1972–73 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1972–73 season
Chairman	Roy Chapman
Manager	Dick Graham; (until 8 September); Dennis Mochan; (from 8 September to 1 October); Jim Smith; (from 1 October)
Stadium	Layer Road
Fourth Division	22nd (re-elected)
FA Cup	2nd round; (eliminated by; Bournemouth)
League Cup	1st round; (eliminated by; Gillingham)
Top goalscorer	League: ; Mick Mahon (12); All: ; Mick Mahon (12)
Highest home attendance	7,419; v Bournemouth, 11 December 1972
Lowest home attendance	2,437; v Peterborough United, 9 April 1973
Average home league attendance	3,440
Biggest win	6–0; v Bognor Regis Town, 18 November 1972
Biggest defeat	0–4; v Chester, 30 August 1972; v Barnsley, 16 September 1972; v Northampton Town, 26 December 1972; v Bury, 23 April 1973
Home colours	Away colours
	← 1971–72 1973–74 →

The 1972–73 season was Colchester United's 31st season in their history and their fifth successive season in the fourth tier of English football, the Fourth Division. Alongside competing in the Fourth Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup and the League Cup.

Manager Dick Graham resigned early in the new season, following two and four defeats wins in the opening six games of the campaign. Jim Smith was appointed his successor in early October, but his first win didn't arrive until mid-November. Colchester endured a very poor season, and were required to seek re-election after finishing 22nd in the league table.

Colchester suffered an early exit in the cup competitions as they were defeated in the first round of the League Cup by Gillingham, and the second round of the FA Cup by Bournemouth.

Season overview

Colchester United held its annual general meeting in September 1972. Following questioning of his tactics by a shareholder, an incensed Dick Graham tendered his resignation as manager. The club had achieved two wins in the first six games of the season, but the other four matches ended in defeat. Dennis Mochan was appointed caretaker manager until a permanent replacement could be found. He took charge of five games, but was unable to improve Colchester's fortunes, with two draws and three defeats in his five games at the helm. An unknown Jim Smith, then-manager of Northern Premier League side Boston United who had just led the team to the title, was appointed Graham's replacement. With Colchester bottom of the Football League after 13 matches with six points, Smith's influence gave United an initial boost, earning the Manager of the Month award for lifting the club off the bottom of the table.

One of Smith's early pieces of business was signing his former Boston forward Bobby Svarc for £6,000 just before Christmas. However, his goalscoring influence did not immediately show, returning eight goals in 20 league outings. Fortunes did not improve for the U's as they finished the season in 22nd position and were required to seek re-election from the Football League. Colchester earned a maximum 48 votes from their fellow League clubs to retain Football League status for another season.^[5]

Players

As of match played 30 April 1973.^[6]

Name	Position	Place of birth	Date of birth	Apps	Goals	Signed from	Date signed	Fee
Goalkeepers
John McInally	GK	Gatehouse of Fleet	(1951-09-26)26 September 1951 (aged 20)	0	0	Lincoln City	25 November 1972^[a]	Free transfer
Defenders
Richard Bourne	CB	Colchester	(1954-12-09)9 December 1954 (aged 17)	2	0	Apprentice	3 April 1972^[a]	Free transfer
Micky Cook	FB	Enfield	(1951-04-09)9 April 1951 (aged 21)	101	1	Orient	1 March 1969	Free transfer
Ray Harford	CB	Halifax	(1945-06-01)1 June 1945 (aged 27)	0	0	Port Vale	3 February 1973^[a]	£1,750
John McLaughlin	FB	Edmonton	(1954-10-29)29 October 1954 (aged 17)	9	0	Apprentice	18 March 1972^[a]	Free transfer
Stuart Morgan	CB	Swansea	(1949-09-23)23 September 1949 (aged 22)	0	0	Reading	August 1972	Free transfer
Lindsay Smith	CB	Enfield	(1954-09-18)18 September 1954 (aged 17)	19	3	Apprentice	20 April 1971^[a]	Free transfer
Midfielders
Phil Bloss	MF	Colchester	(1953-01-16)16 January 1953 (aged 19)	23	2	Apprentice	January 1971	Free transfer
Stan Brown	MF	Lewes	(1941-09-15)15 September 1941 (aged 30)	0	0	Fulham	December 1972	Free transfer
Steve Foley	MF	Clacton-on-Sea	(1953-06-21)21 June 1953 (aged 18)	17	4	Apprentice	July 1969	Free transfer
Steve Leslie	MF	Hornsey	(1952-09-04)4 September 1952 (aged 19)	47	13	Apprentice	20 April 1971^[a]	Free transfer
Bobby Mills	MF	Edmonton	(1955-03-16)16 March 1955 (aged 17)	3	0	Apprentice	4 March 1972^[a]	Free transfer
Bobby Roberts	MF	Edinburgh	(1940-09-02)2 September 1940 (aged 31)	0	0	Coventry City	1 March 1973	Free transfer
Phil Thomas	MF	Sherborne	(1952-12-14)14 December 1952 (aged 19)	0	0	Bournemouth	Summer 1972	Free transfer
Tony Wingate	MF	Islington	(1955-03-21)21 March 1955 (aged 17)	1	0	Apprentice	18 March 1972^[a]	Free transfer
Forwards
Mick Mahon	WG	Manchester	(1944-09-17)17 September 1944 (aged 27)	96	19	York City	May 1970	Free transfer
Bobby Svarc	FW	Leicester	(1946-02-08)8 February 1946 (aged 26)	0	0	Boston United	December 1972	£6,000

