1990–91 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1990–91 season
Chairman	Jonathan Crisp
Manager	Ian Atkins
Stadium	Layer Road
Conference	2nd
FA Cup	2nd round; (eliminated by; Leyton Orient)
FA Trophy	Quarter-final; (eliminated by; Witton Albion)
Bob Lord Trophy	3rd round; (eliminated by; Sutton United)
Top goalscorer	League: ; Mario Walsh (17); All: ; Mario Walsh (18)
Highest home attendance	7,221; v Altrincham, 20 April 1991
Lowest home attendance	1,966; v Northwich Victoria, 1 September 1990
Average home league attendance	3,196
Biggest win	4–0; v Carlisle United, 6 March 1990
Biggest defeat	0–3; v Merthyr Tydfil, 15 December 1990; 1–4; v Leyton Orient, 17 December 1990
	Home colours
	Home colours
	← 1989–90 1991–92 →

The 1990–91 season was Colchester United's 49th season in their history and their first season outside of the Football League for 40 years following relegation from the Fourth Division the season prior. Now competing in the Conference, the fifth tier of English football and the highest level on non-League football in England, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the FA Trophy and the Bob Lord Trophy.

Ian Atkins took over from Mick Mills as manager for Colchester's first season in the Conference. The club remained fully professional in their bid to return to the Football League at the first attempt. They fell agonisingly short, just two-points shy of champions and promoted Barnet.

Colchester were knocked out by Leyton Orient in the second round of the FA Cup. They reached the quarter-final of the FA Trophy, losing to Witton Albion, while they also suffered defeat to Sutton United in the Bob Lord Trophy.

Season overview

Ian Atkins was appointed as the manager charged with returning Colchester United to the Football League at the first attempt, like Lincoln City and Darlington had prior to them. Atkins registered as a player, while the club reinstated its historic navy and white striped kits. To help clear club debts, Layer Road was sold back to the Council for £1.2m with the club leasing it back for a maximum of three seasons.

Colchester started the season with a 100 per cent record from their opening six home games, but it took the U's until April to reach top spot in the Conference table. Both Barnet and Kettering Town were Colchester's main title challengers throughout the season.

In the FA Cup, United were dispatched by League opposition Leyton Orient following a 0–0 draw at Layer Road. The O's beat the U's 4–1 at Brisbane Road. Colchester reached the quarter-final of the FA Trophy in their first time playing in the competition, beaten by Witton Albion. In the Bob Lord Trophy, Sutton United saw off Colchester in the third round of the competition.

In the closing weeks of the Conference season, Layer Road attracted a season record 7,221 crowd for the visit of late promotion pushers Altrincham. The U's could only manage a 1–1 draw, and with Barnet improving on Colchester's results until the close of the season pipped United to the Conference title by two points.

Chairman Jonathan Crisp was left fuming:

To come second with a fully professional squad in a part-time league is a bloody disgrace.

During the summer he left the club, handing over to new chairman James Bowdidge, while Atkins also left the club to rejoin Birmingham City as player-assistant manager.^[6]

Players

As of match played 4 May 1991.^[7]

