| Club: | Colchester United |
| Season: | 1964–65 |
| Chairman: | Bill Allen[1] |
| Manager: | Neil Franklin |
| Stadium: | Layer Road |
| League: | Third Division |
| League Result: | 23rd (relegated) |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | 2nd round (eliminated by Torquay United) |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | 1st round (eliminated by Torquay United) |
| League Topscorer: | Billy Stark (13) |
| Season Topscorer: | Billy Stark (14) |
| Highest Attendance: | 6,074 v Peterborough United, 16 April 1965[2] |
| Lowest Attendance: | 2,218 v Torquay United, 2 September 1964[3] |
| Average Attendance: | 3,634[4] |
| Largest Win: | 4–1 v Barnsley, 9 January 1965 |
| Largest Loss: | 0–5 v Queens Park Rangers, 26 February 1965 |
| Pattern Name1: | Home |
| Pattern La1: | _white_stripes |
| Pattern B1: | _whitestripes3 |
| Pattern Ra1: | _white_stripes |
| Pattern So1: | _color_2_stripes_blue |
| Leftarm1: | 0000FF |
| Body1: | 0000FF |
| Rightarm1: | 0000FF |
| Shorts1: | 000000 |
| Socks1: | FFFFFF |
| Alt1: | Football kit (white jersey with blue, vertical stripes; black shorts; and white socks with two blue, horizontal hoops). |
| Prevseason: | 1963–64 |
| Nextseason: | 1965–66 |
The 1964–65 season was Colchester United's 23rd season in their history and their third successive season in the Third Division, the third tier of English football. Alongside competing in the Third Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup and the League Cup.
Neil Franklin's first full season in charge saw an influx of new players, with 14 new arrivals at Layer Road replacing a host of experienced players, including former apprentice Peter Wright and experienced wing half Roy McCrohan. As such, Colchester's form suffered and the club battled against relegation for much of the season. They were eventually relegated after finishing in 23rd-position.
Colchester's fortunes in the cup competitions were no better than the league. They experienced early exits in each cup, twice being eliminated by Torquay United.
With manager Neil Franklin looking to make his mark on the Colchester first–team, Roy McCrohan, Keith Rutter and Peter Wright all left the club, and 14 new players arrived across the season. The biggest surprise to United fans was when Wright was not named on the retained list for the season. The former apprentice who had spent his entire career as a part–time professional with Colchester had scored 99 goals in 453 league and cup matches.
Having already sold one half of the previously prolific strike force of Bobby Hunt and Martyn King when Hunt left for Northampton Town earlier in 1964, Franklin sold King to Wrexham in October of the same year, and without their goals, a season of struggle ensued. Colchester could only manage 50 league goals across the season.
Franklin's first–ever signing, Derek Trevis, was an ever–present during the season, as was Duncan Forbes, while Billy Stark ended the season as top scorer with 14 league and cup goals. It was an injury–plagued season for Colchester, with Barrie Aitchison, Mike Grice, Martyn King, Gareth Salisbury and Billy Stark all ruled out as early as September, meaning Franklin had to call upon Noel Kearney, a former Ipswich Town player who had been released by the club three months earlier. Kearney signed on a month–long trial and played three games for Colchester, all of which ended in defeat.
Colchester were relegated back to the Fourth Division with Franklin having already been handed a year's contract extension mid-season. Average attendance hit an all-time low figure of 3,634 and the Supporter's Club could only muster 997 members.[5]
The season was also notable for the introduction of inside-forward Dennis Barrett, Colchester United's first professional apprentice, who was taken on in the summer of 1964.[6]
| Name | Position | Nationality | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
| Alan Buck | GK | Colchester | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Amateur | July 1963 | Free transfer | |||
| Sandy Kennon | GK | Johannesburg | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Norwich City | March 1965 | Free transfer | |||
| Defenders | |||||||||||
| Duncan Forbes | CB | Edinburgh | June 1, 1964 | 90 | 0 | Musselburgh Athletic | 4 September 1961 | Nominal | |||
| John Fowler | FB | Leith | June 1, 1964 | 372 | 5 | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic | 20 August 1955 | Free transfer | |||
| Richie Griffiths | FB | Earls Colne | June 1, 1964 | 42 | 0 | Colchester Casuals | June 1961 | Free transfer | |||
| Brian Hall | LB | Burbage | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Mansfield Town | March 1965 | Free transfer | |||
| David Laitt | FB | Colchester | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Amateur | Summer 1962 | Free transfer | |||
| Mick Loughton | CB | Colchester | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Amateur | August 1961 | Free transfer | |||
| Ray Price | FB | Hetton-le-Hole | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Norwich City | Summer 1964 | Free transfer | |||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||
| John Docherty | WH | Glasgow | June 1, 1964 | 40 | 1 | Heart of Midlothian | 14 September 1963 | Free transfer | |||
| Tecwyn Jones | WH | Ruabon | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Wrexham | 1 October 1964 | Part exchange | |||
| John Mansfield | MF | Colchester | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | August 1964 | Free transfer | |||
