1973–74 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United

1973–74 season

Chairman

Robert Jackson^[1]

Manager

3rd (Promoted)

1st Round

1st Round

Top goalscorer

League:
Bobby Svarc (25)
All:
Bobby Svarc (26)

Highest home attendance

10,007 (Gillingham)

Lowest home attendance

3,460 (Bradford City)

Average home league attendance

5,403

Home colours

← 1972–73

1974–75 →

The 1973–74 season was Colchester United's sixth consecutive season in the Football League Fourth Division. The season ended in success with promotion to the Football League Third Division.

Season Review

Manager Jim Smith brought wisely in the summer, bringing in Mike Walker and Mick Packer from Watford and splashing out a club record £11,000 on striker Paul Aimson. Whilst Aimson suffered a career-ending injury early in the season, Bobby Svarc plundered 25 league goals including a record equalling four goal haul at Chester in November 1973.

U's led the table around Christmas time, but failure to beat Peterborough and Gillingham at Layer Road cost them the championship. They also lost their first ventures into Sunday football losing at Bury and Doncaster by the same 2-0 scoreline.

Svarc's goals dried up at the wrong time, but the astute Smith brought in Gary Moore on loan and he scored 7 goals in 11 remaining games. United were promoted in third place five points behind Peterborough and two adrift of the Gills. The final home game of the season drew a 10,007 crowd as Gillingham stole runners-up spot with a 2-0 win. This would be the last time that Layer Road hosted a five-figure League attendance.^[2]

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Position	Player
––	GK	Mike Walker
––	DF	Micky Cook
––	DF	Barry Dominey
––	DF	Ray Harford
––	DF	Stuart Morgan
––	DF	Mick Packer
––	DF	Lindsay Smith
––	DF	Alex Smith

No.	Position	Player
––	MF	Ray Bunkell
––	MF	Steve Foley
––	MF	Steve Leslie
––	MF	Bobby Roberts
––	MF	Colwyn Rowe
––	MF	Phil Thomas
––	FW	Barry Dyson
––	FW	Bobby Svarc

Player Info

Pos.	Name	Place of Birth	Date of Birth	Previous Club	Date Joined	Fee
GK	Mike Walker	Colwyn Bay	28 November 1945	Watford	25 August 1973	£4,000
DF	Micky Cook	Enfield	9 April 1951	Leyton Orient	6 October 1969	Free
DF	Barry Dominey	Edmonton	21 October 1955	Enfield	16 April 1974	Free
DF	Ray Harford	Halifax	1 June 1945	Port Vale	3 February 1973	Free
DF	Stuart Morgan	Swansea	23 September 1949	Reading	12 August 1972	Free
DF	Mick Packer	Willesden	20 April 1950	Watford	25 August 1973	Free
DF	Alex Smith	Thornhill	11 May 1947	Southend United	27 January 1974	£5,000
DF	Lindsay Smith	Enfield	18 September 1954	Youth Team	1 August 1970	Free
MF	Ray Bunkell	Edmonton	18 September 1949	Swindon Town	8 December 1973	£5,000
MF	Steve Foley	Clacton-on-Sea	21 June 1953	Youth Team	1 August 1971	Free
MF	Steve Leslie	Hornsey	4 September 1952	Youth Team	1 August 1970	Free
MF	Bobby Roberts	Edinburgh	2 September 1940	Coventry City	16 March 1973	Free
MF	Colwyn Rowe	Ipswich	22 March 1956	Youth Team	1 August 1973	Free
MF	Phil Thomas	Sherborne	14 December 1952	Bournemouth	19 August 1972	Free
FW	Barry Dyson	Oldham	6 October 1942	Leyton Orient	25 August 1973	Free
FW	Bobby Svarc	Leicester	8 February 1946	Boston United	29 December 1972	£6,000

Transfers

Transfers In

Date	Pos.	Player Name	Previous Club	Transfer Fee	Notes
1 August 1973	MF	Colwyn Rowe	Youth Team	Free
25 August 1973	GK	Mike Walker	Watford	£4,000
25 August 1973	DF	Mick Packer	Watford	Free
25 August 1973	FW	Paul Aimson	Bournemouth	£8,000
25 August 1973	FW	Barry Dyson	Leyton Orient	Free
8 December 1973	MF	Ray Bunkell	Swindon Town	£5,000
27 January 1974	DF	Alex Smith	Southend United	£5,000
16 April 1974	DF	Barry Dominey	Enfield	Free

