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.
Season overview In 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.
Players
Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth Apps Goals Signed from Date signed Fee GoalkeepersPercy AmesGKPlymouth1390 Tottenham Hotspur1 May 1955Free transferJohn WrightGKAldershot40 Colchester Casuals23 May 1952Free transfer DefendersBrian DobsonCBColchester230AmateurJanuary 1956Free transferGeorge FisherFBBermondsey1354 Fulham1 September 1955£1,000John FowlerFBLeith1063 Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic20 August 1955Free transferJohn LaidlawFBAldershot00 Easthouses Lily Miners WelfareJune 1957Free transferAlf MarshallFBDagenham00 Dagenham14 October 1957£25Chic MilliganCBArdrossan621 Ardrossan Winton Rovers18 August 1956£1,000John RoeFBBroxburn00 West Calder UnitedJuly 1958Free transferEdgar RumneyFBAbberton50 Colchester Casuals1 May 1957Free transfer MidfieldersCyril HammondWHWoolwich00 Charlton AthleticJuly 1958Free transferTrevor HarrisWHColchester100AmateurJuly 1951Free transferRon HuntWHColchester380AmateurOctober 1951Free transferDerek ParkerWHWivenhoe361 West Ham UnitedMarch 1957£2,500 ForwardsRussell BlakeWGColchester152 Dedham Old Boys8 September 1955Free transferJohn EvansIFTilbury247 Liverpool23 November 1957£4,000Bobby HillIFEdinburgh548 Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare9 June 1955Free transferIan JohnstoneIFGalashiels00 Ormiston Primrose18 April 1959Free transferMartyn KingCFBirmingham31AmateurSummer 1955Free transferNeil LangmanCFBere Alston238 Plymouth ArgyleNovember 1957£6,750Kevin McCurleyCFConsett21886 LiverpoolJune 1951£750Sammy McLeodIFGlasgow636 Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare20 August 1955Free transferTony MillerIFChelmsford00AmateurMay 1958Free transferKen PlantCFNuneaton18879 BuryJanuary 1954UndisclosedTommy WilliamsWGBattersea528 Carshalton AthleticSeptember 1956Free transferPeter WrightWGColchester20446AmateurNovember 1951Free transfer
Transfers
In Date Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.May 1958IFTony MillerAmateurFree transferJuly 1958WHCyril Hammond Charlton AthleticFree transferJuly 1958FBJohn Roe West Calder UnitedFree transfer18 April 1959IFIan Johnstone Ormiston PrimroseFree transfer
Out Date Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.End of seasonWHBenny Fenton Colchester UnitedRetired from playing, remained as managerJuly 1958WHBert Hill DartfordFree transfer26 December 1958IFHamish McNeill Cambridge CityNominal
Match details Third Division
Results round by round
League table
Matches
FA Cup
Squad statistics
Appearances and goals
Goalscorers
Place Nationality Position Name Third Division FA Cup Total1CFNeil Langman207272IFJohn Evans142163IFSammy McLeod82104WGTommy Williams5165WGRussell Blake505CFKevin McCurley505CFKen Plant325WGPeter Wright5059FBGeorge Fisher101IFBobby Hill101CBChic Milligan101Own goals303TOTALS711485
Clean sheets Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet. Place Nationality Player Third Division FA Cup Total1Percy Ames12214TOTALS12214
Player debuts Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match. Position Nationality Player Date Opponent Ground NotesWHCyril Hammond23 August 1958BuryLayer RoadFBAlf Marshall8 October 1958ReadingElm ParkIFIan Johnstone18 April 1959ChesterfieldLayer Road
See also List of Colchester United F.C. seasons
References General Books
Websites
Specific