# 1984–85 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1984–85 season was Colchester United's 43rd season in their history and fourth 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.
Once again, Colchester finished high in the Fourth Division table, but ten points off promotion. Remarkably, the U's were paired against Gillingham in all three cup competitions they participated in, but only succeeded in beating them once, failing to defeat them in the first round of the League Cup and second round of the FA Cup, but won over two legs in the Associate Members' Cup.

## Season overview

Despite chairman Maurice Cadman announcing the removal of win bonuses for the season, only three of the eight out-of-contract players chose to move on despite the new scheme. Steve Wignall however decided to leave for Brentford.
Colchester were paired with Gillingham in the first round of the League Cup, where they were beaten 5–2 over two legs. The U's were then drawn against them in the second round of the FA Cup after seeing off Southend United in the Essex derby following a replay. Again, Gillingham won, on this occasion scoring five in a single match and inflicting the heaviest ever home defeat on Colchester.
In-form forward Tony Adcock continued his scoring form, with 28 goals to his name by January. However, with Liverpool rumoured to be interested in signing him and Bobby Hunt's 38-goal record in sight, he suffered a serious knee injury which ruled him out for almost the remainder of the season.
Once more Colchester fell just short of promotion in seventh place, but ten points adrift of automatic promotion in fourth position. The club equalled its record away win with a 5–1 victory at Exeter City on 23 March.
Meanwhile, Maurice Cadman found a new buyer for the club, with Jonathan Crisp paying the £150,000 asking price. He promised Second Division football within five years, but in light of the Bradford City stadium fire on 11 May, a move away from the timber-constructed Layer Road stands meant fabricating a move away or redevelopment of the stadium was of utmost importance.

## Players

    As of match played 10 May 1985.
| 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 19) | 60 | 0 | Ipswich Town | Summer 1982 | Undisclosed |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Keith Day | CB | Grays | (1962-11-29)29 November 1962 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Aveley | Summer 1984 | Undisclosed |
| Tony English | DF/MF | Luton | (1966-10-19)19 October 1966 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Coventry City | 24 December 1984 | Free transfer |
| Rudi Hedman | CB | Lambeth | (1964-11-16)16 November 1964 (aged 19) | 4 | 0 | Apprentice | February 1984 | Free transfer |
| Stewart Houston | CB | Dunoon | (1949-08-20)20 August 1949 (aged 34) | 51 | 5 | Sheffield United | Summer 1983 | Undisclosed |
| Ian Phillips | FB | Cumnock | (1959-04-23)23 April 1959 (aged 25) | 48 | 5 | Northampton Town | September 1983 | £5,000 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Andy Farrell | MF/FB | Colchester | (1965-10-07)7 October 1965 (aged 18) | 21 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1982 | Free transfer |
| Jeff Hull | MF | Rochford | (1960-08-25)25 August 1960 (aged 23) | 66 | 5 | Basildon United | 17 December 1982 | Undisclosed |
| Roger Osborne | MF | Otley | (1950-03-09)9 March 1950 (aged 34) | 157 | 8 | Ipswich Town | February 1981 | £25,000 |
| Noel Parkinson | MF | Kingston upon Hull | (1959-11-16)16 November 1959 (aged 24) | 0 | 0 | Scunthorpe United | August 1984 | Undisclosed |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Tony Adcock | FW | Bethnal Green | (1963-03-27)27 March 1963 (aged 21) | 136 | 56 | Apprentice | 31 March 1981 | Free transfer |
| Keith Bowen | FW | Northampton | (1958-02-26)26 February 1958 (aged 26) | 68 | 22 | Brentford | 25 March 1983 | £10,000 |
| Simon Burman | WG/MF | Ipswich | (1965-11-26)26 November 1965 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | 15 February 1985 | Free transfer |
| Perry Groves | WG | Bow | (1965-04-19)19 April 1965 (aged 19) | 81 | 5 | Cornard Dynamos | Summer 1981 | Free transfer |
| Liburd Henry | FW | Roseau | (1964-08-29)29 August 1964 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Unknown | Summer 1984 | Free transfer |
| Russell Irving | FW | Wallsend | (1964-01-04)4 January 1964 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Ipswich Town | Summer 1984 | Undisclosed |
* ↑ 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 1984 | CB | Keith Day | Aveley | Undisclosed |
| Summer 1984 | FW | Liburd Henry | Unknown | Free transfer |
| Summer 1984 | FW | Russell Irving | Ipswich Town | Undisclosed |
| August 1984 | FB | Daryl Godbold | Norwich City | Undisclosed |
| August 1984 | MF | Noel Parkinson | Scunthorpe United | Undisclosed |
| August 1984 | MF | Stuart Youngman | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| 24 December 1984 | DF/MF | Tony English | Coventry City | Free transfer |
| 5 February 1985 | FW | Tommy English | Plymouth Argyle | Undisclosed |
| 15 February 1985 | WG/MF | Simon Burman | Apprentice | Free transfer |
* Total spending: ~ £0
* ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| End of season | FB | Phil Coleman | Chelmsford City | Released |
| End of season | MF | Steve Leslie | Chelmsford City | Released |
| End of season | FW | Craig Oldfield | Bury Town | Released |
| Summer 1984 | CB | Tony Hadley | Southend United | Free transfer |
| Summer 1984 | FW | Les Mutrie | Hartlepool United | Released |
| August 1984 | CB | Steve Wignall | Brentford | Undisclosed |
| December 1984 | FW | John Taylor | Sudbury Town | Released |
| 21 December 1984 | FB | Daryl Godbold | Wroxham | Undisclosed |
| 5 February 1985 | FW | Tommy English | Canberra City | Undisclosed |
| 23 April 1985 | MF | Stuart Youngman | Wroxham | Undisclosed |
| 23 April 1985 | FW | Dave Hubbick | Gravesend & Northfleet | Released |
* Total incoming: ~ £0
* 1 2 3 4 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. |
| March 1985 | FW | | Paul Shinners | Gillingham | 10 May 1985 | |
* ↑ Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game 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 | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H |
| Result | D | D | D | L | W | W | W | W | L | L | W | W | L | D | L | W | D | W | L | W | D | W | D | W | W | W | W | W | D | L | D | L | W | D | W | D | L | W | L | D | D | L | W | D | L | W |
| Position | 10 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 |

