| 1947–48 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Bill Allen[1] | |
| Manager | Ted Fenton (until June 1948) | |
| Stadium | Layer Road | |
| Southern League | 4th | |
| FA Cup | 5th round (eliminated by Blackpool) | |
| Southern League Cup | Runners-up | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Arthur Turner (25) All: Bob Curry (30) | |
| Highest home attendance | 17,048 vBradford Park Avenue, 24 January 1948[2] | |
| Lowest home attendance | 4,665 vBedford Town, 20 December 1947[3] | |
| Average home league attendance | 9,231[4] | |
| Biggest win | 8–0 vGloucester City, 6 September 1947 | |
| Biggest defeat | 0–5 vBlackpool, 7 February 1948 | |
The1947–48 season wasColchester United's sixth season in their history and their sixth in theSouthern League. Alongside competing in the Southern League, the club also participated in theFA Cup andSouthern League Cup. The season was most notable for Colchester's run in the FA Cup, where they defeated threeFootball League clubs as they progressed to the fifth round, before being beaten 5–0 byFirst Division sideBlackpool. They finished in 4th position in the Southern League, and while they ended as runners-up in the Southern League Cup, the final wasn't held until April 1949 due to fixture congestion.
ManagerTed Fenton's first-team squad had featured 28 part-time professionals during the1946–47 season, but this number was reduced to 17 for the 1947–48 campaign, while signings such asBob Allen andHarry Bearryman, and the emergence ofVic Keeble bolstered the ranks.
The 1947–48 season was most memorable for Colchester's magnificent run in theFA Cup. The competition began with a 3–2 win over league rivalsChelmsford City in the fourth qualifying round in front of aLayer Road crowd of 10,396. It was the second year in succession that the U's would reach the first round proper of the cup, having been defeated 5–0 byReading at the same stage twelve months earlier. The result on this occasion would go in Colchester's favour, with 8,574 fans watching their 2–1 win againstBanbury Spencer.
Third Division North sideWrexham visited Layer Road for the second round match, with the visitors falling to a 1–0 defeat courtesy of aBob Curry goal in front of a 10,642 crowd. With the U's into the third round, it would be the club that inspired Colchester's own strip,Huddersfield Town of theFirst Division, that would taste defeat at the hands of thenon–Leaguers. With the national press making Colchester's Cup progress headline news, Fenton welcomed the extra publicity. He watched Huddersfield play a number of times prior to the tie, declaring to the media that he had come up with a plan to beat them. The plan became known as "the F–plan". Both teams changed colours for the game, with visiting Huddersfield in red, and Colchester in blue. The First Division side struggled to adapt to the cramped surroundings of Layer Road, and when Bob Allen'sfree kick was parried away by the goalkeeper, U's captain Bob Curry scored from the rebound. This was the first time that a non–League side had beaten a First Division club, with a record crowd of 16,005 witnessing that game.
With the increased interest in Colchester's cup heroics, the crowd from the previous game could have trebled had Layer Road been able to accommodate the fans. The club welcomedSecond DivisionBradford Park Avenue to the ground on 24 January 1948, with a crowd of 17,048 in attendance. With their opponents wary of Colchester's reputation, Bradford would take the lead, only for Curry to net a brace before being pegged back to 2–2.Fred Cutting went on to score the winner to send the club into the fifth round.
Stanley Matthews' First DivisionBlackpool were drawn as hosts to Fenton's side. With the effects of thewar still evident, fuel rationing meant that the 52 scheduled coaches for the journey toBloomfield Road were cancelled just 36 hours ahead of the game, meaning that only 12 coaches could travel, and the remainder of the away fans would have to travel by train to the North West. This meant that they would arrive inBlackpool in the early hours the morning of the match, but this did not deter the supporters, with the WestLancashire Post reporting:
The peace of Blackpool was shattered at dawn today by thousands of Colchester fans, waving rattles, ringing bells, blowing trumpets and shouting "Up the U's". Not since pre-warIllumination weekends has there been such an invasion as stormed our streets from 4 o'clock this morning.
Despite the good natured support, the home team defeated the U's by 5–0 in front of a sell-out 29,500 Bloomfield Road crowd. However, the FA Cup success had an effect on Colchester's league form, with the club eventually finishing fourth, nine points adrift of championsMerthyr Tydfil. They also reached the final of theSouthern League Cup, but ran out of time to play the final during the season owing to fixture congestion.
