1952–53 Colchester United F.C. season
# 1952–53 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1952–53 season was Colchester United's eleventh season in their history and their third 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. Colchester reached the third round of the FA Cup for the second season running, but were knocked out by Second Division side Rotherham United after a replay. The club struggled in the league, eventually finishing 22nd of 24 teams which would ultimately cost manager Jimmy Allen his job.

## Season overview

The season began with a Layer Road crowd of 14,674 witnessing a 0–0 draw with local rivals Ipswich Town, and in the early stages of the campaign, the club remained mid-table. In the FA Cup, Colchester disposed of Weymouth in the first round following a replay, and then Llanelli in the second round, before once again facing Second Division Yorkshire opposition in Rotherham United. After drawing 2–2 at Millmoor and forcing a replay, Colchester lost the Layer Road replay 2–0.

In the latter stages of the season, a poor run of just one point from six games saw United slip from 13th-position to 22nd, just one place and two points above the re-election positions. Meanwhile, forward Kevin McCurley had justified manager Jimmy Allen's £750 outlay with a return of 19 goals. However, with Allen's style of play criticised by supporters and his unwillingness to reduce the playing staff as requested by the board saw Allen tender his resignation on 2 May 1953.

## Players

    As of match played 2 May 1953.

| Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| Frank Coombs | GK | East Ham | (1925-04-24)24 April 1925 (aged 27) | 13 | 0 | Southend United | 8 March 1952 | £450 |
| George Wright | GK | Plymouth | (1919-10-10)10 October 1919 (aged 32) | 131 | 0 | Plymouth Argyle | May 1949 | £1,000 |
| John Wright | GK | Aldershot | (1933-08-13)13 August 1933 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Colchester Casuals | 23 May 1952 | Free transfer |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Roy Bicknell | CB | Doncaster | (1926-02-19)19 February 1926 (aged 26) | 0 | 0 | Gravesend & Northfleet | June 1952 | £1,000 |
| George French | FB | Colchester | (1926-11-10)10 November 1926 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | West Ham United | February 1949 | Free transfer |
| John Harrison | FB | Leicester | (1927-09-27)27 September 1927 (aged 24) | 77 | 0 | Aston Villa | 30 September 1950 | Nominal |
| Digger Kettle | FB | Colchester | (1922-06-03)3 June 1922 (aged 29) | 168 | 1 | Arclight Sports | September 1946 | Free transfer |
| Phil Rookes | FB | Dulverton | (1919-04-23)23 April 1919 (aged 33) | 28 | 0 | Portsmouth | July 1951 | £1,000 |
| Trevor Rowlands | FB | Wattstown | (1922-02-02)2 February 1922 (aged 30) | 41 | 2 | Norwich City | 20 July 1950 | £1,000 |
| Reg Stewart | CB | Sheffield | (1925-10-30)30 October 1925 (aged 26) | 146 | 0 | Sheffield Wednesday | 20 August 1949 | £1,000 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Harry Bearryman | WH | Wandsworth | (1924-09-26)26 September 1924 (aged 27) | 243 | 9 | Chelsea | 4 July 1947 | Free transfer |
| Jimmy Elder | WH | Scone | (1928-03-05)5 March 1928 (aged 24) | 93 | 7 | Portsmouth | 19 August 1950 | £1,000 |
| Trevor Harris | WH | Colchester | (1936-02-06)6 February 1936 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | July 1951 | Free transfer |
| Bert Hill | WH | West Ham | (1930-03-08)8 March 1930 (aged 22) | 0 | 0 | Chelsea | September 1952 | £300 |
| Ron Hunt | WH | Colchester | (1933-09-26)26 September 1933 (aged 18) | 3 | 0 | Amateur | October 1951 | Free transfer |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Peter Aitchison | WG | Harlow | (1931-09-19)19 September 1931 (aged 20) | 9 | 2 | Amateur | August 1950 | Free transfer |
| Bert Barlow | IF | Kilnhurst | (1916-07-22)22 July 1916 (aged 35) | 0 | 0 | Leicester City | Summer 1952 | <£1,000 |
| John Church | WG | Lowestoft | (1919-09-17)17 September 1919 (aged 32) | 83 | 13 | Norwich City | 19 August 1950 | £1,000 |
| Dick Cullum | FW | Colchester | (1931-01-28)28 January 1931 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Colchester Colts | 28 March 1951 | Free transfer |
| Stan Edwards | CF | Dawdon | (1926-10-17)17 October 1926 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Chelsea | 6 September 1952 | £750 |
| Mike Grice | WG | Woking | (1931-11-03)3 November 1931 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Lowestoft Town | Summer 1952 | £25 |
| Kevin McCurley | CF | Consett | (1926-04-02)2 April 1926 (aged 26) | 11 | 6 | Liverpool | June 1951 | £750 |
| Johnny McKim | IF | Greenock | (1926-01-22)22 January 1926 (aged 26) | 51 | 18 | Chelsea | 19 August 1950 | £1,000 |
| Augie Scott | IF | Sunderland | (1921-02-19)19 February 1921 (aged 31) | 48 | 6 | Southampton | 18 August 1951 | £2,000 |
| Peter Wright | WG | Colchester | (1934-01-26)26 January 1934 (aged 18) | 9 | 0 | Amateur | November 1951 | Free transfer |

* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

## Transfers

### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Summer 1952 | IF | Bert Barlow | Leicester City | <£1,000 |
| Summer 1952 | WG | Mike Grice | Lowestoft Town | £25 |
| 23 May 1952 | GK | John Wright | Colchester Casuals | Free transfer |
| June 1952 | CB | Roy Bicknell | Gravesend & Northfleet | £1,000 |
| September 1952 | WH | Bert Hill | Chelsea | £300 |
| 6 September 1952 | CF | Stan Edwards | Chelsea | £750 |

* Total spending: ~ £3,075
* ↑ 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 | WG | Adam Davidson | Carnoustie Panmure | Released |
| End of season | CF | Arthur Turner | Headington United | Free transfer |
| Summer 1952 | WH | John Moore | Staines Town | Free transfer |
| Summer 1952 | FW | Jack McClelland | Stoke City | Undisclosed |
| 14 March 1953 | WH | Harry Wilkinson | Folkestone Town | Released |
| 4 April 1953 | WH | Len Jones | Ipswich Town | Released |

* 1 2 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 | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H |
| Result | D | W | D | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | W | D | L | D | L | D | W | W | W | D | L | L | W | L | D | W | L | W | D | D | L | D | W | D | D | L | L | D | W | L | L | D | L | L | L | L |
| Position | 13 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 |

**League table**

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 20 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 61 | 82 | 0.744 | 39 | |
| 21 | Gillingham | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 55 | 74 | 0.743 | 39 | |
| 22 | Colchester United | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 59 | 76 | 0.776 | 38 | |
| 23 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 68 | 91 | 0.747 | 36 | Re-elected |
| 24 | Walsall | 46 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 56 | 118 | 0.475 | 24 | Re-elected |

## 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 | Frank Coombs | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | George Wright | 33 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Roy Bicknell | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | George French | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | John Harrison | 51 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Phil Rookes | 46 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | WAL | Trevor Rowlands | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Reg Stewart | 45 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Harry Bearryman | 50 | 1 | 45 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Jimmy Elder | 50 | 3 | 45 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Bert Hill | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Peter Aitchison | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Bert Barlow | 33 | 7 | 28 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | John Church | 39 | 9 | 34 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | Stan Edwards | 19 | 7 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| | FW | ENG | Mike Grice | 13 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Kevin McCurley | 47 | 19 | 42 | 16 | 5 | 3 |
| | FW | SCO | Johnny McKim | 33 | 15 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 2 |
| | FW | ENG | Augie Scott | 40 | 2 | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Peter Wright | 12 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||
| | MF | ENG | Len Jones | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Harry Wilkinson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Third Division South | FA Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | CF | Kevin McCurley | 16 | 3 | 19 |
| 2 | IF | Johnny McKim | 13 | 2 | 15 |
| 3 | WG | John Church | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| 4 | IF | Bert Barlow | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 4 | CF | Stan Edwards | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 6 | WH | Jimmy Elder | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | FB | Trevor Rowlands | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | IF | Augie Scott | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | WG | Peter Wright | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | WH | Harry Bearryman | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | WG | Mike Grice | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| | | TOTALS | 60 | 9 | 69 |

### Disciplinary record

| Nationality | Position | Name | Third Division South | Third Division South | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | IF | Johnny McKim | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | TOTALS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.

| Place | Player | Third Division South | FA Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | George Wright | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Frank Coombs | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| | TOTALS | 10 | 1 | 11 |

### Player debuts

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

| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| CF | Stan Edwards | 6 September 1952 | Swindon Town | Layer Road |
| WG | Mike Grice | 11 September 1952 | Bristol Rovers | Layer Road |
| IF | Bert Barlow | 13 September 1952 | Queens Park Rangers | Loftus Road |
| CB | Roy Bicknell | 4 October 1952 | Gillingham | Layer Road |
| FB | George French | 4 October 1952 | Gillingham | Layer Road |
| WH | Harry Wilkinson | 14 March 1953 | Watford | Layer Road |
| WH | Bert Hill | 11 April 1953 | Bristol City | Layer Road |
