# 2007–08 Colchester United F.C. season

The 2007–08 season was Colchester United's 66th season in their history and their second successive season in the second tier of English football, the Championship. Alongside competing in the Championship, the club also participated in the FA Cup and League Cup.
Colchester struggled during their second season in the Championship, suffering long spells without wins. The early stages of the season were promising, with the U's featuring in mid-table, but a drop in form leading into December saw them enter the relegation zone from which they would never emerge. They earned just seven wins and were relegated in 24th and last place. They never recovered from selling their midfield and defensive assets, despite owner and now chairman Robbie Cowling freeing up funds for manager Geraint Williams in January.
It was a farewell season to the club's aging Layer Road ground as they were to move to the purpose-built Colchester Community Stadium in the summer of 2008.
The U's suffered an early exit from the cup competitions to League Two opposition. Shrewsbury Town knocked Colchester out of the League Cup while Peterborough United beat them 3–1 at Layer Road in the FA Cup.

## Season overview

Ahead of Colchester's largely unexpected second season in the Championship, their star performers Wayne Brown, Jamie Cureton, Richard Garcia, and Chris Iwelumo all left the club citing a "lack of ambition" as their reason for wanting to leave. Cureton left for Norwich City for £750,000, prompting manager Geraint Williams to break the club's record transfer fee twice on the same day by signing Mark Yeates from Tottenham Hotspur and then spending £300,000 on Milton Keynes Dons' forward Clive Platt. The following day, England legend Teddy Sheringham also signed for the club.
Over the summer, Robbie Cowling took over as chairman from Peter Heard, who stepped down after 16 years to become Life President. Cowling instigated a major change at the club by reverting Heard's previous attitude towards not using agents, admitting that if Colchester were to compete then they would have to use agents.
Once a fortress in their first season in the Championship, Layer Road faced its final season hosting Colchester United. Unfortunately, Colchester could muster only four home wins across the season, with their final Layer Road win a 2–0 victory over neighbours Ipswich Town. One of the reasons for the U's struggling was the lack of replacement for Wayne Brown in the centre of defence. While they kept up a good scoring record through Platt and fellow new signing Kevin Lisbie, the defence leaked goals, conceding 86 in the league. Despite early season promise with the U's hovering around mid-table, by Christmas it was apparent they were in a relegation battle.
In the January transfer window, Cowling made funds available to Geraint Williams. He brought in Chris Coyne from Luton Town for another club record fee of £350,000, while Dean Hammond and Philip Ifil were also brought in for six-figure fees. There was a brief turnaround in form in January and early February, but a ten game run without a win including five consecutive defeats left the writing on the wall for the U's.
Colchester could have been relegated from the Championship on 5 April, but the 2–0 win over rivals Ipswich ensured that the U's neighbours would not be the team relegating them. However, the inevitable occurred four days later when, without playing, relegation was confirmed when results went against them. In addition to conceding 86 goals, they kept a clean sheet on just two occasions all season.
On 26 April, Layer Road hosted its final competitive game, just over 70 years since its first. With the move to the Colchester Community Stadium looming in the summer, Colchester played their final home game against Premier League-bound Stoke City, who were 1–0 victors on the day. In spite of the relegation and lowly league position, it was still Colchester's second-best-ever league performance.