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
Summer 1972	GK	Des Kelly	Norwich City	Free transfer	^[7]
Summer 1972	CB	Martin Binks	Orient	Free transfer	^[8]
Summer 1972	FB	Steve Wooldridge	Crystal Palace	Free transfer	^[9]
Summer 1972	MF	Phil Thomas	Bournemouth	Free transfer	^[10]
May 1972	FW	Bobby Moss	Orient	Free transfer	^[11]
July 1972	CB	Bobby Noble	Barrow	£1,000	^[12]
August 1972	CB	Stuart Morgan	Reading	Free transfer	^[13]
26 August 1972	CB	John South	Orient	Trial	^[14]^[a]
October 1972	MF	Jim Smith	Boston United	Player-manager	^[15]
25 November 1972	GK	John McInally	Lincoln City	Free transfer	^[16]^[a]
December 1972	MF	Stan Brown	Fulham	Free transfer	^[17]
December 1972	FW	Bobby Svarc	Boston United	£6,000	^[18]
3 February 1973	CB	Ray Harford	Port Vale	£1,750	^[19]
March 1973	MF	Bobby Roberts	Coventry City (Youth team coach)	Free transfer	^[20]

Total spending: ~ £8,750

^ ^a ^b Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Out

Date	Position	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
End of season	FW	Brian Gibbs	Bletchley Town	Player-manager	^[21]
Summer 1972	CB	Bobby Howlett	Bowers United	Released	^[22]
29 April 1972	FB	Eric Burgess	Wealdstone	Released	^[23]^[a]
9 October 1972	CB	John South	Orient	End of trial	^[14]^[a]
December 1972	FB	Steve Wooldridge	Folkestone	Free transfer	^[9]
29 December 1972	FB	Brian Hall	Chelmsford City	Released	^[24]
January 1973	CB	Martin Binks	Cambridge United	Free transfer	^[8]
February 1973	GK	Des Kelly	Lowestoft Town	Released	^[7]
February 1973	FW	Bobby Moss	Dover Athletic	Free transfer	^[11]
17 February 1973	GK	Barry Smith	Walsall	Released	^[25]^[a]
March 1973	CB	Bobby Noble	Southport	£2,000	^[12]
March 1973	FW	Dave Simmons	Cambridge United	£3,000	^[26]
6 April 1973	MF	Jim Smith	Colchester United	Manager	^[15]^[a]

Total incoming: ~ £5,000

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

Loans in

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	End date	Ref.
10 November 1972	GK		John McInally	Lincoln City	10 November 1972	^[16]^[a]
4 January 1973	CB		Ray Harford	Port Vale	27 January 1973	^[19]^[a]

Loans out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	End date	Ref.
November 1972	FB		Steve Wooldridge	Folkestone	December 1972	^[9]
November 1972	FW		Bobby Moss	Folkestone	December 1972	^[11]

^ ^a ^b Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games for the club

Match details

Fourth Division

Results round by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46
Ground	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	H
Result	W	L	L	L	L	W	L	L	D	D	L	L	L	D	L	D	D	L	W	W	L	W	L	D	L	W	W	L	L	L	D	L	D	L	L	L	D	D	L	W	W	L	D	L	L	W
Position	7	12	18	20	23	18	22	23	22	21	23	23	23	23	24	24	24	24	24	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	22	23	22	23	23	22

