# 1991–92 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1991–92 season was Colchester United's 50th season in their history and their second consecutive season in the Conference, the fifth tier of English football and the highest tier of non-League football in England. Alongside competing in the Conference, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the FA Trophy and the Bob Lord Trophy.
Manager Ian Atkins left for a coaching role at Birmingham City in the summer after narrowly missing out on the Conference title the previous campaign. Experienced forward Roy McDonough was appointed the club's new player-manager tasked with taking Colchester United back to the Football League. Both Colchester and Wycombe Wanderers ended the season on 94 points, with the U's promoted on superior goal difference.
In the FA Cup, Colchester went out in the first round to Exeter City, while McDonough fielded a weakened side in the Bob Lord Trophy, crashing out 6–2 to league rivals Wycombe. However, in the FA Trophy, following two replay wins in the first two rounds of the competition, the U's reached the Wembley final, where they faced Witton Albion, who had dumped them out at the quarter-final stage the previous season. Colchester won the match 3–1 to complete a non-League double.

## Season overview

Following Ian Atkins decision to return to Birmingham City in a coaching capacity, new chairman James Bowdidge appointed Roy McDonough in a player-manager role. Having been Atkins' assistant, McDonough promised to abandon Atkins' sweeper system and to instead promote a more attacking formula.
McDonough himself equalled a club record by scoring four goals in a game at Slough Town in August. On 28 September 1991, in Colchester's top-of-the-table clash against rivals Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park, Scott Barrett became the first Colchester goalkeeper to score from open play. His long upfield goal kick in the 90th minute of the game bounced over Wycombe goalkeeper Paul Hyde and sealed what would prove to be a vital 2–1 win.
In November, the U's became the first team to be knocked out of the FA Cup without conceding a goal. After seeing off Burton Albion 5–0 in the fourth qualifying round, they twice drew 0–0 with Exeter City in the first round and following replay, only to lose on penalties.
As 1992 dawned, Colchester found themselves seven points ahead of nearest rivals Wycombe in the league, but 16 home wins in succession failed to shake off their Buckinghamshire counterparts. A poor 4–1 defeat at Welling United and a lackadaisical 4–4 draw at Macclesfield Town threatened to derail the U's attempts to reach the Football League.
Meanwhile, Colchester were focused on their FA Trophy cup run. Kingstonian and Merthyr Tydfil were dispatched in replays following a 2–2 and 0–0 draw respectively. The U's then saw off Morecambe and Telford United convincingly, and then a 4–1 aggregate win over Macclesfield in the semi-final. They progressed to the Wembley final, with the tie to be played after the final fixture of the Conference season.
Going into the last game of the season, it was evident McDonough had delivered on his promise of attacking football. The U's found themselves level on points with Wycombe, but crucially carried an eight-goal advantage. United beat already relegated Barrow 5–0 at Layer Road with a Mike Masters hat-trick sealing the Conference championship. McDonough had scored 29 goals, with 26 for Steve McGavin and 18 for Gary Bennett, with a total of 98 league goals achieved.
A week after the promotion celebrations at Layer Road, a crowd of 32,254 witnessed Colchester United in their first-ever Wembley appearance. A famous non-League double was achieved as they gained revenge over Witton Albion, who had dumped the U's out of the competition last campaign. Colchester won 3–1 courtesy of goals from Mike Masters, Steve McGavin and Nicky Smith. Thousands of fans packed Colchester High Street a few days later as the U's team paraded their trophies around the town.

