# 1988–89 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1988–89 season was Colchester United's 47th season in their history and eighth 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 Associate Members' Cup.
Roger Brown's unsuccessful tenure came to and end following a club record 8–0 defeat at Leyton Orient in October. With the club languishing bottom of the entire football league, former Rangers manager Jock Wallace boosted the club and helped them avoid relegation to the Conference, ending the season 22nd of 24 clubs.
Remarkably, Colchester had a successful FA Cup run as they saw off Fulham, Swansea City and Shrewsbury Town on their way to a fourth round tie with Sheffield United, who knocked out the U's following a Layer Road replay. They again reached the area quarter-final of the Associate Members' Cup where they were defeated by Hereford United, and a 5–0 thrashing at Northampton Town spelt an early exit from the League Cup.

## Season overview

Following a club record 8–0 defeat at Leyton Orient on 15 October, Roger Brown was dismissed from his position as manager. With the club bottom of the entire Football League for the first time since 1972, Steve Foley once again stepped up as caretaker manager. Under Foley's stewardship, the U's embarked on a successful FA Cup run, where they defeated Third Division Fulham and Second Division Swansea City and Shrewsbury Town. However, Third Division Sheffield United won 2–0 in a replay at Layer Road to progress to the fifth round.
Just weeks after signing for the club for £35,000, Paul McGee was sold to Wimbledon for a club record fee of £150,000, representing a huge profit in a short period of time.
Incoming as Brown's replacement was former Rangers manager Jock Wallace, with England World Cup winner Alan Ball his assistant. The impact of Wallace's appointment was instantaneous, with crowds rising over 3,500 the town became gripped by his passion and desire to avoid relegation to the Conference.
On 29 April, the U's travelled to their closest rivals Darlington, a game which Colchester won 2–1 thanks to a Robert Scott goal. The win lifted Colchester off the bottom of the league table for the first time since Brown's departure, and two successive home wins against Halifax Town and Exeter City confirmed Colchester's Fourth Division status for another year.
Meanwhile, in the League Cup, Colchester suffered an early exit following a 0–0 draw at home to Northampton Town and then a 5–0 hammering at the County Ground in the return leg. In the Associate Members' Cup, Colchester won their two group stage games against Lincoln City and Southend United, before regaining some pride by beating Leyton Orient at Layer Road to progress to the area quarter-final. They were then beaten 1–0 by visitors Hereford United.

