1960–61 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1960–61 season
ChairmanBill Allen[1]
ManagerBenny Fenton
StadiumLayer Road
Third Division23rd (relegated)
FA Cup2nd round
(eliminated by
Aldershot)
League Cup2nd round
(eliminated by
Southampton)
Top goalscorerLeague:
Martyn King (23)
All:
Martyn King (25)
Highest home attendance9,130
v Newcastle United, 10 October 1960[2]
Lowest home attendance3,141
v Chesterfield, 29 April 1961[3]
Average home league attendance5,203[4]
Biggest win5–0
v Maidenhead United, 5 November 1960
Biggest defeat0–5
v Bristol City, 10 September 1960;
2–7
v Tranmere Rovers, 11 March 1961

The 1960–61 season was Colchester United's 19th season in their history and their eleventh season in the third tier of English football, the Third Division. Alongside competing in the Third Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup and the new League Cup competition. Colchester reached the second round in both cups, beating Maidenhead United in the first round of the FA Cup before being eliminated by Aldershot. In the League Cup, Colchester hosted First Division Newcastle United in the first round. They won 4–1, but were knocked out by Southampton in round two.

In the league, Colchester had a very poor season. Seven consecutive defeats left the club languishing in the bottom four by early October 1960, and they remained no higher than one place above the relegation positions for the rest of the season. They were relegated for the first time in their history in 23rd position.

Season overview

After gathering just one point in eleven games, Colchester had hit the bottom of the Third Division by October 1960 and never managed to climb out of the bottom five places. Average attendances plummeted, with a new record–low attendance of 3,141 achieved in the final game of the season against Chesterfield. Despite this, Martyn King managed to score a hat–trick in the game, a 4–3 win for Colchester and finished the season with 25 goals to his name. Colchester had conceded a club record 101 goals in the league.

Aside from Colchester's league woes, they did enjoy some success in the inaugural League Cup competition. They hosted First Division Newcastle United at Layer Road and comprehensively beat them 4–1 in front of a season-best 9,130 crowd. In round two, they were beaten 2–0 at home to Southampton. In the FA Cup, Colchester achieved their best win of the season at home to Maidenhead United in the first round, but were dumped out of the cup by Aldershot in round two.[5]