Name	Position	Place of birth	Date of birth	Apps	Goals	Signed from	Date signed	Fee
Goalkeepers
Scott Barrett	GK	Ilkeston	(1963-04-02)2 April 1963 (aged 27)	13	0	Stoke City	Summer 1990	£25,000
Defenders
Ian Atkins	CB	Birmingham	(1957-01-16)16 January 1957 (aged 33)	0	0	Birmingham City	1 June 1990	Free transfer
Marcelle Bruce	FB	Detroit	(1971-03-15)15 March 1971 (aged 19)	31	1	Apprentice	Summer 1989	Free transfer
Shaun Elliott	CB	Haltwhistle	(1957-01-26)26 January 1957 (aged 33)	0	0	Blackpool	15 December 1990^[a]	£7,000
Tony English	DF/MF	Luton	(1966-10-19)19 October 1966 (aged 23)	260	33	Coventry City	24 December 1984	Free transfer
Martin Grainger	FB	Enfield Town	(1972-08-23)23 August 1972 (aged 17)	8	2	Apprentice	16 December 1989^[a]	Free transfer
Neale Marmon	CB	Bournemouth	(1961-04-21)21 April 1961 (aged 29)	22	4	Hannover 96	20 January 1990^[a]	Nominal
Gary Osbourne	FB	Wolverhampton	(1969-10-22)22 October 1969 (aged 20)	0	0	Stourbridge	March 1991	Undisclosed
Midfielders
Eamonn Collins	MF	Dublin	(1965-10-22)22 October 1965 (aged 24)	45	3	Portsmouth	May 1989	Free transfer
Warren Donald	MF/FB	Hillingdon	(1964-10-07)7 October 1964 (aged 25)	0	0	Northampton Town	27 August 1990^[a]	Free transfer
Wayne Hannigan	MF			0	0	Home Farm	26 February 1991^[a]	Undisclosed
Mark Kinsella	MF	Dublin	(1972-08-12)12 August 1972 (aged 17)	9	0	Home Farm	18 August 1989	Free transfer
Nicky Smith	LM	Berkeley	(1969-01-28)28 January 1969 (aged 21)	0	0	Southend United	18 August 1990^[a]	Free transfer
Forwards
Gary Bennett	WG	Enfield Town	(1970-11-13)13 November 1970 (aged 19)	51	7	Tottenham Hotpsur	21 October 1988^[a]	Free transfer
Roy McDonough	FW	Solihull	(1958-10-16)16 October 1958 (aged 31)	111	26	Southend United	13 October 1990^[b]	Part exchange
Steve McGavin	FW	North Walsham	(1969-01-24)24 January 1969 (aged 21)	0	0	Sudbury Town	1 April 1991^[a]	£10,000
Steve Restarick	FW	Barking	(1971-11-28)28 November 1971 (aged 18)	1	0	West Ham United	Early 1988–89 season	Free transfer
Mario Walsh	FW	Paddington	(1966-01-19)19 January 1966 (aged 24)	51	17	Southend United	1 September 1990^[b]	£25,000

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club
^ ^a ^b Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
Summer 1990	GK	Scott Barrett	Stoke City	£25,000	^[8]
1 June 1990	CB	Ian Atkins	Birmingham City	Free transfer^[a]	^[9]
27 August 1990	MF/FB	Warren Donald	Northampton Town	Free transfer	^[10]^[b]
1 September 1990	FW	Mario Walsh	Southend United	£25,000	^[11]^[c]
3 September 1990	WG	Mark Rees	Walsall	Free transfer	^[12]
18 September 1990	FW	Morrys Scott	Cardiff City	Undisclosed	^[13]^[b]
18 September 1990	LM	Nicky Smith	Southend United	Free transfer	^[14]^[b]
13 October 1990	FW	Roy McDonough	Southend United	Part exchange with Morrys Scott	^[15]^[c]
December 1990	FW	Laurie Ryan	Cambridge United	Free transfer	^[16]^[c]
15 December 1990	CB	Shaun Elliott	Blackpool	£7,000^[d]	^[17]^[b]
21 January 1991	MF	Garry Brooke	Brentford	Trial	^[18]^[b]
26 February 1991	MF	Wayne Hannigan	Home Farm	Undisclosed	^[19]^[b]
March 1991	FB	Gary Osbourne	Stourbridge	Undisclosed	^[20]
1 April 1991	FW	Steve McGavin	Sudbury Town	£10,000	^[21]^[b]

Total spending: ~ £67,000

^ Joined as player-manager
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club
^ ^a ^b ^c Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club
^ Fee set at tribunal

