1970–71 Colchester United F.C. season
1970–71 season | ||
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Chairman | Bill Graver (until March 1971) Roy Chapman (from March 1971)[1] | |
Manager | ||
Fourth Division | 6th | |
FA Cup | Quarter-final | |
League Cup | 2nd Round | |
Top goalscorer | League: Ray Crawford (24) All: Ray Crawford (31) | |
Highest home attendance | 7,777 (Southend United) | |
Lowest home attendance | 3,502 (Barrow) | |
Average home league attendance | 5,599 | |
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The 1970–71 season was Colchester United's third consecutive season in the Football League Fourth Division. United reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, famously beating Football League First Division Leeds United 3-2.
Season Review
This section is written like a review. (October 2016) |
Manager Dick Graham increased the average age of United's squad at the start of the 1970s with the summer signings of ex-England international Ray Crawford, Brian Garvey, John Kurila, Mick Mahon and Brian Owen. During the season, both Roy Massey and Owen incurred career ending injuries forcing Graham to sign Brian Lewis and Dave Simmons.
The Football League, despite the protests of the pools companies, re-introduced permission to play Friday night football. Colchester arranged ten games for Friday kick offs but it would be the FA Cup that drew worldwide attention. United disposed of non-League Ringmer via a Crawford hat trick in round one and then completed a Cup double over new boys Cambridge, having already secured a 5-0 win over the 'other' U's in the League Cup. Colchester knocked out non-League Barnet at Underhill in the third round only to be drawn away to Rochdale. Trailing 3-1 with just five minutes left, United staged a remarkable comeback to earn a replay. With the knowledge of the Fifth Round draw having been made, United trounced hapless Dale by 5-0 to earn a home tie with mighty Leeds on 13 February 1971. Leeds were top of the League and boasted ten internationals in their side, Colchester were eighth in the Football League Fourth Division Fourth Division. Nobody gave the U's a chance but they raced into a 3-0 lead, in front of a 16,000 Layer Road crowd, with goals from Crawford (2) and Simmons before Leeds generated something of a comeback to finally lose 3-2. The rumour that Laurie Lane was at the game has since been proved untrue due to the result of a police investigation.[citation needed] The result was sensational as was the fact that United were in the FA Cup Quarter Finals. Sixth Round opponents Everton did their homework and Graham's 'Granddad's Army' finally succumbed to the tune of 5-0 in front of 53,028 at Goodison Park. While United finished sixth in the league, just two points off promotion - they simply had too many fixtures to complete in rapid succession as a result of the cup run.[2]
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Player Info
Pos. | Name | Place of Birth | Date of Birth | Previous Club | Date Joined | Fee |
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GK | 2 November 1947 | 9 August 1969 | Free | |||
DF | 27 October 1944 | 20 February 1971 | Free | |||
DF | 9 April 1951 | 6 October 1969 | Free | |||
DF | 19 November 1939 | 17 January 1970 | Free | |||
DF | 3 July 1937 | 15 August 1970 | Free | |||
DF | 5 September 1939 | 15 August 1970 | Free | |||
DF | 9 March 1939 | 6 March 1965 | Free | |||
DF | 10 April 1941 | 19 August 1970 | Free | |||
DF | 24 October 1948 | 26 December 1970 | £6,000 | |||
DF | 18 September 1954 | 1 August 1970 | Free | |||
MF | 16 January 1953 | 1 August 1970 | Free | |||
MF | 9 February 1941 | 22 November 1969 | £5,000 | |||
MF | 4 September 1952 | 1 August 1970 | Free | |||
MF | 26 January 1943 | 26 December 1970 | £6,000 | |||
MF | 17 September 1944 | 15 August 1970 | Free | |||
MF | 2 November 1944 | 19 August 1970 | Free | |||
FW | 13 July 1936 | 15 August 1970 | £3,000 | |||
FW | 6 October 1936 | 14 September 1968 | £6,000 |
Transfers
Transfers In
Date | Pos. | Player Name | Previous Club | Transfer Fee | Notes |
1 August 1970 | DF | Free | |||
1 August 1970 | MF | Free | |||
