The 1958–59 season was Colchester United's 17th season in their history and their ninth season in the third tier of English football, the newly formed national Third Division. Alongside competing in the Third Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup. Colchester reached the fourth round of the FA Cup, beating Bath City, Yeovil Town and Chesterfield on their way to meeting Arsenal. Drawn at home, Colchester held Arsenal to a 2–2 Layer Road draw, but were defeated 4–0 at Highbury in the replay. Colchester finished fifth in the Third Division, nine points shy of promotion.
1958–59 season | ||
---|---|---|
Chairman | Bill Allen[1] | |
Manager | Benny Fenton | |
Stadium | Layer Road | |
Third Division | 5th | |
FA Cup | 4th round (eliminated by Arsenal) | |
Top goalscorer | League: Neil Langman (20) All: Neil Langman (27) | |
Highest home attendance | 16,000 v Arsenal, 24 January 1959[2] | |
Lowest home attendance | 4,406 v Notts County, 23 February 1959[3] | |
Average home league attendance | 8,357[4] | |
Biggest win | 8–2 v Stockport County, 4 October 1958; 7–1 v Yeovil Town, 11 December 1958 | |
Biggest defeat | 0–4 v Arsenal, 28 January 1959; 0–4 v Brentford, 21 March 1959 | |
| ||
Season overview
editIn the new national Third Division, Colchester excelled against their northern counterparts, winning 21 games, more than half of which were clubs previously in the Third Division North. Colchester finished the season in fifth position, just nine points away from Hull City in second place, and ten behind champions Plymouth Argyle. They also earned a club record win when they beat Stockport County 8–2 on 4 October, and a club record away win when they beat Yeovil Town 7–1.
The club's main highlight during the campaign was their FA Cup run, their first venture outside of the first round in six seasons. Colchester defeated old Southern League rivals Bath City and Yeovil Town in the first and second rounds, before seeing off Chesterfield to set up a fourth round tie with Arsenal. For the first time local police set a limit on crowd numbers at Layer Road for the Arsenal game with 16,000 witnessing the 2–2 draw. 62,686 people watched the replay at Highbury in thick fog as the Gunners ran out 4–0 winners.
Both big-money signings from last season, Neil Langman and John Evans, helped repay their transfer fees by scoring 27 and 16 goals respectively. Meanwhile, the proceeds from the Arsenal fixture meant that floodlighting could be installed at Layer Road for the first time.[5]
Players
edit- As of match played 4 May 1959.[6]
Name | Position | Nationality | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
Percy Ames | GK | Plymouth | 13 December 1931 (aged 26) | 139 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 May 1955 | Free transfer | |||
John Wright | GK | Aldershot | 13 August 1933 (aged 24) | 4 | 0 | Colchester Casuals | 23 May 1952 | Free transfer | |||
Defenders | |||||||||||
Brian Dobson | CB | Colchester | 1 March 1934 (aged 24) | 23 | 0 | Amateur | January 1956 | Free transfer | |||
George Fisher | FB | Bermondsey | 19 June 1925 (aged 32) | 135 | 4 | Fulham | 1 September 1955 | £1,000 | |||
John Fowler | FB | Leith | 17 October 1933 (aged 24) | 106 | 3 | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic | 20 August 1955[a] | Free transfer | |||
John Laidlaw | FB | Aldershot | 5 July 1936 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare | June 1957 | Free transfer | |||
Alf Marshall | FB | Dagenham | 21 May 1933 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Dagenham | 14 October 1957 | £25 | |||
Chic Milligan | CB | Ardrossan | 26 July 1930 (aged 27) | 62 | 1 | Ardrossan Winton Rovers | 18 August 1956[a] | £1,000 | |||
John Roe | FB | Broxburn | 7 January 1938 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | West Calder United | July 1958 | Free transfer | |||
Edgar Rumney | FB | Abberton | 15 September 1936 (aged 21) | 5 | 0 | Colchester Casuals | 1 May 1957 | Free transfer | |||
Midfielders | |||||||||||
Cyril Hammond | WH | Woolwich | 10 October 1927 (aged 30) | 0 | 0 | Charlton Athletic | July 1958 | Free transfer | |||
Trevor Harris | WH | Colchester | 6 February 1936 (aged 22) | 10 | 0 | Amateur | July 1951 | Free transfer | |||
Ron Hunt | WH | Colchester | 26 September 1933 (aged 24) | 38 | 0 | Amateur | October 1951 | Free transfer | |||
Derek Parker | WH | Wivenhoe | 23 June 1926 (aged 31) | 36 | 1 | West Ham United | March 1957 | £2,500 | |||
Forwards | |||||||||||
Russell Blake | WG | Colchester | 24 July 1935 (aged 22) | 15 | 2 | Dedham Old Boys | 8 September 1955[a] | Free transfer | |||
John Evans | IF | Tilbury | 28 August 1929 (aged 28) | 24 | 7 | Liverpool | 23 November 1957[a] | £4,000 | |||
Bobby Hill | IF | Edinburgh | 9 June 1938 (aged 19) | 54 | 8 | Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare | 9 June 1955 | Free transfer | |||
Ian Johnstone | IF | Galashiels | 2 March 1939 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Ormiston Primrose | 18 April 1959[a] | Free transfer | |||
Martyn King | CF | Birmingham | 23 August 1937 (aged 20) | 3 | 1 | Amateur | Summer 1955 | Free transfer | |||
