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1955–56 Colchester United F.C. season

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Colchester United
1955–56 season
ChairmanBill Allen[1]
ManagerBenny Fenton
StadiumLayer Road
Third Division South12th
FA Cup1st round
(eliminated by
Torquay United)
Top goalscorerLeague:
Kevin McCurley (29)

All:
Kevin McCurley (29)
Highest home attendance13,176
v Ipswich Town, 26 December 1955[2]
Lowest home attendance4,811
v Millwall, 11 February 1956[3]
Average home league attendance7,668[4]
Biggest win5–0
v Swindon Town, 3 March 1956
Biggest defeat0–6
v Leyton Orient, 8 September 1955

The 1955–56 season was Colchester United's 14th season in their history and their sixth season in the Third Division South, the third tier of English football. Alongside competing in the Third Division South, the club also participated in the FA Cup in which the club were eliminated by Torquay United in the first round. The season was Benny Fenton's first full campaign in charge, and after building his own squad over the summer, he led Colchester to their highest position since the 1951–52 season with a 12th-placed finish. This came on the back of two consecutive seasons of successful re-election applications.

Season overview

[edit]

Manager Benny Fenton assembled his own squad for the 1955–56 season, bringing in goalkeeper Percy Ames from Tottenham Hotspur, while also signing a number of players from Scottish junior football including John Fowler, Bobby Hill and Sammy McLeod.

Fenton's side played an exciting attacking game. They scored 76 goals in the league, with Kevin McCurley scoring a club Football League best total of 29 goals, and strike partner Ken Plant scoring 17. Both players notched two hat-tricks each during the season as the club safely finished the campaign in 12th-place.

Colchester played their first game under floodlights on 28 February 1955 when they beat Reading 3–1 at Elm Park. While Layer Road was still bereft of floodlighting, lighting had been installed for training purposes at the ground.[5]

Players

[edit]
As of match played 28 April 1956.[6]
Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth Apps Goals Signed from Date signed Fee
Goalkeepers
Percy Ames GK England Plymouth (1931-12-13)13 December 1931 (aged 23) 0 0 England Tottenham Hotspur 1 May 1955 Free transfer
George Wright GK England Plymouth (1919-10-10)10 October 1919 (aged 35) 219 0 England Plymouth Argyle May 1949 £1,000
John Wright GK England Aldershot (1933-08-13)13 August 1933 (aged 21) 2 0 England Colchester Casuals 23 May 1952 Free transfer
Defenders
Brian Dobson CB England Colchester (1934-03-01)1 March 1934 (aged 21) 0 0 Amateur January 1956 Free transfer
George Fisher FB England Bermondsey (1925-06-19)19 June 1925 (aged 29) 0 0 England Fulham 1 September 1955 £1,000
John Fowler FB Scotland Leith (1933-10-17)17 October 1933 (aged 21) 0 0 Scotland Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic 20 August 1955[a] Free transfer
George French FB England Colchester (1926-11-10)10 November 1926 (aged 28) 3 0 England West Ham United February 1949 Free transfer
John Harrison FB England Leicester (1927-09-27)27 September 1927 (aged 27) 205 0 England Aston Villa 30 September 1950[a] Nominal
Billy Hunt CB England Colchester (1934-11-25)25 November 1934 (aged 20) 0 0 Amateur August 1953 Free transfer
Reg Stewart CB England Sheffield (1925-10-30)30 October 1925 (aged 29) 265 1 England Sheffield Wednesday 20 August 1949[a] £1,000
Midfielders
Bob Dale WH England Irlam (1931-10-31)31 October 1931 (aged 23) 55 8 England Bury 24 December 1953 £1,500
Benny Fenton WH England West Ham (1918-10-10)10 October 1918 (aged 36) 11 2 England Charlton Athletic 5 March 1955[a] £500
Trevor Harris WH England Colchester (1936-02-06)6 February 1936 (aged 19) 1 0 Amateur July 1951 Free transfer
Bert Hill WH England West Ham (1930-03-08)8 March 1930 (aged 25) 38 1 England Chelsea September 1952 £300
Ron Hunt WH England Colchester (1933-09-26)26 September 1933 (aged 21) 31 0 Amateur October 1951 Free transfer
Forwards
Russell Blake WG England Colchester (1935-07-24)24 July 1935 (aged 19) 0 0 England Dedham Old Boys 8 September 1955[a] Free transfer
Bobby Hill IF Scotland Edinburgh (1938-06-09)9 June 1938 (aged 16) 0 0 Scotland Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare 9 June 1955 Free transfer
Martyn King CF England Birmingham (1937-08-23)23 August 1937 (aged 17) 0 0 Amateur Summer 1955 Free transfer
Kevin McCurley CF England Consett (1926-04-02)2 April 1926 (aged 29) 110 35 England Liverpool June 1951 £750
Sammy McLeod IF Scotland Glasgow (1934-01-04)4 January 1934 (aged 21) 0 0 Scotland Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare 20 August 1955[a] Free transfer
Alfred Noble IF England Hackney (1924-09-18)18 September 1924 (aged 30) 0 0 England Briggs Sports September 1955 Free transfer
Ken Plant CF England Nuneaton (1925-08-15)15 August 1925 (aged 29) 59 19 England Bury January 1954 Undisclosed
Peter Wright WG England Colchester (1934-01-26)26 January 1934 (aged 21) 67 13 Amateur November 1951 Free transfer
  1. ^ a b c d e f Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Transfers

