The 1955–56 season was Colchester United's 14th season in their history and their sixth season in the Third Division South, the third tier of English football. Alongside competing in the Third Division South, the club also participated in the FA Cup in which the club were eliminated by Torquay United in the first round. The season was Benny Fenton's first full campaign in charge, and after building his own squad over the summer, he led Colchester to their highest position since the 1951–52 season with a 12th-placed finish. This came on the back of two consecutive seasons of successful re-election applications.
Season overview Manager Benny Fenton assembled his own squad for the 1955–56 season, bringing in goalkeeper Percy Ames from Tottenham Hotspur, while also signing a number of players from Scottish junior football including John Fowler, Bobby Hill and Sammy McLeod.
Fenton's side played an exciting attacking game. They scored 76 goals in the league, with Kevin McCurley scoring a club Football League best total of 29 goals, and strike partner Ken Plant scoring 17. Both players notched two hat-tricks each during the season as the club safely finished the campaign in 12th-place.
Colchester played their first game under floodlights on 28 February 1955 when they beat Reading 3–1 at Elm Park. While Layer Road was still bereft of floodlighting, lighting had been installed for training purposes at the ground.
Players
Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth Apps Goals Signed from Date signed Fee GoalkeepersPercy AmesGKPlymouth00 Tottenham Hotspur1 May 1955Free transferGeorge WrightGKPlymouth2190 Plymouth ArgyleMay 1949£1,000John WrightGKAldershot20 Colchester Casuals23 May 1952Free transfer DefendersBrian DobsonCBColchester00AmateurJanuary 1956Free transferGeorge FisherFBBermondsey00 Fulham1 September 1955£1,000John FowlerFBLeith00 Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic20 August 1955Free transferGeorge FrenchFBColchester30 West Ham UnitedFebruary 1949Free transferJohn HarrisonFBLeicester2050 Aston Villa30 September 1950NominalBilly HuntCBColchester00AmateurAugust 1953Free transferReg StewartCBSheffield2651 Sheffield Wednesday20 August 1949£1,000 MidfieldersBob DaleWHIrlam558 Bury24 December 1953£1,500Benny FentonWHWest Ham112 Charlton Athletic5 March 1955£500Trevor HarrisWHColchester10AmateurJuly 1951Free transferBert HillWHWest Ham381 ChelseaSeptember 1952£300Ron HuntWHColchester310AmateurOctober 1951Free transfer ForwardsRussell BlakeWGColchester00 Dedham Old Boys8 September 1955Free transferBobby HillIFEdinburgh00 Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare9 June 1955Free transferMartyn KingCFBirmingham00AmateurSummer 1955Free transferKevin McCurleyCFConsett11035 LiverpoolJune 1951£750Sammy McLeodIFGlasgow00 Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare20 August 1955Free transferAlfred NobleIFHackney00 Briggs SportsSeptember 1955Free transferKen PlantCFNuneaton5919 BuryJanuary 1954UndisclosedPeter WrightWGColchester6713AmateurNovember 1951Free transfer
Transfers
In Date Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.Summer 1955CFMartyn KingAmateurFree transfer1 May 1955GKPercy Ames Tottenham HotspurFree transfer9 June 1955IFBobby Hill Easthouses Lily Miners WelfareFree transfer20 August 1955FBJohn Fowler Bonnyrigg Rose AthleticFree transfer20 August 1955IFSammy McLeod Easthouses Lily Miners WelfareFree transferSeptember 1955IFAlfred Noble Briggs SportsFree transfer1 September 1955FBGeorge Fisher Fulham£1,0008 September 1955WGRussell Blake Dedham Old BoysFree transferJanuary 1956CBBrian DobsonAmateurFree transfer Total spending: ~ £1,000
Out Date Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.End of seasonWHAustin Dunne TonbridgeReleasedSummer 1955FBDigger Kettle Sudbury TownFree transfer4 May 1955WHJimmy Elder Yeovil TownReleased4 May 1955FBFred Lewis Headington UnitedReleased4 May 1955WGCliff Birch Great Yarmouth TownFree transferJuly 1955IFPaddy Leonard TonbridgeFree transferAugust 1955IFJohnny McKim Clacton TownReleasedSeptember 1955CBRoy BicknellRetiredRetiredMarch 1956WGMike Grice West Ham United£9,000 Total incoming: ~ £9,000
Match details Third Division South
Results round by round
League table
Matches
FA Cup
Squad statistics
Appearances and goals
!colspan="14"|Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
Goalscorers
Place Nationality Position Name Third Division South FA Cup Total1CFKevin McCurley290292CFKen Plant170173WGPeter Wright9094WGMike Grice6065WHBob Dale202WHBenny Fenton202FBJohn Fowler202IFSammy McLeod2029FBGeorge Fisher101FBJohn Harrison101WHBert Hill101IFBobby Hill101CBReg Stewart101Own goals202TOTALS76076
Clean sheets Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet. Place Nationality Player Third Division South FA Cup Total1Percy Ames100102John Wright101TOTALS11011
Player debuts Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match. Position Nationality Player Date Opponent Ground NotesGKPercy Ames20 August 1955Exeter CitySt James ParkFBJohn Fowler20 August 1955Exeter CitySt James ParkIFSammy McLeod20 August 1955Exeter CitySt James ParkCBBilly Hunt27 August 1955Southend UnitedLayer RoadFBGeorge Fisher1 September 1955Bournemouth & Boscombe AthleticLayer RoadWGRussell Blake8 September 1955Leyton OrientBrisbane RoadIFAlfred Noble27 December 1955Ipswich TownPortman RoadCBBrian Dobson24 March 1956AldershotRecreation GroundIFBobby Hill2 April 1956WalsallFellows Park
See also List of Colchester United F.C. seasons
References General Books
Websites
Specific