# 2002–03 Colchester United F.C. season

The 2002–03 season was Colchester United's 61st season in their history and their fifth successive season in the third tier of English football, the Second Division. Alongside competing in the Second Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.
After a first round FA Cup exit to Conference side Chester City and a seven-game winless run, manager Steve Whitton left the club by mutual consent, with Phil Parkinson appointed in his first ever managerial role. He led the club from the relegation zone to a 12th-place finish, their highest position for 23 years.

## Season overview

Following consecutive seasons of gradual improvement under Steve Whitton, the club found themselves in the relegation zone following a run of seven games without a win and a first round FA Cup exit to non-League Chester City. He left the club by mutual consent in January as former player Geraint Williams stepped up as caretaker manager while putting his name forward for the permanent role. However, with his many contacts at FA board level, chairman Peter Heard made a surprise appointment of Reading's player-coach Phil Parkinson.
Parkinson helped turn around the club's fortunes, lifting them from the relegation zone to 12th place, their best finish for 23 years.
In the League Cup, Colchester were eliminated by Coventry City in the first round, while Cheltenham Town defeated the U's in the first round of the Football League Trophy.
Away from the pitch, following the collapse of ITV Digital which had promised clubs greater television rights finances, a number of clubs found themselves entering administration or suffering lasting financial difficulty as a result of spending the money on players and resources before any had been received. Prudently, Peter Heard had never budgeted more than the club could afford and as such Colchester United were largely unaffected by the collapse.

## Players

    As of match played 3 May 2003.
| No. | Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||||
| 1 | Simon Brown | GK | Chelmsford | (1976-12-03)3 December 1976 (aged 25) | 85 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 July 1999 | Free transfer |
| 31 | Richard McKinney | GK | Ballymoney | (1979-05-18)18 May 1979 (aged 23) | 0 | 0 | Swindon Town | 10 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 32 | Dean Gerken | GK | Southend-on-Sea | (1985-05-22)22 May 1985 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| Defenders |||||||||||
| 2 | Joe Dunne | FB | Dublin | (1973-05-25)25 May 1973 (aged 29) | 188 | 7 | Dover Athletic | 7 December 1999 | Nominal |
| 3 | Joe Keith | FB | Plaistow | (1978-10-01)1 October 1978 (aged 23) | 126 | 10 | West Ham United | 24 May 1999 | Free transfer |
| 5 | Scott Fitzgerald | CB | Westminster | (1969-08-13)13 August 1969 (aged 32) | 74 | 0 | Millwall | 19 October 2000 | Free transfer |
| 8 | Mark Warren | CB | Lower Clapton | (1974-11-12)12 November 1974 (aged 27) | 0 | 0 | Notts County | 6 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 19 | Alan White | CB | Darlington | (1975-03-22)22 March 1975 (aged 27) | 77 | 3 | Luton Town | 16 July 2000 | Free transfer |
| 24 | Pat Baldwin | CB | City of London | (1982-11-12)12 November 1982 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Chelsea | 16 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 25 | Sam Stockley | FB | Tiverton | (1977-09-05)5 September 1977 (aged 24) | 11 | 1 | Oxford United | 31 October 2002 | Free transfer |
| 27 | Greg Halford | FB/MF | Chelmsford | (1984-12-08)8 December 1984 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 29 | Mike Edwards | CB | Hessle | (1980-04-25)25 April 1980 (aged 22) | 0 | 0 | Hull City | 27 March 2003 | Free transfer |
| Midfielders |||||||||||
| 4 | Gavin Johnson | MF | Eye | (1970-10-10)10 October 1970 (aged 31) | 93 | 3 | Dunfermline Athletic | 14 November 1999 | Free transfer |
| 6 | Thomas Pinault | MF | Grasse | (1981-12-04)4 December 1981 (aged 20) | 58 | 1 | AS Cannes | 1 July 1999 | Free transfer |
| 7 | Karl Duguid | MF | Letchworth | (1978-03-21)21 March 1978 (aged 24) | 239 | 34 | Youth team | 9 December 1995 | Free transfer |
| 10 | Kemal Izzet | MF | Whitechapel | (1980-09-29)29 September 1980 (aged 21) | 51 | 6 | Charlton Athletic | 13 April 2001 | Free transfer |
| 14 | Chris Keeble | MF | Colchester | (1978-09-17)17 September 1978 (aged 23) | 25 | 2 | Ipswich Town | 23 March 2000 | Free transfer |
| 16 | Marc Canham | MF | Wegberg | (1982-09-11)11 September 1982 (aged 19) | 1 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2001 | Free transfer |
| 17 | Bobby Bowry | MF | Hampstead | (1971-05-19)19 May 1971 (aged 31) | 41 | 1 | Millwall | 25 July 2001 | Free transfer |
| 20 | Mick Stockwell | MF | Chelmsford | (1965-02-14)14 February 1965 (aged 37) | 104 | 22 | Ipswich Town | 23 July 2000 | Free transfer |
| | Matt Hearn | MF | Barking | (1984-01-17)17 January 1984 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2000 | Free transfer |
| | Craig Johnston | MF | | (1985-12-04)4 December 1985 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2002 | Free transfer |
| Forwards |||||||||||
| 9 | Scott McGleish | FW | Chipping Barnet | (1974-02-10)10 February 1974 (aged 28) | 90 | 27 | Barnet | 12 January 2001 | £15,000 |
| 11 | Dean Morgan | FW | Edmonton | (1983-10-03)3 October 1983 (aged 18) | 38 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2000 | Free transfer |
| 12 | Kevin Rapley | FW | Reading | (1977-09-21)21 September 1977 (aged 24) | 40 | 9 | Notts County | 1 August 2001 | Free transfer |
| 15 | Adrian Coote | FW | Great Yarmouth | (1978-09-30)30 September 1978 (aged 23) | 19 | 4 | Norwich City | 21 December 2001 | £50,000 |
| 21 | Mvondo Atangana | FW | Yaoundé | (1979-07-10)10 July 1979 (aged 22) | 0 | 0 | Dundee United | 8 November 2002 | Undisclosed |
| 27 | Ben Cranfield | FW | Ipswich | (1984-03-01)1 March 1984 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2001 | Free transfer |
| | Tristan Toney | FW | | (1984-02-04)4 February 1984 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2002 | Free transfer |
* ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club
* ↑ 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 2002 | MF | Craig Johnston | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2002 | FW | Tristan Toney | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 29 July 2002 | CB | Danny Steele | Millwall | Free transfer |
| 1 August 2002 | GK | Dean Gerken | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 1 August 2002 | FB/MF | Greg Halford | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 6 August 2002 | CB | Mark Warren | Notts County | Free transfer |
| 10 August 2002 | GK | Richard McKinney | Swindon Town | Free transfer |
| 16 August 2002 | CB | Pat Baldwin | Chelsea | Free transfer |
| 31 October 2002 | FB | Sam Stockley | Oxford United | Free transfer |
| 8 November 2002 | FW | Mvondo Atangana | Dundee United | Undisclosed |
| 27 March 2003 | CB | Mike Edwards | Hull City | Free transfer |
* Total spending: ~ £0