Out

Date	Position	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
End of season	MF	Robbie Devereux	Sudbury Town	Released	^[22]
Summer 1990	CB	Billy Gilbert	Maidstone United^[a]	Released	^[23]
Summer 1990	FW	Trevor Morgan	Happy Valley	Released	^[24]
27 August 1990	FW	Morrys Scott	Southend United	Part exchange with Roy McDonough	^[13]^[b]
22 September 1990	WG	Mark Rees	Unknown Luxembourg club	Released	^[12]^[b]
December 1990	FB	Clive Stafford	Bury Town	Free transfer	^[25]
21 January 1991	MF	Garry Brooke	Brentford	End of trial	^[18]^[b]
31 March 1991	MF	Mark Radford	Free agent	Released	^[26]
After March 1991	CB	John Pollard	Bury Town	Released	^[27]
April 1991	MF	Les Taylor	Oxford United	Released	^[28]^[c]
26 April 1991	CB	Scott Daniels	Exeter City	£50,000	^[29]^[b]
4 May 1991	FW	Laurie Ryan	Cambridge City	Released	^[16]^[b]

Total incoming: ~ £50,000

^ Following Billy Gilbert's release by Colchester United, he later signed for Maidstone United.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club
^ Joined Oxford United as coach

Loans in

Date	Position	Name	From	End date	Ref.
18 August 1990	MF	Mark Yates	Birmingham City	2 February 1991	^[30]^[a]
September 1990	FW	Laurie Ryan	Cambridge United	29 September 1990	^[16]^[b]
24 November 1990	FW	Mike Masters	San Francisco Bay Blackhawks	25 March 1991	^[31]^[a]
30 March 1991	CB	Rudi Hedman	Crystal Palace	4 May 1991	^[32]^[c]
30 March 1991	FW	Dave Leworthy	Reading	30 April 1991	^[33]^[a]

^ ^a ^b ^c Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games for the club
^ Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game in his first spell for the club
^ Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games in his second spell for the club

Loans out

Date	Position	Name	To	End date	Ref.
Autumn 1990	FW	Steve Restarick	Bury Town	Autumn 1990	^[34]
October 1990	FB	Clive Stafford	Bury Town	October 1990	^[25]
March 1991	CB	John Pollard	Fisher Athletic	March 1991	^[27]
March 1991	FW	Steve Restarick	Fisher Athletic	March 1991	^[34]

Match details

Pre-season friendly

11 August 1990 (1990-08-11) Friendly	Colchester United	0–1	Crystal Palace	Colchester
		Report	Unknown goalscorer	Stadium: Layer Road

Conference

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Barnet	42	26	9	7	103	52	+51	87	Football Conference Champions, promoted to Football League Fourth Division
2	Colchester United^[a]	42	25	10	7	68	35	+33	85
3	Altrincham	42	23	13	6	87	46	+41	82
4	Kettering Town	42	23	11	8	67	45	+22	80
5	Wycombe Wanderers	42	21	11	10	75	46	+29	74	FA Trophy winners

Source: ^[35]
Notes:

^ Relegated from The Football League

Results round by round

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
Ground	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	H
Result	L	D	W	D	W	D	W	W	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	L	D	W	L	W	D	W	W	W	D	W	W	W	W	D	W	L	L	W	D	W	W	D	D	L	W	W
Position	20	18	10	11	6	8	6	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	4	3	3	2	2	2	4	3	3	1	1	1	2	2	2	2

Source: Statto.com (archived)
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

18 August 1990 (1990-08-18) 1	Yeovil Town	2–0	Colchester United	Yeovil
	Spencer 20' Conning 74'	Report		Stadium: Huish Park Attendance: 4,169

22 August 1990 (1990-08-22) 2	Welling United	1–1	Colchester United	Welling
	Clemmence 38'	Report	Yates 76'	Stadium: Park View Road Attendance: 1,828 Referee: M Daughtery

25 August 1990 (1990-08-25) 3	Colchester United	3–1	Merthyr Tydfil	Colchester
15:00 BST	Yates 9' Bennett 45' Collins 56'	Report	Unknown goalscorer	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,008 Referee: D Madgewick

27 August 1990 (1990-08-27) 4	Fisher Athletic	0–0	Colchester United	Rotherhithe
		Report		Stadium: Surrey Docks Stadium Attendance: 1,395 Referee: D Orr

