Club: | Colchester United |
Season: | 1988–89 |
Chairman: | Jonathan Crisp[1] |
Manager: | Roger Brown (until 15 October) Steve Foley (caretaker) (21 October until 12 January) Jock Wallace (from 12 January) |
Stadium: | Layer Road |
League: | Fourth Division |
League Result: | 22nd |
Cup1: | FA Cup |
Cup1 Result: | 4th round (eliminated by Sheffield United) |
Cup2: | League Cup |
Cup2 Result: | 1st round (eliminated by Northampton Town) |
Cup3: | Associate Members' Cup |
Cup3 Result: | Quarter-final (southern section) (eliminated by Hereford United) |
League Topscorer: | Mario Walsh (9) |
Season Topscorer: | Mario Walsh (15) |
Highest Attendance: | 7,588 v Sheffield United, 31 January 1989[2] |
Lowest Attendance: | 993 v Southend United, 20 December 1988[3] |
Average Attendance: | 2,871[4] |
Largest Win: | 4–0 v Exeter City, 5 May 1989 |
Largest Loss: | 0–8 v Leyton Orient, 15 October 1988 |
Pattern Name1: | Home |
Pattern B1: | _with_white_collar |
Leftarm1: | 0000FF |
Body1: | 0000FF |
Rightarm1: | 0000FF |
Shorts1: | FFFFFF |
Socks1: | 0000FF |
Prevseason: | 1987–88 |
Nextseason: | 1989–90 |
The 1988–89 season was Colchester United's 47th season in their history and eighth consecutive season in fourth tier of English football, the Fourth Division. Alongside competing in the Fourth Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Associate Members' Cup.
Roger Brown's unsuccessful tenure came to and end following a club record 8–0 defeat at Leyton Orient in October. With the club languishing bottom of the entire football league, former Rangers manager Jock Wallace boosted the club and helped them avoid relegation to the Conference, ending the season 22nd of 24 clubs.
Remarkably, Colchester had a successful FA Cup run as they saw off Fulham, Swansea City and Shrewsbury Town on their way to a fourth round tie with Sheffield United, who knocked out the U's following a Layer Road replay. They again reached the area quarter-final of the Associate Members' Cup where they were defeated by Hereford United, and a 5–0 thrashing at Northampton Town spelt an early exit from the League Cup.
Following a club record 8–0 defeat at Leyton Orient on 15 October, Roger Brown was dismissed from his position as manager. With the club bottom of the entire Football League for the first time since 1972, Steve Foley once again stepped up as caretaker manager. Under Foley's stewardship, the U's embarked on a successful FA Cup run, where they defeated Third Division Fulham and Second Division Swansea City and Shrewsbury Town. However, Third Division Sheffield United won 2–0 in a replay at Layer Road to progress to the fifth round.
Just weeks after signing for the club for £35,000, Paul McGee was sold to Wimbledon for a club record fee of £150,000, representing a huge profit in a short period of time.
Incoming as Brown's replacement was former Rangers manager Jock Wallace, with England World Cup winner Alan Ball his assistant. The impact of Wallace's appointment was instantaneous, with crowds rising over 3,500 the town became gripped by his passion and desire to avoid relegation to the Conference.
On 29 April, the U's travelled to their closest rivals Darlington, a game which Colchester won 2–1 thanks to a Robert Scott goal. The win lifted Colchester off the bottom of the league table for the first time since Brown's departure, and two successive home wins against Halifax Town and Exeter City confirmed Colchester's Fourth Division status for another year.