Following all of the attention garnered from the Cup run, Fenton was much sought after, and was offered the role of assistant manager at his old clubWest Ham United during the summer of 1948, a role which he could not refuse.[5]
| Name | Position | Nationality | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
| John Le Mare | GK |  | Ipswich | (1926-04-15)15 April 1926 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Woodbridge Town | November 1947 | Free transfer | ||
| Ernest Setchell | GK | | Hammersmith | (1928-03-09)9 March 1928 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Dartford | 5 June 1947 | Free transfer | ||
| Harry Wright | GK | | Tottenham | (1909-06-03)3 June 1909 (aged 37) | 23 | 0 | Chelmsford City | 11 July 1946 | Free transfer | ||
| Defenders | |||||||||||
| Bill Bower | FB |  | Wrexham | (1911-11-17)17 November 1911 (aged 35) | 69 | 1 | Millwall | 28 November 1945 | Free transfer | ||
| Aubrey Darmody | FB | | Swansea | (1921-03-17)17 March 1921 (aged 26) | 0 | 0 | Norwich City | 28 July 1947 | Free transfer | ||
| Digger Kettle | FB | | Colchester | (1922-06-03)3 June 1922 (aged 24) | 16 | 1 | Arclight Sports | September 1946 | Free transfer | ||
| Albert Page | CB | | Walthamstow | (1916-03-18)18 March 1916 (aged 31) | 12 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 March 1947 | Free transfer | ||
| Albert Walker | FB | | Little Lever | (1910-02-04)4 February 1910 (aged 37) | 36 | 0 | Doncaster Rovers | 30 May 1946 | Free transfer | ||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||
| Harry Bearryman | WH | | Wandsworth | (1924-09-26)26 September 1924 (aged 22) | 0 | 0 | Chelsea | 4 July 1947 | Free transfer | ||
| Arthur Biggs | WH | | Wootton | (1915-05-26)26 May 1915 (aged 32) | 4 | 2 | Bedford Town | 7 May 1947 | Free transfer | ||
| Ted Fenton | WH | | Forest Gate | (1914-11-07)7 November 1914 (aged 32) | 36 | 2 | West Ham United | 15 April 1946 | Free transfer | ||
| Frank Stamper | WH/IR | | Hartlepool | (1926-02-22)22 February 1926 (aged 21) | 2 | 0 | Colchester Garrison Army Fire Fighting Centre | 3 March 1947 | Free transfer | ||
| Forwards | |||||||||||
| Bob Allen | WG | | Bromley-by-Bow | (1916-10-11)11 October 1916 (aged 30) | 0 | 0 | Gainsborough Trinity | 13 June 1946 | Free transfer | ||
| Andy Brown | IF |  | Coatbridge | (1915-02-20)20 February 1915 (aged 32) | 0 | 0 | Torquay United | 17 June 1947 | Free transfer | ||
| Len Cater | CF | | Colchester | 39 | 13 | Free agent | 6 June 1946 | Free transfer | |||
| Bob Curry | IF | | Gateshead | (1918-11-02)2 November 1918 (aged 28) | 39 | 19 | Northampton Town | 13 June 1947 | Free transfer | ||
| Fred Cutting | IF | | North Walsham | (1921-12-04)4 December 1921 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Norwich City | 6 December 1947[a] | Free transfer | ||
| Ian Gillespie | IF | | Plymouth | (1913-05-06)6 May 1913 (aged 34) | 5 | 1 | Ipswich Town | 15 May 1947 | Free transfer | ||
| Dennis Hillman | WG | | Southend-on-Sea | (1918-11-27)27 November 1918 (aged 28) | 34 | 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 21 September 1946 | Free transfer | ||
| Vic Keeble | CF | | Colchester | (1930-06-25)25 June 1930 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | King George Youth Club | 23 May 1947 | £10 | ||
| Bob Neville | OL | 7 | 2 | Rowhedge | October 1946 | Free transfer | |||||
| Ray Townrow | IR | | West Ham | 0 | 0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 January 1948 | Free transfer | |||
| Arthur Turner | CF | | Poplar | (1921-01-22)22 January 1921 (aged 26) | 32 | 24 | Charlton Athletic | September 1946 | Free transfer | ||
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 May 1947 | CF | | Vic Keeble | King George Youth Club | £10 | [7] |
| 5 June 1947 | GK | | Ernest Setchell | Dartford | Free transfer | [8] |
| 13 June 1947 | WG | | Bob Allen | Northampton Town | Free transfer | [9] |
| 17 June 1947 | IF | | Andy Brown | Torquay United | Free transfer | [10] |
| 26 June 1947 | CB | | Frank Rist | Charlton Athletic | Free transfer | [11] |
| 4 July 1947 | WH | | Harry Bearryman | Chelsea | Free transfer | [12] |