Neil Langman | CF | Bere Alston | 21 February 1932 (aged 26) | 23 | 8 | Plymouth Argyle | November 1957 | £6,750 | |||
Kevin McCurley | CF | Consett | 2 April 1926 (aged 32) | 218 | 86 | Liverpool | June 1951 | £750 | |||
Sammy McLeod | IF | Glasgow | 4 January 1934 (aged 24) | 63 | 6 | Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare | 20 August 1955[a] | Free transfer | |||
Tony Miller | IF | Chelmsford | 26 October 1937 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | May 1958 | Free transfer | |||
Ken Plant | CF | Nuneaton | 15 August 1925 (aged 32) | 188 | 79 | Bury | January 1954 | Undisclosed | |||
Tommy Williams | WG | Battersea | 10 February 1935 (aged 23) | 52 | 8 | Carshalton Athletic | September 1956 | Free transfer | |||
Peter Wright | WG | Colchester | 26 January 1934 (aged 24) | 204 | 46 | Amateur | November 1951 | Free transfer |
Transfers
editIn
editDate | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 1958 | IF | Tony Miller | Amateur | Free transfer | [7] | |
July 1958 | WH | Cyril Hammond | Charlton Athletic | Free transfer | [8] | |
July 1958 | FB | John Roe | West Calder United | Free transfer | [9] | |
18 April 1959 | IF | Ian Johnstone | Ormiston Primrose | Free transfer | [10][a] |
- ^ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club
Out
editDate | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
End of season | WH | Benny Fenton | Colchester United | Retired from playing, remained as manager | [11] | |
July 1958 | WH | Bert Hill | Dartford | Free transfer | [12] | |
26 December 1958 | IF | Hamish McNeill | Cambridge City | Nominal | [13] |
Match details
editThird Division
editResults round by round
editLeague table
edit
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | Brentford | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 76 | 49 | 1.551 | 57 |
4 | Norwich City | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 89 | 62 | 1.435 | 57 |
5 | Colchester United | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 71 | 67 | 1.060 | 52 |
6 | Reading | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 78 | 63 | 1.238 | 50 |
7 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 82 | 67 | 1.224 | 50 |
Matches
edit23 August 1958 1 | Colchester United | 1–3 | Bury | Colchester |
Langman | Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 9,394 |
25 August 1958 2 | Colchester United | 2–1 | Norwich City | Colchester |
Blake | Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 9,379 |
30 August 1958 3 | Queens Park Rangers | 4–2 | Colchester United | Shepherd's Bush |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | Langman | Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 9,733 |
3 September 1958 4 | Norwich City | 1–2 | Colchester United | Norwich |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | Evans Langman |
Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 25,132 |
6 September 1958 5 | Colchester United | 2–1 | Rochdale | Colchester |
Langman McLeod |
Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 8,141 |
8 September 1958 6 | Colchester United | 1–0 | Accrington Stanley | Colchester |
Langman | Report | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 7,380 |
17 September 1958 7 | Accrington Stanley | 1–1 | Colchester United | Accrington |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | Own goal o.g.' | Stadium: Peel Park Attendance: 8,350 |
20 September 1958 8 | Colchester United | 2–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Colchester |
Evans pen.' | Report Report |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 10,038 |
24 September 1958 9 | Southend United | 1–1 | Colchester United | Southend-on-Sea |
Punton | Report Report |
Langman | Stadium: Roots Hall Attendance: 11,471 |
27 September 1958 10 | Tranmere Rovers | 3–3 | Colchester United | Birkenhead |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | Own goal o.g.' McLeod |
Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 14,000 |
29 September 1958 11 | Colchester United | 0–1 | Southend United | Colchester |
Report Report |
Thomson | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 6,833 |
4 October 1958 12 | Colchester United | 8–2 | Stockport County | Colchester |
Evans Langman McLeod |
Report | Murray Clarke |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 8,298 |
11 October 1958 14 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Wrexham | Colchester |
Evans | Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 9,204 |
16 October 1958 15 | Doncaster Rovers | 2–1 | Colchester United | Doncaster |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | Blake | Stadium: Belle Vue Attendance: 2,786 |
18 October 1958 16 | Bradford City | 1–3 | Colchester United | Bradford |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | Plant Langman |
Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 12,307 |
25 October 1958 17 | Colchester United | 1–3 | Hull City | Colchester |
McCurley | Report | Bradbury Smith Coates |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 9,277 |
1 November 1958 18 | Brentford | 2–1 | Colchester United | Brentford |