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

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	Promotion or relegation
20	Hartlepool	46	12	17	17	34	49	0.694	41
21	Crewe Alexandra	46	9	18	19	38	61	0.623	36	Re-elected
22	Colchester United	46	10	11	25	48	76	0.632	31
23	Northampton Town	46	10	11	25	40	73	0.548	31
24	Darlington	46	7	15	24	42	85	0.494	29

Source: rsssf.com

Matches

12 August 1972 (1972-08-12) 1	Colchester United	1–0	Hereford United	Colchester
	Foley 47'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 6,083 Referee: Keith Walker

19 August 1972 (1972-08-19) 2	Hartlepool	2–1	Colchester United	Hartlepool
	Coyne 10' Smith 70' (pen.)	Report	Green o.g.'	Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 5,472 Referee: J Hough

26 August 1972 (1972-08-26) 3	Colchester United	1–3	Newport County	Colchester
	Mahon 66'	Report	Coldrick Hawkins Thomas	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,639 Referee: D Harwood

30 August 1972 (1972-08-30) 4	Chester	4–0	Colchester United	Chester
	Wallace 6' (pen.), 29' (pen.) Hollis 18' Owen 79'	Report		Stadium: Sealand Road Attendance: 4,304 Referee: J Wrennall

2 September 1972 (1972-09-02) 5	Darlington	2–1	Colchester United	Darlington
	Sinclair 30' (pen.) Graham 69'	Report	Moss 23'	Stadium: Feethams Attendance: 1,251 Referee: R Swallow

8 September 1972 (1972-09-08) 6	Colchester United	5–1	Crewe Alexandra	Colchester
	Simmons 8', 58', 71' Mahon 55' McLaughlin 88'	Report	Nicholl 66'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,767

16 September 1972 (1972-09-16) 7	Barnsley	4–0	Colchester United	Barnsley
	Mahoney 26', 65' Greenwood 44', 69'	Report		Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 2,297 Referee: N Saul

20 September 1972 (1972-09-20) 8	Southport	1–0	Colchester United	Southport
	Sibbald 57' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Haig Avenue Attendance: 2,527 Referee: R Capey

22 September 1972 (1972-09-22) 9	Colchester United	2–2	Northampton Town	Colchester
	McLaughlin 24' Mahon 32'	Report	Neal 2' Robertson 64'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,543 Referee: J Bent

25 September 1972 (1972-09-25) 10	Colchester United	0–0	Bradford City	Colchester
		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,474 Referee: Tommy Dawes

30 September 1972 (1972-09-30) 11	Exeter City	1–0	Colchester United	Exeter
	Plumb 57'	Report		Stadium: St James Park Attendance: 5,005 Referee: D Lloyd

7 October 1972 (1972-10-07) 12	Lincoln City	3–2	Colchester United	Lincoln
	McNeil 11', 60' (pen.) Bradley 15'	Report	Simmons 62' Moss 89'	Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 6,268 Referee: E White

9 October 1972 (1972-10-09) 13	Colchester United	2–3	Aldershot	Colchester
	Moss 13' Mahon 74'	Report	Melledew 58' Stenson 60', 73'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,455 Referee: L Hart

13 October 1972 (1972-10-13) 14	Colchester United	1–1	Workington	Colchester
	Simmons 32'	Report	Irving 75' Rowlands 69'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,997 Referee: N Paget

20 October 1972 (1972-10-20) 15	Cambridge United	3–0	Colchester United	Cambridge
	Ross 7' Noble 28' (o.g.) Collins 81'	Report		Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 4,465 Referee: R Clay

23 October 1972 (1972-10-23) 16	Peterborough United	2–2	Colchester United	Peterborough
	Mahon 23', 33'	Report	Oakes 71' Heath 82'	Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 5,648 Referee: D Civil

28 October 1972 (1972-10-28) 17	Colchester United	1–1	Mansfield Town	Colchester
	Mahon 15'	Report	Ellis 62' (pen.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,789 Referee: K Crofts

4 November 1972 (1972-11-04) 18	Bradford City	3–0	Colchester United	Bradford
	Gilliver 18' Brown 44' Bairstow 89'	Report		Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 3,047 Referee: R Boyles

