| 2002–03 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Peter Heard[1] | |
| Manager | Steve Whitton (until 29 January) Geraint Williams (caretaker) (29 January until 25 February) Phil Parkinson (from 25 February) | |
| Stadium | Layer Road | |
| Second Division | 12th | |
| FA Cup | 1st round (eliminated by Chester City) | |
| League Cup | 1st round (eliminated by Coventry City) | |
| Football League Trophy | 1st round (southern section) (eliminated by Cheltenham Town) | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Joe Keith (9) All: Joe Keith Scott McGleish (9) | |
| Highest home attendance | 5,047 vQueens Park Rangers, 3 May 2003[2] | |
| Lowest home attendance | 2,721 vWigan Athletic, 31 August 2002[3] | |
| Average home league attendance | 3,367[4] | |
| Biggest win | 4–0 vChesterfield, 18 March 2003 | |
| Biggest defeat | 0–5 vLuton Town, 21 April 2003 | |
The2002–03 season wasColchester United's 61st season in their history and their fifth successive season in the third tier ofEnglish football, theSecond Division. Alongside competing in the Second Division, the club also participated in theFA Cup, theLeague Cup and theFootball League Trophy.
After a first round FA Cup exit toConference sideChester City and a seven-game winless run,managerSteve Whitton left the club by mutual consent, withPhil Parkinson appointed in his first ever managerial role. He led the club from the relegation zone to a 12th-place finish, their highest position for 23 years.
Following consecutive seasons of gradual improvement underSteve Whitton, the club found themselves in the relegation zone following a run of seven games without a win and a first roundFA Cup exit tonon-LeagueChester City. He left the club by mutual consent in January as former playerGeraint Williams stepped up ascaretaker manager while putting his name forward for the permanent role. However, with his many contacts atFA board level, chairmanPeter Heard made a surprise appointment ofReading'splayer-coachPhil Parkinson.
Parkinson helped turn around the club's fortunes, lifting them from the relegation zone to 12th place, their best finish for 23 years.
In theLeague Cup, Colchester were eliminated byCoventry City in the first round, whileCheltenham Town defeated the U's in the first round of theFootball League Trophy.
Away from the pitch, following the collapse ofITV Digital which had promised clubs greater television rights finances, a number of clubs found themselves entering administration or suffering lasting financial difficulty as a result of spending the money on players and resources before any had been received. Prudently, Peter Heard had never budgeted more than the club could afford and as such Colchester United were largely unaffected by the collapse.[5]
| No. | Name | Position | Nationality | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Simon Brown | GK |  | Chelmsford | (1976-12-03)3 December 1976 (aged 25) | 85 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 July 1999 | Free transfer | ||
| 31 | Richard McKinney | GK |  | Ballymoney | (1979-05-18)18 May 1979 (aged 23) | 0 | 0 | Swindon Town | 10 August 2002 | Free transfer | ||
| 32 | Dean Gerken | GK | | Southend-on-Sea | (1985-05-22)22 May 1985 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2002 | Free transfer | ||
| Defenders | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Joe Dunne | FB |  | Dublin | (1973-05-25)25 May 1973 (aged 29) | 188 | 7 | Dover Athletic | 7 December 1999[a] | Nominal | ||
| 3 | Joe Keith | FB | | Plaistow | (1978-10-01)1 October 1978 (aged 23) | 126 | 10 | West Ham United | 24 May 1999 | Free transfer | ||
| 5 | Scott Fitzgerald | CB | | Westminster | (1969-08-13)13 August 1969 (aged 32) | 74 | 0 | Millwall | 19 October 2000 | Free transfer | ||
| 8 | Mark Warren | CB | | Lower Clapton | (1974-11-12)12 November 1974 (aged 27) | 0 | 0 | Notts County | 6 August 2002 | Free transfer | ||
| 19 | Alan White | CB | | Darlington | (1975-03-22)22 March 1975 (aged 27) | 77 | 3 | Luton Town | 16 July 2000 | Free transfer | ||
