# 1990–91 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1990–91 season was Colchester United's 49th season in their history and their first season outside of the Football League for 40 years following relegation from the Fourth Division the season prior. Now competing in the Conference, the fifth tier of English football and the highest level on non-League football in England, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the FA Trophy and the Bob Lord Trophy.
Ian Atkins took over from Mick Mills as manager for Colchester's first season in the Conference. The club remained fully professional in their bid to return to the Football League at the first attempt. They fell agonisingly short, just two-points shy of champions and promoted Barnet.
Colchester were knocked out by Leyton Orient in the second round of the FA Cup. They reached the quarter-final of the FA Trophy, losing to Witton Albion, while they also suffered defeat to Sutton United in the Bob Lord Trophy.

## Season overview

Ian Atkins was appointed as the manager charged with returning Colchester United to the Football League at the first attempt, like Lincoln City and Darlington had prior to them. Atkins registered as a player, while the club reinstated its historic navy and white striped kits. To help clear club debts, Layer Road was sold back to the Council for £1.2m with the club leasing it back for a maximum of three seasons.
Colchester started the season with a 100 per cent record from their opening six home games, but it took the U's until April to reach top spot in the Conference table. Both Barnet and Kettering Town were Colchester's main title challengers throughout the season.
In the FA Cup, United were dispatched by League opposition Leyton Orient following a 0–0 draw at Layer Road. The O's beat the U's 4–1 at Brisbane Road. Colchester reached the quarter-final of the FA Trophy in their first time playing in the competition, beaten by Witton Albion. In the Bob Lord Trophy, Sutton United saw off Colchester in the third round of the competition.
In the closing weeks of the Conference season, Layer Road attracted a season record 7,221 crowd for the visit of late promotion pushers Altrincham. The U's could only manage a 1–1 draw, and with Barnet improving on Colchester's results until the close of the season pipped United to the Conference title by two points.
Chairman Jonathan Crisp was left fuming:
   To come second with a fully professional squad in a part-time league is a bloody disgrace.
During the summer he left the club, handing over to new chairman James Bowdidge, while Atkins also left the club to rejoin Birmingham City as player-assistant manager.

## Players

    As of match played 4 May 1991.
| Name | Position | 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 27) | 13 | 0 | Stoke City | Summer 1990 | £25,000 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Ian Atkins | CB | Birmingham | (1957-01-16)16 January 1957 (aged 33) | 0 | 0 | Birmingham City | 1 June 1990 | Free transfer |
| Marcelle Bruce | FB | Detroit | (1971-03-15)15 March 1971 (aged 19) | 31 | 1 | Apprentice | Summer 1989 | Free transfer |
| Shaun Elliott | CB | Haltwhistle | (1957-01-26)26 January 1957 (aged 33) | 0 | 0 | Blackpool | 15 December 1990 | £7,000 |
| Tony English | DF/MF | Luton | (1966-10-19)19 October 1966 (aged 23) | 260 | 33 | Coventry City | 24 December 1984 | Free transfer |
| Martin Grainger | FB | Enfield Town | (1972-08-23)23 August 1972 (aged 17) | 8 | 2 | Apprentice | 16 December 1989 | Free transfer |
| Neale Marmon | CB | Bournemouth | (1961-04-21)21 April 1961 (aged 29) | 22 | 4 | Hannover 96 | 20 January 1990 | Nominal |
| Gary Osbourne | FB | Wolverhampton | (1969-10-22)22 October 1969 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Stourbridge | March 1991 | Undisclosed |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Eamonn Collins | MF | Dublin | (1965-10-22)22 October 1965 (aged 24) | 45 | 3 | Portsmouth | May 1989 | Free transfer |
| Warren Donald | MF/FB | Hillingdon | (1964-10-07)7 October 1964 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Northampton Town | 27 August 1990 | Free transfer |
| Wayne Hannigan | MF | | | 0 | 0 | Home Farm | 26 February 1991 | Undisclosed |
| Mark Kinsella | MF | Dublin | (1972-08-12)12 August 1972 (aged 17) | 9 | 0 | Home Farm | 18 August 1989 | Free transfer |
| Nicky Smith | LM | Berkeley | (1969-01-28)28 January 1969 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Southend United | 18 August 1990 | Free transfer |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Gary Bennett | WG | Enfield Town | (1970-11-13)13 November 1970 (aged 19) | 51 | 7 | Tottenham Hotpsur | 21 October 1988 | Free transfer |
| Roy McDonough | FW | Solihull | (1958-10-16)16 October 1958 (aged 31) | 111 | 26 | Southend United | 13 October 1990 | Part exchange |
| Steve McGavin | FW | North Walsham | (1969-01-24)24 January 1969 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Sudbury Town | 1 April 1991 | £10,000 |
| Steve Restarick | FW | Barking | (1971-11-28)28 November 1971 (aged 18) | 1 | 0 | West Ham United | Early 1988–89 season | Free transfer |
| Mario Walsh | FW | Paddington | (1966-01-19)19 January 1966 (aged 24) | 51 | 17 | Southend United | 1 September 1990 | £25,000 |
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club
* 1 2 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 1990 | GK | Scott Barrett | Stoke City | £25,000 |
| 1 June 1990 | CB | Ian Atkins | Birmingham City | Free transfer |
| 27 August 1990 | MF/FB | Warren Donald | Northampton Town | Free transfer |
| 1 September 1990 | FW | Mario Walsh | Southend United | £25,000 |
| 3 September 1990 | WG | Mark Rees | Walsall | Free transfer |
| 18 September 1990 | FW | Morrys Scott | Cardiff City | Undisclosed |
| 18 September 1990 | LM | Nicky Smith | Southend United | Free transfer |
| 13 October 1990 | FW | Roy McDonough | Southend United | Part exchange with Morrys Scott |
| December 1990 | FW | Laurie Ryan | Cambridge United | Free transfer |
| 15 December 1990 | CB | Shaun Elliott | Blackpool | £7,000 |
| 21 January 1991 | MF | Garry Brooke | Brentford | Trial |
| 26 February 1991 | MF | Wayne Hannigan | Home Farm | Undisclosed |
| March 1991 | FB | Gary Osbourne | Stourbridge | Undisclosed |
| 1 April 1991 | FW | Steve McGavin | Sudbury Town | £10,000 |
* Total spending: ~ £67,000
* ↑ Joined as player-manager
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club
* 1 2 3 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club
* ↑ Fee set at tribunal

