| Club: | Colchester United |
| Season: | 1989–90 |
| Chairman: | Jonathan Crisp[1] |
| Manager: | Jock Wallace (until 20 December) Steve Foley (caretaker) (20 December until 2 January) Mick Mills (from 3 January) |
| Stadium: | Layer Road |
| League: | Fourth Division |
| League Result: | 24th (relegated) |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | 2nd round (eliminated by Birmingham City) |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | 1st round (eliminated by Southend United) |
| Cup3: | Associate Members' Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Preliminary round (southern section) |
| League Topscorer: | Trevor Morgan (12) |
| Season Topscorer: | Trevor Morgan (12) |
| Highest Attendance: | 5,283 v Southend United, 16 April 1990[2] |
| Lowest Attendance: | 1,720 v Torquay United, 16 December 1989[3] |
| Average Attendance: | 3,139[4] |
| Largest Win: | 4–0 v Carlisle United, 6 March 1990 |
| Largest Loss: | 0–4 v Aldershot, 7 October 1989 v Scunthorpe United, 21 October 1989 v Cambridge United, 29 April 1990 |
| Pattern Name1: | Home |
| Pattern B1: | _with_white_collar |
| Leftarm1: | 0000FF |
| Body1: | 0000FF |
| Rightarm1: | 0000FF |
| Shorts1: | FFFFFF |
| Socks1: | 0000FF |
| Prevseason: | 1988–89 |
| Nextseason: | 1990–91 |
The 1989–90 season was Colchester United's 48th season in their history and ninth 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.
Initially looking to build on manager Jock Wallace's influence towards the end of the 1988–89 season after five consecutive wins and unbeaten in eight, Colchester had a dreadful start to the new campaign, not registering a win until late September and then no further league wins until Boxing Day. By this time, Wallace had stepped aside from his role due to ill health, and after another caretaker spell for Steve Foley, Mick Mills was tasked with keeping Colchester in the Football League. Aside from a four match unbeaten run in February and early March, Mills ultimately failed as the U's finished bottom of the entire Football League and relegated to the Conference.
Only one win was registered in the cups, with a 1–0 FA Cup first round win over Brentford the only highlight prior to elimination by Birmingham City in the second round. Southend United won an Essex derby League Cup first round over two legs, and the U's failed to reach the knockout phase of the Associate Members' Cup.
Jock Wallace began his first full season in charge with winless run stretching eight games at the start of the season, and only two league wins were registered before the turn of the decade. Assistant manager Alan Ball left the club to join Stoke City and ahead of Christmas, Wallace stepped aside due to ill health and the onset of Parkinson's disease. Steve Foley was once again placed in temporary charge of the U's first-team, but declined the offer of the role full-time instead preferring his youth team duties. Chairman Jonathan Crisp brought in former Ipswich Town and England defender Mick Mills as new manager having recently been dismissed by Stoke City.
Mills' appointment initially had a positive effect on the team, and they won three and drew one of four league games in late February and early March, but a defeat at nearest rivals Wrexham in late March, after twice leading before succumbing to a 3–2 defeat, summed up the remainder of the season. Despite having enough time to potentially improve their situation, six defeats in the final eight games of the season left Colchester bottom of the Fourth Division and so relegated to the Conference.