| 24 | Pat Baldwin | CB | | City of London | (1982-11-12)12 November 1982 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Chelsea | 16 August 2002 | Free transfer | ||
| 25 | Sam Stockley | FB | | Tiverton | (1977-09-05)5 September 1977 (aged 24) | 11 | 1 | Oxford United | 31 October 2002 | Free transfer | ||
| 27 | Greg Halford | FB/MF | | Chelmsford | (1984-12-08)8 December 1984 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2002 | Free transfer | ||
| 29 | Mike Edwards | CB | | Hessle | (1980-04-25)25 April 1980 (aged 22) | 0 | 0 | Hull City | 27 March 2003 | Free transfer | ||
| Midfielders | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Gavin Johnson | MF | | Eye | (1970-10-10)10 October 1970 (aged 31) | 93 | 3 |  Dunfermline Athletic | 14 November 1999 | Free transfer | ||
| 6 | Thomas Pinault | MF |  | Grasse | (1981-12-04)4 December 1981 (aged 20) | 58 | 1 | AS Cannes | 1 July 1999 | Free transfer | ||
| 7 | Karl Duguid | MF | | Letchworth | (1978-03-21)21 March 1978 (aged 24) | 239 | 34 | Youth team | 9 December 1995[b] | Free transfer | ||
| 10 | Kemal Izzet | MF | | Whitechapel | (1980-09-29)29 September 1980 (aged 21) | 51 | 6 | Charlton Athletic | 13 April 2001 | Free transfer | ||
| 14 | Chris Keeble | MF | | Colchester | (1978-09-17)17 September 1978 (aged 23) | 25 | 2 | Ipswich Town | 23 March 2000 | Free transfer | ||
| 16 | Marc Canham | MF | |  Wegberg | (1982-09-11)11 September 1982 (aged 19) | 1 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2001 | Free transfer | ||
| 17 | Bobby Bowry | MF |  | Hampstead | (1971-05-19)19 May 1971 (aged 31) | 41 | 1 | Millwall | 25 July 2001 | Free transfer | ||
| 20 | Mick Stockwell | MF | | Chelmsford | (1965-02-14)14 February 1965 (aged 37) | 104 | 22 | Ipswich Town | 23 July 2000 | Free transfer | ||
| Matt Hearn | MF | | Barking | (1984-01-17)17 January 1984 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2000 | Free transfer | |||
| Craig Johnston | MF | | (1985-12-04)4 December 1985 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2002 | Free transfer | ||||
| Forwards | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Scott McGleish | FW | | Chipping Barnet | (1974-02-10)10 February 1974 (aged 28) | 90 | 27 | Barnet | 12 January 2001 | £15,000 | ||
| 11 | Dean Morgan | FW |  | Edmonton | (1983-10-03)3 October 1983 (aged 18) | 38 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2000 | Free transfer | ||
| 12 | Kevin Rapley | FW | | Reading | (1977-09-21)21 September 1977 (aged 24) | 40 | 9 | Notts County | 1 August 2001 | Free transfer | ||
| 15 | Adrian Coote | FW | | Great Yarmouth | (1978-09-30)30 September 1978 (aged 23) | 19 | 4 | Norwich City | 21 December 2001 | £50,000 | ||
| 21 | Mvondo Atangana | FW |  | Yaoundé | (1979-07-10)10 July 1979 (aged 22) | 0 | 0 | Dundee United | 8 November 2002 | Undisclosed | ||
| 27 | Ben Cranfield | FW | | Ipswich | (1984-03-01)1 March 1984 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2001 | Free transfer | ||
| Tristan Toney | FW | | (1984-02-04)4 February 1984 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2002 | Free transfer | ||||
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2002 | MF | | Craig Johnston | Youth team | Free transfer | [9][10] |
| 1 July 2002 | FW | | Tristan Toney | Youth team | Free transfer | [11] |
| 29 July 2002 | CB | | Danny Steele | Millwall | Free transfer | [12][13] |
| 1 August 2002 | GK | | Dean Gerken | Youth team | Free transfer | [14][15] |
| 1 August 2002 | FB/MF | | Greg Halford | Youth team | Free transfer | [16][17] |
| 6 August 2002 | CB | | Mark Warren | Notts County | Free transfer | [18][19] |
| 10 August 2002 | GK | | Richard McKinney | Swindon Town | Free transfer | [20][21] |
| 16 August 2002 | CB | | Pat Baldwin | Chelsea | Free transfer | [22][23] |
| 31 October 2002 | FB | | Sam Stockley | Oxford United | Free transfer | [24][25] |
| 8 November 2002 | FW | | Mvondo Atangana | Dundee United | Undisclosed | [26][27] |
| 27 March 2003 | CB | | Mike Edwards | Hull City | Free transfer | [28][29] |
~ £0| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 May 2002 | CB |  | Con Blatsis |  Kocaelispor | Free transfer | [30][31] |
