| Club: | Colchester United |
| Season: | 1993–94 |
| Chairman: | Gordon Parker[1] |
| Manager: | Roy McDonough |
| Stadium: | Layer Road |
| League: | Third Division |
| League Result: | 17th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | 1st round (eliminated by Sutton United) |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | 1st round (eliminated by Fulham) |
| Cup3: | Football League Trophy |
| Cup3 Result: | Quarter-final (southern section) (eliminated by Wycombe Wanderers) |
| League Topscorer: | Steve Brown (11) |
| Season Topscorer: | Steve Brown (13) |
| Highest Attendance: | 3,478 v Mansfield Town, 27 December 1993[2] |
| Lowest Attendance: | 1,489 v Cambridge United, 19 October 1993[3] |
| Average Attendance: | 2,833[4] |
| Largest Win: | 5–2 v Wycombe Wanderers, 18 September 1993 4–1 v Bury, 25 September 1993 |
| Largest Loss: | 0–5 v Hereford United, 16 October 1993 |
| Pattern Name1: | Home |
| Pattern B1: | _with_white_collar |
| Pattern Sh1: | _transparent_bottom |
| Pattern So1: | _whitetop |
| Leftarm1: | 0000FF |
| Body1: | 0000FF |
| Rightarm1: | 0000FF |
| Shorts1: | 0000FF |
| Socks1: | 0000FF |
| Prevseason: | 1992–93 |
| Nextseason: | 1994–95 |
The 1993–94 season was Colchester United's 52nd season in their history and their second consecutive season in the fourth tier of English football, the Third Division. Alongside competing in the Third Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.
Following a 10th-placed finish the previous campaign, Colchester's defensive frailties were clear as they shipped 71 goals, the second-highest in the league and ended the season in 17th. They crashed out of the FA Cup to non-League opposition in Sutton United, while Fulham saw off the U's in the first round of the League Cup. In the Football League Trophy, Colchester progressed to the southern section quarter-final but were eliminated by old Conference rivals Wycombe Wanderers.
Following a campaign of goalkeeping uncertainty where the U's employed six different 'keepers over the course of the season, finding a regular starter between the sticks was key for manager Roy McDonough. With youth team product Nathan Munson on the books, McDonough brought in John Keeley from Oldham Athletic in the summer. However, his performances did not convince and he played his final game for the club in November 1993. This meant a string of mid-season transfers and loans of goalkeepers into the club, and the U's ended the season having once again used six different goalkeepers. McDonough even found himself in goal in October 1993 when facing Hereford United after Keeley and substitute Munson were both sent off for professional fouls. The U's went on to lose that game 5–0. Colchester were the first Football League club to have two goalkeepers sent off in the same fixture. Hereford striker Chris Pike scored a hat-trick in the game, with each of his goals coming against three different goalkeepers.[5]
The fans frustration at the defensive performances came to a head in the FA Cup first round. The U's found themselves 2–0 down at home to non-League side Sutton United, before goals from Steve McGavin and Steve Brown levelled the score at 2–2 early in the second half. Sutton struck again in the 84th minute, before Tony English equalised two minutes later. Despite their best efforts, two-minutes from time, Ollie Morah scored the winner for Sutton to send them into the second round.
The financial situation was bleak. There were no funds to bring in a permanent goalkeeper, and striker Steve McGavin was sold to Birmingham City for £150,000 in January. Again, no funds were made available for a replacement. It took a consortium of local businessmen to raise £10,000 to buy Steve Whitton from Ipswich Town on deadline day to fill the gap. As such, the U's ended the season in a disappointing 17th-position in Division Three.
There was an early exit from the League Cup as Fulham beat Colchester over two legs in the first round, while in the Football League Trophy, the U's progressed from the first round group stage, then beat Wrexham in the second round, before falling to defeat in the southern section quarter-final at home to Wycombe Wanderers, who won 1–0.
