1985–86 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1985–86 season
Chairman Jonathan Crisp[1]
Manager Wales Cyril Lea
(Until 10 April 1986)
Wales Mike Walker
(From 10 April 1986)
Fourth Division 6th
FA Cup 1st Round
Milk Cup 1st Round
Freight Rover Trophy 1st Round (Southern section)
Top goalscorer League:
Tony Adcock (15)
All:
Tony Adcock (16)
Highest home attendance 3,927 (Exeter City)
Lowest home attendance 1,356 (Crewe Alexandra)
Average home league attendance 2,368
Home colours

The 1985–86 season was Colchester United's fifth consecutive season in the Football League Fourth Division.

Season Review

With the Heysel disaster following on the heels of Bradford City stadium fire, Layer Road faced £500,000 worth of safety improvements. With no money, the club closed areas of Layer Road reducing capacity to 4,900.

Manager Cyril Lea continued the policy of recruiting ex-Ipswich players. Topping the table in October 1985, the U's imploded, suffering six successive League defeats, four without scoring, and were knocked out of the FA Cup by non-League Wycombe. Lea could not find a strike partner for Tony Adcock following Keith Bowen's career-ending car crash. The manager had a good record and produced a free-scoring side but could not get the club over the promotion finishing line and three weeks from the end of the season he was sacked.

Former goalkeeper Mike Walker, coach of U's reserves, took over as Caretaker and United were unbeaten in the remaining eight matches - winning five. Walker had hoisted U's to seventh just nine points short of promotion.

It was a notable season for hat tricks with Perry Groves twice achieving the feat against Southend and brothers Tommy and Tony English scoring trebles within five days of each other. The English brothers were both sent off at Crewe in a game which United won 2-0.[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
–– England GK Alec Chamberlain
–– England DF Terry Baker
–– England DF Keith Day
–– England DF Tony English
–– England DF Kirk Game
–– England DF Rudi Hedman
–– Scotland DF Ian Phillips
–– England MF Simon Burman
No. Position Player
–– England MF Andy Farrell
–– England MF Perry Groves
–– England MF Roger Osborne
–– England MF John Reeves
–– England FW Tony Adcock
–– England FW Tommy English
–– England FW Mick Ferguson
–– England FW Robin Turner

Player Info

Pos. Name Place of Birth Date of Birth Previous Club Date Joined Fee
GK England Alec Chamberlain England March 20 June 1964 England Ipswich Town 3 January 1983 Free
DF England Terry Baker England Rochford 13 November 1965 England Billericay Town 11 January 1986 Free
DF England Keith Day England Grays 29 November 1962 England Aveley 25 August 1984 Free
DF England Tony English England Luton 19 October 1966 England Coventry City 1 January 1985 Free
DF England Kirk Game England Rochford 22 October 1966 England Southend United 8 November 1985 Free
DF England Rudi Hedman England Lambeth 16 November 1964 England Youth Team 1 August 1983 Free
DF Scotland Ian Phillips Scotland Cumnock 23 April 1959 England Northampton Town 9 September 1983 Free
MF England Simon Burman England Ipswich 26 November 1965 England Youth Team 1 August 1984 Free
MF England Andy Farrell England Colchester 7 October 1965 England Youth Team 1 August 1983 Free
MF England Perry Groves England Bow 19 April 1965 England Youth Team 1 August 1981 Free
MF England Roger Osborne England Otley 9 March 1950 England Ipswich Town 14 February 1981 £25,000
MF England John Reeves England Hackney 8 July 1963 England Fulham 17 August 1985 Free
FW England Tony Adcock England Bethnal Green 27 March 1963 England Youth Team 1 August 1980 Free
FW England Tommy English England Cirencester 18 October 1961 Australia Canberra City 8 November 1985 Free
FW England Mick Ferguson England Newcastle upon Tyne 3 October 1954 England Brighton & Hove Albion 31 March 1986 Free
FW England Robin Turner England Carlisle 10 September 1955 Wales Swansea City 20 December 1985 Free

Transfers

Transfers In

Date Pos. Player Name Previous Club Transfer Fee Notes
17 August 1985 MF England John Reeves England Fulham Free
8 November 1985 DF England Kirk Game England Southend United Free
8 November 1985 FW England Tommy English Australia Canberra City Free
23 November 1985 FW England Trevor Whymark England Diss Town Free
20 December 1985 FW England Robin Turner Wales Swansea City Free
11 January 1986 DF England Terry Baker England Billericay Town Free
11 January 1986 FW England Mick Ferguson England Brighton & Hove Albion Free

