The 1947–48 season was Colchester United's sixth season in their history and their sixth in the Southern League. Alongside competing in the Southern League, the club also participated in the FA Cup and Southern League Cup. The season was most notable for Colchester's run in the FA Cup, where they defeated three Football League clubs as they progressed to the fifth round, before being beaten 5–0 by First Division side Blackpool. They finished in 4th position in the Southern League, and while they ended as runners-up in the Southern League Cup, the final wasn't held until April 1949 due to fixture congestion.
Season overview Manager Ted Fenton's first-team squad had featured 28 part-time professionals during the 1946–47 season, but this number was reduced to 17 for the 1947–48 campaign, while signings such as Bob Allen and Harry Bearryman, and the emergence of Vic Keeble bolstered the ranks.
The 1947–48 season was most memorable for Colchester's magnificent run in the FA Cup. The competition began with a 3–2 win over league rivals Chelmsford City in the fourth qualifying round in front of a Layer Road crowd of 10,396. It was the second year in succession that the U's would reach the first round proper of the cup, having been defeated 5–0 by Reading at the same stage twelve months earlier. The result on this occasion would go in Colchester's favour, with 8,574 fans watching their 2–1 win against Banbury Spencer.
Third Division North side Wrexham visited Layer Road for the second round match, with the visitors falling to a 1–0 defeat courtesy of a Bob Curry goal in front of a 10,642 crowd. With the U's into the third round, it would be the club that inspired Colchester's own strip, Huddersfield Town of the First Division, that would taste defeat at the hands of the non–Leaguers. With the national press making Colchester's Cup progress headline news, Fenton welcomed the extra publicity. He watched Huddersfield play a number of times prior to the tie, declaring to the media that he had come up with a plan to beat them. The plan became known as "the F–plan". Both teams changed colours for the game, with visiting Huddersfield in red, and Colchester in blue. The First Division side struggled to adapt to the cramped surroundings of Layer Road, and when Bob Allen's free kick was parried away by the goalkeeper, U's captain Bob Curry scored from the rebound. This was the first time that a non–League side had beaten a First Division club, with a record crowd of 16,005 witnessing that game.
With the increased interest in Colchester's cup heroics, the crowd from the previous game could have trebled had Layer Road been able to accommodate the fans. The club welcomed Second Division Bradford Park Avenue to the ground on 24 January 1948, with a crowd of 17,048 in attendance. With their opponents wary of Colchester's reputation, Bradford would take the lead, only for Curry to net a brace before being pegged back to 2–2. Fred Cutting went on to score the winner to send the club into the fifth round.
Stanley Matthews' First Division Blackpool were drawn as hosts to Fenton's side. With the effects of the war still evident, fuel rationing meant that the 52 scheduled coaches for the journey to Bloomfield Road were cancelled just 36 hours ahead of the game, meaning that only 12 coaches could travel, and the remainder of the away fans would have to travel by train to the North West. This meant that they would arrive in Blackpool in the early hours the morning of the match, but this did not deter the supporters, with the West Lancashire Post reporting:
Despite the good natured support, the home team defeated the U's by 5–0 in front of a sell-out 29,500 Bloomfield Road crowd. However, the FA Cup success had an effect on Colchester's league form, with the club eventually finishing fourth, nine points adrift of champions Merthyr Tydfil. They also reached the final of the Southern League Cup, but ran out of time to play the final during the season owing to fixture congestion.
Following all of the attention garnered from the Cup run, Fenton was much sought after, and was offered the role of assistant manager at his old club West Ham United during the summer of 1948, a role which he could not refuse.
