manager
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 ...
as his replacement. Colchester secured League One safety on the final day of the 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. On 26 November 2015, Colchester manager
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 ...
was sacked following a run of one win in nine matches, with Richard Hall and
John McGreal John Leslie McGreal (born 2 June 1972) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is currently an U21s coach at Ipswich Town. He began his career at Tranmere Rovers, making his debut in the 1991–92 season. He becam ...
placed in temporary charge of the club. Following a 5–1 defeat to Burton Albion, Wayne Brown was appointed as caretaker manager, with
John McGreal John Leslie McGreal (born 2 June 1972) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is currently an U21s coach at Ipswich Town. He began his career at Tranmere Rovers, making his debut in the 1991–92 season. He becam ...
assisting him. On 21 December 2015, Colchester appointed
Kevin Keen Kevin Ian Keen (born 25 February 1967) is an English football coach and former player. Keen is currently the coach of West Ham United under-18 team. Keen began his career with Wycombe Wanderers before joining West Ham United in 1983. He spen ...
as their new manager. 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 for the first time in 18 years. Manager
Kevin Keen Kevin Ian Keen (born 25 February 1967) is an English football coach and former player. Keen is currently the coach of West Ham United under-18 team. Keen began his career with Wycombe Wanderers before joining West Ham United in 1983. He spen ...
left the club by mutual consent three days later, with
David Wright David Allen Wright (born December 20, 1982) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the New York Mets. He was drafted by the Mets in 2001 MLB draft and made ...
appointed as caretaker manager for the penultimate match.
John McGreal John Leslie McGreal (born 2 June 1972) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is currently an U21s coach at Ipswich Town. He began his career at Tranmere Rovers, making his debut in the 1991–92 season. He becam ...
was appointed as permanent manager ahead of the final game of the season. In the 2016–17 season, Colchester finished 8th in League Two, one point below the play-off places. Colchester finished 13th in the 2017–18 season before finishing 8th in 2018–19. In the
2019–20 EFL Cup The 2019–20 EFL Cup was the 60th season of the EFL Cup. Also known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, the competition was open to all clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League. Manchester City were the tw ...
, Colchester defeated 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 ...
on penalties. Colchester were eventually eliminated by
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 quarter-finals, losing 3–0 at
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 ...
.


See also

* List of Colchester United F.C. seasons, for a statistical breakdown by season


References

{{History of football in England by club Colchester United F.C. Colchester United