1 August 1970 | MF | Free | |||
15 August 1970 | DF | Free | |||
15 August 1970 | DF | Free | |||
15 August 1970 | MF | Free | |||
15 August 1970 | FW | £3,000 | |||
19 August 1970 | DF | Free | |||
19 August 1970 | MF | Free | |||
21 September 1970 | GK | Free | |||
18 December 1970 | DF | Free | |||
26 December 1970 | DF | £6,000 | |||
26 December 1970 | MF | £6,000 | |||
20 February 1971 | DF | Free |
Transfers Out
Date | Pos. | Player Name | New Club | Transfer Fee | Notes |
1 May 1970 | DF | Free | |||
1 May 1970 | MF | Free | |||
1 May 1970 | FW | Free | |||
9 October 1970 | MF | £8,000 | |||
5 December 1970 | FW | Free | |||
18 December 1970 | DF | Free | |||
12 April 1971 | GK | Free | |||
12 April 1971 | MF | Free | |||
17 April 1971 | MF | Free |
Results
Fourth Division Results Summary
Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Av | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | Chester City | 46 | 24 | 7 | 15 | 69 | 55 | 1.255 | 55 |
6 | Colchester United | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 70 | 54 | 1.296 | 54 |
7 | Northampton Town | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 63 | 59 | 1.068 | 51 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GAv = Goal average; Pts = Points
Fourth Division Results
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
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15/08/1970 | Hartlepool United | H | 1-0 | 4,866 | Gibbs |
22/08/1970 | Chester City | A | 1-2 | 5,447 | Owen |
29/08/1970 | Northampton Town | H | 1-1 | 5,220 | Owen |
31/08/1970 | Barrow | A | 2-0 | 2,422 | Gibbs, Crawford |
04/09/1970 | Southport | A | 1-2 | 3,792 | Gibbs |
12/09/1970 | Notts County | H | 2-3 | 4,285 | Gibbs, Crawford |
18/09/1970 | Bournemouth | A | 1-4 | 7,769 | Crawford |
21/09/1970 | Darlington | A | 0-0 | 4,042 | |
25/09/1970 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 3-0 | 5,012 | Crawford (3) |
30/09/1970 | Workington | A | 1-1 | 2,350 | Gibbs |
03/10/1970 | Peterborough United | A | 2-1 | 5,935 | Gibbs, Massey |
09/10/1970 | Oldham Athletic | H | 1-2 | 5,423 | Crawford |
17/10/1970 | Hartlepool United | A | 2-1 | 2,913 | Mahon, Gibbs |
19/10/1970 | York City | H | 1-0 | 4,457 | Crawford |
23/10/1970 | Stockport County | A | 0-0 | 5,113 | |
30/10/1970 | Aldershot | H | 5-2 | 5,848 | Brodie (o.g.), Crawford, Hall, Jones (2) |
07/11/1970 | Exeter City | A | 2-2 | 4,420 | Jones, Massey |
10/11/1970 | Newport County | A | 3-1 | 1,973 | Jones, Massey (2) |
13/11/1970 | Southend United | H | 1-1 | 7,777 | Crawford |
28/11/1970 | Brentford | H | 4-0 | 4,673 | Gibbs, Cram, Crawford (2) |
05/12/1970 | Cambridge United | A | 1-2 | 5,183 | Crawford |
18/12/1970 | Chester City | H | 0-1 | 4,342 | |
26/12/1970 | Lincoln City | A | 2-1 | 5,919 | Lewis, Simmons |
08/01/1971 | Workington | H | 2-1 | 5,239 | Cram, Crawford |
16/01/1971 | York City | A | 1-1 | 3,804 | Kurila |
05/02/1971 | Cambridge United | H | 2-1 | 6,469 | Crawford (2) |
20/02/1971 | Newport County | H | 4-2 | 6,444 | Simmons, Mahon, Lewis (pen.), Crawford |
22/02/1971 | Grimsby Town | H | 1-0 | 7,253 | Mahon |
26/02/1971 | Aldershot | A | 1-0 | 7,609 | Cram |
08/03/1971 | Darlington | H | 2-0 | 7,110 | Crawford, Simmons |
12/03/1971 | Southend United | A | 1-1 | 9,406 | Barker (o.g.) |
16/03/1971 | Scunthorpe United | A | 0-2 | 3,715 | |
20/03/1971 | Exeter City | H | 1-1 | 5,630 | Crawford |
22/03/1971 | Scunthorpe United | H | 2-0 | 5,592 | Crawford (2) |
27/03/1971 | Southport | H | 1-0 | 5,909 | Crawford |
29/03/1971 | Brentford | A | 0-1 | 9,190 | |
03/04/1971 | Northampton Town | A | 1-2 | 7,909 | Kurila |
09/04/1971 | Peterborough United | H | 3-0 | 7,645 | Gibbs, Gilchrist, Hall |
10/04/1971 | Lincoln City | H | 1-1 | 6,430 | Gibbs |
12/04/1971 | Notts County | A | 0-4 | 14,084 | |
17/04/1971 | Oldham Athletic | A | 0-4 | 10,045 | |
20/04/1971 | Grimsby Town | A | 1-3 | 4,166 | Burgess |
23/04/1971 | Bournemouth | H | 1-1 | 4,168 | Crawford |
26/04/1971 | Barrow | H | 4-1 | 3,502 | Mahon, Hall, Bloss, Cram (pen.) |
01/05/1971 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 3-0 | 2,708 | Hall, Crawford, Mahon |