1 September 1990 (1990-09-01) 5	Colchester United	4–0	Northwich Victoria	Colchester
	Walsh 8', 73' Yates 15' English 48'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,966 Referee: P Vosper

8 September 1990 (1990-09-08) 6	Barrow	2–2	Colchester United	Barrow-in-Furness
	Cowperthwaite 18', 21'	Report	Walsh 5' Yates 76'	Stadium: Holker Street Attendance: 1,441 Referee: J Parker

15 September 1990 (1990-09-15) 7	Colchester United	2–0	Telford United	Colchester
15:00 BST	Daniels 3' Walsh 25'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,164 Referee: B Foreman

19 September 1990 (1990-09-19) 8	Boston United	1–3	Colchester United	Boston
	Cavell 60'	Report	Walsh 15', 87' Bennett 38'	Stadium: York Street Attendance: 1,620 Referee: M Swift

22 September 1990 (1990-09-22) 9	Colchester United	3–1	Cheltenham Town	Colchester
	Atkins 23' (pen.) Bennett 49' Walsh 90'	Report	Buckland 10' Burns 60'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,527 Referee: M Alexander

29 September 1990 (1990-09-29) 10	Runcorn	0–3	Colchester United	Runcorn
		Report	Atkins 7', 88' (pen.) Marmon 16'	Stadium: Canal Street Attendance: 861 Referee: Andy Davies

6 October 1990 (1990-10-06) 11	Macclesfield Town	1–0	Colchester United	Macclesfield
	Heesom 80'	Report		Stadium: Moss Rose Attendance: 1,100 Referee: Jeff Winter

13 October 1990 (1990-10-13) 12	Colchester United	1–0	Sutton United	Colchester
15:00 BST	Bennett 35'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,716 Referee: C Proud

20 October 1990 (1990-10-20) 13	Bath City	1–2	Colchester United	Bath
	Randall 78'	Report	Atkins 1' (pen.) Yates 16'	Stadium: Twerton Park Attendance: 1,078 Referee: B Baker

27 October 1990 (1990-10-27) 14	Colchester United	1–0	Barrow	Colchester
	Walsh 35'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,650 Referee: L Short

3 November 1990 (1990-11-03) 15	Colchester United	2–0	Stafford Rangers	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Walsh 2' English 32'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,403 Referee: C Finch

10 November 1990 (1990-11-10) 16	Kettering Town	1–0	Colchester United	Kettering
	Keast 10'	Report		Stadium: Rockingham Road Attendance: 5,020 Referee: Graham Poll

24 November 1990 (1990-11-24) 17	Colchester United	2–2	Wycombe Wanderers	Colchester
	Yates 69' Walsh 80'	Report	Ryan 32', 77'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,970 Referee: W Norbury

1 December 1990 (1990-12-01) 18	Stafford Rangers	0–2	Colchester United	Stafford
		Report	Marmon 7' McDonough 8' 43' 80'	Stadium: Marston Road Attendance: 1,304 Referee: B Rudkin

15 December 1990 (1990-12-15) 19	Merthyr Tydfil	3–0	Colchester United	Merthyr Tydfil
	Green 8', 12', 77'	Report		Stadium: Penydarren Park Attendance: 710 Referee: A Danskin

22 December 1990 (1990-12-22) 20	Cheltenham Town	1–2	Colchester United	Cheltenham
	Casey 2'	Report	English 7' Walsh 39'	Stadium: Whaddon Road Attendance: 1,397 Referee: Rob Harris

26 December 1990 (1990-12-26) 21	Colchester United	0–0	Barnet	Colchester
11:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,946 Referee: J Moore

29 December 1990 (1990-12-29) 22	Colchester United	3–1	Boston United	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Collins 39' English 45' Walsh 71'	Report	Unknown goalscorer	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,416 Referee: D Orr

