2003–04 Colchester United F.C. season explained

Club:Colchester United
Season:2003–04
Chairman:Peter Heard[1]
Manager:Phil Parkinson
Stadium:Layer Road
League:Second Division
League Result:11th
Cup1:FA Cup
Cup1 Result:5th round
(eliminated by
Sheffield United)
Cup2:League Cup
Cup2 Result:2nd round
(eliminated by
Rotherham United)
Cup3:Football League Trophy
Cup3 Result:Final (southern section)
(eliminated by
Southend United)
League Topscorer:
Wayne Andrews (12)
Season Topscorer:
Scott McGleish (17)
Highest Attendance:5,611
v Accrington Stanley, 13 January 2004[2]
Lowest Attendance:2,367
v Plymouth Argyle, 12 August 2003[3]
Average Attendance:3,730[4]
Largest Win:4–1
v Notts County, 10 April 2004
Largest Loss:1–4
v Rushden & Diamonds, 22 November 2003
Pattern Name1:Home
Pattern La1:_whitelower
Pattern B1:_stripesandshouldersonwhite
Pattern Ra1:_whitelower
Pattern So1:_band_white
Leftarm1:0000FF
Body1:0000FF
Rightarm1:0000FF
Shorts1:0000FF
Socks1:0000FF
Prevseason:2002–03
Nextseason:2004–05

The 2003–04 season was Colchester United's 62nd season in their history and their sixth successive season in the third tier of English football, the Second Division. Alongside competing in the Second Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.

Colchester embarked on cup runs in the FA Cup, reaching the fifth round where they were eliminated by Sheffield United, while they also were one fixture away from a trip to the Millennium Stadium in the Football League Trophy after falling to a 4–3 aggregate defeat to Southend United. The U's cup exploits eventually led to a late season drop in form, as they slipped from 5th position to 14th with fixture congestion. They recovered to finished 11th, nine points away from the play-offs.

Season overview

Phil Parkinson embarked on his first full season in charge by applying what he had learnt from the final few months of the previous campaign, while gaining his UEFA A Licence and UEFA B Licence as well as a degree he studied for in his spare time. He introduced sports science to the club, revolutionising the way players trained, ate and rested.

The U's participated in a record 15 cup ties during the season, making significant progress in the FA Cup and Football League Trophy. Helped by the astute signings of Wayne Andrews and Premier League youngsters Craig Fagan and Rowan Vine, Colchester reached the FA Cup fifth round, defeating Oxford United, Aldershot Town, Accrington Stanley, and Coventry City, courtesy of a Vine hat-trick, before succumbing to Sheffield United 1–0 at Bramall Lane. Two days after the FA Cup clash, the U's were faced with the task of overcoming a Football League Trophy southern section final first-leg 3–2 deficit against Southend United. The match ended 1–1, with former U's manager Steve Wignall's Southend progressing. Fixture congestion was a contributing factor in Colchester's slip down the table from 5th position to 14th, while losing Karl Duguid to a serious knee injury.

At the end of the season, Colchester completed the campaign in eleventh position, nine points adrift of the play-off places.[5]

Players

[6] [7] [8]

No.NamePositionNationalityPlace of birthDate of birthAppsGoalsSigned fromDate signedFee
Goalkeepers
1Simon BrownGKChelmsfordJune 1, 20031140 Tottenham Hotspur20 July 1999Free transfer
13Dean GerkenGKSouthend-on-SeaJune 1, 200300Youth team1 August 2002Free transfer
31Richard McKinneyGKBallymoneyJune 1, 2003230 Swindon Town10 August 2002Free transfer
Defenders
2Andy MyersCB/FBHounslowJune 1, 200300 Bradford City11 July 2003Free transfer
3Joe KeithFBPlaistowJune 1, 200316519 West Ham United24 May 1999Free transfer
5Scott FitzgeraldCB WestminsterJune 1, 20031000 Millwall19 October 2000Free transfer
19Alan WhiteCBDarlingtonJune 1, 20031203 Luton Town16 July 2000Free transfer
20Ross CrouchCBColchesterJune 1, 200300Youth team14 April 2004Free transfer
21John WhiteFBColchesterJune 1, 200300Youth team1 July 2003Free transfer
22Greg HalfordFB/MFChelmsfordJune 1, 200310Youth team1 August 2002Free transfer
24Pat BaldwinCBCity of LondonJune 1, 2003220 Chelsea16 August 2002Free transfer
25Sam StockleyFBTivertonJune 1, 2003351 Oxford United31 October 2002Free transfer
Midfielders
4Gavin JohnsonMFEyeJune 1, 20031023 Dunfermline Athletic14 November 1999Free transfer
6Thomas PinaultMFGrasseJune 1, 2003935 AS Cannes1 July 1999Free transfer
7Karl DuguidMFLetchworthJune 1, 200326637Youth team9 December 1995Free transfer
10Kemal IzzetMFWhitechapelJune 1, 20039914 Charlton Athletic13 April 2001Free transfer
15Craig JohnstonMFJune 1, 200300Youth team1 July 2002Free transfer
17Bobby BowryMF HampsteadJune 1, 2003792 Millwall25 July 2001Free transfer
Liam ColemanMF/FWColchesterJune 1, 200300Youth team1 July 2003Free transfer
Forwards
8Wayne AndrewsFWPaddingtonJune 1, 200300 Oldham Athletic2 July 2003Free transfer
9Scott McGleishFWChipping BarnetJune 1, 200313636 Barnet12 January 2001£15,000
11Jamie CadeFWDurhamJune 1, 200300 Middlesbrough25 November 2003Free transfer
12Craig FaganFWBirminghamJune 1, 2003426 Birmingham City25 March 2004Free transfer
23Tristan ToneyFWJune 1, 200300Youth team1 July 2002Free transfer