[edit]

In

[edit]
Date Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
Summer 1955 CF England Martyn King Amateur Free transfer [7]
1 May 1955 GK England Percy Ames England Tottenham Hotspur Free transfer [8]
9 June 1955 IF Scotland Bobby Hill Scotland Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare Free transfer [9]
20 August 1955 FB Scotland John Fowler Scotland Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic Free transfer [10][a]
20 August 1955 IF Scotland Sammy McLeod Scotland Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare Free transfer [11][a]
September 1955 IF England Alfred Noble England Briggs Sports Free transfer [12]
1 September 1955 FB England George Fisher England Fulham £1,000 [13]
8 September 1955 WG England Russell Blake England Dedham Old Boys Free transfer [14][a]
January 1956 CB England Brian Dobson Amateur Free transfer [15]
  • Total spending: Decrease ~ £1,000
  1. ^ a b c Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Out

[edit]
Date Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
End of season WH Republic of Ireland Austin Dunne England Tonbridge Released [16]
Summer 1955 FB England Digger Kettle England Sudbury Town Free transfer [17]
4 May 1955 WH Scotland Jimmy Elder England Yeovil Town Released [18][a]
4 May 1955 FB England Fred Lewis England Headington United Released [19][a]
4 May 1955 WG Wales Cliff Birch England Great Yarmouth Town Free transfer [20][a]
July 1955 IF Republic of Ireland Paddy Leonard England Tonbridge Free transfer [21]
August 1955 IF Scotland Johnny McKim England Clacton Town Released [22]
September 1955 CB England Roy Bicknell Retired Retired [23]
March 1956 WG England Mike Grice England West Ham United £9,000 [24]
  • Total incoming: Increase ~ £9,000
  1. ^ a b c Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

Match details

[edit]

Third Division South

[edit]

Results round by round

[edit]
Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundAAHHAAHHAAHHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHHHHAAHAHAHHAAHAAH
ResultDLLWLLLWDDLDWWWLWWWDLWLDLWDDWWLWDWWLWLDLDLWLLW
Position13192219202223202121222120181416141312131311121214121212991110119897989910991112
Source: 11v11.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

League table

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
10 Gillingham 46 19 10 17 69 71 0.972 48
11 Northampton Town 46 20 7 19 67 71 0.944 47
12 Colchester United 46 18 11 17 76 81 0.938 47
13 Shrewsbury Town 46 17 12 17 69 66 1.045 46
14 Southampton 46 18 8 20 91 81 1.123 44
Source: [citation needed]