| 28 July 1947 | FB | | Aubrey Darmody | Norwich City | Free transfer | [13] |
| 13 September 1947 | WG | | Taffy Williams | Northampton Town | Free transfer | [14] |
| November 1947 | GK | | John Le Mare | Woodbridge Town | Free transfer | [15] |
| 6 December 1947 | IF | | Fred Cutting | Norwich City | Free transfer | [16][a] |
| 2 January 1948 | IR | | Ray Townrow | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Free transfer | [17] |
~ £10| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of season | LW | | Bob Hutchings | Free agent | Released | [18] |
| End of season | IF | | Trevor Smith | Watford | Free transfer | [19] |
| July 1947 | GK | | Peter Chiswick | West Ham United | Free transfer | [20] |
| June 1947 | OL | | Alan Ross | Brantham Athletic | Player-coach | [21] |
| September 1947 | CB | Bob Harding | Free agent | Released | [22] | |
| 9 October 1947 | CF | | Dennis Cant | Clacton Town | Free transfer | [23] |
| December 1947 | GK | John Jelly | Colchester Casuals | Free transfer | [24] | |
| 1 December 1947 | CF | Bob Hodgson | Brightlingsea United | Manager | [25] | |
| 27 December 1947 | RH | | John Leah | Free agent | Retired | [26][a] |
| 17 March 1948 | WG | | Taffy Williams | Chingford Town | Free transfer | [14][a] |
| 21 April 1948 | CB | | Frank Rist | Tonbridge Angels | Free transfer | [11][a] |
PEC Zwolle| 23 August 1947 (1947-08-23)Friendly | Colchester United | 3–2 | PEC Zwolle | Colchester |
Turner (pen.)Allen Curry | Report | Doorneweert Maaiste | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 4,200 |
| 20 September 1947 (1947-09-20)Friendly | Colchester United | 1–1 | Chelsea Reserves | Colchester |
| 15:15 | Unknown goalscorer | Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 25 October 1947 (1947-10-25)Friendly | Colchester United | 6–0 | Charlton AthleticReserves | Colchester |
| Turner Curry Hillman Cater | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 4,004 |
| 30 April 1948 (1948-04-30)Friendly | Arsenal | 3–0 | Colchester United | Highbury |
| 18:00 | Rooke 35',86' Roper 66' | Report | Stadium:Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 35,000 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Gillingham | 34 | 21 | 5 | 8 | 81 | 43 | 1.884 | 47 |
| 3 | Worcester City | 34 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 74 | 45 | 1.644 | 45 |
| 4 | Colchester United | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 88 | 41 | 2.146 | 44 |
| 5 | Hereford United | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 77 | 53 | 1.453 | 42 |
| 6 | Lovells Athletic | 34 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 74 | 50 | 1.480 | 40 |
| 30 August 1947 (1947-08-30)1 | Bedford Town | 1–5 | Colchester United | Bedford |
| Reid | Report | Keeble 52',55' Cater 62' | Stadium:The Eyrie |
| 6 September 1947 (1947-09-06)2 | Colchester United | 8–0 | Gloucester City | Colchester |
| Hillman 3',68' Turner 67'Biggs Curry Cater | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 11,419 |
| 13 September 1947 (1947-09-13)3 | Hereford United | 0–0 | Colchester United | Hereford |
| Report | Stadium:Edgar Street |
| 27 September 1947 (1947-09-27)4 | Yeovil Town | 2–0 | Colchester United | Yeovil |
| Swinfen 10',30' | Report | Stadium:Huish Athletic Ground |
| 11 October 1947 (1947-10-11)5 | Colchester United | 4–2 | Bath City | Colchester |
| 15:00 | Turner 23',24' Owens (o.g.)Hillman | Report | Merritt | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 18 October 1947 (1947-10-18)6 | Colchester United | 1–3 | Worcester City | Colchester |
| Turner | Report | Godfrey Jackman Medd | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 6,798 |
| 1 November 1947 (1947-11-01)7 | Colchester United | 5–0 | Torquay United Reserves | Colchester |
| 14:45 | Turner Curry Fenton | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 6,330 |
| 8 November 1947 (1947-11-08)8 | Gravesend & Northfleet | 1–2 | Colchester United | Northfleet |
| Wakeman | Report | Cater Fenton | Stadium:Stonebridge Road |
| 22 November 1947 (1947-11-22)9 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Merthyr Tydfil | Colchester |