10 November 1972 (1972-11-10) 19	Colchester United	3–1	Southport	Colchester
	Mahon 36' Thomas 48' Foley 52'	Report	Lee 15'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,306 Referee: Ron Challis

25 November 1972 (1972-11-25) 20	Reading	0–1	Colchester United	Reading
		Report	Foley 80'	Stadium: Elm Park Attendance: 4,955 Referee: A Porter

16 December 1972 (1972-12-16) 21	Doncaster Rovers	1–0	Colchester United	Doncaster
	Elwiss 65'	Report		Stadium: Belle Vue Attendance: 1,880 Referee: T Bosi

23 December 1972 (1972-12-23) 22	Colchester United	2–1	Bury	Colchester
	Morgan 29' Foley 52'	Report	Jones 50'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,739 Referee: A Robinson

26 December 1972 (1972-12-26) 23	Northampton Town	4–0	Colchester United	Northampton
	Baxter 27' (pen.) Riddick 33' Hunt 55', 65'	Report		Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 3,298 Referee: G Flint

29 December 1972 (1972-12-29) 24	Colchester United	1–1	Hartlepool	Colchester
	Mahon 29'	Report	Veart 28'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,172 Referee: D Biddle

6 January 1973 (1973-01-06) 25	Newport County	1–0	Colchester United	Newport
	Screen 51'	Report		Stadium: Somerton Park Attendance: 3,465 Referee: K Baker

20 January 1973 (1973-01-20) 26	Colchester United	1–0	Darlington	Colchester
	Mahon 54'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,360 Referee: Malcolm Sinclair

27 January 1973 (1973-01-27) 27	Crewe Alexandra	1–2	Colchester United	Crewe
	Unknown goalscorer	Report	Thomas 36' Simmons 86'	Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 1,825 Referee: A Jones

3 February 1973 (1973-02-03) 28	Aldershot	2–0	Colchester United	Aldershot
	Walker 65' (pen.) Howarth 80'	Report		Stadium: Recreation Ground Attendance: 3,574 Referee: A Lees

10 February 1973 (1973-02-10) 29	Colchester United	1–2	Barnsley	Colchester
	Svarc 79'	Report	Lea 64' Mahoney 87'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,148 Referee: Bob Matthewson

17 February 1973 (1973-02-17) 30	Hereford United	4–1	Colchester United	Hereford
	Tucker 2', 65' Gregory 40' Redrobe 83'	Report	Svarc 78'	Stadium: Edgar Street Attendance: 7,624 Referee: J Rice

24 February 1973 (1973-02-24) 31	Colchester United	1–1	Doncaster Rovers	Colchester
	Foley 2'	Report	Unknown goalscorer	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,550 Referee: John Homewood

3 March 1973 (1973-03-03) 32	Colchester United	0–2	Lincoln City	Colchester
		Report	Unknown goalscorer	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,649 Referee: P Walters

5 March 1973 (1973-03-05) 33	Colchester United	1–1	Torquay United	Colchester
	Leslie 60' (pen.)	Report	Unknown goalscorer	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,639 Referee: I Hunting

10 March 1973 (1973-03-10) 34	Workington	1–0	Colchester United	Workington
	McDonald 51'	Report		Stadium: Borough Park Attendance: 1,297 Referee: R Perkin

16 March 1973 (1973-03-16) 35	Colchester United	0–1	Cambridge United	Colchester
		Report	Ross 46'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,888 Referee: Alf Grey

19 March 1973 (1973-03-19) 36	Stockport County	2–0	Colchester United	Stockport
	Griffiths 47' Garbett 80'	Report		Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 3,056 Referee: D Laing

24 March 1973 (1973-03-24) 37	Mansfield Town	1–1	Colchester United	Mansfield
	Ellis 74'	Report	Foley 65'	Stadium: Field Mill Attendance: 4,664 Referee: D Richardson

30 March 1973 (1973-03-30) 38	Colchester United	2–2	Reading	Colchester
	Svarc 25' Leslie 41' (pen.)	Report	Cumming Hunt	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,092 Referee: T Spencer

6 April 1973 (1973-04-06) 39	Gillingham	2–1	Colchester United	Gillingham
	Yeo 45' Jacques 75'	Report	Svarc 48' (pen.)	Stadium: Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 3,072 Referee: M Davey