| 30 June 2002 | DF/MF | | Anthony Allman | Woking | Released | [32][33] |
| 1 August 2002 | MF | | David Gregory | Canvey Island | Released | [34][35][a] |
| 12 August 2002 | CB | | Ross Johnson | Dagenham & Redbridge | Released | [36][37] |
| 1 October 2002 | FB | | David Hadrava | Heybridge Swifts | Released | [38][39] |
| 14 October 2002 | FW | | Triston Chambers | Dagenham & Redbridge | Released | [40][41] |
| 25 October 2002 | GK | | Glenn Williamson | Free agent | Released | [42][43] |
| 15 November 2002 | FW | | Lloyd Opara | Cambridge United | Free transfer | [44][45][46] |
| 3 December 2002 | CB | | Danny Steele | Fisher Athletic | Released | [12][13] |
~ £0| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | End date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 August 2002 | MF | | Leke Odunsi | Millwall | 1 November 2002 | [47][48][a] |
| 31 August 2002 | FB | | Sam Stockley | Oxford United | 30 October 2002 | [24][25] |
| 22 October 2002 | FW | | Justin Richards | Bristol Rovers | 10 December 2002 | [49][50] |
| 23 January 2003 | FW |  | Gareth Williams | Crystal Palace | 19 March 2003 | [51][52] |
| 24 January 2003 | CB | | Liam Chilvers | Arsenal | 31 May 2003 | [53][54] |
| 10 March 2003 | MF | | Johnnie Jackson | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 May 2003 | [55][56] |
| 27 March 2003 | FW | | Ben May | Millwall | 4 May 2003 | [57][58] |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | End date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2002 | FW | | Triston Chambers | Harlow Town | 5 October 2002 | [40][41] |
| 15 October 2002 | FW | | Lloyd Opara | Cambridge United | 14 November 2002 | [44][45][46] |
| 21 October 2002 | FW | | Adrian Coote | Bristol Rovers | 9 February 2003 | [59][60] |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Swindon Town | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 63 | −4 | 60 |
| 11 | Peterborough United | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 51 | 54 | −3 | 58 |
| 12 | Colchester United | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 52 | 56 | −4 | 58 |
| 13 | Blackpool | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 58 |
| 14 | Stockport County | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 65 | 70 | −5 | 55 |
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | D | L | L | W | W | D | L | L | L | L | L | D | W | D | D | L | D | W | D | W | L | D | L | D | L | L | L | D | W | W | D | W | W | L | D | W | W | D | W | D | D | W | L | D | L |
| Position | 10 | 8 | 15 | 19 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| 10 August 2002 (2002-08-10)1 | Colchester United | 1–0 | Stockport County | Colchester |
| 15:00BST | Pinault 58' | Report | McLachlan 49'  | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,300 Referee:Paul Danson |
| 13 August 2002 (2002-08-13)2 | Tranmere Rovers | 1–1 | Colchester United | Birkenhead |
| Koumas15' | Report | Keith53' | Stadium:Prenton Park Attendance: 7,499 Referee: Mike Pike |
| 17 August 2002 (2002-08-17)3 | Crewe Alexandra | 2–0 | Colchester United | Crewe |
| Hulse9' Bell 81' | Report | Stadium:Gresty Road Attendance: 5,138 Referee: Graham Salisbury |
| 24 August 2002 (2002-08-24)4 | Colchester United | 0–1 | Brentford | Colchester |
| 15:00BST | Report | Hunt45' (pen.) | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,135 Referee:Paul Taylor |
| 26 August 2002 (2002-08-26)5 | Peterborough United | 0–1 | Colchester United | Peterborough |
| Report | Keith80' Warren 90' | Stadium:London Road Stadium Attendance: 4,203 Referee: P Armstrong |
| 31 August 2002 (2002-08-31)6 | Colchester United | 1–0 | Wigan Athletic | Colchester |
| 15:00BST | Morgan41' | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 2,721 Referee: Keith Hill |
| 7 September 2002 (2002-09-07)7 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Cheltenham Town | Colchester |
| 14:00BST | Keith59' (pen.) | Report | Naylor45' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 2,845 Referee: B Curson |
| 14 September 2002 (2002-09-14)8 | Port Vale | 1–0 | Colchester United | Burslem |