## Players

    As of match played 4 May 2008.
| No. | Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||||
| 1 | Dean Gerken | GK | Southend-on-Sea | (1985-05-22)22 May 1985 (aged 22) | 60 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 13 | Aidan Davison | GK | Sedgefield | (1968-05-11)11 May 1968 (aged 39) | 103 | 0 | Grimsby Town | 5 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 23 | Mark Cousins | GK | Chelmsford | (1987-01-09)9 January 1987 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2004 | Free transfer |
| 31 | Ademola Bankole | GK | Lagos | (1969-09-09)9 September 1969 (aged 37) | 0 | 0 | Milton Keyes Dons | 29 February 2008 | Undisclosed |
| Defenders |||||||||||
| 2 | Danny Granville | FB | Islington | (1975-01-19)19 January 1975 (aged 32) | 0 | 0 | Crystal Palace | 9 July 2007 | Free transfer |
| 3 | John White | FB | Colchester | (1986-07-26)26 July 1986 (aged 20) | 82 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2003 | Free transfer |
| 5 | Chris Coyne | CB | Brisbane | (1978-12-20)20 December 1978 (aged 28) | 0 | 0 | Luton Town | 10 January 2008 | £350,000 |
| 12 | Pat Baldwin | CB | City of London | (1982-11-12)12 November 1982 (aged 24) | 149 | 1 | Chelsea | 16 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 18 | Philip Ifil | RB | Willesden | (1986-01-18)18 January 1986 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 January 2008 | Undisclosed |
| 25 | James Hammond | DF | Newham | (1989-11-11)11 November 1989 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2007 | Free transfer |
| 28 | Tom Devaux | DF | | | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2007 | Free transfer |
| Midfielders |||||||||||
| 4 | Johnnie Jackson | MF | Camden Town | (1982-08-15)15 August 1982 (aged 24) | 41 | 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 June 2006 | Free transfer |
| 6 | Kevin Watson | MF | Hackney | (1974-01-03)3 January 1974 (aged 33) | 147 | 4 | Reading | 5 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 7 | Karl Duguid | MF | Letchworth | (1978-03-21)21 March 1978 (aged 29) | 398 | 45 | Youth team | 9 December 1995 | Free transfer |
| 10 | Kemal Izzet | MF | Whitechapel | (1980-09-29)29 September 1980 (aged 26) | 247 | 19 | Charlton Athletic | 13 April 2001 | Free transfer |
| 17 | Luke Guttridge | MF | Barnstaple | (1982-03-27)27 March 1982 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Leyton Orient | 5 July 2007 | Free transfer |
| 22 | Dean Hammond | MF | Hastings | (1983-03-07)7 March 1983 (aged 24) | 0 | 0 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 31 January 2008 | £250,000 |
| 27 | Anthony Wordsworth | MF | Camden Town | (1989-01-03)3 January 1989 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2006 | Free transfer |
| Forwards |||||||||||
| 8 | Teddy Sheringham | FW | Highams Park | (1966-04-02)2 April 1966 (aged 41) | 0 | 0 | West Ham United | 4 July 2007 | Free transfer |
| 9 | Clive Platt | FW | Wolverhampton | (1977-10-27)27 October 1977 (aged 29) | 0 | 0 | Milton Keynes Dons | 3 July 2007 | £300,000 |
| 11 | Mark Yeates | WG | Dublin | (1985-01-11)11 January 1985 (aged 22) | 52 | 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 July 2007 | Undisclosed |
| 14 | Kevin McLeod | WG | Liverpool | (1980-09-12)12 September 1980 (aged 26) | 25 | 3 | Swansea City | 30 August 2008 | Free transfer |
| 15 | Jamie Guy | FW | Barking | (1987-08-01)1 August 1987 (aged 19) | 42 | 3 | Youth team | 1 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 20 | Kevin Lisbie | FW | Hackney | (1978-10-17)17 October 1978 (aged 28) | 0 | 0 | Charlton Athletic | 3 August 2007 | Free transfer |
| 24 | Scott Vernon | FW | Manchester | (1983-12-13)13 December 1983 (aged 23) | 7 | 1 | Blackpool | 31 January 2008 | Undisclosed |
| 26 | Fabian Quintyn | FW | London | (1989-11-16)16 November 1989 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2007 | Free transfer |
| 29 | Tom Webb | FW | Chelmsford | (1989-04-17)17 April 1989 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 4 July 2007 | Free transfer |
| 30 | Medy Elito | WG | Kinshasa | (1990-03-20)20 March 1990 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2007 | Free transfer |
* ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 1 July 2007 | FW | Tom Devaux | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2007 | DF | James Hammond | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2007 | FW | Fabian Quintyn | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 3 July 2007 | WG | Mark Yeates | Tottenham Hotspur | Undisclosed |
| 3 July 2007 | FW | Clive Platt | Milton Keynes Dons | £300,000 |
| 4 July 2007 | FW | Teddy Sheringham | West Ham United | Free transfer |
| 4 July 2007 | FW | Tom Webb | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 5 July 2007 | MF | Luke Guttridge | Leyton Orient | Free transfer |
| 9 July 2007 | WG | Medy Elito | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 9 July 2007 | FB | Danny Granville | Crystal Palace | Free transfer |
| 3 August 2008 | FW | Kevin Lisbie | Charlton Athletic | Free transfer |
| 10 January 2008 | CB | Chris Coyne | Luton Town | £350,000 |
| 10 January 2008 | RB | Philip Ifil | Tottenham Hotspur | Undisclosed |
| 31 January 2008 | MF | Dean Hammond | Brighton & Hove Albion | £250,000 |
| 31 January 2008 | FW | Scott Vernon | Blackpool | Undisclosed |
| 29 February 2008 | FW | Ademola Bankole | Milton Keynes Dons | Undisclosed |
* Total spending: ~ £900,000