Meanwhile, in the League Cup, Colchester suffered an early exit following a 0–0 draw at home to Northampton Town and then a 5–0 hammering at the County Ground in the return leg. In the Associate Members' Cup, Colchester won their two group stage games against Lincoln City and Southend United, before regaining some pride by beating Leyton Orient at Layer Road to progress to the area quarter-final. They were then beaten 1–0 by visitors Hereford United.[5]
Name | Position | Nationality | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
Mark Walton | GK | Merthyr Tydfil | June 1, 1988 | 24 | 0 | Luton Town | 26 December 1987 | £17,500 | |||
Defenders | |||||||||||
Phil Coleman | FB | Woolwich | June 1, 1988 | 105 | 7 | MyPa | December 1988 | Free transfer | |||
Scott Daniels | CB | South Benfleet | June 1, 1988 | 1 | 0 | Apprentice | 23 April 1988 | Free transfer | |||
Tony English | DF/MF | Luton | June 1, 1988 | 166 | 23 | Coventry City | 24 December 1984 | Free transfer | |||
Stuart Hicks | CB | Peterborough | June 1, 1988 | 7 | 0 | Wisbech Town | March 1988 | Free transfer | |||
Colin Hill | CB | Uxbridge | June 1, 1988 | 30 | 1 | Marítimo | 30 October 1987 | Undisclosed | |||
John Pollard | CB | Chelmsford | June 1, 1988 | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | 5 May 1989 | Free transfer | |||
Rodney Rooke | FB | Orsett | June 1, 1988 | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1988 | Non-contract | |||
Robert Scott | FB | Broxburn | June 1, 1988 | 0 | 0 | Whitburn Junior | 24 March 1989 | Free transfer | |||
Clive Stafford | FB | Ipswich | June 1, 1988 | 0 | 0 | Diss Town | February 1989 | Unknown | |||
Midfielders | |||||||||||
Mark Radford | MF | Leicester | June 1, 1988 | 16 | 0 | Apprentice | 26 January 1987 | Free transfer | |||
Les Taylor | MF | North Shields | June 1, 1988 | 0 | 0 | Reading | January 1989 | £20,000 | |||
Richard Wilkins | MF/DF | Lambeth | June 1, 1988 | 84 | 15 | Haverhill Rovers | 18 November 1986 | Undisclosed | |||
Forwards | |||||||||||
Ian Allinson | WG | Hitchin | June 1, 1988 | 363 | 82 | Luton Town | 16 December 1988 | Free transfer | |||
Gary Bennett | WG | Enfield Town | June 1, 1988 | 0 | 0 | Tottenham Hotpsur | 21 October 1988 | Free transfer | |||
Steve Restarick | FW | Barking | June 1, 1988 | 0 | 0 | West Ham United | Early 1988–89 season | Free transfer | |||
Mario Walsh | FW | Paddington | June 1, 1988 | 15 | 2 | Torquay United | Summer 1987 | £15,000 |
Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summer 1988 | FB | Kevin Bedford | Wimbledon | Undisclosed | [7] | |
Summer 1988 | FB | Steve Cartwright | Tamworth | Free transfer | [8] | |
Summer 1988 | FB | Rodney Rooke | Apprentice | Non-contract | [9] | |
Summer 1988 | FB | Dave Swindlehurst | Wimbledon | Undisclosed | [10] | |
Summer 1988 | MF | Dave Barnett | Windsor & Eton | Undisclosed | [11] | |
Early 1988–89 season | FW | Steve Restarick | West Ham United | Free transfer | [12] | |
October 1988 | WG | Ian Brown | Harwich & Parkeston | Non-contract | [13] | |
21 October 1988 | WG | Gary Bennett | Tottenham Hotspur | Free transfer | [14] | |
11 November 1988 | GK | Mark Coombe | Bristol City | Non-contract | [15] | |
December 1988 | FB | Phil Coleman | MyPa | Free transfer | [16] | |
16 December 1988 | WG | Ian Allinson | Luton Town | Free transfer | [17] | |
January 1989 | MF | Les Taylor | Reading | £20,000 | [18] | |
February 1989 | FB | Clive Stafford | Diss Town | Unknown | [19] | |
8 February 1989 | WG | Paul McGee | Bohemian | £35,000 | [20] | |
18 February 1989 | FW | John Warner | Burnham Ramblers | Free transfer | [21] | |
24 March 1989 | FB | Robert Scott | Whitburn Junior | Free transfer | [22] | |
5 May 1989 | CB | John Pollard | Apprentice | Free transfer | [23] | |
Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
End of season | CB | John Ray | Wycombe Wanderers | Undisclosed | [24] | |
End of season | MF | Keith Williams | Swanage Town & Herston | Released | [25] | |
Summer 1988 | WG | Tommy Keane | Galway United | Undisclosed | [26] | |
July 1988 | MF | Gary Smith | Enfield | Undisclosed | [27] | |
October 1988 | WG | Ian Brown | Harwich & Parkeston | Released | ||
October 1988 | WG | Winston White | Burnley | £17,500 | [28] | |
15 October 1988 | FB | Steve Cartwright | Tamworth | Released | ||
11 November 1988 | FB | Stephen Grenfell | Bromley | Free transfer | [29] | |
December 1988 | CB | Rudi Hedman | Crystal Palace | £100,000 | [30] | |
3 December 1988 | GK | Mark Coombe | Torquay United | Free transfer | ||
20 December 1988 | MF | Nick Chatterton | Free agent | Retired | [31] | |
31 January 1989 | FB | Dave Swindlehurst | Bromley | Undisclosed | ||
1 March 1989 | WG | Paul McGee | Wimbledon | £150,000 | ||
27 March 1989 | FB | Kevin Bedford | Unknown | Unknown | ||
April 1989 | MF | Dave Barnett | Edmonton Brick Men | Released | ||
21 April 1989 | WG | Lee Hunter | Wivenhoe Town | Released | [32] | |
13 May 1989 | CB | Steve Hetzke | Free agent | Retired | [33] | |
13 May 1989 | FW | Dale Tempest | Eastern | Undisclosed | [34] | |
13 May 1989 | FW | John Warner | Heybridge Swifts | Released | ||
Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | End date | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 October 1988 | MF | Tony Kelly | West Bromwich Albion | 21 January 1989 | [35] | |
February 1989 | GK | Tom McAlister | West Ham United | 1 May 1989 | [36] | |
See main article: 1988–89 Football League.
