1991–92 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United

1991–92 season
Chairman	James Bowdidge[1][2]
Manager	Roy McDonough
Stadium	Layer Road
Conference	1st (promoted)
FA Cup	1st round (eliminated by Exeter City)
FA Trophy	Winners
Bob Lord Trophy	3rd round (eliminated by Wycombe Wanderers)[3]
Top goalscorer	League: Roy McDonough (26) All: Roy McDonough (29)
Highest home attendance	7,193 v Barrow, 2 May 1992[4]
Lowest home attendance	919 v Wycombe Wanderers, 16 December 1991[5]
Average home league attendance	3,381[6]
Biggest win	5–0 v Bath City, 31 August 1991 v Burton Albion, 26 October 1991 v Barrow, 2 May 1992
Biggest defeat	2–6 v Wycombe Wanderers, 16 December 1991
Home colours
← 1990–91 1992–93 →

The 1991–92 season was Colchester United's 50th season in their history and their second consecutive season in the Conference, the fifth tier of English football and the highest tier of non-League football in England. Alongside competing in the Conference, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the FA Trophy and the Bob Lord Trophy.

Manager Ian Atkins left for a coaching role at Birmingham City in the summer after narrowly missing out on the Conference title the previous campaign. Experienced forward Roy McDonough was appointed the club's new player-manager tasked with taking Colchester United back to the Football League. Both Colchester and Wycombe Wanderers ended the season on 94 points, with the U's promoted on superior goal difference.

In the FA Cup, Colchester went out in the first round to Exeter City, while McDonough fielded a weakened side in the Bob Lord Trophy, crashing out 6–2 to league rivals Wycombe. However, in the FA Trophy, following two replay wins in the first two rounds of the competition, the U's reached the Wembley final, where they faced Witton Albion, who had dumped them out at the quarter-final stage the previous season. Colchester won the match 3–1 to complete a non-League double.

Season overview

Following Ian Atkins decision to return to Birmingham City in a coaching capacity, new chairman James Bowdidge appointed Roy McDonough in a player-manager role. Having been Atkins' assistant, McDonough promised to abandon Atkins' sweeper system and to instead promote a more attacking formula.

McDonough himself equalled a club record by scoring four goals in a game at Slough Town in August. On 28 September 1991, in Colchester's top-of-the-table clash against rivals Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park, Scott Barrett became the first Colchester goalkeeper to score from open play. His long upfield goal kick in the 90th minute of the game bounced over Wycombe goalkeeper Paul Hyde and sealed what would prove to be a vital 2–1 win.

In November, the U's became the first team to be knocked out of the FA Cup without conceding a goal. After seeing off Burton Albion 5–0 in the fourth qualifying round, they twice drew 0–0 with Exeter City in the first round and following replay, only to lose on penalties.

As 1992 dawned, Colchester found themselves seven points ahead of nearest rivals Wycombe in the league, but 16 home wins in succession failed to shake off their Buckinghamshire counterparts. A poor 4–1 defeat at Welling United and a lackadaisical 4–4 draw at Macclesfield Town threatened to derail the U's attempts to reach the Football League.

Meanwhile, Colchester were focused on their FA Trophy cup run. Kingstonian and Merthyr Tydfil were dispatched in replays following a 2–2 and 0–0 draw respectively. The U's then saw off Morecambe and Telford United convincingly, and then a 4–1 aggregate win over Macclesfield in the semi-final. They progressed to the Wembley final, with the tie to be played after the final fixture of the Conference season.

Going into the last game of the season, it was evident McDonough had delivered on his promise of attacking football. The U's found themselves level on points with Wycombe, but crucially carried an eight-goal advantage. United beat already relegated Barrow 5–0 at Layer Road with a Mike Masters hat-trick sealing the Conference championship. McDonough had scored 29 goals, with 26 for Steve McGavin and 18 for Gary Bennett, with a total of 98 league goals achieved.

