1954–55 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1954–55 season
Chairman Bill Allen[1]
Manager Jack Butler
(until 14 January)
Alf Miller & Claude Orrin
(January to March)
Benny Fenton
(from March)
Stadium Layer Road
Third Division South 24th (re-elected)
FA Cup 1st round
(eliminated by
Reading)
Top goalscorer League:
Ken Plant (13)
All:
Ken Plant (13)
Highest home attendance 10,809
v Southend United, 8 April 1955[2]
Lowest home attendance 3,517
v Torquay United, 31 March 1955[3]
Average home league attendance 7,284[4]
Biggest win 4–1
v Northampton Town, 4 September 1954
Biggest defeat 1–6
v Northampton Town, 18 April 1955
Football kit (white jersey with blue, vertical stripes; white shorts;; and blue socks with white, horizontal hoops).
Home colours

The 1954–55 season was Colchester United's 13th season in their history and their fifth 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. Following a replay, Colchester were knocked out of the FA Cup in the first round by Reading. Meanwhile, in the league, Colchester's poor run of form had Jack Butler allowed indefinite leave following a bout of ill health. After resigning in January 1955, Colchester appointed Benny Fenton as his replacement, and despite an upturn in form, a run of defeats at the end of the season meant Colchester needed to apply for re-election for the second successive season. Once more, all clubs applying for re-election were successful, with Colchester receiving 44 votes, behind Third Division North clubs Grimsby Town (49 votes) and Chester City (47 votes), but eleven votes ahead of division rivals Walsall.[5]

Season overview

Eight successive league defeats from October to December saw Colchester bottom of the league for Christmas Day, and the plight of the club had begun to have an effect on the health of manager Jack Butler. After falling ill in November, Butler was handed indefinite leave until by the club until the end of his contract in 1956. Suffering from a mental breakdown, Butler eventually resigned on 14 January 1955, while club secretary Claude Orrin was charged with finding a new manager.

During this transitional period, Orrin and Alf Miller took charge of the first-team, before appointing Benny Fenton as manager after attracting 48 applications for the vacancy. Despite a brief boost in on-field fortunes in March and early April, performances tailed off as Colchester picked up just one point in the final eight games of the campaign. The club finished bottom of the Football League and were again required to seek re-election, in which they were successful.[6]

Players

As of match played 4 May 1955.[7]
Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth Apps Goals Signed from Date signed Fee
Goalkeepers
George WrightGKEnglandPlymouth10 October 1919 (aged 34)2050England Plymouth ArgyleMay 1949£1,000
John WrightGKEnglandAldershot13 August 1933 (aged 20)00England Colchester Casuals23 May 1952Free transfer
Defenders
Roy BicknellCBEnglandDoncaster19 February 1926 (aged 28)290England Gravesend & NorthfleetJune 1952£1,000
George FrenchFBEnglandColchester10 November 1926 (aged 27)30England West Ham UnitedFebruary 1949Free transfer
John HarrisonFBEnglandLeicester27 September 1927 (aged 26)1700England Aston Villa30 September 1950[lower-alpha 1]Nominal
Billy HuntCBEnglandColchester25 November 1934 (aged 19)00AmateurAugust 1953Free transfer
Digger KettleFBEnglandColchester3 June 1922 (aged 31)1721England Arclight SportsSeptember 1946Free transfer
Fred LewisFBEnglandBroughton Gifford26 July 1923 (aged 30)480England ChelseaSummer 1953Free transfer
Reg StewartCBEnglandSheffield30 October 1925 (aged 28)2180England Sheffield Wednesday20 August 1949[lower-alpha 1]£1,000
Midfielders
Bob DaleWHEnglandIrlam31 October 1931 (aged 22)214England Bury24 December 1953£1,500
Austin DunneWHRepublic of IrelandLimerick31 July 1934 (aged 19)00Republic of Ireland LimerickOctober 1953Free transfer
Jimmy ElderWHScotlandScone5 March 1928 (aged 26)18214England Portsmouth19 August 1950[lower-alpha 1]£1,000
Benny FentonWHEnglandWest Ham10 October 1918 (aged 35)00England Charlton Athletic5 March 1955[lower-alpha 1]£500
Trevor HarrisWHEnglandColchester6 February 1936 (aged 18)00AmateurJuly 1951Free transfer
Bert HillWHEnglandWest Ham8 March 1930 (aged 24)171England ChelseaSeptember 1952£300
Ron HuntWHEnglandColchester26 September 1933 (aged 20)50AmateurOctober 1951Free transfer
Forwards
Cliff BirchWGWalesNewport1 September 1928 (aged 25)00Wales Newport CountyJune 1954£1,000
Mike GriceWGEnglandWoking3 November 1931 (aged 22)313England Lowestoft TownSummer 1952£25
Paddy LeonardIFRepublic of IrelandDublin25 July 1929 (aged 24)00England Bristol RoversJuly 1954Free transfer
Kevin McCurleyCFEnglandConsett2 April 1926 (aged 28)9234England LiverpoolJune 1951£750
Johnny McKimIFScotlandGreenock22 January 1926 (aged 28)10339England Chelsea19 August 1950[lower-alpha 1]£1,000
Ken PlantCFEnglandNuneaton15 August 1925 (aged 28)176England BuryJanuary 1954Undisclosed
Peter WrightWGEnglandColchester26 January 1934 (aged 20)444AmateurNovember 1951Free transfer
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 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.
Summer 1954 GK Scotland Jimmy Kirk England Bury Free transfer [8]
Summer 1954 FB England Ron George England Crystal Palace Free transfer [9]
June 1954 WH Northern Ireland Frank McCourt England Manchester City Nominal [10]
June 1954 WG Wales Cliff Birch Wales Newport County £1,000 [11]
July 1954 IF Republic of Ireland Paddy Leonard England Bristol Rovers Free transfer [12]
5 March 1955 WH England Benny Fenton England Charlton Athletic £500 [13][lower-alpha 1]
  • Total spending: Decrease ~ £1,500
  1. ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Out

