1955–56 Colchester United F.C. season
# 1955–56 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1955–56 season was Colchester United's 14th season in their history and their sixth season in the Third Division South, the third tier of English football. Alongside competing in the Third Division South, the club also participated in the FA Cup in which the club were eliminated by Torquay United in the first round. The season was Benny Fenton's first full campaign in charge, and after building his own squad over the summer, he led Colchester to their highest position since the 1951–52 season with a 12th-placed finish. This came on the back of two consecutive seasons of successful re-election applications.

## Season overview

Manager Benny Fenton assembled his own squad for the 1955–56 season, bringing in goalkeeper Percy Ames from Tottenham Hotspur, while also signing a number of players from Scottish junior football including John Fowler, Bobby Hill and Sammy McLeod.

Fenton's side played an exciting attacking game. They scored 76 goals in the league, with Kevin McCurley scoring a club Football League best total of 29 goals, and strike partner Ken Plant scoring 17. Both players notched two hat-tricks each during the season as the club safely finished the campaign in 12th-place.

Colchester played their first game under floodlights on 28 February 1955 when they beat Reading 3–1 at Elm Park. While Layer Road was still bereft of floodlighting, lighting had been installed for training purposes at the ground.

## Players

    As of match played 28 April 1956.

| Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| Percy Ames | GK | Plymouth | (1931-12-13)13 December 1931 (aged 23) | 0 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 May 1955 | Free transfer |
| George Wright | GK | Plymouth | (1919-10-10)10 October 1919 (aged 35) | 219 | 0 | Plymouth Argyle | May 1949 | £1,000 |
| John Wright | GK | Aldershot | (1933-08-13)13 August 1933 (aged 21) | 2 | 0 | Colchester Casuals | 23 May 1952 | Free transfer |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Brian Dobson | CB | Colchester | (1934-03-01)1 March 1934 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | January 1956 | Free transfer |
| George Fisher | FB | Bermondsey | (1925-06-19)19 June 1925 (aged 29) | 0 | 0 | Fulham | 1 September 1955 | £1,000 |
| John Fowler | FB | Leith | (1933-10-17)17 October 1933 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic | 20 August 1955 | Free transfer |
| George French | FB | Colchester | (1926-11-10)10 November 1926 (aged 28) | 3 | 0 | West Ham United | February 1949 | Free transfer |
| John Harrison | FB | Leicester | (1927-09-27)27 September 1927 (aged 27) | 205 | 0 | Aston Villa | 30 September 1950 | Nominal |
| Billy Hunt | CB | Colchester | (1934-11-25)25 November 1934 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | August 1953 | Free transfer |
| Reg Stewart | CB | Sheffield | (1925-10-30)30 October 1925 (aged 29) | 265 | 1 | Sheffield Wednesday | 20 August 1949 | £1,000 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Bob Dale | WH | Irlam | (1931-10-31)31 October 1931 (aged 23) | 55 | 8 | Bury | 24 December 1953 | £1,500 |
| Benny Fenton | WH | West Ham | (1918-10-10)10 October 1918 (aged 36) | 11 | 2 | Charlton Athletic | 5 March 1955 | £500 |
| Trevor Harris | WH | Colchester | (1936-02-06)6 February 1936 (aged 19) | 1 | 0 | Amateur | July 1951 | Free transfer |
| Bert Hill | WH | West Ham | (1930-03-08)8 March 1930 (aged 25) | 38 | 1 | Chelsea | September 1952 | £300 |
| Ron Hunt | WH | Colchester | (1933-09-26)26 September 1933 (aged 21) | 31 | 0 | Amateur | October 1951 | Free transfer |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Russell Blake | WG | Colchester | (1935-07-24)24 July 1935 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Dedham Old Boys | 8 September 1955 | Free transfer |
| Bobby Hill | IF | Edinburgh | (1938-06-09)9 June 1938 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare | 9 June 1955 | Free transfer |
| Martyn King | CF | Birmingham | (1937-08-23)23 August 1937 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | Summer 1955 | Free transfer |
| Kevin McCurley | CF | Consett | (1926-04-02)2 April 1926 (aged 29) | 110 | 35 | Liverpool | June 1951 | £750 |
| Sammy McLeod | IF | Glasgow | (1934-01-04)4 January 1934 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare | 20 August 1955 | Free transfer |
| Alfred Noble | IF | Hackney | (1924-09-18)18 September 1924 (aged 30) | 0 | 0 | Briggs Sports | September 1955 | Free transfer |
| Ken Plant | CF | Nuneaton | (1925-08-15)15 August 1925 (aged 29) | 59 | 19 | Bury | January 1954 | Undisclosed |
| Peter Wright | WG | Colchester | (1934-01-26)26 January 1934 (aged 21) | 67 | 13 | Amateur | November 1951 | Free transfer |

* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

## Transfers

### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Summer 1955 | CF | Martyn King | Amateur | Free transfer |
| 1 May 1955 | GK | Percy Ames | Tottenham Hotspur | Free transfer |
| 9 June 1955 | IF | Bobby Hill | Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare | Free transfer |
| 20 August 1955 | FB | John Fowler | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic | Free transfer |
| 20 August 1955 | IF | Sammy McLeod | Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare | Free transfer |
| September 1955 | IF | Alfred Noble | Briggs Sports | Free transfer |
| 1 September 1955 | FB | George Fisher | Fulham | £1,000 |
| 8 September 1955 | WG | Russell Blake | Dedham Old Boys | Free transfer |
| January 1956 | CB | Brian Dobson | Amateur | Free transfer |

* Total spending: ~ £1,000
* 1 2 3 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| End of season | WH | Austin Dunne | Tonbridge | Released |
| Summer 1955 | FB | Digger Kettle | Sudbury Town | Free transfer |
| 4 May 1955 | WH | Jimmy Elder | Yeovil Town | Released |
| 4 May 1955 | FB | Fred Lewis | Headington United | Released |
| 4 May 1955 | WG | Cliff Birch | Great Yarmouth Town | Free transfer |
| July 1955 | IF | Paddy Leonard | Tonbridge | Free transfer |
| August 1955 | IF | Johnny McKim | Clacton Town | Released |
| September 1955 | CB | Roy Bicknell | Retired | Retired |
| March 1956 | WG | Mike Grice | West Ham United | £9,000 |

* Total incoming: ~ £9,000
* 1 2 3 Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

## Match details

### Third Division South

**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 | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | AH | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | D | L | L | W | L | L | L | W | D | D | L | D | W | W | W | L | W | W | W | D | L | W | L | D | L | W | D | D | W | W | L | W | D | W | W | L | W | L | D | L | D | L | W | L | L | W |
| Position | 13 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 12 |

**League table**

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 10 | Gillingham | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 69 | 71 | 0.972 | 48 |
| 11 | Northampton Town | 46 | 20 | 7 | 19 | 67 | 71 | 0.944 | 47 |
| 12 | Colchester United | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 76 | 81 | 0.938 | 47 |
| 13 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 69 | 66 | 1.045 | 46 |
| 14 | Southampton | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 91 | 81 | 1.123 | 44 |

## Squad statistics

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Third Division South | Third Division South | FA Cup | FA Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | ENG | Percy Ames | 45 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | John Wright | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Brian Dobson | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | George Fisher | 43 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | John Fowler | 16 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | John Harrison | 41 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Billy Hunt | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Reg Stewart | 42 | 1 | 41 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Bob Dale | 40 | 2 | 39 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Benny Fenton | 33 | 2 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Trevor Harris | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Bert Hill | 22 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Ron Hunt | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Russell Blake | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Bobby Hill | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Kevin McCurley | 47 | 29 | 46 | 29 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Sammy McLeod | 43 | 2 | 42 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Alfred Noble | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Ken Plant | 37 | 17 | 36 | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Peter Wright | 46 | 9 | 45 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||
| | FW | ENG | Mike Grice | 38 | 6 | 37 | 6 | 1 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Third Division South | FA Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | CF | Kevin McCurley | 29 | 0 | 29 |
| 2 | CF | Ken Plant | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| 3 | WG | Peter Wright | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | WG | Mike Grice | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 5 | WH | Bob Dale | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | WH | Benny Fenton | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | FB | John Fowler | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | IF | Sammy McLeod | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | FB | George Fisher | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | FB | John Harrison | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | WH | Bert Hill | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | IF | Bobby Hill | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | CB | Reg Stewart | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| | | TOTALS | 76 | 0 | 76 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.

| Place | Player | Third Division South | FA Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Percy Ames | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | John Wright | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | TOTALS | 11 | 0 | 11 |

### Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.

| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| GK | Percy Ames | 20 August 1955 | Exeter City | St James Park |
| FB | John Fowler | 20 August 1955 | Exeter City | St James Park |
| IF | Sammy McLeod | 20 August 1955 | Exeter City | St James Park |
| CB | Billy Hunt | 27 August 1955 | Southend United | Layer Road |
| FB | George Fisher | 1 September 1955 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | Layer Road |
| WG | Russell Blake | 8 September 1955 | Leyton Orient | Brisbane Road |
| IF | Alfred Noble | 27 December 1955 | Ipswich Town | Portman Road |
| CB | Brian Dobson | 24 March 1956 | Aldershot | Recreation Ground |
| IF | Bobby Hill | 2 April 1956 | Walsall | Fellows Park |
