# 2004–05 Colchester United F.C. season

The 2004–05 season was Colchester United's 63rd season in their history and their seventh successive season in the third tier of English football, the newly renamed League One. Alongside competing in League One, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.
After reaching the area final of the Football League Trophy, Colchester were eliminated by the team that they played in the final, Southend United, in the first round of the competition. However, they fared better in the League Cup, defeating Premier League West Bromwich Albion in the second round but were defeated by Southampton in the third. They also reached the fourth round of the FA Cup, where the U's further Premier League opposition in Blackburn Rovers but were beaten 3–0.
In the league, Colchester had a poor mid-season run, eventually ending the season 15th in the League One table.

## Season overview

Phil Parkinson rung the changes for the new season, with numerous new signings and multiple outgoings. After a strong start to the season, topping the table after three games, a bad spell of mid-season form saw Colchester drop down the League One rankings. Just four wins in 25 games was the catalyst to a 15th-placed finish, while fans were left frustrated at Parkinson's 4-5-1 formation at home. One positive was that no team managed to score more than two goals against the U's in the league.
On 21 September 2004, West Bromwich Albion became the last top-flight club to visit Layer Road for their League Cup fixture. Colchester won 2–1, earning a trip to another Premier League side in Southampton. They pushed their hosts close, but were eventually defeated 3–2.
In the FA Cup, Colchester needed a replay to beat Mansfield Town, while also winning on their travels at Rushden & Diamonds and Hull City. In the fourth round, they were drawn against Premier League Blackburn Rovers where they lost 3–0.

## Players

    As of match played 7 May 2005.
| 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 36) | 0 | 0 | Grimsby Town | 5 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 13 | Dean Gerken | GK | Southend-on-Sea | (1985-05-22)22 May 1985 (aged 19) | 1 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 35 | Mark Cousins | GK | Chelmsford | (1987-01-09)9 January 1987 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 August 2004 | Free transfer |
| Defenders |||||||||||
| 2 | Greg Halford | FB/MF | Chelmsford | (1984-12-08)8 December 1984 (aged 19) | 25 | 4 | Youth team | 1 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 3 | Joe Keith | FB | Plaistow | (1978-10-01)1 October 1978 (aged 25) | 206 | 24 | West Ham United | 24 May 1999 | Free transfer |
| 5 | Wayne Brown | CB | Barking | (1977-08-20)20 August 1977 (aged 26) | 19 | 0 | Watford | 8 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 12 | Pat Baldwin | CB | City of London | (1982-11-12)12 November 1982 (aged 21) | 29 | 0 | Chelsea | 16 August 2002 | Free transfer |
| 14 | Stephen Hunt | FB | Southampton | (1984-11-11)11 November 1984 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Southampton | 5 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 16 | George Elokobi | FB/CB | Mamfe | (1986-01-31)31 January 1986 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Dulwich Hamlet | 1 August 2004 | Free transfer |
| 18 | Liam Chilvers | CB | Chelmsford | (1981-11-06)6 November 1981 (aged 22) | 51 | 0 | Arsenal | 10 June 2004 | Free transfer |
| 19 | Garry Richards | CB | Romford | (1986-06-11)11 June 1986 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 23 | John White | FB | Colchester | (1986-07-26)26 July 1986 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2003 | Free transfer |
| 25 | Sam Stockley | FB | Tiverton | (1977-09-05)5 September 1977 (aged 26) | 93 | 1 | Oxford United | 31 October 2002 | Free transfer |
| Midfielders |||||||||||
| 4 | Gavin Johnson | MF | Eye | (1970-10-10)10 October 1970 (aged 33) | 123 | 4 | Dunfermline Athletic | 14 November 1999 | Free transfer |
| 6 | Kevin Watson | MF | Hackney | (1974-01-03)3 January 1974 (aged 30) | 0 | 0 | Reading | 5 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 7 | Karl Duguid | MF | Letchworth | (1978-03-21)21 March 1978 (aged 26) | 308 | 39 | Youth team | 9 December 1995 | Free transfer |
| 10 | Kemal Izzet | MF | Whitechapel | (1980-09-29)29 September 1980 (aged 23) | 155 | 18 | Charlton Athletic | 13 April 2001 | Free transfer |
| 15 | Ben Bowditch | MF | Harlow | (1984-02-19)19 February 1984 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | AB | 10 August 2004 | Free transfer |
| 17 | Bobby Bowry | MF | Hampstead | (1971-05-19)19 May 1971 (aged 33) | 109 | 2 | Millwall | 25 July 2001 | Free transfer |
| 21 | Robbie King | MF | Chelmsford | (1986-10-01)1 October 1986 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| 27 | Craig Johnston | MF | | (1985-12-04)4 December 1985 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2002 | Free transfer |
| 26 | Neil Danns | MF | Liverpool | (1982-11-23)23 November 1982 (aged 21) | 13 | 4 | Blackburn Rovers | 23 December 2004 | Nominal |
| 28 | Richard Garcia | MF | Perth | (1981-09-04)4 September 1981 (aged 22) | 0 | 0 | West Ham United | 3 September 2004 | Nominal |
| | Liam Coleman | MF/FW | Colchester | (1986-01-11)11 January 1986 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2003 | Free transfer |
| Forwards |||||||||||
| 8 | Gareth Williams | FW | Cardiff | (1982-09-10)10 September 1982 (aged 21) | 15 | 8 | Crystal Palace | 31 August 2004 | Part-exchange |
| 9 | Marino Keith | FW | Peterhead | (1974-12-16)16 December 1974 (aged 29) | 0 | 0 | Plymouth Argyle | 1 March 2005 | Free transfer |
| 11 | Jamie Cade | FW | Durham | (1985-01-15)15 January 1985 (aged 19) | 15 | 0 | Middlesbrough | 25 November 2003 | Free transfer |
| 29 | Jamie Guy | FW | Barking | (1987-08-01)1 August 1987 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2004 | Free transfer |
| | Tristan Toney | FW | | (1984-02-04)4 February 1984 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Youth team | 1 July 2002 | 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 |
| 10 June 2004 | CB | Liam Chilvers | Arsenal | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2004 | FW | Jamie Guy | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2004 | MF | Robbie King | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2004 | CB | Garry Richards | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 5 July 2004 | GK | Aidan Davison | Grimsby Town | Free transfer |
| 5 July 2004 | FB | Stephen Hunt | Southampton | Free transfer |
| 5 July 2004 | MF | Kevin Watson | Reading | Free transfer |
| 8 July 2004 | CB | Wayne Brown | Watford | Free transfer |
| 1 August 2004 | GK | Mark Cousins | Youth team | Free transfer |
| 1 August 2004 | FB/CB | George Elokobi | Dulwich Hamlet | Free transfer |
| 10 August 2004 | MF | Ben Bowditch | AB | Free transfer |
| 31 August 2004 | FW | Gareth Williams | Crystal Palace | Part-exchange with Wayne Andrews |
| 3 September 2004 | MF | Richard Garcia | West Ham United | Nominal |
| 19 October 2004 | GK | Andy Marriott | Coventry City | Free transfer |
| 23 December 2004 | MF | Neil Danns | Blackburn Rovers | Nominal |
| 21 January 2005 | FW | Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu | Sheffield Wednesday | Free transfer |
| 1 March 2005 | FW | Marino Keith | Plymouth Argyle | Free transfer |
* Total spending: ~ £0

