1956–57 Colchester United F.C. season

March 2016 March 2016 Colchester United 1956–57 Bill AllenWhitehead Jeff Drury Kevin The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years 2008 Breedon Books Derby 978-1-85983-629-3 278 Benny Fenton Layer Road Third Division South 3rd FA Cup 1st round(eliminated bySouthend United) Ken Plant (24) Ken Plant (24) 18,559v Ipswich Town, 16 February 1957http://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=match&pd=1022&sort=shan&order=asc&fsea=17&frt=all&fhan=all&it=676 Colchester Utd 0–0 Ipswich Town Coludata.co.uk 14 March 2016 5,899v Northampton Town, 22 December 1956http://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=match&pd=1022&sort=shan&order=asc&fsea=17&frt=all&fhan=all&it=666 Colchester Utd 1–2 Millwall Coludata.co.uk 14 March 2016 9,351http://coludaybyday.co.uk/Statistics/Club%20Stats/LeagueAveragesAttendance.html Average Attendance Figures Per Season Coludaybyday.co.uk 14 March 2016 6–0v Shrewsbury Town, 29 September 1956 1–4v Southend United, 17 November 1956;1–4v Swindon Town, 27 April 1957 Home _white_stripes _whitestripes3 _white_stripes _3whitehoops 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF FFFFFF 0000FF Football kit (white jersey with blue, vertical stripes; white shorts;; and blue socks with white, horizontal hoops). 1955–56 1957–58 The 1956–57 season was Colchester United's 15th season in their history and their seventh 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 Southend United in the first round in the first Essex derby in a cup competition. The season would be Colchester United's highest league finish for 50 years by ending their campaign in third position. It has only been bettered on three occasions; the 2005–06 season, 2006–07 season and the 2007–08 season. Season overview The 1956–57 season proved to be Colchester United's best finish in their history, ending the season in third position in the third tier with a result that was not bettered until 2006. For the majority of the season, Colchester were favourites for promotion, during which time they went 20 league games unbeaten between December 1956 and Easter 1957. Colchester and rivals Ipswich Town vied for the top spot for much of the season. Colchester were seven-points ahead of their third-placed rivals when the two sides met at Layer Road on 16 February 1957. A record crowd of 18,559 witnessed the 0–0 draw, with over 4,000 fans turned away and over 100 spectators witnessing the action from the roof of the Popular Side stand. Player-manager Benny Fenton missed a 21st-minute penalty during the match, which was saved by Ipswich goalkeeper Roy Bailey. A 2–1 win over second-placed Torquay United, who trailed by four points as a result, improved Colchester's title credentials. However, the loss of influential players to injury including Bob Dale and Chic Milligan damaged Colchester's hopes. Three consecutive draws in late March and early April allowed Torquay to close the gap to just one point, with Ipswich five points adrift. Over Easter 1957, Colchester lost three consecutive away games at Millwall, Walsall and Swindon Town, but won their final game of the season 2–0 against Watford to put them back at the top of the table, but both Ipswich and Torquay's final matches were 24 hours later. Both sides won their final games, with Colchester slipping to third position in the table and Ipswich were promoted as champions, level on points with Torquay but with a better goal average, while they finished one point ahead of Colchester. Colchester played the entire season unbeaten at Layer