Transfers Out

Date Pos. Player Name New Club Transfer Fee Notes
26 October 1985 FW Wales Keith Bowen European Union Retired Free
6 November 1985 MF England Jeff Hull European Union Retired Free
13 December 1985 FW England Trevor Whymark European Union Retired Free
31 January 1986 FW England Russell Irving England Sudbury Town Free
31 March 1986 MF England Noel Parkinson European Union Retired Free
8 April 1986 DF Scotland Stewart Houston European Union Retired Free

Loans In

Date Pos. Player Name Parent Club Date Returned Notes
8 November 1985 FW England Robin Turner Wales Swansea City 14 December 1985

Results

Fourth Division Results Summary

Pos Club Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
5Leyton Orient 462012147964+1572
6Colchester United 461913148863+2570
7Hartlepool United 462010166867+170

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

Fourth Division Results

DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
17/08/1985 Stockport County H 3-1 1,719 Osborne, Day, Adcock
24/08/1985 Wrexham A 1-2 2,296 Reeves
27/08/1985 Aldershot H 4-0 1,928 Tony English, Adcock, Groves, Hedman
31/08/1985 Torquay United A 1-2 1,023 Adcock
06/09/1985 Halifax Town H 3-1 2,023 Adcock (2), Bowen
14/09/1985 Tranmere Rovers A 4-3 1,362 Tony English, Groves, Parkinson, Day
17/09/1985 Cambridge United H 4-1 2,574 Adcock (3), Groves
21/09/1985 Leyton Orient H 2-1 2,577 Parkinson, Bowen
27/09/1985 Port Vale H 1-0 3,110 Bowen
01/10/1985 Burnley A 2-0 3,375 Adcock, Bowen
04/10/1985 Exeter City H 1-1 3,927 Day
12/10/1985 Mansfield Town A 1-2 3,364 Tony English
18/10/1985 Scunthorpe United H 1-1 3,462 Reeves
22/10/1985 Southend United A 4-2 8,120 Bowen, Groves (3)
26/10/1985 Northampton Town H 0-2 2,872
02/11/1985 Hereford United H 0-2 3,081
06/11/1985 Chester City A 0-4 2,809
08/11/1985 Rochdale H 0-1 2,624
23/11/1985 Preston North End A 2-3 2,793 Parkinson (pen.), Adcock
14/12/1985 Hartlepool United A 1-4 2,507 Hedman
20/12/1985 Wrexham H 5-2 1,683 Comstive (o.g.), Adcock (2), Groves, Hedman
28/12/1985 Aldershot A 1-1 1,757 Day
01/01/1986 Swindon Town A 1-2 8.802 Parkinson
03/01/1986 Hereford United H 4-1 2,214 Parkinson (2), Tommy English, Phillips
11/01/1986 Torquay United H 0-0 2,063
17/01/1986 Stockport County A 1-1 2,336 Groves
24/01/1986 Tranmere Rovers H 1-2 2,013 Parkinson
31/01/1986 Halifax Town A 2-2 989 Baker, Adcock
04/02/1986 Southend United H 2-0 1,915 Adcock, Clark (o.g.)
01/03/1986 Port Vale A 1-1 2,726 Groves
08/03/1986 Exeter City A 2-2 1,520 Adcock, Burman
14/03/1986 Mansfield Town H 0-0 1,956
22/03/1986 Northampton Town A 0-1 2,035
25/03/1986 Crewe Alexandra H 1-2 1,356 Tony English
28/03/1986 Swindon Town H 1-1 2,997 Tony English
31/03/1986 Peterborough United A 2-1 2,316 Tony English, Baker
04/04/1986 Chester City H 2-3 2,281 Tommy English (2) (pen.)
08/04/1986 Leyton Orient H 4-0 1,771 Ferguson, Day, Phillips, Tony English
12/04/1986 Rochdale A 3-3 1,182 Ferguson, Farrell, Tommy English (pen)
15/04/1986 Scunthorpe United A 1-1 1,238 Ferguson
18/04/1986 Preston North End H 4-0 2,046 Tommy English (3) (pen.), Ferguson
22/04/1986 Peterborough United H 5-0 1,863 Reeves, Tommy English, Tony English (3)
26/04/1986 Crewe Alexandra A 2-0 1,555 Groves (2)
29/04/1986 Cambridge United A 3-1 3,115 Reeves, Ferguson (2)
02/05/1986 Hartlepool United H 3-1 2,410 Ferguson, Tommy English, Tony English
06/05/1986 Burnley H 1-1 2,726 Groves, Tommy English

Source: 1985-86 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

League Cup

DateRoundOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
21/08/1985 R1 (L1) Millwall H 2-3 –– Bowen (2)
02/09/1985 R1 (L2) Millwall A 1-4 3,330 Bowen (pen.)