| Collins47' | Report | Stadium:Vale Park Attendance: 3,328 Referee: M Ryan |
| 17 September 2002 (2002-09-17)9 | Northampton Town | 4–1 | Colchester United | Northampton |
| Gabbiadini15',45',69' Oné 23' | Report | Sampson39' (o.g.) | Stadium:Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 3,663 Referee: G Cain |
| 21 September 2002 (2002-09-21)10 | Colchester United | 0–1 | Oldham Athletic | Colchester |
| 15:00BST | Warren 56' | Report | Andrews64' Hill 53' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,021 Referee: Grant Hegley |
| 28 September 2002 (2002-09-28)11 | Queens Park Rangers | 2–0 | Colchester United | Shepherd's Bush |
| 15:00BST | Connolly39' Gallen 72' | Report | Stadium:Loftus Road Attendance: 12,906 Referee: Steve Tomlin |
| 5 October 2002 (2002-10-05)12 | Colchester United | 0–1 | Wycombe Wanderers | Colchester |
| 15:00BST | Report | Brown4' (pen.) | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,252 Referee: D Pugh |
| 12 October 2002 (2002-10-12)13 | Swindon Town | 2–2 | Colchester United | Swindon |
| Gurney66' Sabin 68' | Report | McGleish3' Pinault 49' | Stadium:County Ground Attendance: 4,152 Referee:Mark Warren |
| 18 October 2002 (2002-10-18)14 | Colchester United | 2–0 | Chesterfield | Colchester |
| 19:45BST | Izzet58',73' | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,211 Referee: Trevor Parkes |
| 26 October 2002 (2002-10-26)15 | Huddersfield Town | 1–1 | Colchester United | Huddersfield |
| Stead90' | Report | Rapley11' | Stadium:Kirklees Stadium Attendance: 8,912 Referee:Phil Joslin |
| 29 October 2002 (2002-10-29)16 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Barnsley | Colchester |
| 19:45GMT | Stockley10' Steele 17' | Report | Dyer15' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,096 Referee: Clive Penton |
| 1 November 2002 (2002-11-01)17 | Mansfield Town | 4–2 | Colchester United | Mansfield |
| Christie19',25',29',64' | Report | Keith25' (pen.) Rapley 31'White 81' | Stadium:Field Mill Attendance: 3,414 Referee:Howard Webb |
| 9 November 2002 (2002-11-09)18 | Colchester United | 2–2 | Bristol City | Colchester |
| 15:00GMT | Pinault55' Bowry 66' | Report | Peacock42',58' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,338 Referee:Joe Ross |
| 23 November 2002 (2002-11-23)19 | Notts County | 2–3 | Colchester United | Nottingham |
| Allsopp16' Brough 18' | Report | Morgan7',35' McGleish 83' | Stadium:Meadow Lane Attendance: 4,626 Referee: Anthony Leake |
| 30 November 2002 (2002-11-30)20 | Colchester United | 0–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Colchester |
| 15:00GMT | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,714 Referee: Carl Boyeson |
| 14 December 2002 (2002-12-14)21 | Luton Town | 1–2 | Colchester United | Luton |
| Fotiadis35' | Report | Duguid45' Morgan 58' | Stadium:Kenilworth Road Attendance: 5,890 Referee: M Cowburn |
| 20 December 2002 (2002-12-20)22 | Colchester United | 1–2 | Cardiff City | Colchester |
| 19:45GMT | Stockwell52' Rapley 58' | Report | Earnshaw45',77' Zhiyi 59' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,096 Referee:Uriah Rennie |
| 26 December 2002 (2002-12-26)23 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Peterborough United | Colchester |
| 15:00GMT | Izzet45' | Report | Clarke82' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,760 Referee: Fraser Stretton |
| 28 December 2002 (2002-12-28)24 | Blackpool | 3–1 | Colchester United | Blackpool |
| Walker34' Grayson 45'Murphy 59' | Report | Izzet71' | Stadium:Bloomfield Road Attendance: 6,040 Referee: A Kaye |
| 4 January 2003 (2003-01-04)25 | Colchester United | 2–2 | Tranmere Rovers | Colchester |
| 15:00GMT | McGleish12' Keith 69' (pen.) | Report | Haworth38' Mellon 60' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 2,846 Referee: Lee Cable |
| 11 January 2003 (2003-01-11)26 | Colchester United | 1–2 | Crewe Alexandra | Colchester |
| 15:00GMT | Stockwell41' | Report | Jones56',62' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 2,949 Referee: Keith Hill |
| 18 January 2003 (2003-01-18)27 | Wigan Athletic | 2–1 | Colchester United | Wigan |