By now, the club were over £1m in debt, and plans for a new stadium at Wick Lane, Ardleigh had also been refused. Jonathan Crisp's initial hope of achieving Second Division football within five years of his appointment in 1985 now seemed very distant with the club out of the Football League for the first time in 40 years.[5]
| Name | Position | Nationality | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defenders | |||||||||||
| Marcelle Bruce | FB |  | Detroit | June 1, 1989 | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1989 | Free transfer | ||
| Scott Daniels | CB | South Benfleet | June 1, 1989 | 35 | 0 | Apprentice | 23 April 1988 | Free transfer | |||
| Tony English | DF/MF | Luton | June 1, 1989 | 211 | 31 | Coventry City | 24 December 1984 | Free transfer | |||
| Billy Gilbert | CB | Lewisham | June 1, 1989 | 0 | 0 | Portsmouth | October 1989 | Free transfer | |||
| Martin Grainger | FB | Enfield Town | June 1, 1989 | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | 16 December 1989 | Free transfer | |||
| Neale Marmon | CB | Bournemouth | June 1, 1989 | 0 | 0 | Hannover 96 | 20 January 1990 | Nominal | |||
| John Pollard | CB | Chelmsford | June 1, 1989 | 2 | 1 | Apprentice | 5 May 1989 | Free transfer | |||
| Clive Stafford | FB | Ipswich | June 1, 1989 | 16 | 0 | Diss Town | February 1989 | Unknown | |||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||
| Eamonn Collins | MF |  | Dublin | June 1, 1989 | 0 | 0 | Portsmouth | May 1989 | Free transfer | ||
| Robbie Devereux | MF | Great Cornard | June 1, 1989 | 0 | 0 | Ipswich Town | Summer 1989 | Free transfer | |||
| Mark Kinsella | MF | | Dublin | June 1, 1989 | 0 | 0 | Home Farm | 18 August 1989 | Free transfer | ||
| Mark Radford | MF | Leicester | June 1, 1989 | 52 | 1 | Apprentice | 26 January 1987 | Free transfer | |||
| Les Taylor | MF | North Shields | June 1, 1989 | 16 | 0 | Reading | January 1989 | £20,000 | |||
| Forwards | |||||||||||
| Gary Bennett | WG | Enfield Town | June 1, 1989 | 9 | 1 | Tottenham Hotpsur | 21 October 1988 | Free transfer | |||
| Trevor Morgan | FW | Forest Gate | June 1, 1989 | 0 | 0 | Bolton Wanderers | October 1989 | £8,000 | |||
| Steve Restarick | FW | Barking | June 1, 1989 | 0 | 0 | West Ham United | Early 1988–89 season | Free transfer | |||
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 1989 | FB | | Marcelle Bruce | Apprentice | Free transfer | [7] |
| Summer 1989 | MF | Robbie Devereux | Ipswich Town | Free transfer | [8] | |
| Summer 1989 | GK | | John Grace | Tolka Rovers | Undisclosed | [9] |
| May 1989 | MF | | Eamonn Collins | Portsmouth | Free transfer | [10] |
| 18 August 1989 | MF | | Mark Kinsella | Home Farm | Free transfer | [11] |
| October 1989 | CB | Billy Gilbert | Portsmouth | Free transfer | [12] | |
| October 1989 | FW | Trevor Morgan | Bolton Wanderers | £8,000 | [13] | |
| 21 October 1989 | FW | Tommy English | Bishop's Stortford | Undisclosed | [14] | |
| 2 December 1989 | DF | Jim Hagan |  Celta Vigo | Free transfer | [15] | |
| 16 December 1989 | FB | Martin Grainger | Apprentice | Free transfer | [16] | |
| 26 December 1989 | FW | John Warner | Heybridge Swifts | Free transfer | [17] | |
| 29 December 1989 | MF | Steve Ball | Arsenal | Non-contract | [18] | |
| 20 January 1990 | CB | Neale Marmon | Hannover 96 | Nominal | [19] | |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of season | FB | Phil Coleman | Wivenhoe Town | Released | [20] | |
| End of season | FW | Mario Walsh | Southend United | £25,000 | [21] | |
| Summer 1989 | CB | Stuart Hicks | Scunthorpe United | Free transfer | [22] | |
| Summer 1989 | GK | Mark Walton | Norwich City | £75,000 | [23] | |
| August 1989 | CB | Colin Hill | Sheffield United | £85,000 | [24] | |
| December 1989 | WG | Ian Allinson | Baldock Town | Released | [25] | |
| 16 December 1989 | DF | Jim Hagan |  IK Oddevold | Released | ||
| January 1990 | FB | Rodney Rooke | Wivenhoe Town | Released | [26] | |
| 5 January 1990 | GK | John Grace | Kilkenny City | Released | ||
| 5 January 1990 | FW | John Warner | Dagenham | Free transfer | ||
| 27 January 1990 | MF | Steve Ball | Norwich City | Free transfer | ||
| 10 April 1990 | FW | Tommy English |  Happy Valley | Undisclosed | ||
| 29 April 1990 | FB | Robert Scott | East Fife | Free transfer | [27] | |
| 5 May 1990 | MF/DF | Richard Wilkins | Cambridge United | £65,000 | [28] | |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | End date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1989 | GK | Roger Hansbury | Birmingham City | 16 September 1989 | [29] | |
| 5 September 1989 | CB | Mark Blake | Southampton | 26 September 1989 | [30] | |
| January 1990 | FB | Karl Goddard | Bradford City | 24 April 1990 | [31] | |
| 12 January 1990 | GK | Scott Barrett | Stoke City | 17 March 1990 | [32] | |
| March 1990 | GK | Andy Marriott | Nottingham Forest | 5 May 1990 | [33] | |
See main article: 1989–90 Football League Cup.