## Players

    As of match played 10 May 1992.
| 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 28) | 64 | 0 | Stoke City | Summer 1990 | £25,000 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Tony English | DF/MF | Luton | (1966-10-19)19 October 1966 (aged 24) | 308 | 40 | Coventry City | 24 December 1984 | Free transfer |
| James Goodwin | DF | Colchester | (1974-07-20)20 July 1974 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | 8 October 1991 | Free transfer |
| Martin Grainger | FB | Enfield Town | (1972-08-23)23 August 1972 (aged 18) | 16 | 2 | Apprentice | 16 December 1989 | Free transfer |
| Andy Partner | CB | Colchester | (1974-10-21)21 October 1974 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | 16 December 1991 | Free transfer |
| Ian Phillips | FB | Cumnock | (1959-04-23)23 April 1959 (aged 32) | 175 | 10 | Kettering Town | 26 August 1991 | Undisclosed |
| Paul Roberts | DF | West Ham | (1962-04-27)27 April 1962 (aged 29) | 0 | 0 | Fisher Athletic | 28 September 1991 | £750 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Eamonn Collins | MF | Dublin | (1965-10-22)22 October 1965 (aged 25) | 87 | 5 | Portsmouth | May 1989 | Free transfer |
| Jason Cook | MF | Edmonton | (1969-12-29)29 December 1969 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Southend United | 28 September 1991 | Free transfer |
| Robbie Devereux | MF | Great Cornard | (1971-01-31)31 January 1971 (aged 20) | 2 | 0 | Cornard United | February 1992 | Non-contract |
| Warren Donald | MF/FB | Hillingdon | (1964-10-07)7 October 1964 (aged 26) | 46 | 1 | Northampton Town | 27 August 1990 | Free transfer |
| Wayne Hannigan | MF | | | 1 | 0 | Home Farm | 26 February 1991 | Undisclosed |
| Mark Kinsella | MF | Dublin | (1972-08-12)12 August 1972 (aged 18) | 21 | 0 | Home Farm | 18 August 1989 | Free transfer |
| Nicky Smith | LM | Berkeley | (1969-01-28)28 January 1969 (aged 22) | 41 | 0 | Southend United | 18 August 1990 | Free transfer |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Paul Abrahams | FW/WG | Colchester | (1973-10-31)31 October 1973 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | 26 August 1991 | Free transfer |
| Gary Bennett | WG | Enfield Town | (1970-11-13)13 November 1970 (aged 20) | 94 | 19 | Tottenham Hotpsur | 21 October 1988 | Free transfer |
| Julian Dart | FW | Luton | (1973-09-25)25 September 1973 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | 14 January 1992 | Free transfer |
| Roy McDonough | FW | Solihull | (1958-10-16)16 October 1958 (aged 32) | 140 | 35 | Southend United | 13 October 1990 | Part exchange |
| Steve McGavin | FW | North Walsham | (1969-01-24)24 January 1969 (aged 22) | 8 | 0 | Sudbury Town | 1 April 1991 | £10,000 |
| Steve Restarick | FW | Barking | (1971-11-28)28 November 1971 (aged 19) | 3 | 2 | West Ham United | Early 1988–89 season | Free transfer |
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 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
* ↑ Joined as player-coach

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| Summer 1991 | DF | Simon Gray | Ipswich Town | Non-contract |
| 26 August 1991 | FW/WG | Paul Abrahams | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| 26 August 1991 | FB | Ian Phillips | Kettering Town | Undisclosed |
| 7 September 1991 | DF | James Goodwin | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| 28 September 1991 | MF | Jason Cook | Southend United | Free transfer |
| 28 September 1991 | DF | Paul Roberts | Fisher Athletic | £750 |
| 8 October 1991 | FW | Sean Duffett | Gas Recreation | Free transfer |
| 16 December 1991 | CB | Andy Partner | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| 14 January 1992 | FW | Julian Dart | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| 18 January 1992 | FW | Mike Masters | San Francisco Bay Blackhawks | Undisclosed |
| February 1992 | MF | Robbie Devereux | Cornard United | Non-contract |
| 11 February 1992 | WG | Ian Stewart | Aldershot | Free transfer |
* Total spending: ~ £750
* 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
* ↑ Joined as player-coach

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| End of season | FB | Marcelle Bruce | Baldock Town | Released |
| End of season | CB | Neale Marmon | FC Homburg | Undisclosed |
| End of season | FB | Gary Osbourne | Cradley Town | Released |
| 30 June 1991 | CB | Ian Atkins | Birmingham City | Free transfer |
| 17 August 1991 | FW | Mario Walsh | Redbridge Forest | £15,000 |
| 8 October 1991 | FW | Sean Duffett | Wivenhoe Town | Released |
| 16 December 1991 | DF | Simon Gray | Wivenhoe Town | Released |
| 2 May 1992 | CB | Shaun Elliott | Gateshead | Released |
| 2 May 1992 | WG | Ian Stewart | Harrow Borough | Released |
| 10 May 1992 | FW | Mike Masters | Newbury Town | Released |
* Total incoming: ~ £15,000
* ↑ Joined as player-assistant manager
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. |
| 24 March 1992 | MF/CB | | Dave Martin | Southend United | 10 May 1992 | |
* ↑ Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games for the club

### Loans out

| Position | Name | To |
| MF | Wayne Hannigan | Wivenhoe Town |
| FW | Steve Restarick | Wivenhoe Town |
| FW | Mario Walsh | Kettering Town |

