# 2005–06 Colchester United F.C. season

The 2005–06 season was Colchester United's 64th season in their history and their eighth successive season in the third tier of English football, League One. Alongside competing in League One, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.
The season was hugely successful for the U's as they achieved their first-ever promotion to the second tier of English football by finishing second in League One. They finished runners-up to Essex derby rivals Southend United by three points. Southend were successful in beating Colchester home and away across the season.
Colchester had another long set of cup runs, reaching the fifth round of the FA Cup where they were defeated 3–1 by Premier League champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They had beaten Leamington, Shrewsbury Town, Sheffield United and Derby County en route to the tie with Chelsea. They also embarked on a Football League Trophy run, once more reaching the area final but lost 3–1 on aggregate to eventual winners Swansea City.

## Season overview

Colchester started the new season poorly. At the end of August after six games, they found themselves in the relegation zone with one win and two draws. Phil Parkinson had made a number of changes to his playing staff over the summer with numerous outgoings. He had signed Chris Iwelumo from Alemannia Aachen on a permanent basis and brought in Mark Yeates on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. It wasn't until Jamie Cureton arrived on loan from Swindon Town that the U's had an upturn in form as they earned five consecutive wins and went eight matches unbeaten.
By Christmas, Colchester were in the top four but their unbeaten run was ended by Swindon on Boxing Day. They recovered from this setback to embark on another winning streak, earning seven wins on the bounce, ten matches including cup ties and sat top of the table by the end of January. Their form fell away in mid February and through March into April when they picked up just one win in 10 games, dropping from the automatic promotion places to the play-off spots.
Meanwhile, in the FA Cup, Colchester had progressed to the fifth round to set up a tie with Premier League champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The club equalled a 44-year-old record by beating Leamington 9–1 in the first round, and then saw off the challenge of Shrewsbury Town, and then Championship sides Sheffield United and Derby County.
José Mourinho's Chelsea side had been assembled for around £225m, while Colchester United's squad had a value of approximately £150,000. More than 6,000 U's fans travelled to the game and were given an early treat when the underdogs took the lead through a Ricardo Carvalho own goal in the 28th minute. Paulo Ferreira equalised ten minutes later as the sides went into half time with the score level. At half time, Mourinho made two changes, introducing star players Frank Lampard and Joe Cole. He then sent on Hernán Crespo with the score still level up until the 79th minute when Cole struck to give Chelsea the lead. He added a second in the final minute of the game to hand the hosts a 3–1 victory.
The U's again reached the area final of the Football League Trophy, but lost over two legs to eventual winners Swansea City.
In the closing stages of the season, Colchester returned to winning ways and to the automatic promotion places with four games remaining. Wins against AFC Bournemouth and Rotherham United meant United only had to secure a draw in their final game of the season at Yeovil Town. The U's nervously held on to a 0–0 draw to gain promotion to the Championship, finishing the campaign behind leaders and rivals Southend United. Southend had beaten Colchester twice over the course of the season as they finished three points shy of the title.