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 2 June 2004 | CB | Alan White | Leyton Orient | Free transfer |
| 11 June 2004 | CB | Scott Fitzgerald | Brentford | Released |
| 24 June 2004 | GK | Simon Brown | Hibernian | Free transfer |
| 30 June 2004 | FW | Scott McGleish | Northampton Town | Free transfer |
| 30 June 2004 | GK | Richard McKinney | Walsall | Released |
| 30 June 2004 | CB/FB | Andy Myers | Brentford | Released |
| 24 July 2004 | MF | Thomas Pinault | Grimsby Town | Released |
| 31 August 2004 | FW | Wayne Andrews | Crystal Palace | Part-exchange with Gareth Williams plus £100,000 |
| 4 November 2004 | GK | Andy Marriott | Bury | Free transfer |
| 28 February 2005 | FW | Craig Fagan | Hull City | Undisclosed |
| 31 March 2005 | CB | Ross Crouch | Halstead Town | Undisclosed |
| 31 March 2005 | FW | Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu | Darlington | Free transfer |
* Total incoming: ~ £100,000

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 3 August 2004 | FW | Ben May | Millwall | 20 October 2004 |
| 10 September 2004 | MF | Neil Danns | Blackburn Rovers | 10 November 2004 |
| 17 March 2005 | WG | Marc Goodfellow | Bristol City | 8 May 2005 |
| 24 March 2005 | FW | Ryan Jarvis | Norwich City | 8 May 2005 |

### Loans out

| Date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| 24 September 2004 | CB | Ross Crouch | Wivenhoe Town | 24 October 2004 |
| 29 September 2004 | FW | Jamie Guy | Tiptree United | 29 October 2004 |
| 29 September 2004 | FW | Tristan Toney | Tiptree United | 29 October 2004 |
| 14 January 2005 | CB | Ross Crouch | Redbridge | 14 February 2005 |
| 14 January 2005 | CB | Garry Richards | Gravesend & Northfleet | 14 February 2005 |
| 14 January 2005 | FW | Tristan Toney | Redbridge | 14 February 2005 |
| 27 January 2005 | FB/CB | George Elokobi | Chester City | 27 February 2005 |
| 18 February 2005 | CB | Garry Richards | Redbridge | 18 March 2005 |
| 17 March 2005 | FB | Joe Keith | Bristol City | 8 May 2005 |

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

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 13 | Barnsley | 46 | 14 | 19 | 13 | 69 | 64 | +5 | 61 |
| 14 | Walsall | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 65 | 69 | −4 | 60 |
| 15 | Colchester United | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 60 | 50 | +10 | 59 |
| 16 | Blackpool | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 54 | 59 | −5 | 57 |
| 17 | Chesterfield | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 55 | 62 | −7 | 57 |