See main article: 1988–89 Football League Cup.
See main article: 1988–89 FA Cup.
See main article: 1988–89 Football League Trophy.
width=160 | Team | width=15 | Pts | width=15 | Pld | width=15 | W | width=15 | D | width=15 | L | width=15 | F | width=15 | A | width=15 | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colchester United (Q) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | |||||||||
Southend United (Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |||||||||
Lincoln City | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 |
(Q) Qualified for next round
[6] [37] |-!colspan="14"|Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season|}
Place | Nationality | Position | Name | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | FW | Mario Walsh | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 15 | ||
2 | MF/DF | Richard Wilkins | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | ||
3 | WG | Ian Allinson | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
4 | DF/MF | Tony English | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
FW | Dale Tempest | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |||
6 | FB | Dave Swindlehurst | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
7 | FB | Robert Scott | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
8 | CB | Rudi Hedman | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
CB | Steve Hetzke | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
FW | John Warner | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
11 | MF | Tony Kelly | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
12 | WG | Gary Bennett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
CB | Stuart Hicks | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
CB | Colin Hill | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
CB | John Pollard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
MF | Mark Radford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
Own goals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
TOTALS | 60 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 79 |
Nationality | Position | Name | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
width=60 style="background: #FFEE99" | width=60 style="background: #FF8888" | width=60 style="background: #FFEE99" | width=60 style="background: #FF8888" | width=60 style="background: #FFEE99" | width=60 style="background: #FF8888" | width=60 style="background: #FFEE99" | width=60 style="background: #FF8888" | width=60 style="background: #FFEE99" | width=60 style="background: #FF8888" | ||||||||||
MF | Dave Barnett | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
CB | Steve Hetzke | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
FW | Mario Walsh | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
TOTALS | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[39]
Place | Nationality | Player | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tom McAlister | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
Mark Walton | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |||
3 | Mark Coombe | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
TOTALS | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[40]
Position | Nationality | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MF | Dave Barnett | 27 August 1988 | York City | Layer Road | ||
FB | Steve Cartwright | 27 August 1988 | York City | Layer Road | ||
FB | Dave Swindlehurst | 27 August 1988 | York City | Layer Road | ||
FB | Kevin Bedford | 2 September 1988 | Tranmere Rovers | Prenton Park | ||
WG | Gary Bennett | 21 October 1988 | Cambridge United | Layer Road | ||
MF | Tony Kelly | 25 October 1988 | Rotherham United | Millmoor | ||
GK | Mark Coombe | 11 November 1988 | Torquay United | Layer Road | ||
WG | Ian Allinson | 16 December 1988 | Rochdale | Spotland Stadium | [41] | |
FB | Phil Coleman | 20 December 1988 | Southend United | Layer Road | [42] | |
FB | Rodney Rooke | 20 December 1988 | Southend United | Layer Road | ||
MF | Les Taylor | 13 January 1989 | Tranmere Rovers | Layer Road | ||
GK | Tom McAlister | 4 February 1989 | Scarborough | Athletic Ground | ||
WG | Paul McGee | 10 February 1989 | Burnley | Layer Road | ||
FW | John Warner | 18 February 1989 | Scunthorpe United | Glanford Park | ||
FB | Clive Stafford | 5 March 1989 | Cambridge United | Abbey Stadium | ||
FB | Robert Scott | 24 March 1989 | Grimsby Town | Layer Road | ||
CB | John Pollard | 5 May 1989 | Exeter City | Layer Road | ||
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