 | ||||
| Full name | Colchester United Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The U's | |||
| Founded | March 1937; 88 years ago (1937-03) | |||
| Ground | Colchester Community Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 10,105[1] | |||
| Chairman | Robbie Cowling[2] | |||
| Head coach | Danny Cowley | |||
| League | EFL League Two | |||
| 2023–24 | EFL League Two, 22nd of 24 | |||
| Website | www | |||
 Current season | ||||
Colchester United Football Club is a professionalassociation football club based in the city ofColchester,Essex, England. The team competes inEFL League Two, the fourth level of theEnglish football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its early years playing in theSouthern Football League until they were elected to theFootball League in 1950. Between 1950 and 1990, Colchester spent their time between theThird Division andFourth Division, during which time they produced one of their most memorable results, a 3–2 victory in the fifth round of theFA Cup overDon Revie'sLeeds United in1971.
Colchester United were relegated to theFootball Conference in 1990 following a decline in the late 1980s, but won the Conference title in1992 to make a swift return to League football. They achieved promotion to theSecond Division in1998 following a 1–0 win againstTorquay United in theplay-off final. The club were again promoted in2006, achieving second place in League One. The following season, they achieved their highest league finish in club history, ending the season 10th in theChampionship ahead ofEast Anglian rivalsIpswich Town,Norwich City and also Essex rivalsSouthend United, despite having the division's lowest attendance. The club returned to League One in 2008 following relegation from the Championship and then made a return to the fourth tier for the first time in 18 years in 2016.
Colchester United play their home games atColchester Community Stadium in Colchester. They relocated to the stadium in 2008 when they moved away fromLayer Road, their home stadium for 71 years.
Until 1937,Colchester Town were Colchester's main club and were the original tenants ofLayer Road. Colchester Town joined theEastern Counties League in 1935, but their poor performances in the league convinced supporters that the club should turn professional, much like nearbyIpswich Town. With club officials against the idea of turning professional, a new professional club was formed in March 1937,Colchester United, which would also play at Layer Road. United joined theSouthern Football League as crowds for Town matches dwindled. In December 1937, Colchester United formed a reserve team, signing many of Town's players. As a result of this and Town struggling with£300 debts, Colchester Town folded the same month.[3]
The club were Southern League champions in1939 prior to theSecond World War.[4] Following the war, in1947–48, the U's produced one of the most notableFA Cup runs by a non-league side, defeating fellow non-leaguersBanbury Spencer in the first round, before beating Football League clubsWrexham,Huddersfield Town andBradford Park Avenue. They finally fell toBlackpool in the fifth round. This set them in good stead for potential election to the Football League.[5]
Colchester United were elected to the Football League in 1950 on the back of their second Southern League Cup win[6] and ending the1949–50 season second toMerthyr Tydfil ongoal average alone.[4][7] They spent eleven years in theThird Division South andThird Division following the league's reorganisation, with a best finish of third place in1957, just one point behind rivals Ipswich Town andTorquay United.[8][9]
The club suffered their first relegation in1961 as they finished 23rd in the Third Division,[10] but didn't have to wait long until their first Football League promotion, spending just one season in theFourth Division as they ended the season second toMillwall by just one point.[11] This trend continued over the next two decades as they were relegated to the Fourth Division in1965[12] and promoted to the Third Division in1966,[13] then relegated in1968[14] and promoted in1974,[15] relegated in1976[16] and promoted in1977[17] before a final relegation to the Fourth Division in1981.[18]
During this time, the club embarked on one of the most notable runs in FA Cup history, as managerDick Graham took his ageing side to the1970–71 quarter-finals, dispatching non-leagueRingmer,Cambridge United,Barnet andRochdale following a replay. With the draw having been made prior to the replay against Rochdale, the U's knew they would face a home tie withFirst DivisionLeeds United, and duly trounced Dale 5–0. In the match with Leeds, the U's raced to an unprecedented 3–0 lead in front of a 16,000 Layer Road crowd, with two goals fromRay Crawford and one fromDave Simmons. Leeds did grab two goals back but Colchester held on for a famous 3–2 victory.[19] The club facedEverton in the quarter-finals but succumbed to a 5–0 defeat in front of 53,028 atGoodison Park.[20]