A week after the promotion celebrations at Layer Road, a crowd of 32,254 witnessed Colchester United in their first-ever Wembley appearance. A famous non-League double was achieved as they gained revenge over Witton Albion, who had dumped the U's out of the competition last campaign. Colchester won 3–1 courtesy of goals from Mike Masters, Steve McGavin and Nicky Smith. Thousands of fans packed Colchester High Street a few days later as the U's team paraded their trophies around the town.^[7]

Players

As of match played 10 May 1992.^[8]

Name	Position	Nationality	Place of birth	Date of birth	Apps	Goals	Signed from	Date signed	Fee
Goalkeepers
Scott Barrett	GK		Ilkeston	(1963-04-02)2 April 1963 (aged 28)	64	0	Stoke City	Summer 1990	£25,000
Defenders
Tony English	DF/MF		Luton	(1966-10-19)19 October 1966 (aged 24)	308	40	Coventry City	24 December 1984	Free transfer
James Goodwin	DF		Colchester	(1974-07-20)20 July 1974 (aged 16)	0	0	Apprentice	8 October 1991[a]	Free transfer
Martin Grainger	FB		Enfield Town	(1972-08-23)23 August 1972 (aged 18)	16	2	Apprentice	16 December 1989[a]	Free transfer
Andy Partner	CB		Colchester	(1974-10-21)21 October 1974 (aged 16)	0	0	Apprentice	16 December 1991[a]	Free transfer
Ian Phillips	FB		Cumnock	(1959-04-23)23 April 1959 (aged 32)	175	10	Kettering Town	26 August 1991[b]	Undisclosed[c]
Paul Roberts	DF		West Ham	(1962-04-27)27 April 1962 (aged 29)	0	0	Fisher Athletic	28 September 1991[a]	£750
Midfielders
Eamonn Collins	MF		Dublin	(1965-10-22)22 October 1965 (aged 25)	87	5	Portsmouth	May 1989	Free transfer
Jason Cook	MF		Edmonton	(1969-12-29)29 December 1969 (aged 21)	0	0	Southend United	28 September 1991[a]	Free transfer
Robbie Devereux	MF		Great Cornard	(1971-01-31)31 January 1971 (aged 20)	2	0	Cornard United	February 1992	Non-contract
Warren Donald	MF/FB		Hillingdon	(1964-10-07)7 October 1964 (aged 26)	46	1	Northampton Town	27 August 1990[a]	Free transfer
Wayne Hannigan	MF				1	0	Home Farm	26 February 1991[a]	Undisclosed
Mark Kinsella	MF		Dublin	(1972-08-12)12 August 1972 (aged 18)	21	0	Home Farm	18 August 1989	Free transfer
Nicky Smith	LM		Berkeley	(1969-01-28)28 January 1969 (aged 22)	41	0	Southend United	18 August 1990[a]	Free transfer
Forwards
Paul Abrahams	FW/WG		Colchester	(1973-10-31)31 October 1973 (aged 17)	0	0	Apprentice	26 August 1991[a]	Free transfer
Gary Bennett	WG		Enfield Town	(1970-11-13)13 November 1970 (aged 20)	94	19	Tottenham Hotpsur	21 October 1988[a]	Free transfer
Julian Dart	FW		Luton	(1973-09-25)25 September 1973 (aged 17)	0	0	Apprentice	14 January 1992[a]	Free transfer
Roy McDonough	FW		Solihull	(1958-10-16)16 October 1958 (aged 32)	140	35	Southend United	13 October 1990[b]	Part exchange
Steve McGavin	FW		North Walsham	(1969-01-24)24 January 1969 (aged 22)	8	0	Sudbury Town	1 April 1991[a]	£10,000
Steve Restarick	FW		Barking	(1971-11-28)28 November 1971 (aged 19)	3	2	West Ham United	Early 1988–89 season	Free transfer