Road.http://www.cu-fc.com/news/article/history-1950s-and-1960s-230131.aspx The 1950s and 1960s Hudson Matt 11 July 2012 Colchester United FC 17 May 2011 Players match played 29 April 1957.http://coludata.co.uk/content.php?pg=appearances&pd=1010#frmft=True&pg=appearances&pd=1010&fsea=17&fplist=all&flgcup=all&fcompstShowAll=&fdfaShowAll= Appearances Coludata.co.uk 14 March 2016 Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth Apps Goals Signed from Date signed Fee GoalkeepersPercy AmesGKENGPlymouth1956 6 1 1931 12 13 y450ENG Tottenham Hotspur1 May 1955Free transferJohn WrightGKENGAldershot1956 6 1 1933 8 13 y40ENG Colchester Casuals23 May 1952Free transfer DefendersBrian DobsonCBENGColchester1956 6 1 1934 3 1 y60AmateurJanuary 1956Free transferGeorge FisherFBENGBermondsey1956 6 1 1925 6 19 y431ENG Fulham1 September 1955£1,000John FowlerFBSCOLeith1956 6 1 1933 10 17 y162SCO Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic20 August 1955DG Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the clubFree transferChic MilliganCBSCOArdrossan1956 6 1 1930 7 26 y00SCO Ardrossan Winton Rovers18 August 1956DG£1,000Reg StewartCBENGSheffield1956 6 1 1925 10 30 y3072ENG Sheffield Wednesday20 August 1949DG£1,000 MidfieldersBenny FentonWHENGWest Ham1956 6 1 1918 10 10 y444ENG Charlton Athletic5 March 1955DG£500Trevor HarrisWHENGColchester1956 6 1 1936 2 6 y30AmateurJuly 1951Free transferBert HillWHENGWest Ham1956 6 1 1930 3 8 y602ENG ChelseaSeptember 1952£300Ron HuntWHENGColchester1956 6 1 1933 9 26 y340AmateurOctober 1951Free transferDerek ParkerWHENGWivenhoe1956 6 1 1926 6 23 y00ENG West Ham UnitedMarch 1957£2,500 ForwardsLes BarrellWGENGColchester1956 6 1 1932 8 30 y00ENG Lexden WanderersSummer 1956Free transferRussell BlakeWGENGColchester1956 6 1 1935 7 24 y50ENG Dedham Old Boys8 September 1955DGFree transferBobby HillIFSCOEdinburgh1956 6 1 1938 6 9 y41SCO Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare9 June 1955Free transferMartyn KingCFENGBirmingham1956 6 1 1937 8 23 y00AmateurSummer 1955Free transferKevin McCurleyCFENGConsett1956 6 1 1926 4 2 y15764ENG LiverpoolJune 1951£750Sammy McLeodIFSCOGlasgow1956 6 1 1934 1 4 y432SCO Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare20 August 1955DGFree transferKen PlantCFENGNuneaton1956 6 1 1925 8 15 y9636ENG BuryJanuary 1954UndisclosedEddie SmithIFENGMarylebone1956 6 1 1939 3 23 y00ENG Northampton TownJune 1956UndisclosedTommy WilliamsWGENGBattersea1956 6 1 1935 2 10 y00ENG Carshalton AthleticSeptember 1956Free transferPeter WrightWGENGColchester1956 6 1 1934 1 26 y11322AmateurNovember 1951Free transfer Transfers In Date Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.Summer 1956WGENGLes BarrellENG Lexden WanderersFree transferhttp://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=216 Les Barrell Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 June 1956IFENGEddie SmithENG Northampton TownUndisclosedhttp://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=218 Eddie Smith Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 18 August 1956CBSCOChic MilliganSCO Ardrossan Winton Rovers£1,000http://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=217 Chic Milligan Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 DG Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the clubSeptember 1956WGENGTommy WilliamsENG Carshalton AthleticFree transferhttp://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=220 Tommy Williams Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 March 1957WHENGDerek ParkerENG West Ham United£2,500http://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=221 