Transfers

In

DatePositionNationalityNameFromFeeRef.
1 July 2003MF/FWLiam ColemanYouth teamFree transfer[9]
1 July 2003WGPhil Hadland Leek TownFree transfer[10]
1 July 2003FBJohn WhiteYouth teamFree transfer[11]
2 July 2003FWWayne Andrews Oldham AthleticFree transfer[12]
11 July 2003CB/FBAndy Myers Bradford CityFree transfer[13]
15 October 2003FWJermaine Brown ArsenalFree transfer[14]
27 October 2003MFRichard Johnson WatfordFree transfer[15]
25 November 2003FWJamie Cade MiddlesbroughFree transfer[16]
25 March 2004FWCraig Fagan Birmingham CityFree transfer[17]
14 April 2004CBRoss CrouchYouth teamFree transfer[18]

Out

DatePositionNationalityNameToFeeRef.
End of seasonMFMarc Canham Team BathReleased[19]
1 June 2003CBMark Warren Southend UnitedFree transfer[20]
30 June 2003FWBen Cranfield Braintree TownReleased[21]
30 June 2003MFMatt HearnFree agentReleased[22]
1 July 2003FWMvondo Atangana Grays AthleticReleased[23]
1 July 2003FBJoe DunneFree agentRetired[24]
1 July 2003MFChris Keeble Heybridge SwiftsReleased[25]
1 July 2003MFMick Stockwell Heybridge SwiftsReleased[26]
14 July 2003FWKevin Rapley Chester CityReleased[27]
7 August 2003CBMike Edwards Grimsby TownReleased[28]
30 September 2003WGPhil Hadland Leek TownFree transfer
30 October 2003FWAdrian Coote Wivenhoe TownReleased[29]
4 November 2003MFRichard Johnson Stoke CityReleased
27 November 2003FWDean Morgan ReadingFree transfer[30]
12 January 2004FWJermaine Brown Boston UnitedReleased

Loans in

DatePositionNationalityNameFromEnd dateRef.
5 August 2003FWCraig Fagan Birmingham City24 March 2004
7 August 2003FWRowan Vine Portsmouth9 May 2004[31]
26 August 2003CBLiam Chilvers Arsenal9 May 2004[32]
29 January 2004FBPaul Tierney Manchester United29 February 2004[33]
12 February 2004CBWayne Brown Watford9 May 2004[34]
22 March 2004FWGareth Williams Crystal Palace9 May 2004[35]

Loans out

DatePositionNationalityNameToEnd dateRef.
5 December 2003CBPat Baldwin St Albans City5 January 2004[36] [37]
15 March 2004CBScott Fitzgerald Brentford9 May 2004[38]

Match details

Second Division

See main article: 2003–04 Football League.

Matches

Football League Cup

See main article: 2003–04 Football League Cup.

Football League Trophy

See main article: 2003–04 Football League Trophy.

FA Cup

See main article: 2003–04 FA Cup.

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

[6] [39] |-!colspan="16"|Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season|}

Goalscorers

[39]

PlaceNumberNationalityPositionNameSecond DivisionFA CupLeague CupFootball League TrophyTotal
19FWScott McGleish1010617
28FWWayne Andrews1200214
316FWRowan Vine640212
412FWCraig Fagan901010
53FBJoe Keith22015
610MFKemal Izzet30014
22FB/MFGreg Halford40004
86MFThomas Pinault00112
7MFKarl Duguid20002
26FWGareth Williams20002
114MFGavin Johnson10001
19CBAlan White10001
20FWJermaine Brown00011
Own goals01001
TOTALS52821476

Disciplinary record

[40]

NumberNationalityPositionNameSecond DivisionFA CupLeague CupFootball League TrophyTotal
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"
12FWCraig Fagan92101010122
7MFKarl Duguid4220100072
19CBAlan White5110001071
10MFKemal Izzet7010001090
16FWRowan Vine7010001090
8FWWayne Andrews5100000051
18CBLiam Chilvers4000010041
25FBSam Stockley4010101070
27CBWayne Brown3100000031
2CB/FBAndy Myers2100000021
6MFThomas Pinault4000100050
17MFBobby Bowry4000000040
1GKSimon Brown1000100020
3FBJoe Keith1010000020
9FWScott McGleish2000000020
4MFGavin Johnson0000001010
5CBScott Fitzgerald1000000010
22FB/MFGreg Halford1000000010
24CBPat Baldwin0000100010
26FBPaul Tierney0010000010
TOTALS648906160859