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
Summer 1991	DF		Simon Gray	Ipswich Town	Non-contract	[9]
26 August 1991	FW/WG		Paul Abrahams	Apprentice	Free transfer	[10][a]
26 August 1991	FB		Ian Phillips	Kettering Town	Undisclosed	[11][b][c]
7 September 1991	DF		James Goodwin	Apprentice	Free transfer	[12][a]
28 September 1991	MF		Jason Cook	Southend United	Free transfer	[13][a]
28 September 1991	DF		Paul Roberts	Fisher Athletic	£750	[14][a]
8 October 1991	FW		Sean Duffett	Gas Recreation	Free transfer	[15][a]
16 December 1991	CB		Andy Partner	Apprentice	Free transfer	[16][a]
14 January 1992	FW		Julian Dart	Apprentice	Free transfer	[17][a]
18 January 1992	FW		Mike Masters	San Francisco Bay Blackhawks	Undisclosed	[18][b]
February 1992	MF		Robbie Devereux	Cornard United	Non-contract	[19]
11 February 1992	WG		Ian Stewart	Aldershot	Free transfer	[20][a]

• Total spending: ~ £750

Out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
End of season	FB		Marcelle Bruce	Baldock Town	Released	[21]
End of season	CB		Neale Marmon	FC Homburg	Undisclosed	[22]
End of season	FB		Gary Osbourne	Cradley Town	Released	[23]
30 June 1991	CB		Ian Atkins	Birmingham City	Free transfer	[24][a]
17 August 1991	FW		Mario Walsh	Redbridge Forest	£15,000	[25][b]
8 October 1991	FW		Sean Duffett	Wivenhoe Town	Released	[15][b]
16 December 1991	DF		Simon Gray	Wivenhoe Town	Released	[9][b]
2 May 1992	CB		Shaun Elliott	Gateshead	Released	[26][b]
2 May 1992	WG		Ian Stewart	Harrow Borough	Released	[20][b]
10 May 1992	FW		Mike Masters	Newbury Town	Released	[18][b]

• Total incoming: ~ £15,000

Loans in

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	End date	Ref.
24 March 1992	MF/CB		Dave Martin	Southend United	10 May 1992	[27][a]

Loans out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	End date	Ref.
	MF		Wayne Hannigan	Wivenhoe Town		[28]
	FW		Steve Restarick	Wivenhoe Town		[29]
	FW		Mario Walsh	Kettering Town		[25]

Match details

Conference

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Colchester United[a]	42	28	10	4	98	40	+58	94	Football Conference Champions, promoted to Football League Third Division
2	Wycombe Wanderers	42	30	4	8	84	35	+49	94	Conference League Cup winners
3	Kettering Town	42	20	13	9	72	50	+22	73
4	Merthyr Tydfil	42	18	14	10	59	56	+3	68
5	Farnborough Town[b]	42	18	12	12	68	53	+15	66