| Derek Trevis | MF | Birmingham | June 1, 1964 | 9 | 0 | Aston Villa | 7 March 1964 | Free transfer | |||
| Forwards | |||||||||||
| Barrie Aitchison | WG | Colchester | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 August 1964 | £750 | |||
| Dennis Barrett | IF | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1964 | Free transfer | |||||
| Mike Grice | WG | Woking | June 1, 1964 | 203 | 29 | Coventry City | 18 August 1962 | £1,000 | |||
| Bobby Hill | IF | Edinburgh | June 1, 1964 | 238 | 22 | Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare | 9 June 1955 | Free transfer | |||
| John Hornsby | WG | Ferryhill | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Evenwood Town | January 1965 | Trial | |||
| Arthur Langley | IF | Leeds | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Oxford United | September 1964 | £1,500 | |||
| Gareth Salisbury | IF | Caernarfon | June 1, 1964 | 0 | 0 | Luton Town | 22 August 1964 | Free transfer | |||
| Billy Stark | FW | Glasgow | June 1, 1964 | 68 | 20 | Carlisle United | November 1962 | £3,750 | |||
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 1964 | FB | Ray Price | Norwich City | Free transfer | [8] | ||
| Summer 1964 | IF | Dennis Barrett | Apprentice | Free transfer | |||
| August 1964 | MF | John Mansfield | Apprentice | Free transfer | [9] | ||
| 1 August 1964 | WG | Barrie Aitchison | Tottenham Hotspur | £750 | [10] | ||
| 22 August 1964 | CF | Pat Connolly | Macclesfield Town | £1,200 | [11] | ||
| 22 August 1964 | IF | Gareth Salisbury | Luton Town | Free transfer | [12] | ||
| September 1964 | WG | Noel Kearney | Free agent | Trial | [13] | ||
| September 1964 | IF | Arthur Langley | Oxford United | £1,500 | [14] | ||
| 1 October 1964 | WH | Tecwyn Jones | Wrexham | Part exchange with Martyn King | [15] | ||
| January 1965 | WG | John Hornsby | Evenwood Town | Trial | [16] | ||
| March 1965 | GK | Sandy Kennon | Norwich City | Free transfer | [17] | ||
| March 1965 | LB | Brian Hall | Mansfield Town | Free transfer | [18] |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of season | GK | George Ramage | Leyton Orient | Released | [19] | ||
| End of season | WH | Roy McCrohan | Bristol Rovers | Released | [20] | ||
| End of season | WG | Peter Wright | Romford | Released | [21] | ||
| Summer 1964 | IF | Tony Miller | Crittall Athletic | Released | [22] | ||
| August 1964 | CB | Keith Rutter | Romford | Free transfer | [23] | ||
| October 1964 | WG | Noel Kearney | Chelmsford City | End of trial | |||
| 1 October 1964 | CF | Martyn King | Wrexham | £3,000 plus Tecwyn Jones | [24] | ||
| 31 October 1964 | FB | Edgar Rumney | Sudbury Town | Player-coach | [25] | ||
| December 1964 | IF | Tommy McColl | Chelsea | Nominal | [26] | ||
| 26 February 1965 | GK | Percy Ames | Romford | Free transfer | [27] | ||
| 16 April 1965 | CF | Pat Connolly | Altrincham | Released |
See main article: 1964–65 Football League.
See main article: 1964–65 Football League Cup.
See main article: 1964–65 FA Cup.
[7] [28] |-!colspan="14"|Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season|}
| Place | Nationality | Position | Name | Third Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW | Billy Stark | 13 | 1 | 0 | 14 | ||
| 2 | IF | Arthur Langley | 12 | 1 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 3 | CF | Pat Connolly | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| MF | Derek Trevis | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |||
| 5 | WG | Barrie Aitchison | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 6 | IF | Gareth Salisbury | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 7 | CF | Martyn King | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 8 | WH | John Docherty | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| WG | Mike Grice | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| LB | Brian Hall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| CB | Mick Loughton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| IF | Tommy McColl | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Own goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
| TOTALS | 50 | 5 | 1 | 56 | ||||
Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[29]
| Place | Nationality | Player | Third Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Percy Ames | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2 | Sandy Kennon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| TOTALS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||
Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[30]
| Position | Nationality | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WG | Barrie Aitchison | 22 August 1964 | Carlisle United | Layer Road | |||
| CF | Pat Connolly | 22 August 1964 | Carlisle United | Layer Road | |||
| IF | Gareth Salisbury | 22 August 1964 | Carlisle United | Layer Road | |||
| MF | John Mansfield | 12 September 1964 | Brentford | Layer Road | |||
| WG | Noel Kearney | 12 September 1964 | Brentford | Layer Road | |||
| GK | Alan Buck | 3 October 1964 | Exeter City | St James Park | |||
| WH | Tecwyn Jones | 10 October 1964 | Bristol City | Ashton Gate Stadium | |||
| IF | Arthur Langley | 10 October 1964 | Bristol City | Ashton Gate Stadium | |||
| CB | Mick Loughton | 7 November 1964 | Southend United | Roots Hall | |||
| FB | Ray Price | 6 February 1965 | Oldham Athletic | Boundary Park | |||
| GK | Sandy Kennon | 6 March 1965 | Watford | Layer Road | |||
| LB | Brian Hall | 6 March 1965 | Watford | Layer Road |
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