| 14:45 | Turner (pen.) | Report | Carr | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 6 December 1947 (1947-12-06)10 | Barry Town | 2–5 | Colchester United | Barry |
| Allen 42' (o.g.) Brown | Report | Curry 35' Keeble 43'Cutting | Stadium:Jenner Park Stadium |
| 20 December 1947 (1947-12-20)11 | Colchester United | 3–0 | Bedford Town | Colchester |
| 14:15 | Curry 8' Turner 10' | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 4,665 |
| 25 December 1947 (1947-12-25)12 | Colchester United | 3–0 | Gillingham | Colchester |
| 11:00 | Turner 8' Curry 30' | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 7,207 |
| 26 December 1947 (1947-12-26)13 | Gillingham | 2–2 | Colchester United | Gillingham |
| Boswell 25' Warsop 80' | Report | Turner 18' Curry 30' | Stadium:Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 12,500 |
| 27 December 1947 (1947-12-27)14 | Cheltenham Town | 5–2 | Colchester United | Cheltenham |
| Page 25' (o.g.) Crowe 26'Le Mare 50' (o.g.)Goring Green | Report | Keeble 12' Curry 55' | Stadium:Whaddon Road |
| 3 January 1948 (1948-01-03)15 | Colchester United | 1–2 | Cheltenham Town | Colchester |
| 14:15 | Fenton 19' | Report | Goring | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 6,508 |
| 31 January 1948 (1948-01-31)16 | Torquay United Reserves | 1–1 | Colchester United | Torquay |
| Griffiths 30' | Report | Cutting 22' | Stadium:Plainmoor Attendance: 4,221 |
| 14 February 1948 (1948-02-14)17 | Colchester United | 6–0 | Exeter City Reserves | Colchester |
| Rowe (o.g.) Turner Curry Cutting | Report | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 21 February 1948 (1948-02-21)18 | Merthyr Tydfil | 1–1 | Colchester United | Merthyr Tydfil |
| Unknown goalscorer | Report | Cutting | Stadium:Penydarren Park |
| 28 February 1948 (1948-02-28)19 | Lovell's Athletic | 2–2 | Colchester United | Newport |
| Edmunds (pen.) Wood | Report | Townrow | Stadium:Rexville Attendance: 7,000 |
| 6 March 1948 (1948-03-06)20 | Worcester City | 2–4 | Colchester United | Worcester |
| White 84' Jackman | Report | Cater 13' Hillman 30'Woolacott (o.g.)Cutting | Stadium:St George's Lane |
| 13 March 1948 (1948-03-13)21 | Bath City | 1–1 | Colchester United | Bath |
| Marshall 25' (pen.) | Report | Brown | Stadium:Twerton Park |
| 17 March 1948 (1948-03-17)22 | Dartford | 1–1 | Colchester United | Dartford |
| Parker 44' | Report | Bearryman 79' | Stadium:Watling Street Attendance: 5,000 |
| 20 March 1948 (1948-03-20)23 | Colchester United | 2–0 | Chelmsford City | Colchester |
| Cutting | Report | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 26 March 1948 (1948-03-26)24 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Guildford City | Colchester |
| Bearryman 43' | Report | Sperrin 75' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 10,440 |
| 27 March 1948 (1948-03-27)25 | Colchester United | 6–1 | Gravesend & Northfleet | Colchester |
| Cutting 3',23' Turner 5'Curry 25',25'Keeble 30' | Report | Elliott 68' | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 29 March 1948 (1948-03-29)26 | Guildford City | 1–2 | Colchester United | Guildford |
| Sutton 47' | Report | Turner 14' Cutting 65' | Stadium:St Joseph's Road Attendance: 8,400 |
| 1 April 1948 (1948-04-01)27 | Colchester United | 6–1 | Dartford | Colchester |
| Turner Keeble | Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 3 April 1948 (1948-04-03)28 | Colchester United | 4–0 | Barry Town | Colchester |
| Turner Curry | Report | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 10 April 1948 (1948-04-10)29 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Hereford United | Colchester |
| Fenton 80' | Report | Unknown goalscorer 44' (pen.) | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 14 April 1948 (1948-04-14)30 | Exeter City Reserves | 2–1 | Colchester United | Exeter |
| Smart 5',23' | Report | Townrow | Stadium:St James Park |
| 17 April 1948 (1948-04-17)31 | Gloucester City | 1–3 | Colchester United | Gloucester |
| Holland | Report | Turner Cutting Cater | Stadium:Longlevens Attendance: 2,250 |
| 21 April 1948 (1948-04-21)32 | Chelmsford City | 2–1 | Colchester United | Chelmsford |
| Hurst 6' Foreman 54' | Report | Curry 10' | Stadium:New Writtle Street |