Matches

[edit]
20 August 1955 (1955-08-20) 1 Exeter City 0–0 Colchester United Exeter
Report Stadium: St James Park
Attendance: 11,871
24 August 1955 (1955-08-24) 2 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 3–1 Colchester United Bournemouth
Unknown goalscorer Report McCurley Stadium: Dean Court
Attendance: 8,066
27 August 1955 (1955-08-27) 3 Colchester United 3–6 Southend United Colchester
McCurley 49', 90' (pen.)
Fowler 65'
Report
Report
Baron 40'
Hollis 53', 62', 74', 82'
McGuigan 56'
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 8,915
1 September 1955 (1955-09-01) 4 Colchester United 1–0 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Colchester
Fowler Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,964
3 September 1955 (1955-09-03) 5 Coventry City 2–0 Colchester United Coventry
Unknown goalscorer
Own goal o.g.'
Report Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 23,171
8 September 1955 (1955-09-08) 6 Leyton Orient 6–0 Colchester United Leyton
Fenton o.g.'
Hartburn pen.'
Unknown goalscorer
Report Stadium: Brisbane Road
Attendance: 13,483
10 September 1955 (1955-09-10) 7 Colchester United 0–3 Brentford Colchester
Report Towers
Taylor
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 7,843
15 September 1955 (1955-09-15) 8 Colchester United 2–1 Leyton Orient Colchester
Harrison
McCurley
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 7,191
17 September 1955 (1955-09-17) 9 Watford 1–1 Colchester United Watford
Marden Report McCurley Stadium: Vicarage Road
Attendance: 9,326
21 September 1955 (1955-09-21) 10 Norwich City 1–1 Colchester United Norwich
Coxon pen.' Report Plant Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 13,555
24 September 1955 (1955-09-24) 11 Colchester United 0–3 Reading Colchester
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 8,125
29 September 1955 (1955-09-29) 12 Colchester United 1–1 Gillingham Colchester
Stewart Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,208
1 October 1955 (1955-10-01) 13 Millwall 0–1 Colchester United New Cross
Report Grice Stadium: The Den
Attendance: 11,807
8 October 1955 (1955-10-08) 14 Torquay United 1–2 Colchester United Torquay
Unknown goalscorer Report McCurley
P. Wright
Stadium: Plainmoor
Attendance: 7,419
15 October 1955 (1955-10-15) 15 Colchester United 2–1 Newport County Colchester
Plant Report Johnston Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 8,225
22 October 1955 (1955-10-22) 16 Swindon Town 3–1 Colchester United Swindon
Micklewright
Owen
Report
Report
Plant Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 6,373
29 October 1955 (1955-10-29) 17 Colchester United 4–1 Queens Park Rangers Colchester
McCurley
Grice
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 7,339
5 November 1955 (1955-11-05) 18 Northampton Town 0–2 Colchester United Northampton
Report McCurley
Grice
Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 14,091
12 November 1955 (1955-11-12) 19 Colchester United 4–0 Aldershot Colchester
McCurley 10'
P. Wright 17'
McLeod 37'
Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 8,695
26 November 1955 (1955-11-26) 20 Colchester United 3–3 Brighton & Hove Albion Colchester
McCurley 44', 82', 85' Report Foreman
Gordon
Harburn
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 9,010
3 December 1955 (1955-12-03) 21 Southampton 3–0 Colchester United Southampton
Hoskins
Day
Reeves
Report Stadium: The Dell
Attendance: 11,072
17 December 1955 (1955-12-17) 22 Colchester United 5–1 Exeter City Colchester
Fenton
Plant
Grice
P. Wright
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,179
24 December 1955 (1955-12-24) 23 Southend United 4–0 Colchester United Southend-on-Sea
Baron
Hollis
McGuigan
Report
Report