Transfers Out

Date	Pos.	Player Name	New Club	Transfer Fee	Notes
1 May 1973	GK	John McInally	Retired	Free
1 May 1973	DF	Richard Bourne	Ramsgate	Free
1 May 1973	MF	Stan Brown	Wimbledon	Free
17 November 1973	DF	John McLaughlin	Swindon Town	£25,000
1 December 1973	MF	Mick Mahon	Wimbledon	£3,000
22 February 1974	FW	Paul Aimson	Retired	Free
27 April 1974	MF	Bobby Mills	Chelmsford City	Free

Loans In

Date	Pos.	Player Name	Parent Club	Date Returned	Notes
6 October 1973	FW	Peter Silvester	Norwich City	2 November 1973
10 November 1973	DF	Alex Smith	Southend United	5 January 1974
8 February 1974	MF	Terry Anderson	Norwich City	2 March 1974
16 March 1974	MF	Paul Taylor	York City	27 April 1974
16 March 1974	FW	Gary Moore	Southend United	27 April 1974

Results

Fourth Division Results Summary

Pos	Club	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Av	Pts
2	Gillingham (P)	46	25	12	9	90	49	1.837	62
3	Colchester United (P)	46	24	12	10	73	36	2.028	60
4	Bury (P)	46	24	11	11	81	49	1.653	59

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GAv = Goal average; Pts = Points

Fourth Division Results

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
25/08/1973	Barnsley	A	1-0	2,500	Svarc
01/09/1973	Crewe Alexandra	H	3-2	4,078	Aimson, Svarc, Morgan
07/09/1973	Northampton Town	H	0-0	4,916
11/09/1973	Reading	H	0-0	4,565
15/09/1973	Newport County	H	4-1	3,523	Thomas, Svarc, Leslie, Morgan
19/09/1973	Torquay United	A	4-0	3,428	Thomas, Svarc, Dyson, Leslie
22/09/1973	Swansea City	A	0-2	1,981
28/09/1973	Exeter City	H	1-0	5,466	Leslie
02/10/1973	Torquay United	H	2-2	5,291	Svarc (2)
06/10/1973	Hartlepool United	A	0-0	1,910
12/10/1973	Darlington	H	3-0	5,089	Foley (2), Svarc
19/10/1973	Scunthorpe United	H	2-0	4,862	Morgan, Svarc
24/10/1973	Reading	A	1-1	12,310	Svarc
27/10/1973	Rotherham United	A	0-0	4,594
02/11/1973	Workington	H	3-0	5,342	Morgan, Cook, Harford
10/11/1973	Mansfield Town	A	2-2	3,033	Foley (2)
14/11/1973	Chester City	A	4-0	1,973	Svarc (4)
17/11/1973	Stockport County	H	3-1	4,966	Dyson (pen.) (2), Foley
01/12/1973	Bradford City	H	4-0	3,460	Svarc (2), Morgan, Dyson
08/12/1973	Gilingham	A	1-4	8,411	L.Smith
15/12/1973	Stockport County	A	3-0	1,472	Svarc, Foley (2)
22/12/1973	Exeter City	A	0-1	3,638
26/12/1973	Peterborough United	H	1-1	7,960	Svarc
29/12/1973	Northampton Town	H	1-0	5,042	Dyson (pen.)
01/01/1974	Crewe Alexandra	A	2-1	2,383	Svarc, Foley
05/01/1974	Lincoln City	H	4-1	4,398	Svarc (2), Morgan, Leslie
12/01/1974	Newport County	A	3-1	304	Cook, Leslie, Thomas
25/01/1974	Barnsley	H	2-0	5,793	Svarc, Dyson (pen.)
27/01/1974	Doncaster Rovers	A	0-2	4,285
03/02/1974	Bury	A	0-2	7,796
08/02/1974	Swansea City	H	2-0	5,040	Morgan, Svarc
16/02/1974	Darlington	A	0-1	2,275
22/02/1974	Hartlepool United	H	3-0	5,608	A.Smith, Svarc, Aimson
02/03/1974	Peterborough United	A	0-2	10,714
08/03/1974	Rotherham United	H	0-1	5,180
16/03/1974	Scunthorpe United	A	0-1	2,134
19/03/1974	Bury	H	1-1	4,748	Moore
22/03/1974	Mansfield Town	H	1-0	4,695	Morgan
27/03/1974	Lincoln City	A	1-0	2,638	Svarc
30/03/1974	Workington	A	4-1	1,103	Thomas, Moore, Svarc, Wood (o.g.)
02/04/1974	Doncaster Rovers	H	3-0	5,124	Cook (2), Moore
05/04/1974	Chester City	H	1-1	6,371	Moore (pen.)
12/04/1974	Brentford	H	2-1	8,155	Moore (2)
16/04/1974	Brentford	A	0-0	7,480
20/04/1974	Gillingham	H	0-2	10,007
27/04/1974	Bradford City	A	1-1	3,702	Moore