Financial difficulties and a number of changes at board level in the mid-1980s caused a slide towards the lower end of the Fourth Division table and crowd numbers to dwindle.[20] Despite a brief turn around in form under formerRangers managerJock Wallace,[21] United were relegated from the Football League for the first time since their election.[20]
Despite their relegation, the U's remained a full-time club while playing in theFootball Conference, as they sold their Layer Road ground to theColchester Borough Council to clear the club's debts.[22] The club finished the season as runners-up to Barnet during their first season outside of the Football League,[23] but, under the stewardship ofplayer-managerRoy McDonough, the U's won the league the following season on goal difference over bitter rivalsWycombe Wanderers.[24] In addition to earning a swift return to League football, the club also won theFA Trophy in1992.[22]
The club had a successful1995–96 season as they reached the1995–96 Football League play-offs, but were defeated byPlymouth Argyle at the semi-final stage.[22] The club narrowly missed the play-offs in1996–97[25] but did however reach theFootball League Trophy Final held atWembley. The U's drew 0–0 withCarlisle United but were defeated 4–3 onpenalties.[26] The following season however, Colchester were promoted via theThird Division play-off final with a 1–0 Wembley win against Torquay United.[27]
Colchester consolidated their position in the third tier of English football for a number of seasons, before achieving their then-highest league finish of second place only to Essex rivalsSouthend United in the2005–06 season. UnderPhil Parkinson's stewardship, the U's were promoted to the second tier for the first time in their history. However, when Parkinson left to take the reins atHull City, his assistantGeraint Williams was handed the daunting task of guiding Colchester into their first season in the Championship. He led the side to a 10th position finish, aboveEast Anglian rivals Ipswich Town,Norwich City and Essex rivals Southend United, while gaining thePride of Anglia title in the process for the first time in their history.[22][28] The momentum however did not continue into their second season in the Championship, as they finished bottom of the league and were relegated back toLeague One.[22]
During the club's second season in the Championship, Layer Road hosted its final game on 26 April 2008 as the U's fell to a 1–0 defeat toStoke City. The club then moved to their new ground, theColchester Community Stadium, in the summer of 2008 in preparation for life back in the third tier. Despite hoping to make an immediate return to the Championship, the club made a dreadful start to the2008–09 campaign, which saw manager Geraint Williams lose his job, leaving the club second from bottom.[29] He was replaced by former Wycombe Wanderers managerPaul Lambert as he guided the club to a mid-table finish.[22][30]
Colchester United started the2009–10 season by thrashing recently relegated Norwich City 7–1 on the opening day of the season atCarrow Road.[31] Manager Lambert then defected to Norwich when their managerBryan Gunn was sacked following a poor start to the season. This ensured a fiery return fixture, held at the Community Stadium in January 2010.[22] The game saw a record crowd of 10,064 watch as the U's fell to a 5–0 defeat, withIan Henderson beingsent off on his United debut against his former club.[32] The season ended with Colchester finishing in 8th position.[33] The club finished in 10th position for both the2010–11[34] and2011–12 seasons,[35] before narrowly avoiding relegation toLeague Two in the2012–13 season, defeating Carlisle United 2–0 on the final day of the season to ensure their safety.[36] The club then finished the2013–14 season in 16th position.[37]
Colchester secured League One safety on the final day of the2014–15 season when they beat promotion hopefulsPreston North End 1–0 on 3 May 2015.[38] However, Colchester could not stave off relegation to League Two in the2015–16 season as they finished the campaign in 23rd position, confining them to the fourth tier ofEnglish football for the first time in 18 years.[39]
In the2019–20 EFL Cup, Colchester defeated Premier League sideTottenham Hotspur on penalties.[40] Colchester were eventually eliminated byManchester United in the quarter-finals, losing 3–0 atOld Trafford.[41]
| Period | Manufacturer | Shirt (home) | Shirt (away) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–1979 | Umbro | None | |
| 1979–1980 | Adidas | ||
| 1980–1982 | Royal London Group | ||
| 1982–1986 | Le Coq Sportif | ||
| 1986–1987 | None | 0800 Linkline | |
| 1987–1988 | Olympic | Norcross Estates | |
| 1988–1990 | Spall | ||
| 1990–1991 | Scoreline | Holimarine | |
| 1991–1992 | Ribero | Colchester Hippodrome | |
| 1992–1993 | The Sun | ||
| 1993–1994 | Spall | Strovers | |
| 1994–1995 | SGR Colchester | ||
| 1995–1996 | Vandanel | ||
| 1996–1997 | Goldstar Fabrications | ||