9 April 1973 (1973-04-09) 40	Colchester United	1–0	Peterborough United	Colchester
	Foley	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,437 Referee: T Dawes

13 April 1973 (1973-04-13) 41	Colchester United	3–0	Stockport County	Colchester
	Mahon 28', 60' Svarc 84'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,772 Referee: Gordon Hill

16 April 1973 (1973-04-16) 42	Colchester United	1–2	Exeter City	Colchester
	Svarc 43'	Report	Binney 36', 46'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,489 Referee: Ken Burns

20 April 1973 (1973-04-20) 43	Torquay United	0–0	Colchester United	Torquay
		Report		Stadium: Plainmoor Attendance: 4,081 Referee: John Homewood

23 April 1973 (1973-04-23) 44	Bury	4–0	Colchester United	Bury
	Connelly 17' Murray 28' Warburton 30' Tinsley 64'	Report		Stadium: Gigg Lane Attendance: 3,079 Referee: P Baldwin

27 April 1973 (1973-04-27) 45	Colchester United	2–3	Chester	Colchester
	Harford 59' Svarc 75'	Report	James 4', 35' Davies 18'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,689 Referee: W Gow

30 April 1973 (1973-04-30) 46	Colchester United	4–0	Gillingham	Colchester
	Svarc 5' Foley 12' Leslie 37' L Smith 90'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,590 Referee: D Nippard

League Cup

16 August 1972 (1972-08-16) 1st round	Gillingham	1–0	Colchester United	Gillingham
	Noble o.g.'	Report		Stadium: Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 3,966 Referee: D Nippard

FA Cup

18 November 1972 (1972-11-18) 1st round	Colchester United	6–0	Bognor Regis Town	Colchester
	Simmons 9', 23', 54' Morgan 43' Hall 45' Foley 52'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,321 Referee: C Smith

9 December 1972 (1972-12-09) 2nd round	Bournemouth	0–0	Colchester United	Bournemouth
		Report		Stadium: Dean Court Attendance: 11,164 Referee: M Sinclair

11 December 1972 (1972-12-11) 2nd round replay	Colchester United	0–2	Bournemouth	Colchester
		Report	Clark 8' Boyer 35'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 7,419 Referee: M Sinclair

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

^[6]^[27]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Fourth Division		FA Cup		League Cup
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	SCO	John McInally	29	0	27	0	2	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Richard Bourne	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Micky Cook	45	0	43	0	2	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Ray Harford	21	1	21	1	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	John McLaughlin	44	2	40	2	3	0	1	0
	DF	WAL	Stuart Morgan	36	2	30+2	1	3	1	1	0
	DF	ENG	Lindsay Smith	35	1	26+5	1	3	0	1	0
	MF	ENG	Phil Bloss	16	0	12+2	0	0+2	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Stan Brown	23	0	23	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Steve Foley	40	9	36	8	3	1	1	0
	MF	ENG	Steve Leslie	33	3	27+3	3	2	0	1	0
	MF	ENG	Bobby Mills	5	0	3+2	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Bobby Roberts	2	0	0+2	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Phil Thomas	35	2	32+1	2	1	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Mick Mahon	48	12	44	12	3	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Bobby Svarc	20	8	20	8	0	0	0	0
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
	GK	ENG	Barry Smith	19	0	18	0	0	0	1	0
	GK	IRL	Des Kelly	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Martin Binks	10	0	10	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Brian Hall	18	1	14+1	0	3	1	0	0
	DF	ENG	Bobby Noble	31	0	25+2	0	3	0	1	0
	DF	ENG	John South	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Steve Wooldridge	4	0	3	0	0	0	1	0
	MF	ENG	Jim Smith	9	0	7+1	0	1	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Bobby Moss	19	3	16+2	3	0	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Dave Simmons	28	9	22+2	6	3	3	0+1	0

Goalscorers

^[27]

Place	Position	Name	Fourth Division	FA Cup	Total
1	WG	Mick Mahon	12	0	12
2	MF	Steve Foley	8	1	9
2	FW	Dave Simmons	6	3	9
4	FW	Bobby Svarc	8	0	8
5	MF	Steve Leslie	3	0	3
5	FW	Bobby Moss	3	0	3
7	FB	John McLaughlin	2	0	2
	CB	Stuart Morgan	1	1	2
	MF	Phil Thomas	2	0	2
10	FB	Brian Hall	1	0	1
	CB	Ray Harford	1	0	1
	CB	Lindsay Smith	1	0	1
		Own goals	1	0	1
		TOTALS	48	6	54