Source: 1973-74 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

League Cup

Main article: 1973–74 Football League Cup

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
29/08/1973	R1	Gillingham	A	2-4	3,991	Cook, Svarc

Source: 1973-74 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

FA Cup

Main article: 1973–74 FA Cup

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
24/11/1973	R1	Peterborough United	H	2-3	9,664	Mahon, Harford

Source: 1973-74 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

Squad statistics

^[3]

No.	Nat.	Pos.	Name	Total		Division Four		FA Cup		League Cup
No.	Nat.	Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
––	GK		Mike Walker	48	0	46	0	1	0	1	0
––	DF		Micky Cook	46	5	44	4	1	0	1	1
––	DF		Barry Dominey	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0
––	DF		Ray Harford	48	2	46	1	1	1	1	0
––	DF		John McLaughlin	20	0	18	0	1	0	1	0
––	DF		Stuart Morgan	40	8	38	8	1	0	1	0
––	DF		Mick Packer	35	0	33	0	1	0	1	0
––	DF		Alex Smith	29	1	29	1	0	0	0	0
––	DF		Lindsay Smith	35	1	34	1	1	0	0	0
––	MF		Terry Anderson	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0
––	MF		Ray Bunkell	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	0
––	MF		Steve Foley	34	8	32	8	1	0	1	0
––	MF		Steve Leslie	24	5	24	5	0	0	0	0
––	MF		Mick Mahon	14	1	12	0	1	1	1	0
––	MF		Bobby Mills	18	0	18	0	0	0	0	0
––	MF		Bobby Roberts	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
––	MF		Colwyn Rowe	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
––	MF		Paul Taylor	9	0	9	0	0	0	0	0
––	MF		Phil Thomas	42	4	40	4	1	0	1	0
––	FW		Paul Aimson	5	2	4	2	0	0	1	0
––	FW		Barry Dyson	38	6	36	6	1	0	1	0
––	FW		Gary Moore	11	7	11	7	0	0	0	0
––	FW		Peter Silvester	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0
––	FW		Bobby Svarc	48	26	46	25	1	0	1	1

Scorers

^[4]

All

Scorer	Goals
Bobby Svarc	26
Steve Foley	8
Stuart Morgan	8
Gary Moore	7
Barry Dyson	6
Micky Cook	5
Steve Leslie	5
Phil Thomas	4
Paul Aimson	2
Ray Harford	2
Mick Mahon	1
Alex Smith
Lindsay Smith
Own goal	1

League

Scorer	Goals
Bobby Svarc	25
Steve Foley	8
Stuart Morgan	8
Gary Moore	7
Barry Dyson	6
Steve Leslie	5
Micky Cook	4
Phil Thomas	4
Paul Aimson	2
Ray Harford	1
Alex Smith
Lindsay Smith
Own goal	1

FA Cup

Scorer	Goals
Ray Harford	1
Mick Mahon	1

League Cup

Scorer	Goals
Micky Cook	1
Bobby Svarc	1

Most Frequent Starting XI

This section shows players in a 5-3-2 formation with the most league starts during the season.

Pos.	Name	Apps.	Goals
GK	Mike Walker	46	0
DF	Ray Harford	46	1
DF	Micky Cook	44	4
DF	Stuart Morgan	38	8
DF	Mick Packer	32	0
DF	Alex Smith	29	1
MF	Phil Thomas	38	4
MF	Steve Foley	32	8
MF	Steve Leslie	21	5
FW	Bobby Svarc	46	25
FW	Barry Dyson	36	6

Walker

Harford

Cook

Morgan

Packer

A.Smith

Thomas

Foley

Leslie

Svarc

Dyson

References

↑ 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.
↑ "The U's History: The 70s". Colchester United F.C. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
↑ "1973–74 Season Appearance Data". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
↑ "1973–74 Season Goalscorers Data". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2011.

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Related articles	Colchester Town F.C. Colchester United L.F.C. Peter Heard Up the U's

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