1 January 1991 (1991-01-01) 23	Barnet	1–3	Colchester United	Chipping Barnet
15:00 GMT	Poole 64' (pen.)	Report	Bennett 9' Walsh 57' Masters 87'	Stadium: Underhill Stadium Attendance: 5,105 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

5 January 1991 (1991-01-05) 24	Colchester United	2–1	Slough Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Bennett 16' Walsh 22'	Report	Unknown goalscorer	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,175 Referee: H Brown

19 January 1991 (1991-01-19) 25	Altrincham	2–2	Colchester United	Altrincham
	McKenna 14' Shaw 32'	Report	English 68' McDonough 90'	Stadium: Moss Lane Attendance: 1,388 Referee: R Sheppard

26 January 1991 (1991-01-26) 26	Sutton United	0–1	Colchester United	Sutton
		Report	McDonough 9'	Stadium: Gander Green Lane Attendance: 1,496 Referee: S Tomlin

2 March 1991 (1991-03-02) 27	Colchester United	2–0	Bath City	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Atkins 23' (pen.) Walsh 72'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,277 Referee: R Tye

5 March 1991 (1991-03-05) 28	Slough Town	0–2	Colchester United	Slough
19:30 GMT		Report	McDonough 38', 79'	Stadium: Wexham Park Stadium Attendance: 1,120 Referee: G Bargery

9 March 1991 (1991-03-09) 29	Colchester United	1–0	Macclesfield Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Atkins 33' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,735 Referee: D Madgewick

12 March 1991 (1991-03-12) 30	Colchester United	2–2	Runcorn	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Ryan 55' Bennett 60'	Report	Saunders 36' Byrne 69'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,969 Referee: I Mitchell

23 March 1991 (1991-03-23) 31	Colchester United	2–1	Fisher Athletic	Colchester
15:00 GMT	McDonough 26' Walsh 79'	Report	Martin 72'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,493 Referee: C Proud

25 March 1991 (1991-03-25) 32	Wycombe Wanderers	1–0	Colchester United	High Wycombe
19:30 GMT	Scott 37'	Report		Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 3,200 Referee: A Murphy

30 March 1991 (1991-03-30) 33	Colchester United	0–1	Yeovil Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT		Report	Batty 67'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,115 Referee: G Pearson

1 April 1991 (1991-04-01) 34	Gateshead	1–2	Colchester United	Gateshead
15:00 BST	Granycombe 38'	Report	Leworthy 6' McDonough 77'	Stadium: Gateshead International Stadium Attendance: 753 Referee: D Oliver

5 April 1991 (1991-04-05) 35	Northwich Victoria	2–2	Colchester United	Northwich
19:30 BST	O'Connor 43' Blain 90' (pen.)	Report	Walsh 23' McDonough 58'	Stadium: Drill Field Attendance: 1,094 Referee: K Whittaker

9 April 1991 (1991-04-09) 36	Colchester United	2–1	Welling United	Colchester
19:45 BST	Atkins 14' (pen.) English 62'	Report	Hone 65' (pen.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,889 Referee: C Finch

17 April 1991 (1991-04-17) 37	Colchester United	3–1	Kettering Town	Colchester
19:30 BST	Bennett 52' English 60' Donald 62'	Report	Brown 7'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 5,048 Referee: Paul Taylor

20 April 1991 (1991-04-20) 38	Colchester United	1–1	Altrincham	Colchester
15:00 BST	Leworthy 6'	Report	Daws 19'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 7,221 Referee: Gary Willard

22 April 1991 (1991-04-22) 39	Kidderminster Harriers	0–0	Colchester United	Kidderminster
		Report		Stadium: Aggborough Stadium Attendance: 1,721 Referee: B Millership

26 April 1991 (1991-04-26) 40	Telford United	2–0	Colchester United	Telford
19:30 BST	Hurst 84' Langford 90'	Report		Stadium: Bucks Head Attendance: 1,592 Referee: J Everton

30 April 1991 (1991-04-30) 41	Colchester United	3–0	Gateshead	Colchester
19:30 BST	Bennett 38' Leworthy 45', 78'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,667 Referee: Graham Poll