Date Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
Summer 1954 GK England Frank Coombs England Gravesend & Northfleet Released [14]
Summer 1954 WH England Doug Keene England Dartford Released [15]
Summer 1954 WG England John Church England Crittall Athletic Released [16]
31 May 1954 WH England Harry Bearryman England Metropolitan Police Free transfer [17]
6 November 1954 WG England Peter Aitchison England Sittingbourne Free transfer [18][lower-alpha 1]
5 February 1955 FB England Ron George England Sudbury Town Free transfer [9][lower-alpha 1]
19 February 1955 WH Northern Ireland Frank McCourt England Poole Town Released [10][lower-alpha 1]
28 April 1955 GK Scotland Jimmy Kirk England Torquay United Free transfer [8][lower-alpha 1]
  1. 1 2 3 4 Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

Match details

Third Division South

Third Division South results round by round

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
GroundHAAHHHAAHHAAHHAHAHAAHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAHHHAAHAAHHA
ResultDDDLWLLLDWLWWLLLLLLLLDDDWWLLWDDWDDLLDWLLLLLDLL
Position14131519111619202018221914181921232323232323232323212223232322212122232323222323232324242424

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

League table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGAv1Pts2Promotion, qualification or relegation
20Crystal Palace4611161952800.65038
21Swindon Town4611152046640.71937
22Exeter City4611152047730.64437
23Walsall4610142275860.87234Re-elected to Third Division South
24Colchester United469132453910.58231

Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Number of goals scored

(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated; (R) Relegated.

Notes:

1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976–77 season.

2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.

Matches

FA Cup

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

[7][19]

No. Pos Nat Player TotalThird Division
South		FA Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GK England George Wright 14012020
GK England John Wright 202000
DF England John Harrison 35035000
DF England Digger Kettle 202000
DF England Fred Lewis 41039020
DF England Reg Stewart 47145120
MF England Bob Dale 34434400
MF Republic of Ireland Austin Dunne 101000
MF Scotland Jimmy Elder 30328221
MF England Benny Fenton 11211200
MF England Trevor Harris 101000
MF England Bert Hill 21019020
MF England Ron Hunt 26026000
FW Wales Cliff Birch 14412321
FW England Mike Grice 40738621
FW Republic of Ireland Paddy Leonard 34534500
FW England Kevin McCurley 18116120
FW Scotland Johnny McKim 34832721
FW England Ken Plant 4213401320
FW England Peter Wright 23923900
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
GK Scotland Jimmy Kirk 32032000
DF England Ron George 806020
MF Northern Ireland Frank McCourt 12012000
FW England Peter Aitchison 606000

Goalscorers

[19]

Place Nationality Position Name Third Division South FA Cup Total
1 England CF Ken Plant 13 0 13
2 England WG Peter Wright 9 0 9
3 Scotland IF Johnny McKim 7 1 8
4 England WG Mike Grice 6 1 7
5 Republic of Ireland IF Paddy Leonard 5 0 5
6 Wales WG Cliff Birch 3 1 4
England WH Bob Dale 4 0 4
8 Scotland WH Jimmy Elder 2 1 3
9 England WH Benny Fenton 2 0 2
10 England CF Kevin McCurley 1 0 1
England CB Reg Stewart 1 0 1
Own goals 0 0 0
TOTALS 53 4 57

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[20]

Place Nationality Player Third Division South FA Cup Total
1 Scotland Jimmy Kirk 7 0 7
2 England George Wright 4 0 4
TOTALS 11 0 11

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[21]

Position Nationality Player Date Opponent Ground Notes
GK Scotland Jimmy Kirk 21 August 1954 Swindon Town Layer Road
WH Northern Ireland Frank McCourt 21 August 1954 Swindon Town Layer Road
WG Wales Cliff Birch 21 August 1954 Swindon Town Layer Road
IF Republic of Ireland Paddy Leonard 21 August 1954 Swindon Town Layer Road
FB England Ron George 16 October 1954 Brentford Griffin Park
WH England Benny Fenton 5 March 1955 Brentford Layer Road
WH Republic of Ireland Austin Dunne 9 April 1955 Gillingham Priestfield
WH England Trevor Harris 18 April 1955 Northampton Town County Ground
GK England John Wright 30 April 1955 Southampton 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.
    • White, Eric (1989). 100 Years of Brentford. Redditch: Oldfield Press. ISBN 0951526200.

    Websites

    • "Colchester United football club match record: 1955". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
    • "Statistics 1954/55". The Millwall History Files. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
    • "1950/51 to 1959/60" (PDF). Watford Football Club archive 1881–2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.

    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 2–0 Southend United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
    3. ↑ "Colchester Utd 0–2 Torquay United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
    4. ↑ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
    5. ↑ "A history of admission to the Football League". Nonleaguematters.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
    6. ↑ Hudson, Matt (11 July 2012). "The 1950s and 1960s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
    7. 1 2 "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
    8. 1 2 "Jimmy Kirk". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    9. 1 2 "Ron George". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    10. 1 2 "Frank McCourt". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    11. ↑ "Cliff Birch". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    12. ↑ "Paddy Leonard". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    13. ↑ "Benny Fenton". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    14. ↑ "Frank Coombs". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    15. ↑ "Doug Keene". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    16. ↑ "John Church". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    17. ↑ "Harry Bearryman". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    18. ↑ "Peter Aitchison". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    19. 1 2 "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
    20. ↑ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
    21. ↑ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
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