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[41]

PlaceNumberNationalityPlayerSecond DivisionFA CupLeague CupFootball League TrophyTotal
11Simon Brown1030013
231Richard McKinney10001
TOTALS1130014

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[42]

NumberPositionNationalityPlayerDateOpponentGroundNotes
2CB/FBAndy Myers9 August 2003BarnsleyOakwell
12FWCraig Fagan9 August 2003BarnsleyOakwell
16FWRowan Vine9 August 2003BarnsleyOakwell
20WGPhil Hadland15 August 2003Swindon TownLayer Road
8FWWayne Andrews23 August 2003Port ValeVale Park
18CBLiam Chilvers30 August 2003Tranmere RoversPrenton Park[43]
11MFRichard Johnson4 November 2003Yeovil TownHuish Park
20FWJermaine Brown9 December 2003Wycombe WanderersAdams Park
11FWJamie Cade13 December 2003Oldham AthleticLayer Road
26FBPaul Tierney31 January 2004Tranmere RoversLayer Road
27CBWayne Brown17 February 2004Southend UnitedRoots Hall[44]
12FWCraig Fagan27 March 2004Peterborough UnitedLayer Road[45]
26FWGareth Williams27 March 2004Peterborough UnitedLayer Road
13GKDean Gerken12 April 2004BrentfordGriffin Park

See also

References

General

Books

Websites

Specific

Notes and References

  1. Book: Whitehead . Jeff . Drury . Kevin . The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years . 2008 . Breedon Books . Derby . 978-1-85983-629-3 . 279.
  2. Web site: Colchester Utd 2–1 Accrington Stanley . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  3. Web site: Colchester Utd 2–1 Plymouth Argyle . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  4. Web site: Average Attendance Figures Per Season . Coludaybyday.co.uk . 16 November 2018 . 26 June 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150626124236/http://coludaybyday.co.uk/Statistics/Club%20Stats/LeagueAveragesAttendance.html . dead .
  5. Web site: The 1990s and 2000s . Hudson . Matt . 11 August 2013 . Colchester United FC . 16 November 2018 .
  6. Web site: Appearances . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  7. Web site: Colchester United . FootballSquads . 16 November 2018 .
  8. Web site: All Colchester United football club players: 2004 . 11v11.com . 16 November 2018 .
  9. Web site: Liam Coleman . 11v11.com . 16 November 2018 .
  10. Web site: Phil Hadland . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  11. Web site: John White . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  12. Web site: Wayne Andrews . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  13. Web site: Andy Myers (Defender) . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  14. Web site: Jermaine Brown . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  15. Web site: Richard Johnson . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  16. Web site: Jamie Cade . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  17. Web site: Craig Fagan . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  18. Web site: Ross Crouch . 11v11.com . 16 November 2018 .
  19. Web site: Marc Canham . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  20. Web site: Mark Warren . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  21. Web site: Ben Cranfield . 11v11.com . 16 November 2018 .
  22. Web site: Matt Hearn . 11v11.com . 16 November 2018 .
  23. Web site: Simon Atangana . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  24. Web site: Joe Dunne (Defender) . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  25. Web site: Chris Keeble . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  26. Web site: Micky Stockwell . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  27. Web site: Kevin Rapley . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  28. Web site: Mike Edwards . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  29. Web site: Adrian Coote . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  30. Web site: Dean Morgan . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  31. Web site: Rowan Vine . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  32. Web site: Liam Chilvers . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  33. Web site: Paul Tierney . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  34. Web site: Wayne Brown . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  35. Web site: Gareth Williams . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  36. Web site: Pat Baldwin . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  37. Web site: Pat Baldwin . 11v11.com . 16 November 2018 .
  38. Web site: Scott Fitzgerald . Coludata.co.uk . 16 November 2018 .
  39. Web site: Goals . Coludata.co.uk . 25 November 2018 .
  40. Web site: Discipline . Coludata.co.uk . 25 November 2018 .
  41. Web site: Clean sheets (1st team) . Coludata.co.uk . 25 November 2018 .
  42. Web site: Alltime- List of Debuts . Coludaybyday.co.uk . 25 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150626101319/http://coludaybyday.co.uk/Statistics/Player%20Stats/PlayersDebuts/Alldebut.html . 26 June 2015 . dead .
  43. Web site: Tranmere Rovers 1–1 Colchester Utd . Coludata.co.uk . 25 November 2018 .
  44. Web site: Southend United 1–1 Colchester Utd . Coludata.co.uk . 25 November 2018 .
  45. Web site: Colchester Utd 0–0 Peterborough United . Coludata.co.uk . 25 November 2018 .

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