See main article: 1989–90 Associate Members' Cup.
See main article: 1989–90 FA Cup.
[6] [35] |-!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 | Trevor Morgan | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 2 | WG | Gary Bennett | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 3 | FB | Robert Scott | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | ||
| MF/DF | Richard Wilkins | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |||
| 5 | CB | Neale Marmon | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| MF | Mark Radford | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||
| 7 | WG | Ian Allinson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| MF | Eamonn Collins | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |||
| FW | Tommy English | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 10 | DF/MF | Tony English | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| FB | Martin Grainger | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 12 | MF | Steve Ball | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| CB | Mark Blake | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| FB | Marcelle Bruce | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| FB | Karl Goddard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| MF | Les Taylor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Own goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| TOTALS | 48 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 54 | ||||
| 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 | Eamonn Collins | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| DF/MF | Tony English | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| TOTALS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[37]
| Place | Nationality | Player | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Barrett | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 2 | John Grace | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3 | Andy Marriott | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| TOTALS | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||
Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[38]
| Position | Nationality | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | | Eamonn Collins | 18 August 1989 | Chesterfield | Saltergate | |
| GK | | John Grace | 18 August 1989 | Chesterfield | Saltergate | |
| GK | Roger Hansbury | 26 August 1989 | Halifax Town | Layer Road | ||
| MF | | Mark Kinsella | 26 August 1989 | Halifax Town | Layer Road | |
| CB | Mark Blake | 8 September 1989 | Hereford United | Layer Road | ||
| MF | Robbie Devereux | 13 October 1989 | York City | Layer Road | ||
| FW | Tommy English | 21 October 1989 | Scunthorpe United | Glanford Park | [39] | |
| CB | Billy Gilbert | 21 October 1989 | Scunthorpe United | Glanford Park | ||
| FW | Trevor Morgan | 28 October 1989 | Peterborough United | Layer Road | ||
| FB | | Marcelle Bruce | 10 November 1989 | Cambridge United | Layer Road | |
| DF | Jim Hagan | 2 December 1989 | Lincoln City | Layer Road | ||
| FB | Martin Grainger | 16 December 1989 | Torquay United | Layer Road | ||
| FW | John Warner | 26 December 1989 | Southend United | Roots Hall | [40] | |
| MF | Steve Ball | 1 January 1990 | Hartlepool United | Layer Road | ||
| GK | Scott Barrett | 12 January 1990 | Halifax Town | The Shay | ||
| CB | Neale Marmon | 20 January 1990 | Chesterfield | Layer Road | ||
| FB | Karl Goddard | 3 February 1990 | Scarborough | Athletic Ground | ||
| GK | Andy Marriott | 24 March 1990 | Wrexham | Racecourse Ground | ||
| FW | Steve Restarick | 7 April 1990 | Peterborough United | London Road Stadium | ||
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