| de Vos44' Liddell 74' (pen.) | Report | Keith90' (pen.) | Stadium:JJB Stadium Attendance: 5,792 Referee: Andy Penn |
| 25 January 2003 (2003-01-25)28 | Colchester United | 0–2 | Blackpool | Colchester |
| 15:00GMT | Duguid 82' | Report | Murphy52' Coid 70' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,305 Referee: Colin Webster |
| 1 February 2003 (2003-02-01)29 | Stockport County | 1–1 | Colchester United | Stockport |
| Beckett36' | Report | Keith88' | Stadium:Edgeley Park Attendance: 4,011 Referee:Joe Ross |
| 8 February 2003 (2003-02-08)30 | Bristol City | 1–2 | Colchester United | Bristol |
| Fagan51' | Report | McGleish12' Pinault 69' | Stadium:Ashton Gate Stadium Attendance: 11,107 Referee: Andy Hall |
| 14 February 2003 (2003-02-14)31 | Colchester United | 1–0 | Mansfield Town | Colchester |
| 19:45GMT | McGleish88' | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,247 Referee: Iain Williamson |
| 22 February 2003 (2003-02-22)32 | Cheltenham Town | 1–1 | Colchester United | Cheltenham |
| Alsop2' | Report | Williams44' | Stadium:Whaddon Road Attendance: 3,607 Referee:Steve Baines |
| 1 March 2003 (2003-03-01)33 | Colchester United | 4–1 | Port Vale | Colchester |
| 15:00GMT | Williams7',36',72' Keith 53' | Report | Bridge-Wilkinson55' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,581 Referee: Scott Mathieson |
| 4 March 2003 (2003-03-04)34 | Colchester United | 2–0 | Northampton Town | Colchester |
| 19:45GMT | Williams28' McGleish 76' | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,408 Referee: D Crick |
| 8 March 2003 (2003-03-08)35 | Oldham Athletic | 2–0 | Colchester United | Oldham |
| Eyre13' Eyres 19' | Report | White 45' | Stadium:Boundary Park Attendance: 5,223 Referee:Paul Danson |
| 11 March 2003 (2003-03-11)36 | Brentford | 1–1 | Colchester United | Brentford |
| McCammon37' | Report | Keith84' (pen.) | Stadium:Griffin Park Attendance: 3,990 Referee: P Crossley |
| 15 March 2003 (2003-03-15)37 | Colchester United | 2–0 | Huddersfield Town | Colchester |
| 15:00GMT | Izzet74' McGleish 81' | Report | Sharp 40' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,835 Referee: P Armstrong |
| 18 March 2003 (2003-03-18)38 | Chesterfield | 0–4 | Colchester United | Chesterfield |
| Report | Izzet43' Williams 48'Payne 68' (o.g.)Morgan 81' | Stadium:Saltergate Attendance: 3,226 Referee:Neale Barry |
| 22 March 2003 (2003-03-22)39 | Barnsley | 1–1 | Colchester United | Barnsley |
| Dyer36' | Report | McGleish38' | Stadium:Oakwell Attendance: 9,154 Referee: Eddie Evans |
| 29 March 2003 (2003-03-29)40 | Colchester United | 1–0 | Swindon Town | Colchester |
| 15:00GMT | Izzet57' | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,787 Referee:Graham Poll |
| 5 April 2003 (2003-04-05)41 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–0 | Colchester United | Plymouth |
| Report | Stadium:Home Park Attendance: 7,122 Referee:Paul Taylor |
| 12 April 2003 (2003-04-12)42 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Notts County | Colchester |
| 15:00BST | Duguid2' | Report | Stallard45' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,435 Referee:Mark Warren |
| 19 April 2003 (2003-04-19)43 | Cardiff City | 0–3 | Colchester United | Cardiff |
| Report | Duguid4' Izzet 61'Morgan 73' | Stadium:Ninian Park Attendance: 12,663 Referee: Steve Tomlin |
| 21 April 2003 (2003-04-21)44 | Colchester United | 0–5 | Luton Town | Colchester |
| 15:00BST | Report | Howard14',45',90' Griffiths 21'Nicholls 43' (pen.) | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 3,967 Referee: Clive Penton |
| 26 April 2003 (2003-04-26)45 | Wycombe Wanderers | 0–0 | Colchester United | High Wycombe |
| 15:00BST | Report | Stadium:Adams Park Attendance: 6,283 Referee: B Curson |
| 3 May 2003 (2003-05-03)46 | Colchester United | 0–1 | Queens Park Rangers | Colchester |
| 15:00BST | Report | Furlong52' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 5,047 Referee:Paul Durkin |
| 11 September 2002 (2002-09-11)1st round | Coventry City | 3–0 | Colchester United | Coventry |
| McSheffrey1' McAllister 15'Mills 83' | Report | Stadium:Highfield Road Attendance: 6,075 Referee:Ray Olivier |