Players

As of match played 29 April 1961.[6]
Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth Apps Goals Signed from Date signed Fee
Goalkeepers
Percy Ames GK England Plymouth (1931-12-13)13 December 1931 (aged 28) 238 0 England Tottenham Hotspur 1 May 1955 Free transfer
John Wright GK England Aldershot (1933-08-13)13 August 1933 (aged 26) 4 0 England Colchester Casuals 23 May 1952 Free transfer
Defenders
Peter Carey FB England Barking (1933-04-14)14 April 1933 (aged 27) 0 0 England Queens Park Rangers November 1960 Undisclosed
Alan Eagles FB England Edgware (1933-09-06)6 September 1933 (aged 26) 0 0 England Leyton Orient January 1961 £3,000
John Fowler FB Scotland Leith (1933-10-17)17 October 1933 (aged 26) 201 3 Scotland Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic 20 August 1955[a] Free transfer
John Laidlaw FB England Aldershot (1936-07-05)5 July 1936 (aged 23) 40 1 Scotland Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare June 1957 Free transfer
Alf Marshall FB England Dagenham (1933-05-21)21 May 1933 (aged 27) 29 0 England Dagenham 14 October 1957 £25
Tommy Millar FB Scotland Edinburgh (1938-12-03)3 December 1938 (aged 21) 5 0 Scotland Bo'ness United July 1959 Free transfer
Edgar Rumney FB England Abberton (1936-09-15)15 September 1936 (aged 23) 5 0 England Colchester Casuals 1 May 1957 Free transfer
Midfielders
Cyril Hammond WH England Woolwich (1927-10-10)10 October 1927 (aged 32) 81 1 England Charlton Athletic July 1958 Free transfer
Trevor Harris WH England Colchester (1936-02-06)6 February 1936 (aged 24) 11 0 Amateur July 1951 Free transfer
Ron Hunt WH England Colchester (1933-09-26)26 September 1933 (aged 26) 62 0 Amateur October 1951 Free transfer
Derek Parker WH England Wivenhoe (1926-06-23)23 June 1926 (aged 33) 124 1 England West Ham United March 1957 £2,500
Forwards
John Baines CF England Colchester (1937-09-25)25 September 1937 (aged 22) 0 0 England Colchester Casuals January 1960 Free transfer
Bobby Hill IF Scotland Edinburgh (1938-06-09)9 June 1938 (aged 21) 101 13 Scotland Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare 9 June 1955 Free transfer
Tony Howe WG England Colchester (1939-02-14)14 February 1939 (aged 21) 0 0 England Colchester Casuals March 1960 Free transfer
Bobby Hunt FW England Colchester (1942-10-01)1 October 1942 (aged 17) 1 1 Amateur March 1960 Free transfer
Martyn King CF England Birmingham (1937-08-23)23 August 1937 (aged 22) 46 31 Amateur Summer 1955 Free transfer
Sammy McLeod IF Scotland Glasgow (1934-01-04)4 January 1934 (aged 26) 119 19 Scotland Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare 20 August 1955[a] Free transfer
Tony Miller IF England Chelmsford (1937-10-26)26 October 1937 (aged 22) 0 0 Amateur May 1958 Free transfer
Tommy Williams WG England Battersea (1935-02-10)10 February 1935 (aged 25) 118 23 England Carshalton Athletic September 1956 Free transfer
Peter Wright WG England Colchester (1934-01-26)26 January 1934 (aged 26) 300 63 Amateur November 1951 Free transfer
  1. ^ a b Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Transfers

In

Date Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
November 1960 FB England Peter Carey England Queens Park Rangers Undisclosed [7]
January 1961 FB England Alan Eagles England Leyton Orient £3,000 [8]
  • Total spending: Decrease ~ £3,000

Out

Date Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
Summer 1960 FB England George Fisher England Bexleyheath & Welling Released [9]
Summer 1960 CF England Kevin McCurley England Oldham Athletic Nominal [10]
June 1960 IF England John Evans England Romford Released [11]
3 April 1961 WG England Russell Blake England Chelmsford City Released [12][a]
22 April 1961 CB Scotland Chic Milligan England Clacton Town Released [13][a]
24 April 1961 CF England Neil Langman England Bath City Released [14][a]
  1. ^ a b c Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

Match details

Third Division

Main article: 1960–61 Football League

Results round by round

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundHHAAHHAAHAAHHHAHAAHHAAAHHAHHAAHAAHAAHAHHAAHAHH
ResultWDLLWWLLLLLLLDLLDWDWWDLDDLLLLLLDLWWLLDLWLDWDLW
Position4191413512151820232424232424242323222020202020222323232323232323222323242424242424242423
Source: 11v11.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

League table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts Promotion or relegation
20 Southend United 46 14 11 21 60 76 0.789 39
21 Tranmere Rovers 46 15 8 23 79 115 0.687 38 Relegated
22 Bradford City 46 11 14 21 65 87 0.747 36
23 Colchester United 46 11 11 24 68 101 0.673 33
24 Chesterfield 46 10 12 24 67 87 0.770 32
Source: [citation needed]