Players
Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth Apps Goals Signed from Date signed Fee GoalkeepersJohn Le MareGKIpswich00 Woodbridge TownNovember 1947Free transferErnest SetchellGKHammersmith00 Dartford5 June 1947Free transferHarry WrightGKTottenham230 Chelmsford City11 July 1946Free transfer DefendersBill BowerFBWrexham691 Millwall28 November 1945Free transferAubrey DarmodyFBSwansea00 Norwich City28 July 1947Free transferDigger KettleFBColchester161 Arclight SportsSeptember 1946Free transferAlbert PageCBWalthamstow120 Tottenham Hotspur26 March 1947Free transferAlbert WalkerFBLittle Lever360 Doncaster Rovers30 May 1946Free transfer MidfieldersHarry BearrymanWHWandsworth00 Chelsea4 July 1947Free transferArthur BiggsWHWootton42 Bedford Town7 May 1947Free transferTed FentonWHForest Gate362 West Ham United15 April 1946Free transferFrank StamperWH/IRHartlepool20Colchester Garrison Army Fire Fighting Centre3 March 1947Free transfer ForwardsBob AllenWGBromley-by-Bow00 Gainsborough Trinity13 June 1946Free transferAndy BrownIFCoatbridge00 Torquay United17 June 1947Free transferLen CaterCFColchester3913Free agent6 June 1946Free transferBob CurryIFGateshead3919 Northampton Town13 June 1947Free transferFred CuttingIFNorth Walsham00 Norwich City6 December 1947Free transferIan GillespieIFPlymouth51 Ipswich Town15 May 1947Free transferDennis HillmanWGSouthend-on-Sea347 Brighton & Hove Albion21 September 1946Free transferVic KeebleCFColchester00 King George Youth Club23 May 1947£10Bob NevilleOL72 RowhedgeOctober 1946Free transferRay TownrowIRWest Ham00 Wolverhampton Wanderers2 January 1948Free transferArthur TurnerCFPoplar3224 Charlton AthleticSeptember 1946Free transfer
Transfers
In Date Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.23 May 1947CFVic Keeble King George Youth Club£105 June 1947GKErnest Setchell DartfordFree transfer13 June 1947WGBob Allen Northampton TownFree transfer17 June 1947IFAndy Brown Torquay UnitedFree transfer26 June 1947CBFrank Rist Charlton AthleticFree transfer4 July 1947WHHarry Bearryman ChelseaFree transfer28 July 1947FBAubrey Darmody Norwich CityFree transfer13 September 1947WGTaffy Williams Northampton TownFree transferNovember 1947GKJohn Le Mare Woodbridge TownFree transfer6 December 1947IFFred Cutting Norwich CityFree transfer2 January 1948IRRay Townrow Wolverhampton WanderersFree transfer Total spending: ~ £10
Out Date Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.End of seasonLWBob HutchingsFree agentReleasedEnd of seasonIFTrevor Smith WatfordFree transferJuly 1947GKPeter Chiswick West Ham UnitedFree transferJune 1947OLAlan Ross Brantham AthleticPlayer-coachSeptember 1947CBBob HardingFree agentReleased9 October 1947CFDennis Cant Clacton TownFree transferDecember 1947GKJohn Jelly Colchester CasualsFree transfer1 December 1947CFBob Hodgson Brightlingsea UnitedManager27 December 1947RHJohn LeahFree agentRetired17 March 1948WGTaffy Williams Chingford TownFree transfer21 April 1948CBFrank Rist Tonbridge AngelsFree transfer
Match details Friendlies
Southern League
League table
Matches
Southern League Cup
FA Cup
Squad statistics
Appearances and goals
!colspan="14"|Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
Goalscorers
Place Nationality Position Name Southern League Southern League Cup FA Cup Total1IFBob Curry1767302CFArthur Turner2511273IFFred Cutting1221154CFLen Cater670135CFVic Keeble81096WGDennis Hillman51067WHHarry Bearryman2305WHTed Fenton4105IRRay Townrow320510IFAndy Brown201311WHArthur Biggs110212IFIan Gillespie0101CBFrank Rist0101Own goals3003TOTALS882710125
Captains Number of games played as team captain. Place Nationality Position Player Southern League Southern League Cup FA Cup Total1IFBob Curry153321193527TOTALS346848
Clean sheets Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet. Place Nationality Player Southern League Southern League Cup FA Cup Total1Harry Wright722112John Le Mare11023Ernest Setchell1001TOTALS93214
Player debuts Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match. Position Nationality Player Date Opponent Ground NotesWHHarry Bearryman30 August 1947Bedford TownThe EyrieCBFrank Rist30 August 1947Bedford TownThe EyrieWGBob Allen30 August 1947Bedford TownThe EyrieIFAndy Brown30 August 1947Bedford TownThe EyrieCFVic Keeble30 August 1947Bedford TownThe EyrieWGTaffy Williams27 September 1947Yeovil TownHuish Athletic GroundIFFred Cutting29 November 1947Banbury SpencerLayer RoadGKJohn Le Mare6 December 1947Barry TownJenner Park StadiumIRRay Townrow17 January 1948Bedford TownLayer RoadFBAubrey Darmody29 March 1948Guildford CitySt Joseph's RoadGKErnest Setchell24 April 1948Yeovil TownLayer Road
See also List of Colchester United F.C. seasons
References General
Specific