| 22 October 2002 (2002-10-22)1st round (southern section) | Cheltenham Town | 4–1 | Colchester United | Cheltenham |
| Brayson45' (pen.),78' McCann 63'Alsop 68' | Report | McGleish57' McKinney 45' | Stadium:Whaddon Road Attendance: 1,369 Referee:Paul Danson |
| 16 November 2002 (2002-11-16)1st round | Colchester United | 0–1 | Chester City | Colchester |
| 15:00GMT | Report | Tate83' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 2,901 Referee: Steve Tomlin |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Second Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| 1 | GK | ENG | Simon Brown | 29 | 0 | 26+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| 3 | DF | ENG | Joe Keith | 39 | 9 | 36 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4 | MF | ENG | Gavin Johnson | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | DF | IRL | Scott Fitzgerald | 26 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 6 | MF | FRA | Thomas Pinault | 45 | 4 | 32+10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 7 | MF | ENG | Karl Duguid | 27 | 3 | 26+1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 8 | DF | ENG | Mark Warren | 21 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9 | FW | ENG | Scott McGleish | 46 | 9 | 38+5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 10 | MF | ENG | Kemal Izzet | 48 | 8 | 43+2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 11 | FW | MSR | Dean Morgan | 39 | 6 | 22+15 | 6 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 12 | FW | ENG | Kevin Rapley | 24 | 2 | 14+7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 14 | MF | ENG | Chris Keeble | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 15 | FW | NIR | Adrian Coote | 16 | 0 | 7+9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 16 | MF | ENG | Marc Canham | 3 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | MF | SKN | Bobby Bowry | 38 | 1 | 33+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 19 | DF | ENG | Alan White | 43 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 20 | MF | ENG | Mick Stockwell | 42 | 2 | 30+9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 21 | FW | CMR | Mvondo Atangana | 7 | 0 | 1+5 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 24 | DF | ENG | Pat Baldwin | 22 | 0 | 13+7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | DF | ENG | Sam Stockley | 35 | 1 | 31+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 27 | DF | ENG | Greg Halford | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 29 | DF | ENG | Mike Edwards | 5 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 31 | GK | NIR | Richard McKinney | 23 | 0 | 20+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season | |||||||||||||||
| 18 | DF | ENG | Liam Chilvers | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 18 | FW | ENG | Justin Richards | 3 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| 22 | DF | ENG | Danny Steele | 9 | 0 | 6+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 23 | MF | ENG | Leke Odunsi | 8 | 0 | 3+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| 23 | FW | WAL | Gareth Williams | 8 | 6 | 6+2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 26 | MF | ENG | Johnnie Jackson | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 26 | FW | ENG | Lloyd Opara | 6 | 0 | 0+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 28 | FW | ENG | Ben May | 6 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Place | Number | Nationality | Position | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | | FB | Joe Keith | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 9 | | FW | Scott McGleish | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| 3 | 10 | | MF | Kemal Izzet | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | | FW | Dean Morgan | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 23 | | FW | Gareth Williams | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 6 | 6 | | MF | Thomas Pinault | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | 7 | | MF | Karl Duguid | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 12 | | FW | Kevin Rapley | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 20 | | MF | Mick Stockwell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10 | 17 | | MF | Bobby Bowry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | | FB | Sam Stockley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Own goals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| TOTALS | 52 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 53 | ||||