Stadium: Roots Hall
Attendance: 8,404
26 December 1955 (1955-12-26) 24 Colchester United 3–3 Ipswich Town Colchester
McCurley 32'
Plant 70'
Parker 83' (o.g.)
Report
Report
Parker 37', 87' (pen.)
Grant 80'
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 13,176
Referee: Ken Aston
27 December 1955 (1955-12-27) 25 Ipswich Town 3–1 Colchester United Ipswich
MacLuckie 51'
Blackman 53'
Reed 78'
Report
Report
McCurley 6' Stadium: Portman Road
Attendance: 22,644
31 December 1955 (1955-12-31) 26 Colchester United 2–0 Coventry City Colchester
Plant
McCurley
Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 8,618
7 January 1956 (1956-01-07) 27 Crystal Palace 1–1 Colchester United Selhurst
Unknown goalscorer Report Plant Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 6,438
14 January 1956 (1956-01-14) 28 Brentford 2–2 Colchester United Brentford
Rainford
Taylor
Report McCurley
P. Wright
Stadium: Griffin Park
Attendance: 8,492
21 January 1956 (1956-01-21) 29 Colchester United 4–1 Watford Colchester
Plant
McCurley
Grice
P. Wright
Report Brown Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 7,699
28 January 1956 (1956-01-28) 30 Colchester United 2–0 Shrewsbury Town Colchester
McCurley
Grice
Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,679
11 February 1956 (1956-02-11) 31 Colchester United 1–2 Millwall Colchester
McLeod Report Summers Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,811
18 February 1956 (1956-02-18) 32 Colchester United 3–2 Torquay United Colchester
Plant Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,906
25 February 1956 (1956-02-25) 33 Newport County 0–0 Colchester United Newport
Report Stadium: Somerton Park
Attendance: 5,588
27 February 1956 (1956-02-27) 34 Reading 1–3 Colchester United Reading
Unknown goalscorer Report Dale
McCurley
P. Wright
Stadium: Elm Park
Attendance: 4,667
3 March 1956 (1956-03-03) 35 Colchester United 5–0 Swindon Town Colchester
Plant 12', 84', 86'
Dale 20'
Fisher 44'
Report
Report
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,836
10 March 1956 (1956-03-10) 36 Queens Park Rangers 6–2 Colchester United Shepherd's Bush
Unknown goalscorer Report McCurley
P. Wright
Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 7,905
17 March 1956 (1956-03-17) 37 Colchester United 2–0 Northampton Town Colchester
Plant
McCurley
Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 8,333
24 March 1956 (1956-03-24) 38 Aldershot 1–0 Colchester United Aldershot
Jackson pen.' Report Stadium: Recreation Ground
Attendance: 3,874
30 March 1956 (1956-03-30) 39 Colchester United 1–1 Walsall Colchester
McCurley Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 9,130
31 March 1956 (1956-03-31) 40 Colchester United 2–4 Crystal Palace Colchester
Fenton
Bert Hill
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 7,397
2 April 1956 (1956-04-02) 41 Walsall 0–0 Colchester United Walsall
Report Stadium: Fellows Park
Attendance: 15,179
7 April 1956 (1956-04-07) 42 Brighton & Hove Albion 2–0 Colchester United Hove
Harburn
Langley pen.'
Report Stadium: Goldstone Ground
Attendance: 17,364
14 April 1956 (1956-04-14) 43 Colchester United 3–2 Southampton Colchester
Bobby Hill 39'
McCurley 46', 85'
Report Traynor 3'
Mulgrew 52'
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,560
21 April 1956 (1956-04-21) 44 Shrewsbury Town 2–1 Colchester United Shrewsbury
Unknown goalscorer Report Own goal Stadium: Gay Meadow
Attendance: 6,967
25 April 1956 (1956-04-25) 45 Gillingham 2–1 Colchester United Gillingham
Unknown goalscorer Report Plant Stadium: Priestfield Stadium
Attendance: 5,622
28 April 1956 (1956-04-28) 46 Colchester United 3–2 Norwich City Colchester
McCurley
P. Wright
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 8,004