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 21 May 2007 | FW | Chris Iwelumo | Charlton Athletic | Free transfer |
| 31 May 2007 | MF | Robbie King | Heybridge Swifts | Released |
| 29 June 2007 | FW | Jamie Cureton | Norwich City | £750,000 |
| 30 June 2007 | FW | Craig Hughes | Heybridge Swifts | Undisclosed |
| 30 June 2007 | FW | Marino Keith | Peterhead | Free transfer |
| 30 June 2007 | DF | Matthew Paine | Thurrock | Undisclosed |
| 30 June 2007 | FB | Lawrie Wilson | Stevenage Borough | Released |
| 2 July 2007 | MF | Richard Garcia | Hull City | Free transfer |
| 13 July 2007 | CB | Wayne Brown | Hull City | £450,000 |
| 4 August 2007 | CB | Garry Richards | Southend United | £50,000 |
| 30 January 2008 | FB/CB | George Elokobi | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £500,000 |
* Total incoming: ~ £1,750,000

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 20 July 2007 | CB | Matthew Connolly | Arsenal | 16 December 2007 |
| 2 August 2007 | DF | Béla Balogh | MTK Budapest | 31 May 2007 |
| 15 August 2007 | DF/FW | Adam Virgo | Celtic | 27 April 2008 |
| 29 February 2008 | FW | Izale McLeod | Charlton Athletic | 31 March 2008 |
| 14 March 2008 | CB | Matt Heath | Leeds United | 12 May 2008 |

### Loans out

| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | End date | Ref. |
| 22 November 2007 | FB | | John White | Stevenage Borough | 30 December 2007 | |
| 28 February 2008 | FW | | Tom Webb | Folkestone Invicta | 28 March 2008 | |

## Match details
### Championship
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 20 | Southampton | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 56 | 72 | −16 | 54 | |
| 21 | Coventry City | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 52 | 64 | −12 | 53 | |
| 22 | Leicester City (R) | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 42 | 45 | −3 | 52 | Relegation to Football League One |
| 23 | Scunthorpe United (R) | 46 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 46 | 69 | −23 | 46 | Relegation to Football League One |
| 24 | Colchester United (R) | 46 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 62 | 86 | −24 | 38 | Relegation to Football League One |

#### 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 | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A |
| Result | D | D | W | L | D | D | D | L | W | L | W | L | L | D | D | D | L | L | W | L | L | D | L | D | L | W | D | L | D | D | W | D | L | L | L | L | L | D | L | L | L | W | D | L | L | D |
| Position | 10 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 12 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |

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

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Championship | Championship | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Dean Gerken | 42 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Danny Granville | 20 | 0 | 14+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | John White | 23 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Johnnie Jackson | 48 | 7 | 46 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | AUS | Chris Coyne | 16 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | ENG | Kevin Watson | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Karl Duguid | 39 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Teddy Sheringham | 20 | 4 | 11+8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Clive Platt | 42 | 8 | 34+7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Kemal Izzet | 40 | 1 | 35+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | IRL | Mark Yeates | 31 | 8 | 29 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | ENG | Pat Baldwin | 28 | 0 | 23+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | NIR | Aidan Davison | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | ENG | Kevin McLeod | 30 | 4 | 21+7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | ENG | Jamie Guy | 12 | 0 | 0+11 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | ENG | Luke Guttridge | 16 | 0 | 5+9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Philip Ifil | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | JAM | Kevin Lisbie | 43 | 17 | 39+3 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | ENG | Dean Hammond | 13 | 0 | 11+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | GK | ENG | Mark Cousins | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Scott Vernon | 17 | 5 | 8+9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | ENG | Anthony Wordsworth | 4 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 29 | FW | ENG | Tom Webb | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 30 | FW | ENG | Medy Elito | 11 | 1 | 7+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||
| 16 | DF | CMR | George Elokobi | 19 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Matt Heath | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Matthew Connolly | 16 | 2 | 13+3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | SCO | Adam Virgo | 37 | 1 | 30+6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | HUN | Béla Balogh | 17 | 0 | 10+7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | ENG | Izale McLeod | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Number | Position | Name | Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | 20 | FW | Kevin Lisbie | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| 2 | 9 | FW | Clive Platt | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | 11 | WG | Mark Yeates | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | MF | Johnnie Jackson | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | 24 | FW | Scott Vernon | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | 8 | FW | Teddy Sheringham | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | 14 | WG | Kevin McLeod | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | CB | Matthew Connolly | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | 5 | CB | Chris Coyne | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | 10 | MF | Kemal Izzet | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | 16 | FB/CB | George Elokobi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | 19 | DF/FW | Adam Virgo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | 30 | WG | Medy Elito | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | Own goals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| | | | TOTALS | 62 | 1 | 0 | 63 |

### Disciplinary record

| Number | Position | Name | Championship | Championship | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| 10 | MF | Kemal Izzet | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 19 | DF/FW | Adam Virgo | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 12 | CB | Pat Baldwin | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1 | GK | Dean Gerken | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | MF | Johnnie Jackson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | WG | Mark Yeates | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 18 | CB | Matthew Connolly | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | FW | Kevin Lisbie | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Karl Duguid | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | Teddy Sheringham | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | Clive Platt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 14 | WG | Kevin McLeod | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | Jamie Guy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | CB | Matt Heath | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | Luke Guttridge | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | RB | Philip Ifil | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Béla Balogh | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2 | FB | Danny Granville | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | FB/CB | George Elokobi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 52 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 4 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.
| Place | Number | Player | Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | 1 | Dean Gerken | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 13 | Aidan Davison | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | TOTALS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.
| Number | Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| 8 | FW | Teddy Sheringham | 11 August 2007 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane |
| 9 | FW | Clive Platt | 11 August 2007 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane |
| 11 | WG | Mark Yeates | 11 August 2007 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane |
| 17 | MF | Luke Guttridge | 11 August 2007 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane |
| 18 | CB | Matthew Connolly | 11 August 2007 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane |
| 2 | FB | Danny Granville | 14 August 2007 | Shrewsbury Town | New Meadow |
| 27 | MF | Anthony Wordsworth | 14 August 2007 | Shrewsbury Town | New Meadow |
| 29 | FW | Tom Webb | 14 August 2007 | Shrewsbury Town | New Meadow |
| 19 | DF/FW | Adam Virgo | 18 August 2007 | Barnsley | Layer Road |
| 20 | FW | Kevin Lisbie | 18 August 2007 | Barnsley | Layer Road |
| 23 | GK | Mark Cousins | 18 August 2007 | Barnsley | Layer Road |
| 5 | CB | Chris Coyne | 12 January 2008 | Bristol City | Ashton Gate Stadium |
| 18 | RB | Philip Ifil | 12 January 2008 | Bristol City | Ashton Gate Stadium |
| 24 | FW | Scott Vernon | 2 February 2008 | Sheffield United | Layer Road |
| 23 | MF | Dean Hammond | 23 February 2008 | Bristol City | Layer Road |
| 25 | FW | Izale McLeod | 1 March 2008 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Layer Road |
| 30 | WG | Medy Elito | 4 March 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | Home Park |
| 16 | CB | Matt Heath | 15 March 2008 | Cardiff City | Layer Road |
* 1 2 Second debut for the club