| Number | Nationality | Position | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | | | | | ||||
| 19 | | CB | Alan White | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| 8 | | CB | Mark Warren | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| 7 | | MF | Karl Duguid | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 10 | | MF | Kemal Izzet | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 12 | | FW | Kevin Rapley | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 22 | | CB | Danny Steele | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 24 | | CB | Pat Baldwin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 31 | | GK | Richard McKinney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | | MF | Thomas Pinault | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | | MF | Bobby Bowry | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 25 | | FB | Sam Stockley | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | | CB | Scott Fitzgerald | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | | FW | Scott McGleish | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | | CB | Liam Chilvers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | | FB | Joe Keith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | | MF | Gavin Johnson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | | FW | Adrian Coote | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | | FW | Justin Richards | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | | MF | Mick Stockwell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | | MF | Leke Odunsi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | | MF | Johnnie Jackson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | | FW | Ben May | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | | CB | Mike Edwards | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 56 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 59 | 8 | |||
Number of games goalkeepers kept aclean sheet.[64]
| Place | Number | Nationality | Player | Second Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | | Richard McKinney | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | 1 | | Simon Brown | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| TOTALS | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |||
Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[65]
| Number | Position | Nationality | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | CB | | Mark Warren | 10 August 2002 | Stockport County | Layer Road | |
| 31 | GK | | Richard McKinney | 10 August 2002 | Stockport County | Layer Road | |
| 22 | CB | | Danny Steele | 24 August 2002 | Brentford | Layer Road | |
| 23 | MF | | Leke Odunsi | 26 August 2002 | Peterborough United | London Road Stadium | |
| 25 | FB | | Sam Stockley | 7 September 2002 | Cheltenham Town | Layer Road | |
| 24 | CB | | Pat Baldwin | 11 September 2002 | Coventry City | Highfield Road | |
| 18 | FW | | Justin Richards | 22 October 2002 | Cheltenham Town | Whaddon Road | |
| 25 | FB | | Sam Stockley | 9 November 2002 | Bristol City | Layer Road | [66][a] |
| 21 | FW | | Mvondo Atangana | 16 November 2002 | Chester City | Layer Road | |
| 18 | CB | | Liam Chilvers | 25 January 2003 | Blackpool | Layer Road | |
| 23 | FW | | Gareth Williams | 25 January 2003 | Blackpool | Layer Road | |
| 26 | MF | | Johnnie Jackson | 11 March 2003 | Brentford | Griffin Park | |
| 28 | FW | | Ben May | 29 March 2003 | Swindon Town | Layer Road | |
| 29 | CB | | Mike Edwards | 5 April 2003 | Plymouth Argyle | Home Park | |
| 27 | FB/MF | | Greg Halford | 21 April 2003 | Luton Town | Layer Road |
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