| 1997–1999 | Patrick | Guardian Direct | |
| 1999–2000 | East Anglian Daily Times | Ashby's | |
| 2000–2002 | Strike Force | JobServe | Ridley's |
| 2002–2004 | Tiptree Jams | ||
| 2004–2005 | Admiral | ICS Triplex | |
| 2005–2006 | Easy-Skip | 188Trades.com | |
| 2006–2007 | Diadora | MutualPoints.com | Smart Energy |
| 2007–2008 | Haart | ||
| 2008–2009 | Puma | Weston Homes | |
| 2009–2010 | JobServe | ||
| 2010–2012 | ROL Cruise | ||
| 2012–2013 | Various[A] | JobServe | |
| 2013–2016 | Weston Homes | ||
| 2016–2018 | Macron | ||
| 2018–2019 | JobServe | ||
| 2019–2020 | TEXO Scaffolding | JobServe | |
| 2020–2021 | Strikerz Inc. | ||
| 2021–2022 | Workhorse Group | ||
| 2022-2023 | Workhorse Generation | ||
| 2023-2024 | Workhorse Group | Eveson Row & Co. | |
| Current | HotLizard Ltd | ||
When the club was formed, Colchester United continued in the tradition of their predecessorsColchester Town and played in blue and white striped shirts combined with white shorts. For the majority of the club's history, the kit has remained true to the traditional design, with slight variations occurring in 1967 and 1968, when candy stripes were preferred, with white on blue used for1967–68 and blue on white for1968–69. The stripes were removed altogether between 1969 and 1973, with blue shirts and blue shorts adopted between 1969 and 1972 as modelled byChelsea, and white shirts for1972–73 during a failed relaunch. The original stripes were reinstated for the following campaign, and remained largely unchanged since this period. The club briefly used blue kits with white pinstripes between 1982 and 1986, and a crosshatch design between 1988 and 1990.[42]
The club adopted thecoat of arms of Colchester for their club crest upon their formation in June 1937. The coat of arms, which features the living cross ofSt Helena and the crowns of theThree Kings, was used until 1972, when a dispute between the club andColchester Borough Council pushed United to design a new crest.[43] Tied to the rebranding of the club and the new all-white kit, the U's earned a new nickname (The Eagles) with a new badge featuring aRoman eagle standard. Following a disastrous season where the club were obliged to seek re-election, the kits were reverted and the club played with no crest on the shirts until 1979.Adidas replacedUmbro as kit manufacturer and the shirts were adorned with a simpleCUFC cypher.[42] The club emblem was modified to a circular badge in 1983 based on the 1972 design and was once again adjusted in 1986, updating the image of the eagle. In 1994, the crest was modified from a circular shape to a shield shape, with the golden eagle set against a blue and white striped background, a nod to the club's traditional shirt colours.[43] A slightly updated version was introduced in 2004 which rounded the shield, a design which has since remained unchanged.[42]
A number of different manufacturers have provided the kits for Colchester United since the mid-1970s, with kits supplied by Umbro (1975–1979), Adidas (1979–1982),Le Coq Sportif (1982–1986), Olympic (1987–1988), Spall (1988–1990, 1993–1995), Ribero (1991–1993), Vandanel (1995–1997),Patrick (1997–2000), Strike Force (2000–2004),Admiral (2004–2006),Diadora (2006–2008),Puma (2008–2016) andMacron (2016–present).[42]
Since the1980–81, the club has offered sponsorship for its shirts, and offered away strip sponsorship from the1999–2000 season. Primary shirt sponsorships have includedRoyal London Group (1980–1986),[44]0800 Linkline (1986–1987),[42] Norcross Estates (1987–1990), Holimarine (1990–1991), Colchester Hippodrome (1991–1992),The Sun (1992, 1992–1993), Strovers (1993–1994),SGR Colchester (1994–1996), Goldstar Fabrications (1996–1997), Guardian Direct (1997–1999),East Anglian Daily Times (1999–2000),JobServe (2000–2002, 2018–2019),Tiptree Jams (2002–2004),ICS Triplex (2004–2005), Easy-Skip (2005–2006), MutualPoints.com (2006–2007),Haart (2007–2008), Weston Homes (2008–2010, 2013–2018), ROL Cruise (2010–2012), TEXO Scaffolding (2019–2022), Workhorse Group (2022-2024) and HotLizard Ltd (2024-Present). Away shirt sponsorship has been provided by Ashby's (1999–2000),Ridley's (2000–2002), 188Trades.com (2005–2006), Smart Energy (2006–2009), JobServe (2009–2010, 2012–2020), Strikerz Inc. (2020–2021), Workhorse Group (2021-2024) and HotLizard Ltd (2024-Present).[44]
For the2012–13 season, the U's marked their 75th anniversary with a special kit. The shirt was coloured in the traditional blue and white stripes, however, the kit did not carry a main sponsorship logo, as the club looked to promote local businesses on a game-by-game basis and to reflect on the club's early days without sponsorship.[45]