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

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Colchester United | 42 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 98 | 40 | +58 | 94 | Football Conference Champions, promoted to Football League Third Division |
| 2 | Wycombe Wanderers | 42 | 30 | 4 | 8 | 84 | 35 | +49 | 94 | Conference League Cup winners |
| 3 | Kettering Town | 42 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 72 | 50 | +22 | 73 | |
| 4 | Merthyr Tydfil | 42 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 59 | 56 | +3 | 68 | |
| 5 | Farnborough Town | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 68 | 53 | +15 | 66 | |
* ↑ FA Trophy winners
* ↑ New club in the Conference

#### 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 | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | H | H | A | A | H | H |
| Result | W | D | W | W | D | L | W | D | W | D | W | W | W | W | W | W | D | D | W | W | W | L | W | W | L | W | D | D | W | L | W | W | W | D | W | W | W | W | W | D | W | W |
| Position | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |

#### Matches
### FA 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 | 56 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Tony English | 52 | 8 | 37+1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | James Goodwin | 5 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Martin Grainger | 17 | 0 | 9+2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Andy Partner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Ian Phillips | 4 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Paul Roberts | 45 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | IRL | Eamonn Collins | 41 | 4 | 29+3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3+2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| | MF | ENG | Jason Cook | 44 | 3 | 28+3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Warren Donald | 53 | 0 | 38+3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | IRL | Wayne Hannigan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | MF | IRL | Mark Kinsella | 55 | 7 | 37+5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8+1 | 1 | 0+1 | 2 |
| | MF | ENG | Nicky Smith | 55 | 11 | 42 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Paul Abrahams | 6 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Gary Bennett | 51 | 18 | 31+8 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 4+4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Julian Dart | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Roy McDonough | 51 | 29 | 40 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Steve McGavin | 53 | 28 | 39 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| | FW | ENG | Steve Restarick | 12 | 3 | 1+6 | 0 | 0+2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||||
| | DF | ENG | Shaun Elliott | 44 | 1 | 32+5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Simon Gray | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Dave Martin | 12 | 0 | 8+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Sean Duffett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | USA | Mike Masters | 19 | 8 | 7+8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | NIR | Ian Stewart | 14 | 4 | 6+4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Mario Walsh | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Conference | FA Cup | FA Trophy | Bob Lord Trophy | Total |
| 1 | FW | Roy McDonough | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 29 |
| 2 | FW | Steve McGavin | 20 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 28 |
| 3 | WG | Gary Bennett | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 4 | LM | Nicky Smith | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 5 | DF/MF | Tony English | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | FW | Mike Masters | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | MF | Mark Kinsella | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 8 | MF | Eamonn Collins | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | WG | Ian Stewart | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | MF | Jason Cook | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | FW | Steve Restarick | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | GK | Scott Barrett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | CB | Shaun Elliott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | DF | Paul Roberts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| | | TOTALS | 98 | 5 | 20 | 6 | 129 |

### Disciplinary record

| Position | Name | Conference | Conference | FA Cup | FA Cup | FA Trophy | FA Trophy | Bob Lord Trophy | Bob Lord Trophy | Total | Total |
| MF | Jason Cook | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| WG | Gary Bennett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FB | Martin Grainger | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Roy McDonough | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Steve McGavin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | TOTALS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |

### 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 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 29 |
| | | TOTALS | 21 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 29 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.
| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| FW/WG | Paul Abrahams | 26 August 1991 | Slough Town | Wexham Park Stadium |
| FB | Ian Phillips | 26 August 1991 | Slough Town | Wexham Park Stadium |
| DF | James Goodwin | 7 September 1991 | Witton Albion | Wincham Park |
| DF | Simon Gray | 21 September 1991 | Cheltenham Town | Whaddon Road |
| MF | Jason Cook | 28 September 1991 | Wycombe Wanderers | Adams Park |
| DF | Paul Roberts | 28 September 1991 | Wycombe Wanderers | Adams Park |
| FW | Sean Duffett | 8 October 1991 | Kettering Town | Layer Road |
| CB | Andy Partner | 16 December 1991 | Wycombe Wanderers | Layer Road |
| FW | Julian Dart | 14 January 1992 | Kingstonian | Kingsmeadow |
| FW | Mike Masters | 18 January 1992 | Cheltenham Town | Layer Road |
| WG | Ian Stewart | 11 February 1992 | Boston United | Layer Road |
| MF/CB | Dave Martin | 24 March 1992 | Bath City | Twerton Park |
* 1 2 Second debut for the club