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 31 May 2002 | CB | Con Blatsis | Kocaelispor | Free transfer |
| 30 June 2002 | DF/MF | Anthony Allman | Woking | Released |
| 1 August 2002 | MF | David Gregory | Canvey Island | Released |
| 12 August 2002 | CB | Ross Johnson | Dagenham & Redbridge | Released |
| 1 October 2002 | FB | David Hadrava | Heybridge Swifts | Released |
| 14 October 2002 | FW | Triston Chambers | Dagenham & Redbridge | Released |
| 25 October 2002 | GK | Glenn Williamson | Free agent | Released |
| 15 November 2002 | FW | Lloyd Opara | Cambridge United | Free transfer |
| 3 December 2002 | CB | Danny Steele | Fisher Athletic | Released |
* Total incoming: ~ £0
* ↑ Rejected offer of a new one-year deal

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 15 August 2002 | MF | Leke Odunsi | Millwall | 1 November 2002 |
| 31 August 2002 | FB | Sam Stockley | Oxford United | 30 October 2002 |
| 22 October 2002 | FW | Justin Richards | Bristol Rovers | 10 December 2002 |
| 23 January 2003 | FW | Gareth Williams | Crystal Palace | 19 March 2003 |
| 24 January 2003 | CB | Liam Chilvers | Arsenal | 31 May 2003 |
| 10 March 2003 | MF | Johnnie Jackson | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 May 2003 |
| 27 March 2003 | FW | Ben May | Millwall | 4 May 2003 |
* ↑ Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

### Loans out

| Date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| 5 September 2002 | FW | Triston Chambers | Harlow Town | 5 October 2002 |
| 15 October 2002 | FW | Lloyd Opara | Cambridge United | 14 November 2002 |
| 21 October 2002 | FW | Adrian Coote | Bristol Rovers | 9 February 2003 |

## Match details
### Second Division
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 10 | Swindon Town | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 63 | −4 | 60 |
| 11 | Peterborough United | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 51 | 54 | −3 | 58 |
| 12 | Colchester United | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 52 | 56 | −4 | 58 |
| 13 | Blackpool | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 58 |
| 14 | Stockport County | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 65 | 70 | −5 | 55 |

#### 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 | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | D | L | L | W | W | D | L | L | L | L | L | D | W | D | D | L | D | W | D | W | L | D | L | D | L | L | L | D | W | W | D | W | W | L | D | W | W | D | W | D | D | W | L | D | L |
| Position | 10 | 8 | 15 | 19 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 |