Matches

20 August 1960 (1960-08-20) 1 Colchester United 4–0 Hull City Colchester
Hammond pen.' pen.'
King 		Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,731
22 August 1960 (1960-08-22) 2 Colchester United 1–1 Grimsby Town Colchester
King Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 7,194
27 August 1960 (1960-08-27) 3 Reading 2–1 Colchester United Reading
Lacey 15'
Wheeler 66'		 Report Howe 37' Stadium: Elm Park
Attendance: 7,775
30 August 1960 (1960-08-30) 4 Grimsby Town 2–1 Colchester United Cleethorpes
Unknown goalscorer Report King Stadium: Blundell Park
Attendance: 11,000
3 September 1960 (1960-09-03) 5 Colchester United 4–3 Coventry City Colchester
Hammond pen.'
King
Langman
Williams 		Report Myerscough
Straw 		Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,431
5 September 1960 (1960-09-05) 6 Colchester United 4–2 Barnsley Colchester
Hammond pen.'
King
Howe 		Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,034
10 September 1960 (1960-09-10) 7 Bristol City 5–0 Colchester United Bristol
Unknown goalscorer Report Stadium: Ashton Gate Stadium
Attendance: 11,808
14 September 1960 (1960-09-14) 8 Barnsley 3–0 Colchester United Barnsley
Unknown goalscorer Report Stadium: Oakwell
Attendance: 3,000
17 September 1960 (1960-09-17) 9 Colchester United 0–1 Queens Park Rangers Colchester
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,750
20 September 1960 (1960-09-20) 10 Bury 4–0 Colchester United Bury
Unknown goalscorer Report Stadium: Gigg Lane
Attendance: 9,253
24 September 1960 (1960-09-24) 11 Notts County 4–2 Colchester United Nottingham
Unknown goalscorer Report Langman
Williams 		Stadium: Meadow Lane
Attendance: 14,134
26 September 1960 (1960-09-26) 12 Colchester United 0–2 Bury Colchester
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,263
1 October 1960 (1960-10-01) 13 Colchester United 0–1 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Colchester
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,576
8 October 1960 (1960-10-08) 14 Colchester United 1–1 Shrewsbury Town Colchester
Langman Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,191
15 October 1960 (1960-10-15) 15 Halifax Town 2–1 Colchester United Halifax
Unknown goalscorer Report King Stadium: The Shay
Attendance: 6,210
22 October 1960 (1960-10-22) 16 Colchester United 0–3 Tranmere Rovers Colchester
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,569
29 October 1960 (1960-10-29) 17 Watford 2–2 Colchester United Watford
Bunce
Holton 		Report King
Williams pen.'		 Stadium: Vicarage Road
Attendance: 13,031
12 November 1960 (1960-11-12) 18 Swindon Town 0–2 Colchester United Swindon
Report
Report		 Langman Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 11,782
19 November 1960 (1960-11-19) 19 Colchester United 3–3 Torquay United Colchester
B. Hunt
Fowler
Langman 		Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,483
3 December 1960 (1960-12-03) 20 Colchester United 2–0 Southend United Colchester
Langman
Williams 		Report
Report		 Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,007
10 December 1960 (1960-12-10) 21 Chesterfield 2–3 Colchester United Chesterfield
Havenhand
Frear 		Report Fowler 49'
Harris 88' (pen.)
King 		Stadium: Saltergate
Attendance: 3,342
17 December 1960 (1960-12-17) 22 Hull City 1–1 Colchester United Kingston upon Hull
Sewell Report King Stadium: Boothferry Park
Attendance: 6,047
22 December 1960 (1960-12-22) 23 Newport County 3–2 Colchester United Newport
Burton
Meyer 		Report King
Langman 		Stadium: Somerton Park
Attendance: 6,182
26 December 1960 (1960-12-26) 24 Colchester United 1–1 Newport County Colchester