Towers Heath |
Report | Langman | Stadium: Griffin Park Attendance: 11,930 |
8 November 1958 19 | Colchester United | 1–0 | Swindon Town | Colchester |
Plant | Report Report |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 8,001 |
22 November 1958 20 | Colchester United | 3–2 | Newport County | Colchester |
Langman P. Wright Blake |
Report | McPherson Graham |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 7,271 |
29 November 1958 21 | Chesterfield | 2–2 | Colchester United | Chesterfield |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | P. Wright | Stadium: Saltergate Attendance: 7,140 |
26 December 1958 23 | Colchester United | 3–1 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | Colchester |
Langman McLeod Williams |
Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 9,182 |
27 December 1958 24 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 1–1 | Colchester United | Bournemouth |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | Williams | Stadium: Dean Court Attendance: 12,404 |
3 January 1959 25 | Colchester United | 3–0 | Queens Park Rangers | Colchester |
Fisher Evans Langman |
Report | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 8,719 |
31 January 1959 26 | Colchester United | 1–0 | Doncaster Rovers | Colchester |
Langman | Report | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 8,658 |
2 February 1959 27 | Mansfield Town | 3–2 | Colchester United | Mansfield |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | Hill McCurley |
Stadium: Field Mill Attendance: 5,155 |
7 February 1959 28 | Plymouth Argyle | 1–1 | Colchester United | Plymouth |
Williams | Report Report |
Evans | Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 22,686 |
14 February 1959 29 | Colchester United | 1–1 | Tranmere Rovers | Colchester |
Own goal o.g.' | Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 7,160 |
21 February 1959 30 | Stockport County | 0–1 | Colchester United | Stockport |
Report | Williams | Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 5,734 |
23 February 1959 31 | Colchester United | 4–1 | Notts County | Colchester |
McCurley Langman P. Wright |
Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,406 |
28 February 1959 32 | Wrexham | 2–0 | Colchester United | Wrexham |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | Stadium: Racecourse Ground Attendance: 8,635 |
7 March 1959 33 | Colchester United | 3–2 | Bradford City | Colchester |
McCurley Langman Williams |
Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 7,139 |
14 March 1959 34 | Hull City | 3–0 | Colchester United | Kingston upon Hull |
Davidson Smith |
Report | Stadium: Boothferry Park Attendance: 16,668 |
16 March 1959 35 | Rochdale | 0–1 | Colchester United | Rochdale |
Report | Langman | Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 3,510 |
21 March 1959 36 | Colchester United | 0–4 | Brentford | Colchester |
Report | Francis McLeod Towers |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 8,775 |
27 March 1959 37 | Colchester United | 1–3 | Southampton | Colchester |
McCurley | Report | Paine Hoskins Reeves |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 8,943 |
28 March 1959 38 | Swindon Town | 2–0 | Colchester United | Swindon |
D'Arcy Marshall |
Report Report |
Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 8,876 |
30 March 1959 39 | Southampton | 3–0 | Colchester United | Southampton |
Mulgrew Reeves Page |
Report | Stadium: The Dell Attendance: 8,502 |
4 April 1959 40 | Colchester United | 1–3 | Mansfield Town | Colchester |
Milligan pen.' | Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 5,901 |
18 April 1959 41 | Colchester United | 1–0 | Chesterfield | Colchester |
Langman | Report | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 5,433 |
20 April 1959 42 | Colchester United | 3–1 | Reading | Colchester |
Evans pen.' McLeod |
Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 5,590 |
25 April 1959 43 | Notts County | 0–1 | Colchester United | Nottingham |
Report | Evans | Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 4,733 |
27 April 1959 44 | Colchester United | 3–1 | Halifax Town | Colchester |
Evans pen.' Blake Williams |
Report | Unknown goalscorer | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 5,769 |
30 April 1959 45 | Halifax Town | 4–1 | Colchester United | Halifax |
Unknown goalscorer | Report | Evans | Stadium: The Shay Attendance: 5,458 |
4 May 1959 46 | Newport County | 0–1 | Colchester United | Newport |
Report | P. Wright | Stadium: Somerton Park Attendance: 4,702 |
FA Cup
edit15 November 1958 1st round | Colchester United | 1–0 | Bath City | Colchester |
Plant 14' Langman 84' |
Report | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 10,636 |
15 November 1958 2nd round | Colchester United | 1–1 | Yeovil Town | Colchester |
Plant | Report | Earl | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 10,890 |
11 December 1958 2nd round replay | Yeovil Town | 1–7 | Colchester United | Yeovil |
Dennis | Report | Langman McLeod Williams |
Stadium: Huish Athletic Ground Attendance: 10,000 |
10 January 1959 3rd round | Colchester United | 2–0 | Chesterfield | Colchester |