Results round by round

Matches

Bob Lord Trophy

FA Cup

FA Trophy

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

^[8][31]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Conference		FA Cup		FA Trophy		Bob Lord Trophy
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	ENG	Scott Barrett	56	1	42	1	3	0	9	0	2	0
	DF	ENG	Tony English	52	8	37+1	6	3	2	9	0	2	0
	DF	ENG	James Goodwin	5	0	0+3	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	DF	ENG	Martin Grainger	17	0	9+2	0	0+2	0	0+2	0	2	0
	DF	ENG	Andy Partner	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	DF	SCO	Ian Phillips	4	0	1+2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Paul Roberts	45	1	34	1	0	0	9	0	2	0
	MF	IRL	Eamonn Collins	41	4	29+3	2	3	0	3+2	1	1	1
	MF	ENG	Jason Cook	44	3	28+3	2	2	0	9	1	2	0
	MF	ENG	Warren Donald	53	0	38+3	0	3	0	8	0	1	0
	MF	IRL	Wayne Hannigan	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
	MF	IRL	Mark Kinsella	55	7	37+5	3	3	1	8+1	1	0+1	2
	MF	ENG	Nicky Smith	55	11	42	8	3	0	9	3	1	0
	FW	ENG	Paul Abrahams	6	0	0+3	0	0+1	0	0	0	1+1	0
	FW	ENG	Gary Bennett	51	18	31+8	16	3	0	4+4	2	1	0
	FW	ENG	Julian Dart	2	0	0	0	0	0	0+2	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Roy McDonough	51	29	40	26	3	1	7	2	1	0
	FW	ENG	Steve McGavin	53	28	39	20	3	2	9	4	2	2
	FW	ENG	Steve Restarick	12	3	1+6	0	0+2	1	2	1	1	1
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
	DF	ENG	Shaun Elliott	44	1	32+5	1	2	0	5	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Simon Gray	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
	MF	ENG	Dave Martin	12	0	8+1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Sean Duffett	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	FW	USA	Mike Masters	19	8	7+8	7	0	0	2+2	1	0	0
	FW	NIR	Ian Stewart	14	4	6+4	2	0	0	3+1	2	0	0
	FW	ENG	Mario Walsh	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goalscorers

^[31]

Place	Nationality	Position	Name	Conference	FA Cup	FA Trophy	Bob Lord Trophy	Total
1		FW	Roy McDonough	26	1	2	0	29
2		FW	Steve McGavin	20	2	4	2	28
3		WG	Gary Bennett	16	2	0	0	18
4		LM	Nicky Smith	8	3	0	0	11
5		DF/MF	Tony English	6	2	0	0	8
		FW	Mike Masters	7	0	1	0	8
7		MF	Mark Kinsella	3	1	1	2	7
8		MF	Eamonn Collins	2	0	1	1	4
		WG	Ian Stewart	2	0	2	0	4
10		MF	Jason Cook	2	0	1	0	3
		FW	Steve Restarick	0	1	1	1	3
12		GK	Scott Barrett	1	0	0	0	1
		CB	Shaun Elliott	1	0	0	0	1
		DF	Paul Roberts	1	0	0	0	1
			Own goals	3	0	0	0	3
			TOTALS	98	5	20	6	129

Disciplinary record

^[32]

Nationality	Position	Name	Conference		FA Cup		FA Trophy		Bob Lord Trophy		Total
	MF	Jason Cook	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
	WG	Gary Bennett	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	FB	Martin Grainger	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	FW	Roy McDonough	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	FW	Steve McGavin	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
		TOTALS	2	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	4	1

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.^[33]

Place	Nationality	Player	Conference	FA Cup	FA Trophy	Bob Lord Trophy	Total
1		Scott Barrett	21	3	4	1	29
		TOTALS	21	3	4	1	29

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.^[34]

Position	Nationality	Player	Date	Opponent	Ground	Notes
FW/WG		Paul Abrahams	26 August 1991	Slough Town	Wexham Park Stadium
FB		Ian Phillips	26 August 1991	Slough Town	Wexham Park Stadium	[35][a]
DF		James Goodwin	7 September 1991	Witton Albion	Wincham Park
DF		Simon Gray	21 September 1991	Cheltenham Town	Whaddon Road
MF		Jason Cook	28 September 1991	Wycombe Wanderers	Adams Park
DF		Paul Roberts	28 September 1991	Wycombe Wanderers	Adams Park
FW		Sean Duffett	8 October 1991	Kettering Town	Layer Road
CB		Andy Partner	16 December 1991	Wycombe Wanderers	Layer Road
FW		Julian Dart	14 January 1992	Kingstonian	Kingsmeadow
FW		Mike Masters	18 January 1992	Cheltenham Town	Layer Road	[36][a]
WG		Ian Stewart	11 February 1992	Boston United	Layer Road
MF/CB		Dave Martin	24 March 1992	Bath City	Twerton Park

See also

• List of Colchester United F.C. seasons

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.

Specific