# 1982–83 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1982–83 season was Colchester United's 41st season in their history and second consecutive season in fourth tier of English football, the Fourth Division. Alongside competing in the Fourth Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.
Colchester challenged for the top four but once again fell short, on this occasion missing promotion by just two points. A tragic season saw forward John Lyons take his own life, while Allan Hunter resigned two months later, replaced by his assistant Cyril Lea in February.
In the cups, Colchester were entered into the second and final iteration of the Football League Trophy, which the U's exited at the group stage, which defeats to Southampton and Torquay United in the second and first round of the League and FA Cup respectively denied the club a cup run.

## Season overview

Allan Hunter continued in his role as player-manager for the new season, with former Ipswich Town coach Cyril Lea his assistant. Colchester led the table undefeated after seven games and earned a League Cup second round tie against Southampton. Following a 0–0 draw at Layer Road, with England international Peter Shilton in inspired form, the U's could not repeat their heroics from 1974 at The Dell, losing 4–2 and making another early exit.
The season then took a tragic turn, when in November, just hours after turning out for the U's against Chester City, forward John Lyons committed suicide at his home in Layer de la Haye. After this incident and having to give up his own playing career, Allan Hunter resigned as manager in January with Colchester in seventh place. Cyril Lea took over initially until the end of the campaign and promptly won eight of his first eleven games. However, four defeats in 17 days during April cost the U's and they finished sixth position in the league, missing promotion by just two points.
Ian Allinson ended the season as Colchester's top scorer with 26 league and cup goals, while youth graduate Tony Adcock scored 17 goals. Veteran goalkeeper Mike Walker, who had missed just nine games in ten seasons for the club, announced his retirement at the end of the season.

## Players

    As of match played 13 May 1983.
| Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| Alec Chamberlain | GK | March | (1964-06-20)20 June 1964 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Ipswich Town | Summer 1982 | Undisclosed |
| Ian Cranstone | GK | Rochford | | 0 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | Summer 1977 | Free transfer |
| Bobby Hamilton | GK | | | 0 | 0 | Unknown | Summer 1977 | |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Phil Coleman | FB | Woolwich | (1960-09-08)8 September 1960 (aged 21) | 51 | 4 | Millwall | February 1981 | £15,000 |
| Micky Cook | FB | Enfield | (1951-04-09)9 April 1951 (aged 31) | 607 | 21 | Orient | 1 March 1969 | Free transfer |
| Adrian Keith | CB | Colchester | (1962-12-16)16 December 1962 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | West Ham United | December 1982 | Free transfer |
| Wayne Ward | FB | Colchester | (1964-04-28)28 April 1964 (aged 18) | 5 | 0 | Apprentice | April 1982 | Free transfer |
| Steve Wignall | CB | Liverpool | (1954-09-17)17 September 1954 (aged 27) | 236 | 12 | Doncaster Rovers | September 1977 | £5,000 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Andy Farrell | MF/FB | Colchester | (1965-10-07)7 October 1965 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1982 | Free transfer |
| Andy Gooding | MF | | | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1981 | Free transfer |
| Jeff Hull | MF | Rochford | (1960-08-25)25 August 1960 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Basildon United | 17 December 1982 | Undisclosed |
| Steve Leslie | MF | Hornsey | (1952-09-04)4 September 1952 (aged 29) | 435 | 44 | Apprentice | 20 April 1971 | Free transfer |
| Roger Osborne | MF | Otley | (1950-03-09)9 March 1950 (aged 32) | 60 | 5 | Ipswich Town | February 1981 | £25,000 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Tony Adcock | FW | Bethnal Green | (1963-03-27)27 March 1963 (aged 19) | 49 | 6 | Apprentice | 31 March 1981 | Free transfer |
| Keith Bowen | FW | Northampton | (1958-02-26)26 February 1958 (aged 24) | 0 | 0 | Brentford | 25 March 1983 | £10,000 |
| Perry Groves | WG | Bow | (1965-04-19)19 April 1965 (aged 17) | 9 | 0 | Cornard Dynamos | Summer 1981 | Free transfer |
| Roy McDonough | FW | Solihull | (1958-10-16)16 October 1958 (aged 23) | 62 | 18 | Chelsea | February 1981 | £15,000 |
| Craig Oldfield | FW | Warley | (1963-11-24)24 November 1963 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Stowmarket Town | Summer 1982 | Free transfer |
| John Taylor | FW | Norwich | (1964-10-24)24 October 1964 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1981 | Free transfer |
* 1 2 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club
* ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| Summer 1982 | GK | Alec Chamberlain | Ipswich Town | Undisclosed |
| Summer 1982 | CB | Kevin Beattie | Free agent | Free transfer |
| Summer 1982 | MF/FB | Andy Farrell | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| Summer 1982 | FW | Craig Oldfield | Stowmarket Town | Free transfer |
| December 1982 | CB | Adrian Keith | West Ham United | Free transfer |
| 17 December 1982 | MF | Jeff Hull | Basildon United | Undisclosed |
| 25 March 1983 | FW | Keith Bowen | Brentford | £10,000 |
* Total spending: ~ £10,000
* ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club
* ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| End of season | GK | Jeff Wood | HJK Helsinki | Free transfer |
| November 1982 | CB | Kevin Beattie | Middlesbrough | Free transfer |
| 9 November 1982 | FW | John Lyons | | |
| January 1983 | CB | Allan Hunter | Free agent | Retired |
| February 1983 | FW | Kevin Bremner | Millwall | £25,000 |
| 22 April 1983 | MF | Dennis Longhorn | Chelmsford City | Released |
| 2 May 1983 | GK | Mike Walker | Free agent | Retired |
| 13 May 1983 | FB | Mick Packer | Wivenhoe Town | Became player-manager |
| 13 May 1983 | WG | Ian Allinson | Arsenal | Free transfer |
* Total incoming: ~ £25,000
* 1 2 3 4 5 Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club
* ↑ John Lyons committed suicide on 10 November 1982
* ↑ Allan Hunter resigned from his position as player-manager at Colchester United on 18 January
* ↑ Mike Walker joined Colchester United's coaching staff after retiring from playing