4 May 1991 (1991-05-04) 42	Colchester United	2–0	Kidderminster Harriers	Colchester
15:00 BST	Ryan 22', 42'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,481 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

FA Cup

17 November 1990 (1990-11-17) 1st round	Colchester United	2–1	Reading	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Atkins 46' (pen.) Marmon 60'	Report	Hicks 33'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,761 Referee: Alf Buksh

12 December 1990 (1990-12-12) 2nd round	Colchester United	0–0	Leyton Orient	Colchester
20:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 6,150 Referee: R Wiseman

17 December 1990 (1990-12-17) 2nd round replay	Leyton Orient	4–1	Colchester United	Leyton
	Carter 31' Howard 45' Pike 51' Castle 72'	Report	Masters 22' Grainger 80'	Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 4,615 Referee: R Wiseman

FA Trophy

15 January 1991 (1991-01-15) 1st round	Windsor & Eton	0–1	Colchester United	Windsor
		Report	Bennett 42'	Stadium: Stag Meadow Attendance: 727 Referee: Graham Poll

2 February 1991 (1991-02-02) 2nd round	Colchester United	2–0	Runcorn	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Walsh 33' Marmon 81' Elliott 86'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,348 Referee: J Moore

23 February 1991 (1991-02-23) 1st round	Colchester United	3–0	Wivenhoe Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT	McDonough 25' Bennett 57', 68'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,923 Referee: M Bailey

16 March 1991 (1991-03-16) 4th round	Colchester United	0–2	Witton Albion	Colchester
15:00 GMT		Report	Connor 86', 88'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,079 Referee: Peter Jones

Bob Lord Trophy

21 January 1991 (1991-01-21) 2nd round^[2]	Fisher Athletic	2–3 (a.e.t.)	Colcheter United	Rotherhithe
	Gorman 7' Mehmet 106'	Report	Marmon 2' Restarick 99', 117'	Stadium: Surrey Docks Stadium Attendance: 293 Referee: G Pearson

26 February 1991 (1991-02-26) 3rd round^[2]	Sutton United	2–0	Colchester United	Sutton
	Dennis 13' Massey 73'	Report		Stadium: Gander Green Lane Attendance: 582 Referee: D Orr

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

^[7]^[36]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Conference		FA Cup		FA Trophy		Bob Lord Trophy
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	ENG	Scott Barrett	51	0	42	0	3	0	4	0	2	0
	DF	ENG	Ian Atkins	49	8	41	7	3	1	4	0	1	0
	DF	USA	Marcelle Bruce	7	0	2+2	0	0+1	0	0	0	2	0
	DF	ENG	Shaun Elliott	22	0	14+5	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Tony English	48	7	39+1	7	3	0	3+1	0	1	0
	DF	ENG	Martin Grainger	8	0	3+2	0	1	0	0+1	0	1	0
	DF	ENG	Neale Marmon	45	5	36+1	2	3	1	2+1	1	2	1
	DF	ENG	Gary Osbourne	6	0	5+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	IRL	Eamonn Collins	42	2	35	2	3	0	4	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Warren Donald	46	1	33+5	1	3	0	4	0	1	0
	MF	IRL	Wayne Hannigan	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
	MF	IRL	Mark Kinsella	12	0	6+5	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	MF	ENG	Nicky Smith	41	0	34	0	2	0	4	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Gary Bennett	43	12	34+2	9	1+2	0	4	3	0	0
	FW	ENG	Roy McDonough	29	9	17+7	8	1	0	4	1	0	0
	FW	ENG	Steve McGavin	8	0	2+6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Steve Restarick	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+2	2
	FW	ENG	Mario Walsh	38	18	31+1	17	3	0	3	1	0	0
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
	DF	ENG	Scott Daniels	47	1	40	1	3	0	4	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Rudi Hedman	10	0	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	John Pollard	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	MF	ENG	Garry Brooke	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	MF	ENG	Mark Radford	6	0	1+3	0	0	0	0	0	1+1	0
	MF	ENG	Les Taylor	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	MF	ENG	Mark Yates	30	6	22+3	6	3	0	0+1	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Dave Leworthy	9	4	9	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	USA	Mike Masters	16	2	2+9	1	1	1	0+2	0	2	0
	FW	ENG	Mark Rees	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Laurie Ryan	17	3	3+10	3	0	0	1+1	0	2	0
	FW	WAL	Morrys Scott	4	0	1+3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goalscorers