Derek Parker Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 Total spending: ~ £3,500 Out Date Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.End of seasonGKENGGeorge WrightENG Sudbury TownFree transferhttp://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=160 George Wright Coludata.co.uk 8 March 2016 End of seasonIFENGAlfred NobleENG LeytonstoneFree transferhttp://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=213 Alf Noble Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 Summer 1956CBENGBilly HuntENG Sudbury TownReleasedhttp://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=210 Billy Hunt Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 September 1956FBENGJohn HarrisonFree agentRetiredhttp://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=172 John Harrison Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 16 February 1957WHENGBob DaleFree agentRetiredhttp://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=197 Bob Dale Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 FG Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the clubMarch 1957FBENGGeorge FrenchRetiredRetiredhttp://coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=190 George French Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 Match details Third Division South 1956–57 Football League Results round by round table b Round Ground H/A/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/H/H/A/A/A/H Result W/W/L/D/D/L/D/W/W/W/L/W/W/L/W/L/W/D/D/W/L/L/W/D/W/D/W/W/W/W/W/W/D/D/W/D/D/W/D/D/D/W/L/L/L/W Position 4/4/10/7/11/14/15/12/9/4/8/2/1/3/3/3/4/3/3/3/4/5/4/4/3/3/3/2/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/2/3/3 Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss green1 red1 11v11.com March 2016 League table Third Division South y COL Matches 1956 08 18 y 1 Colchester United 3–2 ReportReport Southend United P. Wright 14McCurley 16Barrell 36 Duthie 24Stirling 71 Layer Road Colchester 11,454 W 1956 08 22 y 2 Crystal Palace 2–4 Report Colchester United Unknown goalscorer Smith Plant Selhurst Park Selhurst 9,400 W 1956 08 25 y 3 Northampton Town 1–0 Report Colchester United Unknown goalscorer County Ground Northampton 9,869 L 1956 08 27 y 4 Colchester United 3–3 Report Crystal Palace Fenton pen.Bobby Hill Fowler Unknown goalscorer Layer Road Colchester 6,979 D 1956 09 01 y 5 Colchester United 1–1 Report Queens Park Rangers Plant Unknown goalscorer Layer Road Colchester 8,179 D 1956 09 05 y 6 Southampton 2–1 Report Colchester United Shields Walker Plant The Dell Southampton 11,783 L 1956 09 08 y 7 Plymouth Argyle 2–2 ReportReport Colchester United Kearns Rowley Smith P. Wright Home Park Plymouth 9,702 D 1956 09 10 y 8 Colchester United 3–1 Report Southampton Smith Plant McCurley Mulgrew Layer Road Colchester 7,208 W 1956 09 15 y 9 Colchester United 3–2 Report Reading Fenton pen.Dale Plant Unknown goalscorer Layer Road Colchester 8,908 W 1956 09 19 y 10 Exeter City 0–2 Report Colchester United Smith Plant St James Park Exeter 8,360 W 1956 09 22 y 11 Newport County 1–0 Report Colchester United Sheppeard Somerton Park Newport 12,426 L 1956 09 24 y 12 Colchester United 4–0 Report Exeter City Fenton Plant McCurley Layer Road Colchester 6,754 W 1956 09 29 y 13 Colchester United 6–0 Report Shrewsbury Town Fisher Plant McCurley Layer Road Colchester 9,784 W 1956 10 06 y 14 Ipswich Town 3–1 ReportReport Colchester United Phillips 42 47 54 Plant 86 Portman Road Ipswich 20,431 J. Barradell L 1956 10 13 y 15 Colchester United 3–0 Report Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Smith Plant