## Players

    As of match played 13 May 1989.
| Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| Mark Walton | GK | Merthyr Tydfil | (1969-06-01)1 June 1969 (aged 19) | 24 | 0 | Luton Town | 26 December 1987 | £17,500 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Phil Coleman | FB | Woolwich | (1960-09-08)8 September 1960 (aged 27) | 105 | 7 | MyPa | December 1988 | Free transfer |
| Scott Daniels | CB | South Benfleet | (1969-11-22)22 November 1969 (aged 18) | 1 | 0 | Apprentice | 23 April 1988 | Free transfer |
| Tony English | DF/MF | Luton | (1966-10-19)19 October 1966 (aged 21) | 166 | 23 | Coventry City | 24 December 1984 | Free transfer |
| Stuart Hicks | CB | Peterborough | (1967-05-30)30 May 1967 (aged 21) | 7 | 0 | Wisbech Town | March 1988 | Free transfer |
| Colin Hill | CB | Uxbridge | (1963-11-12)12 November 1963 (aged 24) | 30 | 1 | Marítimo | 30 October 1987 | Undisclosed |
| John Pollard | CB | Chelmsford | (1971-11-17)17 November 1971 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | 5 May 1989 | Free transfer |
| Rodney Rooke | FB | Orsett | (1970-04-07)7 April 1970 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1988 | Non-contract |
| Robert Scott | FB | Broxburn | (1964-01-13)13 January 1964 (aged 24) | 0 | 0 | Whitburn Junior | 24 March 1989 | Free transfer |
| Clive Stafford | FB | Ipswich | (1963-04-04)4 April 1963 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Diss Town | February 1989 | Unknown |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Mark Radford | MF | Leicester | (1968-12-20)20 December 1968 (aged 19) | 16 | 0 | Apprentice | 26 January 1987 | Free transfer |
| Les Taylor | MF | North Shields | (1956-12-04)4 December 1956 (aged 31) | 0 | 0 | Reading | January 1989 | £20,000 |
| Richard Wilkins | MF/DF | Lambeth | (1965-05-28)28 May 1965 (aged 23) | 84 | 15 | Haverhill Rovers | 18 November 1986 | Undisclosed |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Ian Allinson | WG | Hitchin | (1957-10-01)1 October 1957 (aged 30) | 363 | 82 | Luton Town | 16 December 1988 | Free transfer |
| Gary Bennett | WG | Enfield Town | (1970-11-13)13 November 1970 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Tottenham Hotpsur | 21 October 1988 | Free transfer |
| Steve Restarick | FW | Barking | (1971-11-28)28 November 1971 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | West Ham United | Early 1988–89 season | Free transfer |
| Mario Walsh | FW | Paddington | (1966-01-19)19 January 1966 (aged 22) | 15 | 2 | Torquay United | Summer 1987 | £15,000 |
* ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his third spell for the club
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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 1988 | FB | Kevin Bedford | Wimbledon | Undisclosed |
| Summer 1988 | FB | Steve Cartwright | Tamworth | Free transfer |
| Summer 1988 | FB | Rodney Rooke | Apprentice | Non-contract |
| Summer 1988 | FB | Dave Swindlehurst | Wimbledon | Undisclosed |
| Summer 1988 | MF | Dave Barnett | Windsor & Eton | Undisclosed |
| Early 1988–89 season | FW | Steve Restarick | West Ham United | Free transfer |
| October 1988 | WG | Ian Brown | Harwich & Parkeston | Non-contract |
| 21 October 1988 | WG | Gary Bennett | Tottenham Hotspur | Free transfer |
| 11 November 1988 | GK | Mark Coombe | Bristol City | Non-contract |
| December 1988 | FB | Phil Coleman | MyPa | Free transfer |
| 16 December 1988 | WG | Ian Allinson | Luton Town | Free transfer |
| January 1989 | MF | Les Taylor | Reading | £20,000 |
| February 1989 | FB | Clive Stafford | Diss Town | Unknown |
| 8 February 1989 | WG | Paul McGee | Bohemian | £35,000 |
| 18 February 1989 | FW | John Warner | Burnham Ramblers | Free transfer |
| 24 March 1989 | FB | Robert Scott | Whitburn Junior | Free transfer |
| 5 May 1989 | CB | John Pollard | Apprentice | Free transfer |
* Total spending: ~ £55,000
* 1 2 3 4 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 | CB | John Ray | Wycombe Wanderers | Undisclosed |
| End of season | MF | Keith Williams | Swanage Town & Herston | Released |
| Summer 1988 | WG | Tommy Keane | Galway United | Undisclosed |
| July 1988 | MF | Gary Smith | Enfield | Undisclosed |
| October 1988 | WG | Ian Brown | Harwich & Parkeston | Released |
| October 1988 | WG | Winston White | Burnley | £17,500 |
| 15 October 1988 | FB | Steve Cartwright | Tamworth | Released |
| 11 November 1988 | FB | Stephen Grenfell | Bromley | Free transfer |
| December 1988 | CB | Rudi Hedman | Crystal Palace | £100,000 |
| 3 December 1988 | GK | Mark Coombe | Torquay United | Free transfer |
| 20 December 1988 | MF | Nick Chatterton | Free agent | Retired |
| 31 January 1989 | FB | Dave Swindlehurst | Bromley | Undisclosed |
| 1 March 1989 | WG | Paul McGee | Wimbledon | £150,000 |
| 27 March 1989 | FB | Kevin Bedford | Unknown | Unknown |
| April 1989 | MF | Dave Barnett | Edmonton Brick Men | Released |
| 21 April 1989 | WG | Lee Hunter | Wivenhoe Town | Released |
| 13 May 1989 | CB | Steve Hetzke | Free agent | Retired |
| 13 May 1989 | FW | Dale Tempest | Eastern | Undisclosed |
| 13 May 1989 | FW | John Warner | Heybridge Swifts | Released |
* Total incoming: ~ £267,500
* ↑ Joined as player-coach
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club
* ↑ Joined as player-manager
* ↑ Joined Chesterfield as coach
* ↑ Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game in his first spell for the club

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | End date | Ref. |
| 24 October 1988 | MF | | Tony Kelly | West Bromwich Albion | 21 January 1989 | |
| February 1989 | GK | | Tom McAlister | West Ham United | 1 May 1989 | |
* 1 2 Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

### Loans out

| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | End date | Ref. |
| December 1988 | FB | | Dave Swindlehurst | Peterborough United | December 1988 | |

## 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 | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A |
| Result | W | D | L | D | W | L | L | W | L | L | L | L | D | L | L | D | L | L | D | L | L | D | L | L | D | D | W | W | D | L | W | L | L | D | L | W | D | L | D | D | D | W | W | W | W | W |
| Position | 8 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 11 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 |