^[36]

Place	Position	Name	Conference	FA Cup	FA Trophy	Bob Lord Trophy	Total
1	FW	Mario Walsh	17	0	1	0	18
2	WG	Gary Bennett	9	0	3	0	12
3	FW	Roy McDonough	8	0	1	0	9
4	CB	Ian Atkins	7	1	0	0	8
5	DF/MF	Tony English	7	0	0	0	7
6	MF	Mark Yates	6	0	0	0	6
7	CB	Neale Marmon	2	1	1	1	5
8	FW	Dave Leworthy	4	0	0	0	4
9	FW	Laurie Ryan	3	0	0	0	3
10	MF	Eamonn Collins	2	0	0	0	2
	FW	Mike Masters	1	1	0	0	2
	FW	Steve Restarick	0	0	0	2	2
13	CB	Scott Daniels	1	0	0	0	1
13	MF/FB	Warren Donald	1	0	0	0	1
		Own goals	0	0	0	0	0
		TOTALS	68	3	6	3	80

Disciplinary record

^[37]

Nationality	Position	Name	Conference		FA Cup		FA Trophy		Bob Lord Trophy		Total
Nationality	Position	Name
	FW	Roy McDonough	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1
	CB	Shaun Elliott	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	1
	FB	Martin Grainger	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
	CB	Neale Marmon	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	CB	Ian Atkins	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
	MF	Eamonn Collins	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	MF/FB	Warren Donald	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
		TOTALS	6	1	1	1	2	1	0	0	9	3

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.^[38]

Place	Nationality	Player	Conference	FA Cup	FA Trophy	Bob Lord Trophy	Total
1		Scott Barrett	16	1	3	0	20
		TOTALS	16	1	3	0	20

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.^[39]

Position	Player	Date	Opponent	Ground	Notes
CB	Ian Atkins	18 August 1990	Yeovil Town	Huish Park
GK	Scott Barrett	18 August 1990	Yeovil Town	Huish Park	^[40]^[a]
FW	Morrys Scott	18 August 1990	Yeovil Town	Huish Park
LM	Nicky Smith	18 August 1990	Yeovil Town	Huish Park
MF	Mark Yates	18 August 1990	Yeovil Town	Huish Park
MF/FB	Warren Donald	27 August 1990	Fisher Athletic	Surrey Docks Stadium
FW	Mario Walsh	1 September 1990	Northwich Victoria	Layer Road	^[41]^[a]
FW	Laurie Ryan	19 September 1990	Boston United	York Street
WG	Mark Rees	22 September 1990	Cheltenham Town	Layer Road
FW	Roy McDonough	13 October 1990	Sutton United	Layer Road	^[42]^[a]
FW	Mike Masters	24 November 1990	Wycombe Wanderers	Layer Road
CB	Shaun Elliott	15 December 1990	Merthyr Tydfil	Penydarren Park
FW	Laurie Ryan	15 December 1990	Merthyr Tydfil	Penydarren Park	^[43]^[a]
MF	Garry Brooke	21 January 1991	Fisher Athletic	Surrey Docks Stadium
MF	Wayne Hannigan	26 February 1991	Sutton United	Gander Green Lane
CB	Rudi Hedman	30 March 1991	Yeovil Town	Layer Road	^[44]^[a]
FW	Dave Leworthy	30 March 1991	Yeovil Town	Layer Road
FW	Steve McGavin	1 April 1991	Gateshead	Gateshead International Stadium
FB	Gary Osbourne	1 April 1991	Gateshead	Gateshead International Stadium

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Second debut for the club

References

General

Books

Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.