McCurley Layer Road Colchester 9,363 W 1956 10 20 y 16 Torquay United 4–2 Report Colchester United Unknown goalscorer Dale Bobby Hill Plainmoor Torquay 8,753 L 1956 10 27 y 17 Colchester United 2–1 Report Millwall McCurley P. Wright Shepherd Layer Road Colchester 9,548 W 1956 11 03 y 18 Brighton & Hove Albion 0–0 Report Colchester United Goldstone Ground Hove 13,601 D 1956 11 10 y 19 Colchester United 0–0 Report Gillingham Layer Road Colchester 8,891 D 1956 11 24 y 20 Colchester United 1–0 Report Brentford Bobby Hill Layer Road Colchester 7,290 W 1956 12 01 y 21 Aldershot 2–1 Report Colchester United Unknown goalscorer Bobby Hill Recreation Ground Aldershot 4,416 L 1956 12 15 y 22 Southend United 3–2 ReportReport Colchester United Barker 31McGuigan 37Thomson 65 Milligan 46Plant 76 Roots Hall Southend-on-Sea 8,100 L 1956 12 22 y 23 Colchester United 5–1 Report Northampton Town Smith P. Wright McLeod Unknown goalscorer Layer Road Colchester 5,899 W 1956 12 25 y 24 Colchester United 1–1 Report Norwich City Plant Unknown goalscorer Layer Road Colchester 6,376 D 1956 12 26 y 25 Norwich City 1–2 Report Colchester United Unknown goalscorer King Williams Carrow Road Norwich 8,462 W 1956 12 29 y 26 Queens Park Rangers 1–1 Report Colchester United Unknown goalscorer Fisher pen. Loftus Road Shepherd's Bush 8,760 D 1957 01 05 y 27 Colchester United 3–2 Report Coventry City Bobby Hill Plant P. Wright McPherson Rogers Layer Road Colchester 7,302 W 1957 01 12 y 28 Colchester United 2–1 ReportReport Plymouth Argyle Plant Williams Rowley Layer Road Colchester 7,732 W 1957 01 19 y 29 Reading 0–3 Report Colchester United Smith Elm Park Reading 9,502 W 1957 01 26 y 30 Coventry City 2–4 Report Colchester United Boxley pen.Simpson Fenton Smith Plant P. Wright Highfield Road Coventry 14,834 W 1957 02 02 y 31 Colchester United 1–0 Report Newport County Bobby Hill Layer Road Colchester 9,705 W 1957 02 09 y 32 Shrewsbury Town 1–3 Report Colchester United Unknown goalscorer Plant Williams Gay Meadow Shrewsbury 11,151 W 1957 02 16 y 33 Colchester United 0–0 ReportReport Ipswich Town Layer Road Colchester 18,559 J. Barradell D 1957 02 23 y 34 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic 1–1 Report Colchester United Unknown goalscorer Fenton Dean Court Bournemouth 21,239 D 1957 03 02 y 35 Colchester United 2–1 Report Torquay United Plant Unknown goalscorer Layer Road Colchester 12,555 W 1957 03 09 y 36 Watford 0–0 Report Colchester United Vicarage Road Watford 10,434 D 1957 03 16 y 37 Colchester United 0–0 Report Brighton & Hove Albion Layer Road Colchester 10,459 D 1957 03 23 y 38 Gillingham 1–2 Report Colchester United Unknown goalscorer Own goal o.g.Plant Priestfield Stadium Gillingham 9,981 W 1957 03 30 y 39 Colchester United 1–1 ReportReport Swindon Town P. Wright Richards Layer Road Colchester 9,275 D 1957 04 06 y 40 Brentford 1–1 Report Colchester United Taylor Fenton Griffin Park Brentford 12,869 D 1957 04 13 y 41 Colchester United 1–1 Report Aldershot Fenton pen. Unknown goalscorer Layer Road Colchester 8,975 D 1957 04 19 y 42 Colchester United 2–1 Report Walsall Fenton pen.Bobby Hill Unknown goalscorer Layer Road Colchester 12,770 W 1957 04 20 y 43 Millwall 3–1 Report Colchester United Pacey Summersby Plant The Den New Cross 14,273 L 1957 04 22 y 44 Walsall 2–1 Report Colchester United Unknown goalscorer Smith Fellows Park Walsall 9,400 L 1957 04 27 y 45 Swindon Town 4–1 ReportReport Colchester United Micklewright O'Mahoney Plant County Ground Swindon 9,551 L 1957 04 29 y 46 Colchester United 2–0 Report Watford Bert Hill McCurley Layer Road Colchester 