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| End of season | MF | Robbie Devereux | Sudbury Town | Released |
| Summer 1990 | CB | Billy Gilbert | Maidstone United | Released |
| Summer 1990 | FW | Trevor Morgan | Happy Valley | Released |
| 27 August 1990 | FW | Morrys Scott | Southend United | Part exchange with Roy McDonough |
| 22 September 1990 | WG | Mark Rees | Unknown Luxembourg club | Released |
| December 1990 | FB | Clive Stafford | Bury Town | Free transfer |
| 21 January 1991 | MF | Garry Brooke | Brentford | End of trial |
| 31 March 1991 | MF | Mark Radford | Free agent | Released |
| After March 1991 | CB | John Pollard | Bury Town | Released |
| April 1991 | MF | Les Taylor | Oxford United | Released |
| 26 April 1991 | CB | Scott Daniels | Exeter City | £50,000 |
| 4 May 1991 | FW | Laurie Ryan | Cambridge City | Released |
* Total incoming: ~ £50,000
* ↑ Following Billy Gilbert's release by Colchester United, he later signed for Maidstone United.
* 1 2 3 4 5 Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club
* ↑ Joined Oxford United as coach

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 18 August 1990 | MF | Mark Yates | Birmingham City | 2 February 1991 |
| September 1990 | FW | Laurie Ryan | Cambridge United | 29 September 1990 |
| 24 November 1990 | FW | Mike Masters | San Francisco Bay Blackhawks | 25 March 1991 |
| 30 March 1991 | CB | Rudi Hedman | Crystal Palace | 4 May 1991 |
| 30 March 1991 | FW | Dave Leworthy | Reading | 30 April 1991 |
* 1 2 3 Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games for the club
* ↑ Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game in his first spell for the club
* ↑ Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games in his second spell for the club

### Loans out

| Date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| Autumn 1990 | FW | Steve Restarick | Bury Town | Autumn 1990 |
| October 1990 | FB | Clive Stafford | Bury Town | October 1990 |
| March 1991 | CB | John Pollard | Fisher Athletic | March 1991 |
| March 1991 | FW | Steve Restarick | Fisher Athletic | March 1991 |

## Match details
### Conference
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Barnet | 42 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 103 | 52 | +51 | 87 | Football Conference Champions, promoted to Football League Fourth Division |
| 2 | Colchester United | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 68 | 35 | +33 | 85 | |
| 3 | Altrincham | 42 | 23 | 13 | 6 | 87 | 46 | +41 | 82 | |
| 4 | Kettering Town | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 67 | 45 | +22 | 80 | |
| 5 | Wycombe Wanderers | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 75 | 46 | +29 | 74 | FA Trophy winners |
* ↑ Relegated from The Football League

#### 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 |
| Ground | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | H |
| Result | L | D | W | D | W | D | W | W | W | W | L | W | W | W | W | L | D | W | L | W | D | W | W | W | D | W | W | W | W | D | W | L | L | W | D | W | W | D | D | L | W | W |
| Position | 20 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |

#### Matches
### Bob Lord Trophy
## Squad statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Conference | Conference | FA Cup | FA Cup | FA Trophy | FA Trophy | Bob Lord Trophy | Bob Lord Trophy |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | ENG | Scott Barrett | 51 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Ian Atkins | 49 | 8 | 41 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | USA | Marcelle Bruce | 7 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Shaun Elliott | 22 | 0 | 14+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Tony English | 48 | 7 | 39+1 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Martin Grainger | 8 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Neale Marmon | 45 | 5 | 36+1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2+1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| | DF | ENG | Gary Osbourne | 6 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | IRL | Eamonn Collins | 42 | 2 | 35 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Warren Donald | 46 | 1 | 33+5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | IRL | Wayne Hannigan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | MF | IRL | Mark Kinsella | 12 | 0 | 6+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Nicky Smith | 41 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Gary Bennett | 43 | 12 | 34+2 | 9 | 1+2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Roy McDonough | 29 | 9 | 17+7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Steve McGavin | 8 | 0 | 2+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Steve Restarick | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 2 |
| | FW | ENG | Mario Walsh | 38 | 18 | 31+1 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||||
| | DF | ENG | Scott Daniels | 47 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Rudi Hedman | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | John Pollard | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Garry Brooke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Mark Radford | 6 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Les Taylor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Mark Yates | 30 | 6 | 22+3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Dave Leworthy | 9 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | USA | Mike Masters | 16 | 2 | 2+9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Mark Rees | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Laurie Ryan | 17 | 3 | 3+10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | WAL | Morrys Scott | 4 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Conference | FA Cup | FA Trophy | Bob Lord Trophy | Total |
| 1 | FW | Mario Walsh | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | WG | Gary Bennett | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | FW | Roy McDonough | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | CB | Ian Atkins | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | DF/MF | Tony English | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 6 | MF | Mark Yates | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | CB | Neale Marmon | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | FW | Dave Leworthy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | FW | Laurie Ryan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | MF | Eamonn Collins | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | FW | Mike Masters | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | FW | Steve Restarick | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 | CB | Scott Daniels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | MF/FB | Warren Donald | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 68 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 80 |

### Disciplinary record

| Position | Name | Conference | Conference | FA Cup | FA Cup | FA Trophy | FA Trophy | Bob Lord Trophy | Bob Lord Trophy | Total | Total |
| FW | Roy McDonough | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| CB | Shaun Elliott | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| FB | Martin Grainger | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| CB | Neale Marmon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| CB | Ian Atkins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Eamonn Collins | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF/FB | Warren Donald | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | TOTALS | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.
| Place | Nationality | Player | Conference | FA Cup | FA Trophy | Bob Lord Trophy | Total |
| 1 | | Scott Barrett | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| | | TOTALS | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 20 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.
| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| CB | Ian Atkins | 18 August 1990 | Yeovil Town | Huish Park |
| GK | Scott Barrett | 18 August 1990 | Yeovil Town | Huish Park |
| FW | Morrys Scott | 18 August 1990 | Yeovil Town | Huish Park |
| LM | Nicky Smith | 18 August 1990 | Yeovil Town | Huish Park |
| MF | Mark Yates | 18 August 1990 | Yeovil Town | Huish Park |
| MF/FB | Warren Donald | 27 August 1990 | Fisher Athletic | Surrey Docks Stadium |
| FW | Mario Walsh | 1 September 1990 | Northwich Victoria | Layer Road |
| FW | Laurie Ryan | 19 September 1990 | Boston United | York Street |
| WG | Mark Rees | 22 September 1990 | Cheltenham Town | Layer Road |
| FW | Roy McDonough | 13 October 1990 | Sutton United | Layer Road |
| FW | Mike Masters | 24 November 1990 | Wycombe Wanderers | Layer Road |
| CB | Shaun Elliott | 15 December 1990 | Merthyr Tydfil | Penydarren Park |
| FW | Laurie Ryan | 15 December 1990 | Merthyr Tydfil | Penydarren Park |
| MF | Garry Brooke | 21 January 1991 | Fisher Athletic | Surrey Docks Stadium |
| MF | Wayne Hannigan | 26 February 1991 | Sutton United | Gander Green Lane |
| CB | Rudi Hedman | 30 March 1991 | Yeovil Town | Layer Road |
| FW | Dave Leworthy | 30 March 1991 | Yeovil Town | Layer Road |
| FW | Steve McGavin | 1 April 1991 | Gateshead | Gateshead International Stadium |
| FB | Gary Osbourne | 1 April 1991 | Gateshead | Gateshead International Stadium |
* 1 2 3 4 5 Second debut for the club