Evans 8' Langman 54' |
Report | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 9,723 |
24 January 1959 4th round | Colchester United | 2–2 | Arsenal | Colchester |
Langman 80' Evans 82' |
Report | Groves 75', 76' | Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 16,000 |
28 January 1959 4th round replay | Arsenal | 4–0 | Colchester United | Highbury |
19:30 GMT | Evans pen.' Herd Julians |
Report Programme |
Stadium: Arsenal Stadium Attendance: 62,686 |
Squad statistics
editAppearances and goals
editNo. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Third Division | FA Cup | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
GK | ENG | Percy Ames | 52 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
DF | ENG | George Fisher | 34 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |
DF | SCO | John Fowler | 48 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
DF | ENG | Alf Marshall | 24 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
DF | SCO | Chic Milligan | 50 | 1 | 44 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |
MF | ENG | Cyril Hammond | 37 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
MF | ENG | Trevor Harris | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
MF | ENG | Ron Hunt | 21 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
MF | ENG | Derek Parker | 44 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
FW | ENG | Russell Blake | 29 | 5 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
FW | ENG | John Evans | 31 | 16 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 2 | |
FW | SCO | Bobby Hill | 8 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
FW | SCO | Ian Johnstone | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
FW | ENG | Martyn King | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
FW | ENG | Neil Langman | 50 | 27 | 44 | 20 | 6 | 7 | |
FW | ENG | Kevin McCurley | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
FW | SCO | Sammy McLeod | 44 | 10 | 38 | 8 | 6 | 2 | |
FW | ENG | Ken Plant | 9 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
FW | ENG | Tommy Williams | 30 | 6 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
FW | ENG | Peter Wright | 49 | 5 | 43 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
Goalscorers
editPlace | Nationality | Position | Name | Third Division | FA Cup | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | CF | Neil Langman | 20 | 7 | 27 | |
2 | IF | John Evans | 14 | 2 | 16 | |
3 | IF | Sammy McLeod | 8 | 2 | 10 | |
4 | WG | Tommy Williams | 5 | 1 | 6 | |
5 | WG | Russell Blake | 5 | 0 | 5 | |
CF | Kevin McCurley | 5 | 0 | 5 | ||
CF | Ken Plant | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
WG | Peter Wright | 5 | 0 | 5 | ||
9 | FB | George Fisher | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
IF | Bobby Hill | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
CB | Chic Milligan | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
Own goals | 3 | 0 | 3 | |||
TOTALS | 71 | 14 | 85 |
Clean sheets
editNumber of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[15]
Place | Nationality | Player | Third Division | FA Cup | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Percy Ames | 12 | 2 | 14 | |
TOTALS | 12 | 2 | 14 |
Player debuts
editPlayers making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[16]
Position | Nationality | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WH | Cyril Hammond | 23 August 1958 | Bury | Layer Road | ||
FB | Alf Marshall | 8 October 1958 | Reading | Elm Park | ||
IF | Ian Johnstone | 18 April 1959 | Chesterfield | Layer Road |
See also
editReferences
editGeneral
editBooks
- 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
- "Colchester United football club match record: 1959". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "1958–59". Arsenal First Team Line-Ups. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "Season View". TigerBase. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "First team 1958–59 – Football League Three". Go Go Go County. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "Colchester United Club Profile". Ciderspace. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
Specific
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "Colchester Utd 2–2 Arsenal". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ "Colchester Utd 4–1 Notts County". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ Hudson, Matt (11 July 2012). "The 1950s and 1960s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ "Tony Miller". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ^ "Cyril Hammond". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "John Roe". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "Ian Johnstone". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Benny Fenton". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Bert Hill". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Hamish McNeill". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ a b "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ^ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2016.