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

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Second Division | Second 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 |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Simon Brown | 29 | 0 | 26+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Joe Keith | 39 | 9 | 36 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Gavin Johnson | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | IRL | Scott Fitzgerald | 26 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | FRA | Thomas Pinault | 45 | 4 | 32+10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Karl Duguid | 27 | 3 | 26+1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | ENG | Mark Warren | 21 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Scott McGleish | 46 | 9 | 38+5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Kemal Izzet | 48 | 8 | 43+2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | MSR | Dean Morgan | 39 | 6 | 22+15 | 6 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | ENG | Kevin Rapley | 24 | 2 | 14+7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Chris Keeble | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | NIR | Adrian Coote | 16 | 0 | 7+9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | ENG | Marc Canham | 3 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | SKN | Bobby Bowry | 38 | 1 | 33+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Alan White | 43 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Mick Stockwell | 42 | 2 | 30+9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | FW | CMR | Mvondo Atangana | 7 | 0 | 1+5 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Pat Baldwin | 22 | 0 | 13+7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | ENG | Sam Stockley | 35 | 1 | 31+2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | ENG | Greg Halford | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Mike Edwards | 5 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | NIR | Richard McKinney | 23 | 0 | 20+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||||
| 18 | DF | ENG | Liam Chilvers | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Justin Richards | 3 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | ENG | Danny Steele | 9 | 0 | 6+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Leke Odunsi | 8 | 0 | 3+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | WAL | Gareth Williams | 8 | 6 | 6+2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Johnnie Jackson | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | FW | ENG | Lloyd Opara | 6 | 0 | 0+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | FW | ENG | Ben May | 6 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Number | Position | Name | Second Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| 1 | 3 | FB | Joe Keith | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 1 | 9 | FW | Scott McGleish | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | 10 | MF | Kemal Izzet | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | FW | Dean Morgan | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | 23 | FW | Gareth Williams | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | 6 | MF | Thomas Pinault | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | 7 | MF | Karl Duguid | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 12 | FW | Kevin Rapley | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | 20 | MF | Mick Stockwell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | 17 | MF | Bobby Bowry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | 25 | FB | Sam Stockley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | Own goals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| | | | TOTALS | 52 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 53 |

### Disciplinary record

| Number | Position | Name | Second Division | Second Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Football League Trophy | Total | Total |
| 19 | CB | Alan White | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| 8 | CB | Mark Warren | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| 7 | MF | Karl Duguid | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 10 | MF | Kemal Izzet | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | Kevin Rapley | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 22 | CB | Danny Steele | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 24 | CB | Pat Baldwin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | Richard McKinney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | Thomas Pinault | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | Bobby Bowry | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 25 | FB | Sam Stockley | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | CB | Scott Fitzgerald | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Scott McGleish | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | CB | Liam Chilvers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | FB | Joe Keith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | Gavin Johnson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | Adrian Coote | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Justin Richards | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Mick Stockwell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | Leke Odunsi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | Johnnie Jackson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | FW | Ben May | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 29 | CB | Mike Edwards | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 56 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 59 | 8 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.
| Place | Number | Player | Second Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| 1 | 31 | Richard McKinney | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | 1 | Simon Brown | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| | | TOTALS | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.
| Number | Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| 8 | CB | Mark Warren | 10 August 2002 | Stockport County | Layer Road |
| 31 | GK | Richard McKinney | 10 August 2002 | Stockport County | Layer Road |
| 22 | CB | Danny Steele | 24 August 2002 | Brentford | Layer Road |
| 23 | MF | Leke Odunsi | 26 August 2002 | Peterborough United | London Road Stadium |
| 25 | FB | Sam Stockley | 7 September 2002 | Cheltenham Town | Layer Road |
| 24 | CB | Pat Baldwin | 11 September 2002 | Coventry City | Highfield Road |
| 18 | FW | Justin Richards | 22 October 2002 | Cheltenham Town | Whaddon Road |
| 25 | FB | Sam Stockley | 9 November 2002 | Bristol City | Layer Road |
| 21 | FW | Mvondo Atangana | 16 November 2002 | Chester City | Layer Road |
| 18 | CB | Liam Chilvers | 25 January 2003 | Blackpool | Layer Road |
| 23 | FW | Gareth Williams | 25 January 2003 | Blackpool | Layer Road |
| 26 | MF | Johnnie Jackson | 11 March 2003 | Brentford | Griffin Park |
| 28 | FW | Ben May | 29 March 2003 | Swindon Town | Layer Road |
| 29 | CB | Mike Edwards | 5 April 2003 | Plymouth Argyle | Home Park |
| 27 | FB/MF | Greg Halford | 21 April 2003 | Luton Town | Layer Road |
* ↑ Second debut for the club