King Report McPherson Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,732
31 December 1960 (1960-12-31) 25 Colchester United 2–2 Reading Colchester
Langman
Williams 		Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,252
14 January 1961 (1961-01-14) 26 Coventry City 2–0 Colchester United Coventry
Kletzenbauer
Straw 		Report Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 10,197
21 January 1961 (1961-01-21) 27 Colchester United 0–1 Bristol City Colchester
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,099
28 January 1961 (1961-01-28) 28 Colchester United 2–4 Brentford Colchester
B. Hunt
Williams 		Report Rainford
Bristow
Towers 		Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,040
4 February 1961 (1961-02-04) 29 Queens Park Rangers 3–2 Colchester United Shepherd's Bush
Unknown goalscorer Report P. Wright
Williams 		Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 10,232
6 February 1961 (1961-02-06) 30 Port Vale 3–0 Colchester United Burslem
Poole
Portwood 		Report Stadium: Vale Park
Attendance: 6,504
11 February 1961 (1961-02-11) 31 Colchester United 1–2 Notts County Colchester
Williams Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,634
18 February 1961 (1961-02-18) 32 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 4–4 Colchester United Bournemouth
Unknown goalscorer Report Own goal o.g.'
King
McLeod 		Stadium: Dean Court
Attendance: 6,712
25 February 1961 (1961-02-25) 33 Southend United 2–1 Colchester United Southend-on-Sea
Fryatt
McKinven 		Report
Report		 Eagles Stadium: Roots Hall
Attendance: 6,047
4 March 1961 (1961-03-04) 34 Colchester United 3–1 Halifax Town Colchester
McLeod
Harris pen.'		 Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,710
7 March 1961 (1961-03-07) 35 Bradford City 0–1 Colchester United Bradford
Report King Stadium: Valley Parade
Attendance: 7,590
11 March 1961 (1961-03-11) 36 Tranmere Rovers 7–2 Colchester United Birkenhead
Unknown goalscorer Report Own goal o.g.'
King 		Stadium: Prenton Park
Attendance: 11,299
18 March 1961 (1961-03-18) 37 Colchester United 1–4 Watford Colchester
Langman Report Bunce
Nicholas
Walker 		Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,648
25 March 1961 (1961-03-25) 38 Brentford 0–0 Colchester United Brentford
Report Stadium: Griffin Park
Attendance: 4,600
31 March 1961 (1961-03-31) 39 Colchester United 0–4 Walsall Colchester
Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,480
1 April 1961 (1961-04-01) 40 Colchester United 3–1 Swindon Town Colchester
B. Hunt 27'
King 52'
P. Wright 75'		 Report
Report		 Woodruff 2' Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 3,182
Referee: A. Sturgeon
3 April 1961 (1961-04-03) 41 Walsall 3–0 Colchester United Walsall
Unknown goalscorer Report Stadium: Fellows Park
Attendance: 12,985
8 April 1961 (1961-04-08) 42 Torquay United 1–1 Colchester United Torquay
Unknown goalscorer Report Hill Stadium: Plainmoor
Attendance: 4,047
15 April 1961 (1961-04-15) 43 Colchester United 2–0 Port Vale Colchester
King Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 3,500
22 April 1961 (1961-04-22) 44 Shrewsbury Town 2–2 Colchester United Shrewsbury
McLaughlin 30'
Baker 55'		 Report R. Hunt 27'
B. Hunt 59'		 Stadium: Gay Meadow
Attendance: 6,891
24 April 1961 (1961-04-24) 45 Colchester United 2–4 Bradford City Colchester
Langman
P. Wright 		Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 3,542
29 April 1961 (1961-04-29) 46 Colchester United 4–3 Chesterfield Colchester
Own goal o.g.'
King 		Report Unknown goalscorer Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 3,141