Colchester'sLayer Road stadium was built in 1910[46] and was home to United's predecessors Colchester Town. The U's shared the facilities with Town, as Colchester United's first ever game at the ground came on 2 September 1937, a 6–1 win againstBath City. Gale-force winds almost destroyed the Layer Road End of the ground in January 1938. This was followed by the outbreak ofWorld War II, and Layer Road was closed down by the club and passed over toColchester Garrison. After the war, the club returned to the ground, as the Main Stand was extended for the1946–47 season. Soon after, the Popular Side stand was demolished and the timber re-used to improve the Layer Road End.[5]
The ground hosted the record home crowd for a Colchester United game on 27 November 1948 for anFA Cup first round tie withReading. 19,072 fans gathered for the game which lasted just 35 minutes. The game was abandoned due to thick fog.[5][47] More storm damage meant that the U's went into the1949–50 season with no roof to the Layer Road End due to a steel shortage.[5]
During Colchester's first season in theFootball League, Layer Road hosted an average crowd of 10,573. This was to be the only time the club hosted a five-figure average at the ground. It wasn't until 1959 that the stadium had floodlights installed, with proceeds from an FA Cup game againstArsenal funding the installation.[48] In 1971, the ground was purchased fromColchester Borough Council with a series of covenants placed on the ground, including the clause that the ground could not be sold for development into housing. In 1980, the club's chairman Maurice Cadman announced that Layer Road was in need of£280,000 of basic safety improvement to meet legislation. Plans were drawn up to remove the Open End altogether and construct a 5,000 capacity stand at the Layer Road End and a new main stand on the Popular side. The plans never came to fruition, as further plans for a new stadium were rejected by the council on the basis of the covenant. Following theBradford City stadium fire and theHeysel Stadium disaster, Layer Road faced £500,000 worth of safety improvements. With the club struggling financially, sections of the ground were closed off, reducing capacity to 4,900.[20]
Layer Road was sold back to Colchester Borough Council in the early 1990s for £1.2 million to help clear the club's debts, as Colchester United leased the stadium back. The council then started to identify and investigate potential sites for a new stadium. In the meantime, the club refreshed the stadium ahead of the1996–97 season with the Clock End all-seated and covered. With the lease due to expire in 2002,KirkleesMcAlpine were commissioned as consultants for a new stadium in 1998. A preferred site at Cuckoo Farm in Colchester was identified, with the additional benefit being that the land was already Council-owned.[22][49]
Plans for a new stadium were submitted in April 1999,[50] with planning consent approved in 2003.[51] The Council backed the £14.23 million project by taking out a £10.23 million loan in November 2006,[52] with the remaining £4 million supplied in the form of grants from theFootball Foundation and local government and development agencies.[53] Scottish firmBarr Construction were announced as contractors for the stadium,[54] with work beginning in July 2007.[53]
With building work neared completion, Colchester United announced the official name for the stadium would be theColchester Community Stadium, but owing to a deal with building firm Weston Homes, the ground would initially be known as the Weston Homes Community Stadium. The ten-year sponsorship would be worth up to £2 million for the club and included shirt sponsorship for the2008–09 season.[55] Upon the expiry of the deal,JobServe won the naming rights for the stadium in a further ten-year sponsorship ahead of the2018–19 season.[56]
The club played their final match at Layer Road in front of 6,300 on 26 April 2008 as they fell to a 1–0 defeat toStoke City.[57]
Colchester United hosted the opening ramp-up event to Spanish clubAthletic Bilbao on 4 August 2008. The first goal scored at the stadium came fromAritz Aduriz for Bilbao after 15 minutes, withScott Vernon equalising with apenalty kick on 32 minutes. The game ended 2–1 to ten-man Bilbao withDavid López Moreno scoring a penalty on 83 minutes.[58][59] The first competitive fixture at the Community Stadium came on 16 August 2008 when Colchester hostedHuddersfield Town in front of a crowd of 5,340.[60]Mark Yeates scored the first competitive goal at the stadium in a 2–2 draw withOldham Athletic on 30 August 2008[61] and registered their first win on 25 October 2008, winning emphatically againstCarlisle United. They scored five goals fromDavid Perkins,Dean Hammond,Akanni-Sunday Wasiu and two netted by Mark Yeates.[62]
Colchester Community Stadium has a capacity of 10,105[1] and the record attendance at the ground was 10,064 when Colchester hostedNorwich City on 16 January 2010 as they fell to a 5–0 defeat.[32]
Colchester United has an official supporters association known as the CUSA.[63] They were formed in 1995 and is run entirely by fans on a volunteer basis.[64] The club produces its own match day programme, titled "We Are United", which replaced the former untitled official programmes from the beginning of the2012–13 season.[65] The club have also had a number offanzine publications produced over the years, including "The U'sual", "Floodlight", "Out of The Blue" and "The Blue Eagle".[66] The clubmascot is an eagle namedEddie the Eagle.[67]