#### League table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 5 | Hereford United | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 77 |
| 6 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 24 | 3 | 19 | 83 | 66 | +17 | 75 |
| 7 | Colchester United | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 87 | 65 | +22 | 74 |
| 8 | Swindon Town | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 62 | 58 | +4 | 72 |
| 9 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 83 | 62 | +21 | 71 |

#### Matches
### Associate Members' 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 | 54 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Keith Day | 52 | 4 | 45 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Tony English | 25 | 3 | 20+2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Rudi Hedman | 36 | 2 | 29+1 | 2 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Stewart Houston | 35 | 3 | 28+1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Ian Phillips | 45 | 1 | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Andy Farrell | 46 | 0 | 35+3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Jeff Hull | 24 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Roger Osborne | 47 | 2 | 39+1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Noel Parkinson | 51 | 6 | 44 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Tony Adcock | 35 | 28 | 27+1 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| | FW | WAL | Keith Bowen | 47 | 18 | 41+1 | 17 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Simon Burman | 9 | 0 | 8+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Perry Groves | 52 | 12 | 44 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | Russell Irving | 48 | 10 | 34+7 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||||
| | DF | ENG | Daryl Godbold | 9 | 1 | 4+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Stuart Youngman | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Tommy English | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Dave Hubbick | 5 | 1 | 1+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Paul Shinners | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| 1 | FW | Tony Adcock | 24 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 28 |
| 2 | FW | Keith Bowen | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | WG | Perry Groves | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| 4 | FW | Russell Irving | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 5 | MF | Noel Parkinson | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | MF | Jeff Hull | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | CB | Keith Day | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | DF/MF | Tony English | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | CB | Stewart Houston | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | CB | Rudi Hedman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | MF | Roger Osborne | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | FB | Daryl Godbold | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | FW | Dave Hubbick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | FB | Ian Phillips | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | FW | Paul Shinners | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | TOTALS | 87 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 98 |

### Disciplinary record

| Position | Name | Fourth Division | Fourth Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Football League Trophy | Total | Total |
| WG | Perry Groves | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| FB | Ian Phillips | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| FW | Keith Bowen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| GK | Alec Chamberlain | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| MF | Jeff Hull | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| MF | Noel Parkinson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| WG | Simon Burman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| CB | Keith Day | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DF/MF | Tony English | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF/FB | Andy Farrell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FB | Daryl Godbold | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CB | Rudi Hedman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Paul Shinners | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | TOTALS | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.
| Place | Nationality | Player | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| 1 | | Alec Chamberlain | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| | | TOTALS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.
| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| CB | Keith Day | 25 August 1984 | Southend United | Layer Road |
| FB | Daryl Godbold | 25 August 1984 | Southend United | Layer Road |
| FW | Russell Irving | 25 August 1984 | Southend United | Layer Road |
| MF | Noel Parkinson | 28 August 1984 | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium |
| DF/MF | Tony English | 23 January 1985 | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium |
| FW | Tommy English | 5 February 1985 | Gillingham | Layer Road |
| WG/MF | Simon Burman | 29 March 1985 | Tranmere Rovers | Layer Road |
| FW | Paul Shinners | 16 April 1985 | Torquay United | Plainmoor |
| MF | Stuart Youngman | 23 April 1985 | Aldershot | Recreation Ground |