# 1973–74 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1973–74 season was Colchester United's 32nd season in their history and their sixth successive season in the fourth tier of English football, the Fourth Division. Alongside competing in the Fourth Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup and the League Cup.
Jim Smith led his side to promotion to the Third Division in his first full season in charge, finishing in third position, five points behind winners Peterborough United. Colchester experienced first round cup exits in both competitions, coincidentally losing to both teams which finished above them in the league; a defeat to Peterborough in the FA Cup and a defeat at Gillingham in the League Cup.

## Season overview

Manager Jim Smith brought in Watford pair Mike Walker and Mick Packer during the summer break and also spent £8,000 on forward Paul Aimson from Bournemouth. While Aimson suffered a career-ending injury early in the season, Bobby Svarc found form and registered 25 league goals, including a record-equalling four goals at Chester in November.
At Christmas, Colchester led the Fourth Division table. Bobby Svarc's goalscoring waned, and Smith brought in Gary Moore on loan from Southend United. He scored seven goals in the U's eleven remaining games as Colchester sealed a promotion place. They finished in third position, five points behind Peterborough United and two adrift of Gillingham. The final home game of the season drew a crowd of 10,007, a game in which Gillingham won 2–0 and crept above Colchester in the league table. This would be the last time that Layer Road hosted a five-figure attendance in league competition.
In the cup competitions, Colchester were knocked out in the first round of both the FA Cup and League Cup, coincidentally against their two biggest league title rivals, Peterborough and Gillingham. Gillingham beat United 4–2 at Priestfield in the League Cup in August, while Peterborough triumphed 3–2 at Layer Road in the FA Cup first round.

## Players

    As of match played 27 April 1974.
| Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| Mike Walker | GK | Colwyn Bay | (1945-11-28)28 November 1945 (aged 27) | 0 | 0 | Watford | July 1973 | £4,000 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Micky Cook | FB | Enfield | (1951-04-09)9 April 1951 (aged 22) | 146 | 1 | Orient | 1 March 1969 | Free transfer |
| Barry Dominey | CB | Edmonton | (1955-10-21)21 October 1955 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Enfield WMC | September 1973 | Free transfer |
| Ray Harford | CB | Halifax | (1945-06-01)1 June 1945 (aged 28) | 21 | 1 | Port Vale | 3 February 1973 | £1,750 |
| Stuart Morgan | CB | Swansea | (1949-09-23)23 September 1949 (aged 23) | 36 | 2 | Reading | August 1972 | Free transfer |
| Mick Packer | FB | Willesden | (1950-04-20)20 April 1950 (aged 23) | 0 | 0 | Watford | July 1973 | Free transfer |
| Alex Smith | FB | Thornhill | (1947-05-11)11 May 1947 (aged 26) | 0 | 0 | Southend United | 27 January 1974 | £5,000 |
| Lindsay Smith | CB | Enfield | (1954-09-18)18 September 1954 (aged 18) | 54 | 4 | Apprentice | 20 April 1971 | Free transfer |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Ray Bunkell | MF | Edmonton | (1949-09-18)18 September 1949 (aged 23) | 0 | 0 | Swindon Town | December 1973 | Part exchange |
| Steve Foley | MF | Clacton-on-Sea | (1953-06-21)21 June 1953 (aged 19) | 57 | 13 | Apprentice | July 1969 | Free transfer |
| Steve Leslie | MF | Hornsey | (1952-09-04)4 September 1952 (aged 20) | 80 | 16 | Apprentice | 20 April 1971 | Free transfer |
| Bobby Mills | MF | Edmonton | (1955-03-16)16 March 1955 (aged 18) | 8 | 0 | Apprentice | 4 March 1972 | Free transfer |
| Bobby Roberts | MF | Edinburgh | (1940-09-02)2 September 1940 (aged 32) | 2 | 0 | Coventry City | 1 March 1973 | Free transfer |
| Phil Thomas | MF | Sherborne | (1952-12-14)14 December 1952 (aged 20) | 35 | 2 | Bournemouth | Summer 1972 | Free transfer |
| Tony Wingate | MF | Islington | (1955-03-21)21 March 1955 (aged 18) | 1 | 0 | Apprentice | 18 March 1972 | Free transfer |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Barry Dyson | FW | Oldham | (1942-09-06)6 September 1942 (aged 30) | 0 | 0 | Orient | 25 August 1973 | Free transfer |
| Colwyn Rowe | WG | Ipswich | (1956-03-22)22 March 1956 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | October 1973 | Free transfer |
| Bobby Svarc | FW | Leicester | (1946-02-08)8 February 1946 (aged 27) | 20 | 8 | Boston United | December 1972 | £6,000 |
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| Summer 1973 | RB | Will Dixon | Reading | Free transfer |
| July 1973 | GK | Mike Walker | Watford | £4,000 |
| July 1973 | FB | Mick Packer | Watford | Free transfer |
| 1 August 1973 | FW | Paul Aimson | Bournemouth | £8,000 |
| 25 August 1973 | FW | Barry Dyson | Bournemouth | Free transfer |
| September 1973 | CB | Barry Dominey | Enfield WMC | Free transfer |
| September 1973 | CB | Barry Dominey | Enfield WMC | Free transfer |
| October 1973 | WG | Colwyn Rowe | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| December 1973 | MF | Ray Bunkell | Southend United | Part-exchange (£5,000) |
| 27 January 1974 | FB | Alex Smith | Southend United | £5,000 |
* Total spending: ~ £22,000
* 1 2 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 30 April 1973 | GK | John McInally | Braintree & Crittall Athletic | Player-manager |
| 30 April 1973 | CB | Richard Bourne | Ramsgate | Released |
| 30 April 1973 | MF | Stan Brown | Wimbledon | Released |
| August 1973 | MF | Phil Bloss | Wimbledon | Released |
| September 1973 | RB | Will Dixon | Swindon Town | Free transfer |
| December 1973 | FB | John McLaughlin | Swindon Town | Part-exchange (£25,000) |
| December 1973 | WG | Mick Mahon | Wimbledon | £3,000 |
| 22 February 1974 | FW | Paul Aimson | Free agent | Retired |
* Total incoming: ~ £28,000
* 1 2 3 Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| October 1973 | FW | Peter Silvester | Norwich City | 2 November 1983 |
| November 1973 | FB | Alex Smith | Southend United | 5 January 1974 |
| 1 February 1974 | WG | Terry Anderson | Norwich City | 2 March 1974 |
| March 1974 | MF | Paul Taylor | York City | 12 May 1974 |
| March 1974 | FW | Gary Moore | Southend United | 4 May 1974 |
* 1 2 3 Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games 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 | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | H | A |
| Result | W | W | D | D | W | W | L | W | D | D | W | W | D | D | W | D | W | W | W | L | W | L | D | W | W | W | W | W | L | L | W | L | W | L | L | L | D | W | W | W | W | D | W | D | L | D |
| Position | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |

#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Peterborough United | 46 | 27 | 11 | 8 | 75 | 38 | 1.974 | 65 | Division Champions, promoted |
| 2 | Gillingham | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 90 | 49 | 1.837 | 62 | Promoted |
| 3 | Colchester United | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 73 | 36 | 2.028 | 60 | Promoted |
| 4 | Bury | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 81 | 49 | 1.653 | 59 | Promoted |
| 5 | Northampton Town | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 63 | 48 | 1.313 | 53 | |

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

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Fourth Division | Fourth Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | WAL | Mike Walker | 48 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Micky Cook | 46 | 5 | 44 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| | DF | ENG | Barry Dominey | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Ray Harford | 48 | 2 | 46 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | WAL | Stuart Morgan | 40 | 8 | 38 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Mick Packer | 35 | 0 | 32+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Alex Smith | 29 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Lindsay Smith | 35 | 1 | 23+11 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Ray Bunkell | 6 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Steve Foley | 34 | 8 | 32 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Steve Leslie | 24 | 0 | 21+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Bobby Mills | 23 | 0 | 14+4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Phil Thomas | 42 | 4 | 38+2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Barry Dyson | 38 | 6 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Colwyn Rowe | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Bobby Svarc | 48 | 26 | 46 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||
| | DF | ENG | John McLaughlin | 20 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Paul Taylor | 9 | 0 | 6+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Paul Aimson | 5 | 2 | 3+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Terry Anderson | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Mick Mahon | 14 | 1 | 9+3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Gary Moore | 11 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Peter Silvester | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | FW | Bobby Svarc | 25 | 0 | 1 | 26 |
| 2 | MF | Steve Foley | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | CB | Stuart Morgan | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | FW | Gary Moore | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | FW | Barry Dyson | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | FB | Micky Cook | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | MF | Steve Leslie | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | MF | Phil Thomas | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | FW | Paul Aimson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | CB | Ray Harford | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | WG | Mick Mahon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | FB | Alex Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | CB | Lindsay Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | TOTALS | 73 | 2 | 2 | 77 |

### Disciplinary record

| Position | Name | Fourth Division | Fourth Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| CB | Stuart Morgan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| FB | Micky Cook | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| CB | Ray Harford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FB | Micky Cook | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Bobby Mills | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FB | Mick Packer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FB | Alex Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| CB | Lindsay Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | TOTALS | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.
| Place | Nationality | Player | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| 1 | | Mike Walker | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| | | TOTALS | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.
| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| GK | Mike Walker | 25 August 1973 | Barnsley | Oakwell |
| FB | Mick Packer | 25 August 1973 | Barnsley | Oakwell |
| FW | Paul Aimson | 25 August 1973 | Barnsley | Oakwell |
| FW | Barry Dyson | 25 August 1973 | Barnsley | Oakwell |
| FW | Peter Silvester | 6 October 1973 | Hartlepool | Victoria Park |
| FB | Alex Smith | 10 November 1973 | Mansfield Town | Field Mill |
| MF | Ray Bunkell | 8 December 1973 | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium |
| FB | Alex Smith | 27 January 1974 | Doncaster Rovers | Belle Vue |
| WG | Colwyn Rowe | 3 February 1974 | Bury | Gigg Lane |
| WG | Terry Anderson | 8 February 1974 | Swansea City | Layer Road |
| CB | Barry Dominey | 16 March 1974 | Scunthorpe United | Old Showground |
| MF | Paul Taylor | 16 March 1974 | Scunthorpe United | Old Showground |
| FW | Gary Moore | 16 March 1974 | Scunthorpe United | Old Showground |
* ↑ Second debut for the club