The 2003Football Fans Census revealed that Colchester United fans consideredWycombe Wanderers to be their primary rival, with both Wycombe andSouthend United considering the U's to be their primary rival. Colchester fans consideredIpswich Town to be their secondary rivals, with Southend only third.Cambridge United additionally considered Colchester to be their tertiary rivals.[68] However, in the 2012–13 census, Colchester fans changed their chief rivals from Wycombe to Southend, with Wycombe falling to second and Ipswich to third. Ipswich Town fans also named Colchester United as their third rivals afterNorwich City andWest Ham United. The U's remained primary choice for both Southend and Wycombe fans. United were also ranked as the 12th least offensive club to the supporters of all otherFootball League clubs.[69]
Colchester's main recent rivalry is with fellowEssex side Southend United, with whom they contest theEssex derby. The competitive head-to-head record is 34 wins to Southend, 30 wins for Colchester and 17 draws.[70] The most recent result was a 2–0 win for the U's on 20 April 2021.[71]
The club also contest thePride of Anglia award, which they have won once when they finished in 10th position in theChampionship ahead ofEast Anglian rivals Ipswich Town and Norwich City.[22][28]
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Micky Cook is the current Colchester United record holder for most appearances, holding the record for appearances made in both the league at 613, and in all competitions with 700 between 1969 and 1984.[72]Mike Walker ranks in second with 524 appearances in all competitions,[73] andTony English third with 515.[74][75]Tony Adcock holds the record for most goals in all competitions with 149,[76][77] butMartyn King is the club's record league goalscorer with 132 goals.[78][79]
Colchester United's widest margin victory in the league was a 9–1 win overBradford City on 30 December 1961 atLayer Road. Their highest losing margin came on 15 December 1988 when they were thrashed 8–0 atLeyton Orient.[80]
The club's record home attendance was for anFA Cup first round tie at Layer Road withReading on 27 November 1948, when 19,072 fans turned up for a game that was abandoned after 35 minutes due to thick fog.[5][47] The recordColchester Community Stadium attendance was 10,064 when Norwich City won 5–0 in a fiery match on 16 January 2010.[32]
The highest transfer fee received for a Colchester United player is £2,500,000 forGreg Halford by Reading in January 2007.[81] The highest fee paid by Colchester United for a player was £400,000 forCheltenham Town strikerSteven Gillespie in the summer of 2008.[82]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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At the end of the2006–07 season, Colchester United created a "Hall of Fame", with inducted players being one of "those who have made a difference to the club's history". Fans chose two inaugural players;Peter Wright and record appearance holderMicky Cook. Wright had previously been named as Colchester United's "Player of the Century" by Colchester's Gazette newspaper in 2000.[86] A committee decided on a further three players to join the Hall of Fame in the same season, withBrian Hall,Mark Kinsella andTony English chosen.[87] New inductees have been announced most seasons since 2007, with the entire team that famously defeatedLeeds United in theFA Cup in 1971 entered into the Hall of Fame.[88] The manager of that team,Dick Graham was inducted as the first manager to the Hall of Fame in November 2007.[89] The following list contains all those inducted into the Hall of Fame.[90]
Tony AdcockIan AllinsonPercy AmesMicky CookBobby CramRay CrawfordJamie CuretonBob CurryKarl Duguid
Joe DunneTony EnglishSteve Foley
Duncan ForbesBrian GarveyBrian GibbsJohn GilchristDick GrahamDavid GregoryBrian HallBobby HuntChris IwelumoKemal IzzetVic KeebleMartyn KingMark KinsellaJohn KurilaSteve LeslieBrian Lewis
Lomana LuaLuaMick MahonRoy McDonoughMick PackerDave SimmonsGraham SmithNicky SmithReg Stewart
Mike WalkerPeter WrightIn addition to the Hall of Fame, which excludes players who are currently active,Lomana LuaLua was named as Colchester United's cult hero by fans in a poll by theBBC in 2004, with theCongolese international registering 39% of the overall vote. He narrowly pipped Mark Kinsella who garnered 38% of the vote, while influentialplayer-manager Roy McDonough earned 23%.[91]
Colchester United's honours include the following:[4]
League
Cup
Initially founded in 1992 under the name of Colchester Royals, later affiliated in 1998 to Colchester United FC and eventually folding in 2013,Colchester United W.F.C. was reestablished in July 2023 in time for the upcoming season.
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