#### League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 20 | Stockport County | 46 | 10 | 21 | 15 | 54 | 52 | +2 | 51 | |
| 21 | Halifax Town | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 69 | 75 | −6 | 50 | |
| 22 | Colchester United | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 60 | 78 | −18 | 50 | |
| 23 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 49 | 78 | −29 | 49 | |
| 24 | Darlington | 46 | 8 | 18 | 20 | 53 | 76 | −23 | 42 | Relegated to Conference |

#### Matches
### Associate Members' Cup

| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD |
| Colchester United (Q) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
| Southend United (Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Lincoln City | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 |
$^{(Q)Qualifiedfornextround}$

## 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 | WAL | Mark Walton | 32 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Phil Coleman | 14 | 0 | 6+4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Scott Daniels | 34 | 0 | 18+8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Tony English | 45 | 8 | 36 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Stuart Hicks | 46 | 1 | 34+3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| | DF | NIR | Colin Hill | 52 | 1 | 42+2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | John Pollard | 2 | 1 | 0+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Rodney Rooke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Robert Scott | 12 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Clive Stafford | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Mark Radford | 36 | 1 | 16+14 | 1 | 2+2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Les Taylor | 16 | 0 | 14+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Richard Wilkins | 47 | 11 | 39+1 | 8 | 2+1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | Ian Allinson | 31 | 9 | 24+1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | Gary Bennett | 9 | 1 | 6+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Mario Walsh | 36 | 15 | 25+2 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||||
| | GK | ENG | Mark Coombe | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | GK | SCO | Tom McAlister | 21 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Kevin Bedford | 36 | 0 | 24+2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Steve Cartwright | 12 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Stephen Grenfell | 9 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Rudi Hedman | 22 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Steve Hetzke | 32 | 3 | 22+2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Dave Swindlehurst | 18 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| | MF | ENG | Dave Barnett | 30 | 0 | 19+1 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Nick Chatterton | 4 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Tony Kelly | 20 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Lee Hunter | 8 | 0 | 4+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | IRL | Paul McGee | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Dale Tempest | 41 | 8 | 25+8 | 7 | 3+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | John Warner | 15 | 3 | 7+8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Winston White | 12 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| 1 | FW | Mario Walsh | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| 2 | MF/DF | Richard Wilkins | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| 3 | WG | Ian Allinson | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 4 | DF/MF | Tony English | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | FW | Dale Tempest | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 6 | FB | Dave Swindlehurst | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | FB | Robert Scott | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | CB | Rudi Hedman | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | CB | Steve Hetzke | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | FW | John Warner | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | MF | Tony Kelly | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | WG | Gary Bennett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | CB | Stuart Hicks | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | CB | Colin Hill | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | CB | John Pollard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | MF | Mark Radford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | TOTALS | 60 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 79 |

### Disciplinary record

| Position | Name | Fourth Division | Fourth Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Football League Trophy | Total | Total |
| MF | Dave Barnett | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| CB | Steve Hetzke | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| FW | Mario Walsh | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | TOTALS | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.
| Place | Player | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| 1 | Tom McAlister | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1 | Mark Walton | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Mark Coombe | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | TOTALS | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.
| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| MF | Dave Barnett | 27 August 1988 | York City | Layer Road |
| FB | Steve Cartwright | 27 August 1988 | York City | Layer Road |
| FB | Dave Swindlehurst | 27 August 1988 | York City | Layer Road |
| FB | Kevin Bedford | 2 September 1988 | Tranmere Rovers | Prenton Park |
| WG | Gary Bennett | 21 October 1988 | Cambridge United | Layer Road |
| MF | Tony Kelly | 25 October 1988 | Rotherham United | Millmoor |
| GK | Mark Coombe | 11 November 1988 | Torquay United | Layer Road |
| WG | Ian Allinson | 16 December 1988 | Rochdale | Spotland Stadium |
| FB | Phil Coleman | 20 December 1988 | Southend United | Layer Road |
| FB | Rodney Rooke | 20 December 1988 | Southend United | Layer Road |
| MF | Les Taylor | 13 January 1989 | Tranmere Rovers | Layer Road |
| GK | Tom McAlister | 4 February 1989 | Scarborough | Athletic Ground |
| WG | Paul McGee | 10 February 1989 | Burnley | Layer Road |
| FW | John Warner | 18 February 1989 | Scunthorpe United | Glanford Park |
| FB | Clive Stafford | 5 March 1989 | Cambridge United | Abbey Stadium |
| FB | Robert Scott | 24 March 1989 | Grimsby Town | Layer Road |
| CB | John Pollard | 5 May 1989 | Exeter City | Layer Road |
* 1 2 Second debut for the club