1938–39 Colchester United F.C. season
# 1938–39 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1938–39 season was Colchester United's second season in their history and their second in the Southern League. Alongside competing in the Southern League, the club also participated in the Southern League Mid-Week Section and Southern League Cup. Colchester won the Southern League title after beating local rivals Chelmsford City to the top of the league by one point. They also reached the 1st round of the FA Cup, where they were eliminated by Folkestone, and finished as runners-up to Tunbridge Wells Rangers in the Mid-Week Section. They reached the semi-final of the Southern League Cup, but the competition could not be completed due to fixture congestion.

## Season overview

Manager Ted Davis began strengthening his squad ready for a push to reach the Football League over the summer period. The public responded by turning out in force for a game against Gillingham, with 8,142 in attendance, and a week later, a visit from Arsenal 'A' saw 10,129 watch Colchester beat their counterparts 2–0. However, Davis securing a number of high-profile players came at a cost. Many were still contracted to the Football League clubs that they were signed from, meaning that if Colchester were to gain election to the Football League, the club would have very few contracted players.

Colchester made their first FA Cup outing during the 1938–39 season. They saw off Ilford 4–1 at Layer Road, but were defeated in the first round proper by Folkestone, watched by 8,160.

In a very successful season for the club, Colchester claimed the Southern League title by one point over Guildford City, scoring 110 goals in 44 games. They finished second in the Mid-Week Section, and reached the semi-final of the Southern League Cup, although due to fixture congestion, the game could not be played during the regular season and was postponed until the 1939–40 campaign.

Overall, Colchester scored 161 goals, with Arthur Pritchard netting 44 goals, George Wallis 24, and Alec Cheyne and Len Astill scoring 21 apiece.

The case for Football League election was presented to Football League members on 23 May 1938 by club director Walter Clark. With high hopes for election following a successful season, Colchester United failed to secure a single vote from the members, put down to the fact that there were so many League-registered players on the books that Davis had signed for Colchester.

Despite the League setback, the ownership of the Layer Road ground was passed to Colchester Borough Council, with club chairman Maurice Pye declaring:

   Every lover of football, will I'm sure, welcome this as a move in the right direction, for whatever happens, this fine open space will always belong to the town, and be for the benefit of Colcestrians and their love of football.

## Players

    As of match played 6 May 1939.

| Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| Ronnie Dunn | GK | Southall | (1908-11-24)24 November 1908 (aged 29) | 51 | 0 | Crystal Palace | 3 July 1937 | Free transfer |
| Billy Light | GK | Woolston | (1913-06-11)11 June 1913 (aged 24) | 0 | 0 | West Bromwich Albion | 17 June 1938 | £1,500 |
| Don Youngs | GK | | | 7 | 0 | Martlesham RAF | 5 November 1937 | Free transfer |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Cecil Allan | LB | Belfast | (1914-08-01)1 August 1914 (aged 23) | 0 | 0 | Chelsea | 27 May 1938 | £2,000 |
| Jimmy Baker | CB/RH | Trethomas | (1904-05-05)5 May 1904 (aged 34) | 31 | 2 | Bristol City | 9 July 1937 | Free transfer |
| Joe Birch | LB/RB | Hednesford | (1904-07-06)6 July 1904 (aged 33) | 0 | 0 | Fulham | 24 June 1938 | £750 |
| Syd Fieldus | DF | Romford | (1909-05-27)27 May 1909 (aged 29) | 21 | 3 | Brentford | 3 July 1937 | Free transfer |
| Ian Haley | RB | North Bierley | | 9 | 0 | Colchester Town | 1 January 1938 | Free transfer |
| George Leslie | CB | Slough | (1907-07-09)9 July 1907 (aged 30) | 43 | 0 | Guildford City | 9 July 1937 | Free transfer |
| Alf Worton | LB | Wolverhampton | (1914-04-04)4 April 1914 (aged 24) | 0 | 0 | Norwich City | 3 June 1938 | Free transfer |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Robert Morris | LH/RH | Hatton | (1913-03-11)11 March 1913 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Norwich City | 22 July 1938 | £500 |
| George Ritchie | LH | Maryhill | (1904-01-16)16 January 1904 (aged 34) | 31 | 1 | Leicester City | 12 August 1937 | Free transfer |
| George Smith | RH | Connah's Quay | | 24 | 2 | Bath City | 27 October 1937 | Free transfer |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Len Astill | IL/OL | Wolverhampton | (1916-12-30)30 December 1916 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Ipswich Town | 20 May 1938 | Free transfer |
| Alec Cheyne | IH | Glasgow | (1907-04-28)28 April 1907 (aged 31) | 54 | 35 | Chelsea | 13 August 1937 | £3,000 |
| George Crisp | WG | Pontypool | (1911-06-30)30 June 1911 (aged 26) | 39 | 14 | Newport County | 28 August 1937 | Undisclosed |
| Jack Hodge | OR | Plymouth | | 51 | 24 | Luton Town | 13 July 1937 | Free transfer |
| Ernie Matthews | CF | Chester-le-Street | (1912-11-08)8 November 1912 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Sheffield Wednesday | 26 May 1938 | £2,500 |
| George Merritt | IF | Ormskirk | | 0 | 0 | Derby County | 30 September 1938 | Free transfer |
| Robert Murray | IF | Newhaven | (1915-03-27)27 March 1915 (aged 23) | 0 | 0 | Bath City | 24 January 1939 | £800 |
| Arthur Pritchard | CF | Newport | (1917-10-22)22 October 1917 (aged 20) | 37 | 29 | Yeovil & Petters United | 28 August 1937 | Free transfer |
| Ivan Thacker | CF | Lowestoft | | 4 | 1 | Lowestoft Town | 18 February 1938 | Free transfer |
| George Wallis | IF | Sawley | | 16 | 7 | Bath City | 28 February 1938 | Free transfer |
| George Williams | IR/CF | | | 4 | 0 | Ipswich Town | 17 July 1937 | Free transfer |