Source: 1985-86 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

FA Cup

Main article: 1985–86 FA Cup
DateRoundOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
16/11/1985 R1 Wycombe Wanderers A 0-2 3,089

Source: 1985-86 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

League Trophy

Southern Section

DateRoundOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
25/11/1986 R1 (Group) Southend United H 4-1 1,364 Groves (3), Adcock
21/01/1986 R1 (Group) Northampton Town A 1-2 1,958 Baker

Source: 1985-86 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

Squad statistics

[3]

No. Nat. Pos. Name Total Division Four FA Cup League Cup League Trophy
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
–– GK England Alec Chamberlain 51 0 46 0 1 0 2 0 2 0
–– DF England Terry Baker 23 3 21 2 0 0 0 0 2 1
–– DF England Keith Day 32 5 30 5 0 0 2 0 0 0
–– DF England Tony English 50 11 45 11 1 0 2 0 2 0
–– DF England Kirk Game 6 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
–– DF England Rudi Hedman 44 3 39 3 1 0 2 0 2 0
–– DF Scotland Stewart Houston 41 0 36 0 1 0 2 0 2 0
–– DF Scotland Ian Phillips 41 2 37 2 0 0 2 0 2 0
–– MF England Simon Burman 11 1 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
–– MF England Andy Farrell 25 1 24 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
–– MF England Perry Groves 47 15 43 12 1 0 1 0 2 3
–– MF England Jeff Hull 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
–– MF England Roger Osborne 38 1 34 1 0 0 2 0 2 0
–– MF England Noel Parkinson 40 7 35 7 1 0 2 0 2 0
–– MF England John Reeves 27 4 24 4 1 0 2 0 0 0
–– FW England Tony Adcock 38 16 33 15 1 0 2 0 2 1
–– FW Wales Keith Bowen 17 8 15 5 0 0 2 3 0 0
–– FW England Tommy English 24 10 23 10 0 0 0 0 1 0
–– FW England Mick Ferguson 10 7 10 7 0 0 0 0 0 0
–– FW England Russell Irving 10 0 9 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
–– FW England Robin Turner 14 0 11 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
–– FW England Trevor Whymark 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Scorers

[4]

All

Scorer Goals
England Tony Adcock 16
England Perry Groves 15
England Tony English 11
England Tommy English 10
Wales Keith Bowen 8
England Mick Ferguson 7
England Noel Parkinson
England Keith Day 5
England John Reeves 4
England Terry Baker 3
England Rudi Hedman
Scotland Ian Phillips 2
England Simon Burman 1
England Andy Farrell
England Roger Osborne
Own goal 2

League

Scorer Goals
England Tony Adcock 15
England Perry Groves 12
England Tony English 11
England Tommy English 10
England Mick Ferguson 7
England Noel Parkinson
Wales Keith Bowen 5
England Keith Day
England John Reeves 4
England Rudi Hedman 3
England Terry Baker 2
Scotland Ian Phillips
England Simon Burman 1
England Andy Farrell
England Roger Osborne
Own goal 2

FA Cup

Scorer Goals

League Cup

Scorer Goals
Wales Keith Bowen 3

League Trophy

Scorer Goals
England Perry Groves 3
England Tony Adcock 1
England Terry Baker

Most Frequent Starting XI

This section shows players in a 5-4-1 formation with the most league starts during the season.

Pos. Name Apps. Goals
GK England Alec Chamberlain 46 0
DF Scotland Ian Phillips 37 2
DF England Rudi Hedman 38 3
DF England Tony English 45 11
DF Scotland Stewart Houston 36 0
DF England Keith Day 30 5
MF England Perry Groves 42 12
MF England Noel Parkinson 35 7
MF England Roger Osborne 28 1
MF England Andy Farrell 24 1
FW England Tony Adcock 33 15

References

  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.
  2. "The U's History: The 80s". Colchester United F.C. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  3. "1985–86 Season Appearance Data". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  4. "1985–86 Season Goalscorers Data". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
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