Disciplinary record

^[28]

Nationality	Position	Name	Fourth Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
Nationality	Position	Name
	CB	Stuart Morgan	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	1
	CB	Lindsay Smith	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
	FB	Brian Hall	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	CB	Ray Harford	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	CB	Bobby Noble	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
		TOTALS	6	1	1	0	0	0	7	1

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.^[29]

Place	Player	Fourth Division	FA Cup	Total
1	John McInally	6	1	7
2	Barry Smith	2	0	2
2	Des Kelly	0	1	1
	TOTALS	8	2	10

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.^[30]

Position	Player	Date	Opponent	Ground	Notes
CB	Stuart Morgan	12 August 1972	Hereford United	Layer Road
CB	Bobby Noble	12 August 1972	Hereford United	Layer Road
FB	Steve Wooldridge	12 August 1972	Hereford United	Layer Road
FW	Bobby Moss	12 August 1972	Hereford United	Layer Road
MF	Phil Thomas	16 August 1972	Gillingham	Priestfield Stadium
CB	Martin Binks	19 August 1972	Hartlepool	Victoria Park
CB	John South	26 August 1972	Newport County	Layer Road
GK	Des Kelly	4 November 1972	Bradford City	Valley Parade
GK	John McInally	10 November 1972	Southport	Layer Road
MF	Jim Smith	10 November 1972	Southport	Layer Road
GK	John McInally	25 November 1972	Reading	Elm Park	^[31]^[a]
MF	Stan Brown	29 December 1972	Hartlepool	Layer Road
FW	Bobby Svarc	29 December 1972	Hartlepool	Layer Road
CB	Ray Harford	6 January 1973	Newport County	Somerton Park
CB	Ray Harford	3 February 1973	Aldershot	Recreation Ground	^[32]^[a]
MF	Bobby Roberts	16 March 1973	Cambridge United	Layer Road

^ ^a ^b Second debut for the club

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.

Websites

"Colchester United football club match record: 1973". 11v11.com. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
"Season 1972–73". Royalsrecord.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

Specific

^ 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.
^ "Colchester Utd 0–2 Bournemouth". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Colchester Utd 1–0 Peterborough United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ Hudson, Matt (11 July 2012). "The 1970s and 1980s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Des Kelly". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Martin Binks". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Steve Wooldridge". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Phil Thomas". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Bobby Moss". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Bobby Noble". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Stuart Morgan". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "John South". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Jim Smith". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "John McInally". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Stan Brown". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Bobby Svarc". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Ray Harford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Bobby Roberts". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Brian Gibbs". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Bobby Howlett". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Eric Burgess". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Brian Hall". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Barry Smith". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "Dave Simmons". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
^ "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
^ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
^ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
^ "Reading 0–1 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
^ "Aldershot 2–0 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

[DG-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

[DG-16] Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

[FG-26] Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

[Loan-30] Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games for the club

[2deb-36] Second debut for the club

[WWCU-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 0–2 Bournemouth". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[3] "Colchester Utd 1–0 Peterborough United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[4] "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[5] Hudson, Matt (11 July 2012). "The 1970s and 1980s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 25 April 2018.

[apps-6] "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[Kelly-8] "Des Kelly". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[Binks-9] "Martin Binks". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[Wooldridge-10] "Steve Wooldridge". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[11] "Phil Thomas". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[Moss-12] "Bobby Moss". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[Noble-13] "Bobby Noble". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[14] "Stuart Morgan". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[South-15] "John South". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[Smith-17] "Jim Smith". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[McInally-18] "John McInally". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[19] "Stan Brown". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[20] "Bobby Svarc". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[Harford-21] "Ray Harford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[22] "Bobby Roberts". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[23] "Brian Gibbs". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[24] "Bobby Howlett". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[25] "Eric Burgess". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[27] "Brian Hall". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[28] "Barry Smith". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[29] "Dave Simmons". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2017.

[goals-31] "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

[32] "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

[33] "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.

[34] "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

[35] "Reading 0–1 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

[37] "Aldershot 2–0 Colchester Utd". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2017.

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