Specific

^ Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 279. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.
^ ^a ^b ^c "GM Vauxhall Conference 1990-91". English Non-League Archive. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 1–1 Altrincham". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 4–0 Northwich Victoria". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
^ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
^ Hudson, Matt (11 August 2013). "The 1990s and 2000s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
^ "Scott Barrett (Goalkeeper)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Ian Atkins". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Warren Donald". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Mario Walsh". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Mark Rees". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Morrys Scott". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Nicky Smith". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Roy McDonough". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Laurie Ryan". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Shaun Elliott". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Garry Brooke". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Wayne Hannigan". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Gary Osbourne". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Steve McGavin". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Robbie Devereux". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Billy Gilbert". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Trevor Morgan". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Clive Stafford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Mark Radford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b "John Pollard". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Les Taylor". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Scott Daniels". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Mark Yates". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Mike Masters". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "Rudi Hedman". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ "David Leworthy (Forward)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Steve Restarick". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
^ Jack Rollin (ed.), Rothmans Football Yearbook 1991–92. Queen Anne Press, MacDonald & Co., London and Sydney, 1991.
^ ^a ^b "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
^ "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
^ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
^ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
^ "Yeovil Town 2–0 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 4–0 Northwich Victoria". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 1–0 Sutton United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
^ "Merthyr Tydfil 3–0 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 0–1 Yeovil Town". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.

[DG-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

[SDG-9] Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

[11] Joined as player-manager

[DG-14] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

[SDG-16] Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

[22] Fee set at tribunal

[29] Following Billy Gilbert's release by Colchester United, he later signed for Maidstone United.

[FG-32] Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

[37] Joined Oxford United as coach

[Loan-40] Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games for the club

[Loanend1-41] Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game in his first spell for the club

[44] Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games in his second spell for the club

[table_note_COL0.019296439839199-47] Relegated from The Football League

[2deb-54] Second debut for the club

[WWCU-1] Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 279. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.

[BLT-2] "GM Vauxhall Conference 1990-91". English Non-League Archive. Retrieved 2 August 2018.

[3] "Colchester Utd 1–1 Altrincham". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2018.

[4] "Colchester Utd 4–0 Northwich Victoria". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2018.

[5] "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2018.

[6] Hudson, Matt (11 August 2013). "The 1990s and 2000s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 31 July 2018.

[apps-7] "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2018.

[10] "Scott Barrett (Goalkeeper)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[12] "Ian Atkins". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[13] "Warren Donald". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[15] "Mario Walsh". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[Rees-17] "Mark Rees". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[Scott-18] "Morrys Scott". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[19] "Nicky Smith". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[20] "Roy McDonough". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[Ryan-21] "Laurie Ryan". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[23] "Shaun Elliott". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[Brooke-24] "Garry Brooke". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[25] "Wayne Hannigan". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[26] "Gary Osbourne". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[27] "Steve McGavin". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[28] "Robbie Devereux". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[30] "Billy Gilbert". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[31] "Trevor Morgan". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[Stafford-33] "Clive Stafford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[34] "Mark Radford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[Pollard-35] "John Pollard". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[36] "Les Taylor". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[38] "Scott Daniels". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[39] "Mark Yates". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[42] "Mike Masters". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[43] "Rudi Hedman". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[45] "David Leworthy (Forward)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[Restarick-46] "Steve Restarick". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

[Rothmans-48] Jack Rollin (ed.), Rothmans Football Yearbook 1991–92. Queen Anne Press, MacDonald & Co., London and Sydney, 1991.

[goals-49] "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2018.

[50] "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.

[51] "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.

[52] "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2018.

[53] "Yeovil Town 2–0 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.

[55] "Colchester Utd 4–0 Northwich Victoria". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.

[56] "Colchester Utd 1–0 Sutton United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.

[57] "Merthyr Tydfil 3–0 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.

[58] "Colchester Utd 0–1 Yeovil Town". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2018.

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