## Players

    As of match played 6 May 2006.
| No. | Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||||
| 1 | Aidan Davison | GK | Sedgefield | (1968-05-11)11 May 1968 (aged 37) | 39 | 0 | Grimsby Town | 5 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 13 | Dean Gerken | GK | Southend-on-Sea | (1985-05-22)22 May 1985 (aged 20) | 17 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 23 | Mark Cousins | GK | Chelmsford | (1987-01-09)9 January 1987 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2004 | Free transfer |
| Defenders |||||||||||
| 2 | Greg Halford | FB/MF | Chelmsford | (1984-12-08)8 December 1984 (aged 20) | 78 | 13 | Youth team | 1 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 3 | Stephen Hunt | FB | Southampton | (1984-11-11)11 November 1984 (aged 20) | 25 | 1 | Southampton | 5 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 5 | Wayne Brown | CB | Barking | (1977-08-20)20 August 1977 (aged 27) | 66 | 1 | Watford | 8 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 12 | Pat Baldwin | CB | City of London | (1982-11-12)12 November 1982 (aged 22) | 75 | 0 | Chelsea | 16 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 16 | George Elokobi | FB/CB | Mamfe | (1986-01-31)31 January 1986 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Dulwich Hamlet | 1 August 2004 | Free transfer |
| 18 | Liam Chilvers | CB | Chelmsford | (1981-11-06)6 November 1981 (aged 23) | 99 | 1 | Arsenal | 10 June 2004 | Free transfer |
| 17 | John White | FB | Colchester | (1986-07-26)26 July 1986 (aged 18) | 24 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2003 | Free transfer |
| 19 | Garry Richards | CB | Romford | (1986-06-11)11 June 1986 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 25 | Sam Stockley | FB | Tiverton | (1977-09-05)5 September 1977 (aged 27) | 137 | 2 | Oxford United | 31 October 2002 | Free transfer |
| 30 | Matthew Paine | DF | Sidcup | (1987-12-22)22 December 1987 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 18 December 2005 | Free transfer |
| Midfielders |||||||||||
| 4 | Neil Danns | MF | Liverpool | (1982-11-23)23 November 1982 (aged 22) | 36 | 12 | Blackburn Rovers | 23 December 2004 | Nominal |
| 6 | Kevin Watson | MF | Hackney | (1974-01-03)3 January 1974 (aged 31) | 53 | 2 | Reading | 5 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 7 | Karl Duguid | MF | Letchworth | (1978-03-21)21 March 1978 (aged 27) | 308 | 39 | Youth team | 9 December 1995 | Free transfer |
| 10 | Kemal Izzet | MF | Whitechapel | (1980-09-29)29 September 1980 (aged 24) | 159 | 18 | Charlton Athletic | 13 April 2001 | Free transfer |
| 21 | Robbie King | MF | Chelmsford | (1986-10-01)1 October 1986 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 22 | Russell Pond | MF | Leytonstone | (1987-01-27)27 January 1987 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2005 | Free transfer |
| 28 | Richard Garcia | MF | Perth | (1981-09-04)4 September 1981 (aged 23) | 30 | 6 | West Ham United | 3 September 2004 | Nominal |
| Forwards |||||||||||
| 8 | Gareth Williams | FW | Cardiff | (1982-09-10)10 September 1982 (aged 22) | 49 | 13 | Crystal Palace | 31 August 2004 | Part-exchange |
| 9 | Marino Keith | FW | Peterhead | (1974-12-16)16 December 1974 (aged 30) | 12 | 4 | Plymouth Argyle | 1 March 2005 | Free transfer |
| 11 | Chris Iwelumo | FW | Coatbridge | (1978-08-01)1 August 1978 (aged 26) | 0 | 0 | Alemannia Aachen | 6 July 2005 | Free transfer |
| 15 | Jamie Guy | FW | Barking | (1987-08-01)1 August 1987 (aged 17) | 2 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 26 | Tony Thorpe | FW | Leicester | (1974-04-10)10 April 1974 (aged 31) | 0 | 0 | Swindon Town | 11 January 2006 | Free transfer |
| 27 | Craig Hughes | FW | Canterbury | (1987-11-26)26 November 1987 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 24 January 2006 | 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 2005 | MF | Russell Pond | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 6 July 2005 | FW | Chris Iwelumo | Alemannia Aachen | Free transfer |
| 1 August 2005 | MF | Dean Howell | Halifax Town | Free transfer |
| 18 December 2005 | DF | Matthew Paine | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 11 January 2006 | FW | Tony Thorpe | Swindon Town | Free transfer |
| 24 January 2006 | FW | Craig Hughes | Youth team | Free transfer |
* Total spending: ~ £0

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 6 June 2005 | MF | Gavin Johnson | Boston United | Released |
| 24 June 2005 | FB | Joe Keith | Leyton Orient | Released |
| 30 June 2005 | MF | Ben Bowditch | Barnet | Released |
| 30 June 2005 | MF/FW | Liam Coleman | Torquay United | Released |
| 30 June 2005 | MF | Craig Johnston | Heybridge Swifts | Undisclosed |
| 30 June 2005 | FW | Tristan Toney | Free agent | Released |
| 18 July 2005 | MF | Bobby Bowry | Gravesend & Northfleet | Released |
| 8 August 2005 | FW | Jamie Cade | Crawley Town | Released |
| 17 February 2006 | MF | Dean Howell | Halifax Town | Released |
* Total incoming: ~ £0

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 5 August 2005 | WG | Mark Yeates | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 May 2006 |
| 21 October 2005 | FW | Jamie Cureton | Swindon Town | 3 January 2006 |
| 17 March 2006 | FW | Scott Vernon | Blackpool | 7 May 2006 |
| 22 March 2006 | FW | Billy Clarke | Ipswich Town | 7 May 2006 |
| 23 March 2006 | WG | Jamal Campbell-Ryce | Rotherham United | 7 May 2006 |

### Loans out

| Date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| October 2005 | MF | Robbie King | Staines Town | October 2005 |
| 6 October 2005 | FW | Jamie Guy | Gravesend & Northfleet | 6 November 2005 |
| 24 October 2005 | FW | Jamie Guy | Staines Town | 24 November 2005 |
| 9 February 2006 | FW | Jamie Guy | Cambridge United | 30 April 2006 |
| 19 February 2006 | MF | Robbie King | Hereford United | End of season |
| 17 March 2006 | FB | Sam Stockley | Blackpool | 7 May 2006 |
| 17 March 2006 | FW | Gareth Williams | Blackpool | 7 May 2006 |

## Match details
### League One
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Southend United (C, P) | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 72 | 43 | +29 | 82 | Promotion to the Championship |
| 2 | Colchester United (P) | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 58 | 40 | +18 | 79 | Promotion to the Championship |
| 3 | Brentford | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 72 | 52 | +20 | 76 | Qualification for the League One play-offs |
| 4 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 72 | 59 | +13 | 73 | Qualification for the League One play-offs |
| 5 | Barnsley (O, P) | 46 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 62 | 44 | +18 | 72 | Qualification for the League One play-offs |