League Cup

Main article: 1960–61 Football League Cup
10 October 1960 (1960-10-10) 1st round Colchester United 4–1 Newcastle United Colchester
Williams 2'
King 4', 85'
P. Wright 44'		 Report Neale 46' Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 9,130
31 October 1960 (1960-10-31) 2nd round Colchester United 0–2 Southampton Colchester
Report Paine
Sydenham 		Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,264

FA Cup

Main article: 1960–61 FA Cup
5 November 1960 (1960-11-05) 1st round Colchester United 5–0 Maidenhead United Colchester
B. Hunt 43', 76'
Langman 44', 78'
Williams 86'		 Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,771
26 November 1960 (1960-11-26) 2nd round Aldershot 3–1 Colchester United Aldershot
Kirkup 20', 77', 79' Report Hill 51' Stadium: Recreation Ground
Attendance: 8,425

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

[6][15]

No. Pos Nat Player Total Third Division FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England ENG Percy Ames 49 0 45 0 2 0 2 0
GK England ENG John Wright 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
DF England ENG Peter Carey 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 0
DF England ENG Alan Eagles 16 1 16 1 0 0 0 0
DF Scotland SCO John Fowler 49 2 45 2 2 0 2 0
DF England ENG John Laidlaw 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
DF England ENG Alf Marshall 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
DF Scotland SCO Tommy Millar 17 0 14 0 2 0 1 0
DF England ENG Edgar Rumney 18 0 17 0 0 0 1 0
MF England ENG Cyril Hammond 19 4 19 4 0 0 0 0
MF England ENG Trevor Harris 31 2 27 2 2 0 2 0
MF England ENG Ron Hunt 32 1 28 1 2 0 2 0
MF England ENG Derek Parker 14 0 14 0 0 0 0 0
FW England ENG John Baines 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
FW Scotland SCO Bobby Hill 37 2 33 1 2 1 2 0
FW England ENG Tony Howe 10 2 10 2 0 0 0 0
FW England ENG Bobby Hunt 29 6 27 4 2 2 0 0
FW England ENG Martyn King 41 25 38 23 1 0 2 2
FW Scotland SCO Sammy McLeod 22 3 20 3 1 0 1 0
FW England ENG Tommy Williams 40 10 36 8 2 1 2 1
FW England ENG Peter Wright 23 4 21 3 0 0 2 1
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
DF Scotland SCO Chic Milligan 42 0 38 0 2 0 2 0
FW England ENG Russell Blake 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 0
FW England ENG Neil Langman 37 13 34 11 2 2 1 0

Goalscorers

[15]

Place Nationality Position Name Third Division FA Cup League Cup Total
1 England CF Martyn King 23 0 2 25
2 England CF Neil Langman 11 2 0 13
3 England WG Tommy Williams 8 1 1 10
4 England FW Bobby Hunt 4 2 0 6
5 England WH Cyril Hammond 4 0 0 4
England WG Peter Wright 3 0 1 4
7 Scotland IF Sammy McLeod 3 0 0 3
8 Scotland FB John Fowler 2 0 0 2
England WH Trevor Harris 2 0 0 2
Scotland IF Bobby Hill 1 1 0 2
England WG Tony Howe 2 0 0 2
12 England FB Alan Eagles 1 0 0 1
England WH Ron Hunt 1 0 0 1
Own goals 3 0 0 3
TOTALS 68 6 4 78

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[16]

Place Nationality Player Third Division FA Cup League Cup Total
1 England Percy Ames 6 1 0 7
TOTALS 6 1 0 7

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[17]

Position Nationality Player Date Opponent Ground Notes
WG England Tony Howe 20 August 1960 Hull City Layer Road
FB England Peter Carey 14 January 1961 Coventry City Highfield Road
FB England Alan Eagles 14 January 1961 Coventry City Highfield Road
CF England John Baines 4 March 1961 Halifax Town Layer Road

See also

References

General

Books

  • Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.
  • Ambrosen, Tony (1993). Amber in the Blood: A History Of Newport County. Uxbridge: Yore Publications. ISBN 978-1-874427-40-7.
  • Kent, Jeff (1990). The Valiants' Years: The Story of Port Vale. Stafford: Witan Books. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  • White, Eric (1989). 100 Years of Brentford. Redditch: Oldfield Press. ISBN 0951526200.

Websites

Specific

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Colchester Utd 4–1 Newcastle United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Colchester Utd 4–3 Chesterfield". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  5. ^ Hudson, Matt (11 July 2012). "The 1950s and 1960s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Peter Carey". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Alan Eagles". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  9. ^ "George Fisher". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Kevin McCurley". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  11. ^ "John Evans". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Russell Blake". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Chic Milligan". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  14. ^ "Neil Langman". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  16. ^ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  17. ^ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2016.