07/05/1971 | Stockport County | H | 1-1 | 5,477 | Gibbs |
Source: 1970-71 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk
League Cup
Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
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19/08/1970 | R1 | Cambridge United | H | 5-0 | 6,952 | Hall, Owen (2), Jones (2) (pen.) |
09/09/1970 | R2 | Birmingham City | H | 1-1 | 8,095 | Jones |
15/09/1970 | R2 (R) | Birmingham City | A | 1-2 | 17,606 | Jones |
Source: 1970-71 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk
FA Cup
Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
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21/11/1970 | R1 | Ringmer | H | 3-0 | 6,139 | Crawford (3) |
12/12/1970 | R2 | Cambridge United | H | 3-0 | 7,348 | Jones, Gilchrist, Garvey |
05/01/1971 | R3 | Barnet | A | 1-0 | 4,990 | Mahon |
23/01/1971 | R4 | Rochdale | A | 3-3 | 12,321 | Crawford, Lewis, Simmons |
25/01/1971 | R4 (R) | Rochdale | H | 5-0 | 11,205 | Lewis, Simmons, Parry (o.g.), Crawford, Mahon |
13/02/1971 | R5 | Leeds United | H | 3-2 | 16,000 | Crawford (2), Simmons |
06/03/1971 | QF | Everton | A | 0-5 | 53,028 |
Source: 1970-71 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk
Squad statistics
No. | Nat. | Pos. | Name | Total | Division Four | FA Cup | League Cup | ||||
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Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
–– | GK | Brian Sherratt | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
–– | GK | Graham Smith | 47 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
–– | DF | Eric Burgess | 10 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
–– | DF | Micky Cook | 40 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
–– | DF | Bobby Cram | 53 | 4 | 43 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
–– | DF | Alan Dennis | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
–– | DF | Brian Garvey | 54 | 1 | 45 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
–– | DF | John Gilchrist | 37 | 2 | 28 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
–– | DF | Brian Hall | 52 | 5 | 42 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
–– | DF | John Kurila | 54 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
–– | DF | Trevor Painter | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
–– | DF | Dave Simmons | 15 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
–– | DF | Lindsay Smith | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
–– | MF | Phil Bloss | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
–– | MF | Ken Jones | 37 | 9 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
–– | MF | Roger Joslyn | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
–– | MF | Steve Leslie | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
–– | MF | Brian Lewis | 22 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
–– | MF | Mick Mahon | 47 | 7 | 38 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
–– | MF | Brian Owen | 9 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
–– | MF | Ray Whittaker | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
–– | FW | Ray Crawford | 55 | 31 | 45 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | |
–– | FW | Brian Gibbs | 56 | 11 | 46 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
–– | FW | Roy Massey | 18 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Scorers
All
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League
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FA Cup
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League Cup
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Most Frequent Starting XI
This section shows players in a 5-3-2 formation with the most league starts during the season.
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References
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The U's History: The 70s". Colchester United F.C. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ "1970–71 Season Appearance Data". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ "1970–71 Season Goalscorers Data". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2011.