9,226 W FA Cup 1956–57 FA Cup 1956 11 17 y 1st round Colchester United 1–4 ReportReport Southend United McCurley Hollis McCrory Layer Road Colchester 11,280 L Squad statistics Appearances and goals http://coludata.co.uk/content.php?pg=goals&pd=1014#frmft=True&pg=goals&pd=1014&fsea=17&fplist=all&flgcup=all&fcompstShowAll=&fdfaShowAll= Goals Coludata.co.uk 16 March 2016 Third DivisionSouth FA Cup Percy Ames ENG GK 46 0 1 0 George Fisher ENG DF 45 2 1 0 John Fowler SCO DF 43 1 1 0 Chic Milligan SCO DF 34 1 1 0 Reg Stewart ENG DF 13 0 0 0 Benny Fenton ENG MF 38 8 1 0 Bert Hill ENG MF 15 1 0 0 Derek Parker ENG MF 6 0 0 0 Les Barrell ENG FW 4 1 0 0 Russell Blake ENG FW 2 0 0 0 Bobby Hill SCO FW 38 7 1 0 Martyn King ENG FW 3 1 0 0 Kevin McCurley ENG FW 31 9 1 1 Sammy McLeod SCO FW 4 2 0 0 Ken Plant ENG FW 46 24 1 0 Eddie Smith ENG FW 35 13 1 0 Tommy Williams ENG FW 23 3 0 0 Peter Wright ENG FW 44 8 1 0 |- !colspan="14"|Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season John Harrison ENG DF 3 0 0 0 Bob Dale ENG MF 33 2 1 0 |} Goalscorers Place Nationality Position Name Third Division South FA Cup Total1ENGCFKen Plant240242ENGIFEddie Smith130133ENGCFKevin McCurley91104ENGWHBenny Fenton808ENGWGPeter Wright8086SCOIFBobby Hill7077ENGWGTommy Williams3038ENGWHBob Dale202ENGFBGeorge Fisher202SCOIFSammy McLeod20211SCOFBJohn Fowler101ENGWHBert Hill101SCOCBChic Milligan101ENGWGLes Barrell101ENGCFMartyn King101Own goals101TOTALS83184 Clean sheets Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.http://coludata.co.uk/content.php?pg=cleansheets&pd=1035#frmft=True&pg=cleansheets&pd=1035&fsea=17&fplist=all&flgcup=all&fcompstShowAll=&fdfa=1 Clean sheets (1st team) Coludata.co.uk 22 June 2017 Place Nationality Player Third Division South FA Cup Total1ENGPercy Ames13013TOTALS13013 Player debuts Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.http://coludaybyday.co.uk/Statistics/Player%20Stats/PlayersDebuts/Alldebut.html Alltime- List of Debuts Coludaybyday.co.uk 16 March 2016 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150626101319/http://coludaybyday.co.uk/Statistics/Player%20Stats/PlayersDebuts/Alldebut.html 26 June 2015 Position Nationality Player Date Opponent Ground NotesCBSCOChic Milligan18 August 1956Southend UnitedLayer RoadWGENGLes Barrell18 August 1956Southend UnitedLayer RoadIFENGEddie Smith18 August 1956Southend UnitedLayer RoadCFENGMartyn King27 August 1956Crystal PalaceLayer RoadWGENGTommy Williams24 November 1956BrentfordLayer RoadWHENGDerek Parker13 April 1957AldershotLayer Road 2 See also List of Colchester United F.C. seasons References General Books Whitehead Jeff Drury Kevin The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years 2008 Breedon Books Derby 978-1-85983-629-3 Ambrosen Tony Amber in the Blood: A History Of Newport County 1993 Yore Publications Uxbridge 978-1-874427-40-7 White Eric 100 Years of Brentford 1989 Oldfield Press Redditch 0951526200 Websites http://www.11v11.com/teams/colchester-united/tab/matches/season/1957/ Colchester United football club match record: 1957 11v11.com 27 March 2016 http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/Millwall-Stats56-57.htm Statistics 1956/57 The Millwall History Files 27 March 2016 http://www.watfordfcarchive.com/downloads/seasons/Mergedseasons1950to1960.pdf 1950/51 to 1959/60 Watford Football Club archive 1881–2015 PDF 27 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160309025243/http://www.watfordfcarchive.com/downloads/seasons/Mergedseasons1950to1960.pdf 9 March 2016 dead dmy-all Specific 2 1956-57 Category:English football clubs 1956–57 season