#### 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 | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | W | W | L | W | L | L | W | L | D | W | L | D | L | L | D | D | D | W | L | L | L | D | W | D | L | D | W | L | D | W | L | D | L | L | D | W | D | W | W | D | D | D | D | D | W |
| Position | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 |

#### Matches
### FA Cup
## 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 | 39 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Greg Halford | 53 | 9 | 43+1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Joe Keith | 40 | 4 | 27+4 | 4 | 4+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Gavin Johnson | 44 | 10 | 36+1 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Wayne Brown | 47 | 1 | 38+2 | 1 | 2+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | ENG | Kevin Watson | 53 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | WAL | Gareth Williams | 34 | 5 | 12+17 | 3 | 2+1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | SCO | Marino Keith | 12 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Kemal Izzet | 4 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | ENG | Jamie Cade | 14 | 0 | 4+5 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | ENG | Pat Baldwin | 46 | 0 | 35+3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Dean Gerken | 16 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | ENG | Stephen Hunt | 25 | 1 | 16+4 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Ben Bowditch | 7 | 0 | 0+5 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | SKN | Bobby Bowry | 15 | 0 | 7+4 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Liam Chilvers | 48 | 1 | 40+1 | 1 | 4+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | ENG | John White | 24 | 0 | 16+4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | ENG | Sam Stockley | 44 | 1 | 33+4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | GUY | Neil Danns | 36 | 12 | 32 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | AUS | Richard Garcia | 30 | 6 | 20+4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | FW | ENG | Jamie Guy | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||||
| 8 | FW | ENG | Wayne Andrews | 6 | 2 | 4+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Craig Fagan | 34 | 14 | 25+1 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | ENG | Marc Goodfellow | 5 | 1 | 4+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | ENG | Ben May | 16 | 2 | 5+9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | COD | Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu | 9 | 1 | 2+6 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | FW | ENG | Ryan Jarvis | 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 | 9 | FW | Craig Fagan | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | 26 | MF | Neil Danns | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | 4 | MF | Gavin Johnson | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | 2 | FB/MF | Greg Halford | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 5 | 28 | MF | Richard Garcia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | 8 | FW | Gareth Williams | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | 3 | FB | Joe Keith | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | 9 | FW | Marino Keith | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | 6 | MF | Kevin Watson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | 8 | FW | Wayne Andrews | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | 20 | FW | Ben May | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | 5 | CB | Wayne Brown | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 14 | FB | Stephen Hunt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 18 | CB | Liam Chilvers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 20 | WG | Marc Goodfellow | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 24 | FW | Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | 25 | FB | Sam Stockley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | Own goals | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| | | | TOTALS | 60 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 79 |

### 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 |
| 9 | FW | Craig Fagan | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| 26 | MF | Neil Danns | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 18 | CB | Liam Chilvers | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 2 | FB/MF | Greg Halford | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 12 | CB | Pat Baldwin | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 14 | FB | Stephen Hunt | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | CB | Wayne Brown | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | FB | Joe Keith | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | Gavin Johnson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 25 | FB | Sam Stockley | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | Kevin Watson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | Richard Garcia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | Aidan Davison | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Marino Keith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 54 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 63 | 3 |

### 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 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | 13 | Dean Gerken | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| | | TOTALS | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.
| Number | Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| 1 | GK | Aidan Davison | 7 August 2004 | Sheffield Wednesday | Hillsborough Stadium |
| 5 | CB | Wayne Brown | 7 August 2004 | Sheffield Wednesday | Hillsborough Stadium |
| 6 | MF | Kevin Watson | 7 August 2004 | Sheffield Wednesday | Hillsborough Stadium |
| 18 | CB | Liam Chilvers | 7 August 2004 | Sheffield Wednesday | Hillsborough Stadium |
| 20 | FW | Ben May | 7 August 2004 | Sheffield Wednesday | Hillsborough Stadium |
| 14 | FB | Stephen Hunt | 21 August 2004 | Chesterfield | Saltergate |
| 15 | MF | Ben Bowditch | 24 August 2004 | Cheltenham Town | Layer Road |
| 23 | FB | John White | 24 August 2004 | Cheltenham Town | Layer Road |
| 8 | FW | Gareth Williams | 4 September 2004 | Swindon Town | Layer Road |
| 28 | MF | Richard Garcia | 4 September 2004 | Swindon Town | Layer Road |
| 26 | MF | Neil Danns | 11 September 2004 | AFC Bournemouth | Dean Court |
| 26 | MF | Neil Danns | 28 December 2004 | Luton Town | Kenilworth Road |
| 24 | FW | Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu | 22 January 2005 | Luton Town | Layer Road |
| 29 | FW | Jamie Guy | 5 February 2005 | Blackpool | Layer Road |
| 9 | FW | Marino Keith | 5 March 2005 | Brentford | Layer Road |
| 20 | WG | Marc Goodfellow | 19 March 2005 | Sheffield Wednesday | Layer Road |
| 30 | FW | Ryan Jarvis | 1 April 2005 | Doncaster Rovers | Belle Vue |
* 1 2 Third debut for the club
* 1 2 3 Second debut for the club