FA Cup

[edit]
19 November 1955 (1955-11-19) 1st round Torquay United 2–0 Colchester United Torquay
Unknown goalscorer Report Stadium: Plainmoor
Attendance: 8,823

Squad statistics

[edit]

Appearances and goals

[edit]

[6][25]

No. Pos Nat Player Total Third Division
South
FA Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England ENG Percy Ames 45 0 44 0 1 0
GK England ENG John Wright 2 0 2 0 0 0
DF England ENG Brian Dobson 6 0 6 0 0 0
DF England ENG George Fisher 43 1 42 1 1 0
DF Scotland SCO John Fowler 16 2 16 2 0 0
DF England ENG John Harrison 41 1 40 1 1 0
DF England ENG Billy Hunt 1 0 1 0 0 0
DF England ENG Reg Stewart 42 1 41 1 1 0
MF England ENG Bob Dale 40 2 39 2 1 0
MF England ENG Benny Fenton 33 2 32 2 1 0
MF England ENG Trevor Harris 2 0 2 0 0 0
MF England ENG Bert Hill 22 1 22 1 0 0
MF England ENG Ron Hunt 3 0 3 0 0 0
FW England ENG Russell Blake 5 0 5 0 0 0
FW Scotland SCO Bobby Hill 4 1 4 1 0 0
FW England ENG Kevin McCurley 47 29 46 29 1 0
FW Scotland SCO Sammy McLeod 43 2 42 2 1 0
FW England ENG Alfred Noble 1 0 1 0 0 0
FW England ENG Ken Plant 37 17 36 17 1 0
FW England ENG Peter Wright 46 9 45 9 1 0
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
FW England ENG Mike Grice 38 6 37 6 1 0

Goalscorers

[edit]

[25]

Place Nationality Position Name Third Division South FA Cup Total
1 England CF Kevin McCurley 29 0 29
2 England CF Ken Plant 17 0 17
3 England WG Peter Wright 9 0 9
4 England WG Mike Grice 6 0 6
5 England WH Bob Dale 2 0 2
England WH Benny Fenton 2 0 2
Scotland FB John Fowler 2 0 2
Scotland IF Sammy McLeod 2 0 2
9 England FB George Fisher 1 0 1
England FB John Harrison 1 0 1
England WH Bert Hill 1 0 1
Scotland IF Bobby Hill 1 0 1
England CB Reg Stewart 1 0 1
Own goals 2 0 2
TOTALS 76 0 76

Clean sheets

[edit]

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[26]

Place Nationality Player Third Division South FA Cup Total
1 England Percy Ames 10 0 10
2 England John Wright 1 0 1
TOTALS 11 0 11

Player debuts

[edit]

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[27]

Position Nationality Player Date Opponent Ground Notes
GK England Percy Ames 20 August 1955 Exeter City St James Park
FB Scotland John Fowler 20 August 1955 Exeter City St James Park
IF Scotland Sammy McLeod 20 August 1955 Exeter City St James Park
CB England Billy Hunt 27 August 1955 Southend United Layer Road
FB England George Fisher 1 September 1955 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Layer Road
WG England Russell Blake 8 September 1955 Leyton Orient Brisbane Road
IF England Alfred Noble 27 December 1955 Ipswich Town Portman Road
CB England Brian Dobson 24 March 1956 Aldershot Recreation Ground
IF Scotland Bobby Hill 2 April 1956 Walsall Fellows Park

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

General

[edit]

Books

  • Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.
  • Ambrosen, Tony (1993). Amber in the Blood: A History Of Newport County. Uxbridge: Yore Publications. ISBN 978-1-874427-40-7.
  • White, Eric (1989). 100 Years of Brentford. Redditch: Oldfield Press. ISBN 0951526200.

Websites

Specific

[edit]
  1. ^ Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.
  2. ^ "Colchester Utd 3–3 Ipswich Town". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Colchester Utd 1–2 Millwall". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  5. ^ Hudson, Matt (11 July 2012). "The 1950s and 1960s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Martyn King". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Percy Ames". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Bobby Hill". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  10. ^ "John Fowler". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  11. ^ "Sammy McLeod". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Alfred Noble". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  13. ^ "George Fisher". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  14. ^ "Russell Blake". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  15. ^ "Brian Dobson". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  16. ^ "Austin Dunne". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  17. ^ "Digger Kettle". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  18. ^ "Jimmy Elder". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  19. ^ "Fred Lewis". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  20. ^ "Cliff Birch". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  21. ^ "Paddy Leonard". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  22. ^ "Johnny McKim". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  23. ^ "Roy Bicknell". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  24. ^ "Mike Grice". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  25. ^ a b "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  26. ^ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  27. ^ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2016.