Roy McDonough was handed a silver salver by chairman Gordon Parker on the last day of the season in recognition of McDonough's 500th career appearance. Three days later it was Parker, McDonough's father-in-law, that sacked him.[6]
| Name | Position | Nationality | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
| John Cheesewright | GK | Romford | June 1, 1993 | 0 | 0 | Braintree Town | 11 January 1994 | £10,000 | |||
| David Schultz | GK | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1993 | Free transfer | |||||
| Defenders | |||||||||||
| Tim Allpress | DF | Hitchin | June 1, 1993 | 0 | 0 | Bayer Uerdingen | 16 August 1993 | Undisclosed | |||
| Simon Betts | FB | Middlesbrough | June 1, 1993 | 25 | 0 | Scarborough | 11 December 1992 | Free transfer | |||
| Peter Cawley | CB | Walton-on-Thames | June 1, 1993 | 27 | 3 | Barnet | 30 October 1992 | Free transfer | |||
| Tony English | DF/MF | Luton | June 1, 1993 | 399 | 50 | Coventry City | 24 December 1984 | Free transfer | |||
| Andy Partner | CB | Colchester | June 1, 1993 | 4 | 0 | Apprentice | 16 December 1991 | Free transfer | |||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||
| Steve Ball | MF | Colchester | June 1, 1993 | 33 | 9 | Cambridge United | 14 September 1992 | Free transfer | |||
| Tony Cook | MF | Hemel Hempstead | June 1, 1993 | 0 | 0 | Queens Park Rangers | 11 January 1994 | Free transfer | |||
| Alan Dickens | MF | Plaistow | June 1, 1993 | 0 | 0 | Brentford | September 1993 | Free transfer | |||
| Chris Fry | MF/WG | Cardiff | June 1, 1993 | 0 | 0 | Hereford United | 24 October 1993 | Nominal | |||
| Mark Kinsella | MF |  | Dublin | June 1, 1993 | 121 | 13 | Home Farm | 18 August 1989 | Free transfer | ||
| Forwards | |||||||||||
| Paul Abrahams | FW/WG | Colchester | June 1, 1993 | 32 | 6 | Apprentice | 26 August 1991 | Free transfer | |||
| Steve Brown | FW | Southend-on-Sea | June 1, 1993 | 0 | 0 | Scunthorpe United | 28 August 1993 | Undisclosed | |||
| Sean Campbell | WG | Bristol | June 1, 1993 | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1993 | Free transfer | |||
| Roy McDonough | FW | Solihull | June 1, 1993 | 222 | 73 | Southend United | 13 October 1990 | Part exchange | |||
| Steve Whitton | FW | East Ham | June 1, 1993 | 0 | 0 | Ipswich Town | 24 March 1994 | £10,000 | |||
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 1993 | WG | Sean Campbell | Apprentice | Free transfer | [8] | |
| Summer 1993 | GK | David Schultz | Apprentice | Free transfer | [9] | |
| July 1993 | GK | John Keeley | Oldham Athletic | Free transfer | [10] | |
| August 1993 | FW | Grant Morrow | Doncaster Rovers | Undisclosed | [11] | |
| 16 August 1993 | DF | Tim Allpress | Bayer Uerdingen | Undisclosed | [12] | |
| 28 August 1993 | FW | Steve Brown | Scunthorpe United | Undisclosed | [13] | |
| September 1993 | MF | Alan Dickens | Brentford | Free transfer | [14] | |
| September 1993 | FW | John Richardson | Chesham United | Non-contract | [15] | |
| 24 October 1993 | MF/WG | Chris Fry | Hereford United | Nominal | [16] | |
| 11 January 1994 | FW | Justin Booty | Apprentice | Free transfer | [17] | |
| 11 January 1994 | GK | John Cheesewright | Braintree Town | £10,000 | [18] | |
| 11 January 1994 | MF | Tony Cook | Queens Park Rangers | Free transfer | [19] | |
| February 1994 | FB | Christian Hyslop | Southend United | Free transfer | [20] | |
| 24 March 1994 | GK |  | Taylor Barada | Notts County | Free transfer | [21] |
| 24 March 1994 | FW | Steve Whitton | Ipswich Town | £10,000 | [22] | |
| 30 April 1994 | FW | Justin Gentle | Luton Town | Free transfer | [23] | |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of season | WG | Robert Hopkins | Solihull Borough | Released | [24] | |
| 14 August 1993 | MF | Jason Cook | Dagenham & Redbridge | Released | [25] | |
| 28 August 1993 | FW | Grant Morrow | Boston United | Undisclosed | ||
| 31 August 1993 | FW | Julian Hazel | Chelmsford City | Released | [26] | |
| 11 September 1993 | WG | Gary Bennett | Woking | Free transfer | [27] | |
| 21 October 1993 | FB | Martin Grainger | Brentford | £60,000 | [28] | |
| 20 November 1993 | GK | John Keeley | Chelmsford City | Released | ||
| 11 December 1993 | GK | Nathan Munson | Wivenhoe Town | Released | [29] | |
| 11 December 1993 | FW | John Richardson | Chesham United | Released | ||
| 3 January 1994 | DF | Paul Roberts | Chesham United | Released | [30] | |
| 7 January 1994 | FW | Steve McGavin | Birmingham City | £150,000 | [31] | |
| 15 January 1994 | FW | Justin Booty | Braintree Town | Released | ||
| 29 March 1994 | FB | Christian Hyslop | Hendon | Released | ||
| 30 April 1994 | GK | Taylor Barada | Richmond Kickers | Undisclosed | ||
| 7 May 1994 | FW | Justin Gentle | Chesham United | Released | ||
| 7 May 1994 | LM | Nicky Smith | Wycombe Wanderers | Released | [32] | |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | End date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 October 1993 | MF/FB | Adam Locke | Southend United | 2 November 1993 | [33] | |
| 30 October 1993 | GK | Mike Desborough | Chelmsford City | 30 October 1993 | [34] | |
| 18 November 1993 | CB | Mike Basham | West Ham United | 20 November 1993 | [35] | |
| 23 December 1993 | GK | Jon Sheffield | Cambridge United | 27 January 1994 | [36] | |
| January 1994 | FW | Grant Watts | Crystal Palace | 4 April 1994 | [37] | |
| 22 March 1994 | WG | Ian Brown | Bristol City | 6 April 1994 | [38] | |
See main article: 1993–94 Football League.