| 24 April 1948 (1948-04-24)33 | Colchester United | 3–0 | Yeovil Town | Colchester |
| Brown Turner Curry | Report | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 1 May 1948 (1948-05-01)34 | Colchester United | 0–2 | Lovell's Athletic | Colchester |
| Report | Holland | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 6,582 |
| 11 September 1947 (1947-09-11)1 | Colchester United | 3–0 | Chelmsford City | Colchester |
| 18:00 | Hillman 7' Gillespie Cater | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 11,419 |
| 24 September 1947 (1947-09-24)2 | Chelmsford City | 1–2 | Colchester United | Chelmsford |
| Foreman 58' | Report | Biggs 50' Cater 72' | Stadium:New Writtle Street Attendance: 8,000 |
| 16 October 1947 (1947-10-16)3 | Bedford Town | 3–3 | Colchester United | Bedford |
| Sayers 1' Campbell Wilmott | Report | Rist 78' (pen.) Curry 90'Fenton | Stadium:The Eyrie |
| 17 January 1948 (1948-01-17)4 | Colchester United | 4–0 | Bedford Town | Colchester |
| Keeble 20' Bearryman 28'Cutting 45'Cater 60' | Report | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 4 March 1948 (1948-03-04)5 | Colchester United | 7–1 | Cheltenham Town | Colchester |
| Curry Cutting Bearryman Cater | Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 10 March 1948 (1948-03-10)6 | Cheltenham Town | 0–4 | Colchester United | Cheltenham |
| Report | Turner 30' Cater 40',89'Townrow 85' | Stadium:Whaddon Road |
| 19 April 1948 (1948-04-19)Semi-final | Gravesend & Northfleet | 1–1 | Colchester United | Northfleet |
| Wipfler 30' | Report | Bearryman | Stadium:Stonebridge Road |
| 26 April 1948 (1948-04-26)Semi-final replay | Colchester United | 3–1 | Gravesend & Northfleet | Colchester |
| Curry Townrow | Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium:Layer Road |
| 15 November 1947 (1947-11-15)4th qualifying round | Colchester United | 3–1 | Chelmsford City | Colchester |
| 14:15 | Turner 11' Curry | Report | McClelland | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 10,396 |
| 29 November 1947 (1947-11-29)1st round | Colchester United | 2–1 | Banbury Spencer | Colchester |
| 14:00 | Curry 80' Brown | Report | North 16' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 8,574 |
| 13 December 1947 (1947-12-13)2nd round | Colchester United | 1–0 | Wrexham | Colchester |
| 14:00 | Curry 72' | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 10,642 Referee: Phillips |
| 10 January 1948 (1948-01-10)3rd round | Colchester United | 1–0 | Huddersfield Town | Colchester |
| 14:15 | Curry 70' | Report | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 16,005 Referee: Reader |
| 24 January 1948 (1948-01-24)4th round | Colchester United | 3–2 | Bradford Park Avenue | Colchester |
| 14:45 | Curry 16',19' Cutting 47' | Report | Elliott 13' Ainsley 28' | Stadium:Layer Road Attendance: 17,048 |
| 7 February 1948 (1948-02-07)5th round | Blackpool | 5–0 | Colchester United | Blackpool |
| McIntosh Mortensen Munro | Report | Stadium:Bloomfield Road Attendance: 29,500 |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Southern League | Southern League Cup | FA Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| GK | ENG | John Le Mare | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| GK | ENG | Ernest Setchell | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| GK | ENG | Harry Wright | 41 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||
| DF | WAL | Bill Bower | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| DF | WAL | Aubrey Darmody | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| DF | ENG | Digger Kettle | 44 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||
| DF | ENG | Albert Page | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| DF | ENG | Albert Walker | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| MF | ENG | Harry Bearryman | 46 | 5 | 32 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 0 | |||
| MF | ENG | Arthur Biggs | 10 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
| MF | ENG | Ted Fenton | 30 | 5 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |||