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | End date | Ref. |
| 1 January 1983 | FW | | John Linford | Ipswich Town | 1 March 1983 | |
| 12 March 1983 | FW | | Keith Bowen | Brentford | 19 March 1983 | |
* ↑ Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game for the club
* ↑ Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games for the club

### Loans out

| Date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| October 1982 | FW | Kevin Bremner | Birmingham City | October 1982 |
| December 1982 | FW | Kevin Bremner | Wrexham | December 1982 |
| January 1983 | FW | Kevin Bremner | Plymouth Argyle | January 1983 |

## 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 | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | D | D | W | W | W | D | L | L | D | L | L | W | W | W | W | W | D | L | W | L | D | L | W | W | L | W | W | L | W | W | W | D | W | D | D | W | W | L | L | W | L | L | W | W | W |
| Position | 7 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |

#### League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 4 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 71 | 42 | +29 | 83 | Promoted |
| 5 | Bury | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 74 | 46 | +28 | 81 | |
| 6 | Colchester United | 46 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 75 | 55 | +20 | 81 | |
| 7 | York City | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 88 | 58 | +30 | 79 | |
| 8 | Swindon Town | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 61 | 54 | +7 | 68 | |

#### Matches
### Football League Trophy

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
| Watford | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 2 | 11 |
| Colchester United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 1 | 7 |
| Southend United | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 0 | 1 |
| Orient | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 | 1 |

### FA Cup
## Squad statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Fourth Division | Fourth Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Football League Trophy |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | ENG | Alec Chamberlain | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Phil Coleman | 45 | 3 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| | DF | ENG | Micky Cook | 48 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Adrian Keith | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Wayne Ward | 16 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Steve Wignall | 52 | 5 | 44 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Jeff Hull | 27 | 4 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Steve Leslie | 36 | 1 | 26+3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Roger Osborne | 53 | 2 | 45 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Tony Adcock | 34 | 17 | 26+4 | 17 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | WAL | Keith Bowen | 13 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Perry Groves | 22 | 3 | 8+9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Roy McDonough | 49 | 8 | 38+3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||||
| | GK | WAL | Mike Walker | 50 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Kevin Beattie | 7 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | NIR | Allan Hunter | 25 | 0 | 17+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Mick Packer | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Dennis Longhorn | 29 | 0 | 27+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Ian Allinson | 54 | 26 | 46 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| | FW | SCO | Kevin Bremner | 19 | 2 | 10+5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | John Linford | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | WAL | John Lyons | 22 | 10 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| 1 | WG | Ian Allinson | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 26 |
| 2 | FW | Tony Adcock | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| 3 | FW | John Lyons | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | FW | Roy McDonough | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | CB | Steve Wignall | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | FW | Keith Bowen | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | MF | Jeff Hull | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | FB | Phil Coleman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | WG | Perry Groves | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | FW | Kevin Bremner | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | MF | Roger Osborne | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | FB | Micky Cook | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | MF | Steve Leslie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 75 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 86 |

### Disciplinary record

| Position | Name | Fourth Division | Fourth Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Football League Trophy | Total | Total |
| FB | Micky Cook | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | Roy McDonough | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| FB | Mick Packer | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| CB | Steve Wignall | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | TOTALS | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.
| Place | Player | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| 1 | Mike Walker | 15 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 19 |
| 2 | Alec Chamberlain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | TOTALS | 16 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 20 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.
| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| CB | Kevin Beattie | 17 August 1982 | Watford | Vicarage Road |
| MF | Jeff Hull | 17 December 1982 | Stockport County | Layer Road |
| CB | Adrian Keith | 1 January 1983 | Torquay United | Plainmoor |
| GK | Alec Chamberlain | 3 January 1983 | Hartlepool United | Layer Road |
| FW | John Linford | 14 January 1983 | Halifax Town | The Shay |
| FW | Keith Bowen | 12 March 1983 | Bury | Layer Road |
| FW | Keith Bowen | 25 March 1983 | Tranmere Rovers | Layer Road |
* ↑ Second debut for the club