See main article: 1993–94 Football League Cup.
See main article: 1993–94 Football League Trophy.
See main article: 1993–94 FA Cup.
[7] [39] |-!colspan="14"|Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season|}
| Place | Nationality | Position | Name | Third Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW | Steve Brown | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | ||
| 2 | MF | Mark Kinsella | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 3 | FW | Roy McDonough | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| FW | Steve McGavin | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |||
| 5 | DF/MF | Tony English | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 6 | MF | Alan Dickens | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 7 | MF | Steve Ball | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| FB | Martin Grainger | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| FW | Grant Watts | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| FW | Steve Whitton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 11 | FB | Simon Betts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| WG | Ian Brown | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| CB | Peter Cawley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Own goals | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||
| TOTALS | 56 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 64 | ||||
| Nationality | Position | Name | Third 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" | ||||||||||
| FB | Christian Hyslop | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| GK | John Keeley | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| GK | Nathan Munson | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| TOTALS | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[41]
| Place | Nationality | Player | Third Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Sheffield | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2 | John Cheesewright | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3 | John Keeley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 4 | Nathan Munson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| TOTALS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |||
Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[42]
| Position | Nationality | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | John Keeley | 14 August 1993 | Lincoln City | Layer Road | ||
| DF | Tim Allpress | 17 August 1993 | Fulham | Craven Cottage | ||
| WG | Sean Campbell | 21 August 1993 | Crewe Alexandra | Gresty Road | ||
| FW | Steve Brown | 28 August 1993 | Northampton Town | Layer Road | ||
| FW | Grant Morrow | 28 August 1993 | Northampton Town | Layer Road | ||
| MF | Alan Dickens | 4 September 1993 | Torquay United | Plainmoor | ||
| FW | John Richardson | 25 September 1993 | Bury | Layer Road | ||
| MF/FB | Adam Locke | 9 October 1993 | Scunthorpe United | Layer Road | ||
| GK | Mike Desborough | 30 October 1993 | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium | ||
| CB | Mike Basham | 20 November 1993 | Doncaster Rovers | Belle Vue | ||
| MF/WG | Chris Fry | 27 December 1993 | Mansfield Town | Layer Road | ||
| GK | Jon Sheffield | 27 December 1993 | Mansfield Town | Layer Road | ||
| FW | Justin Booty | 11 January 1994 | Wycombe Wanderers | Layer Road | ||
| GK | John Cheesewright | 11 January 1994 | Wycombe Wanderers | Layer Road | ||
| MF | Tony Cook | 11 January 1994 | Wycombe Wanderers | Layer Road | ||
| FW | Grant Watts | 11 January 1994 | Wycombe Wanderers | Layer Road | ||
| FB | Christian Hyslop | 19 February 1994 | Northampton Town | County Ground | ||
| WG | Ian Brown | 26 March 1994 | Preston North End | Layer Road | ||
| FW | Steve Whitton | 29 March 1994 | Chesterfield | Saltergate | ||
| GK | | Taylor Barada | 30 April 1994 | Doncaster Rovers | Layer Road | |
| FW | | Justin Gentle | 30 April 1994 | Doncaster Rovers | Layer Road | |
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