#### 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 | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | L | L | W | D | D | L | D | W | W | D | D | L | W | L | D | W | W | W | W | W | D | W | L | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | L | D | L | L | L | W | D | D | D | L | W | D | W | W | W | D |
| Position | 15 | 23 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 22 | 20 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |

#### Matches
### Football League Trophy
## Squad statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | League One | League One | 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 |
| 1 | GK | NIR | Aidan Davison | 45 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Greg Halford | 55 | 8 | 45 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Stephen Hunt | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | GUY | Neil Danns | 51 | 16 | 38+3 | 8 | 4+1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3+1 | 3 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Wayne Brown | 45 | 3 | 38 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | ENG | Kevin Watson | 52 | 1 | 43+1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Karl Duguid | 45 | 1 | 26+9 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 8 | FW | WAL | Gareth Williams | 28 | 2 | 6+12 | 1 | 0+4 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Kemal Izzet | 41 | 0 | 19+14 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | SCO | Chris Iwelumo | 55 | 19 | 46 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | ENG | Pat Baldwin | 34 | 0 | 20+5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Dean Gerken | 14 | 0 | 5+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | ENG | Jamie Guy | 6 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | CMR | George Elokobi | 17 | 2 | 10+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 17 | DF | ENG | John White | 41 | 0 | 32+3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Liam Chilvers | 40 | 2 | 33+1 | 2 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Garry Richards | 19 | 0 | 12+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Robbie King | 5 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | ENG | Sam Stockley | 35 | 1 | 21+6 | 1 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 26 | FW | ENG | Tony Thorpe | 14 | 0 | 5+9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | AUS | Richard Garcia | 30 | 8 | 9+13 | 5 | 3+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||||
| 14 | FW | IRL | Mark Yeates | 52 | 6 | 42+2 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Dean Howell | 5 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | ENG | Scott Vernon | 7 | 1 | 4+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | JAM | Jamal Campbell-Ryce | 4 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Jamie Cureton | 10 | 7 | 7+1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | FW | IRL | Billy Clarke | 6 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Number | Position | Name | League One | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| 1 | 11 | FW | Chris Iwelumo | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| 2 | 4 | MF | Neil Danns | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| 3 | 2 | FB/MF | Greg Halford | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | 28 | MF | Richard Garcia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 5 | 24 | FW | Jamie Cureton | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 6 | 14 | WG | Mark Yeates | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | 5 | CB | Wayne Brown | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 8 | FW | Gareth Williams | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | 16 | FB/CB | George Elokobi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | 18 | CB | Liam Chilvers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | 6 | MF | Kevin Watson | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | 7 | MF | Karl Duguid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | 20 | FW | Scott Vernon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | 25 | FB | Sam Stockley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | Own goals | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| | | | TOTALS | 58 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 82 |

### Disciplinary record

| Number | Position | Name | League One | League One | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Football League Trophy | Total | Total |
| 14 | WG | Mark Yeates | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 18 | CB | Liam Chilvers | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | Neil Danns | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 5 | CB | Wayne Brown | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 2 | FB/MF | Greg Halford | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | Kemal Izzet | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 19 | CB | Garry Richards | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 25 | FB | Sam Stockley | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | Aidan Davison | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | Kevin Watson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Karl Duguid | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | CB | Pat Baldwin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | FB/CB | George Elokobi | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | Chris Iwelumo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | FB | John White | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Dean Howell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | WG | Jamal Campbell-Ryce | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | FW | Tony Thorpe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | Richard Garcia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 31 | FW | Billy Clarke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 56 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 4 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.
| Place | Number | Player | League One | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| 1 | 1 | Aidan Davison | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | 13 | Dean Gerken | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| | | TOTALS | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.
| Number | Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| 11 | FW | Chris Iwelumo | 6 August 2005 | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium |
| 14 | FW | Mark Yeates | 6 August 2005 | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium |
| 20 | MF | Dean Howell | 9 August 2005 | Swansea City | Layer Road |
| 16 | FB/CB | George Elokobi | 24 August 2005 | Cardiff City | Layer Road |
| 19 | CB | Garry Richards | 3 September 2005 | Bristol City | Ashton Gate Stadium |
| 21 | MF | Robbie King | 3 September 2005 | Bristol City | Ashton Gate Stadium |
| 24 | FW | Jamie Cureton | 22 October 2005 | Tranmere Rovers | Prenton Park |
| 26 | FW | Tony Thorpe | 17 January 2006 | Bristol City | Layer Road |
| 20 | FW | Scott Vernon | 21 March 2006 | Doncaster Rovers | Belle Vue |
| 31 | FW | Billy Clarke | 25 March 2006 | Scunthorpe United | Glanford Park |
| 24 | WG | Jamal Campbell-Ryce | 4 April 2006 | Nottingham Forest | City Ground |