| MF | ENG | Frank Stamper | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| FW | ENG | Bob Allen | 44 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||
| FW | SCO | Andy Brown | 42 | 3 | 28 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |||
| FW | ENG | Len Cater | 37 | 13 | 26 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 0 | |||
| FW | ENG | Bob Curry | 44 | 30 | 31 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | |||
| FW | ENG | Fred Cutting | 31 | 15 | 23 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | |||
| FW | ENG | Dennis Hillman | 38 | 6 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | |||
| FW | ENG | Vic Keeble | 15 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| FW | ENG | Ray Townrow | 11 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| FW | ENG | Arthur Turner | 43 | 27 | 30 | 25 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | |||
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season | |||||||||||||
| DF | ENG | Frank Rist | 13 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| MF | ENG | John Leah | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| FW | ENG | Ian Gillespie | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| FW | ENG | Taffy Williams | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Place | Nationality | Position | Name | Southern League | Southern League Cup | FA Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | IF | Bob Curry | 17 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
| 2 | | CF | Arthur Turner | 25 | 1 | 1 | 27 |
| 3 | | IF | Fred Cutting | 12 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| 4 | | CF | Len Cater | 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| 5 | | CF | Vic Keeble | 8 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 6 | | WG | Dennis Hillman | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | | WH | Harry Bearryman | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| WH | Ted Fenton | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| IR | Ray Townrow | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| 10 | | IF | Andy Brown | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 | | WH | Arthur Biggs | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | | IF | Ian Gillespie | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| CB | Frank Rist | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Own goals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| TOTALS | 88 | 27 | 10 | 125 | |||
Number of games played asteam captain.[28]
| Place | Nationality | Position | Player | Southern League | Southern League Cup | FA Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | IF | Bob Curry | 15 | 3 | 3 | 21 |
Not recorded | 19 | 3 | 5 | 27 | |||
| TOTALS | 34 | 6 | 8 | 48 | |||
Number of games goalkeepers kept aclean sheet.[29]
| Place | Nationality | Player | Southern League | Southern League Cup | FA Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Harry Wright | 7 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 2 | | John Le Mare | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | | Ernest Setchell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 9 | 3 | 2 | 14 | ||
Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[30]
| Position | Nationality | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WH | | Harry Bearryman | 30 August 1947 | Bedford Town | The Eyrie | |
| CB | | Frank Rist | 30 August 1947 | Bedford Town | The Eyrie | |
| WG | | Bob Allen | 30 August 1947 | Bedford Town | The Eyrie | |
| IF | | Andy Brown | 30 August 1947 | Bedford Town | The Eyrie | |
| CF | | Vic Keeble | 30 August 1947 | Bedford Town | The Eyrie | |
| WG | | Taffy Williams | 27 September 1947 | Yeovil Town | Huish Athletic Ground | |
| IF | | Fred Cutting | 29 November 1947 | Banbury Spencer | Layer Road | |
| GK | | John Le Mare | 6 December 1947 | Barry Town | Jenner Park Stadium | |
| IR | | Ray Townrow | 17 January 1948 | Bedford Town | Layer Road | |
| FB | | Aubrey Darmody | 29 March 1948 | Guildford City | St Joseph's Road | |
| GK | | Ernest Setchell | 24 April 1948 | Yeovil Town | Layer Road |
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.