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

## Transfers

### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 20 May 1938 | IL/OL | Len Astill | Ipswich Town | Free transfer |
| 26 May 1938 | CF | Ernie Matthews | Sheffield Wednesday | £2,500 |
| 27 May 1938 | LB | Cecil Allan | Chelsea | £2,000 |
| 3 June 1938 | LB | Alf Worton | Norwich City | Free transfer |
| 17 June 1938 | GK | Billy Light | West Bromwich Albion | £1,500 |
| 24 June 1938 | LB/RB | Joe Birch | Fulham | £750 |
| 22 July 1938 | LH/RH | Robert Morris | Norwich City | £500 |
| 30 September 1938 | IF | George Merritt | Derby County | Free transfer |
| 24 January 1939 | IF | Robert Murray | Bath City | £800 |

* Total spending: ~ £8,050

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| End of season | RB | Cliff Fairchild | Arsenal | £500 |
| 14 May 1938 | LH/RH | Jimmy Collins | Retired | Released |
| 14 May 1938 | OL | Bill Barraclough | Doncaster Rovers | Free transfer |
| 31 May 1938 | CF/IL | Bill Pendergast | Chester | Free transfer |
| 23 June 1938 | LB | Alexander Wood | Chelmsford City | Free transfer |
| September 1938 | CF | Albert Bennett | Free agent | Released |
| 12 January 1939 | IL/OL | Ken Mayes | Chelmsford City | Free transfer |

* Total incoming: ~ £500

## Match details

### Southern League

**League table**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Result |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Colchester United | 44 | 31 | 5 | 8 | 110 | 37 | 2.973 | 67 | Left league at end of season |
| 2 | Guildford City | 44 | 30 | 6 | 8 | 126 | 52 | 2.423 | 66 | |
| 3 | Gillingham | 44 | 29 | 6 | 9 | 104 | 57 | 1.825 | 64 | Left league at end of season |
| 4 | Plymouth Argyle II | 44 | 26 | 5 | 13 | 128 | 63 | 2.032 | 57 | Left league at end of season |
| 5 | Yeovil & Petters United | 44 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 85 | 70 | 1.214 | 54 | |

* ↑ Number of goals for and/or against is inaccurate.

### Southern League Mid-Week Section

**League table**

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Tunbridge Wells Rangers (C) | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 37 | 18 | 2.056 | 23 | Southern League Midweek Section champions |
| 2 | Colchester United | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 36 | 21 | 1.714 | 20 | |
| 3 | Norwich City Reserves | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 40 | 26 | 1.538 | 18 | |
| 4 | Millwall Reserves | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 33 | 23 | 1.435 | 18 | |
| 5 | Portsmouth 'A' | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 29 | 0.724 | 14 | |

## Squad statistics

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Southern League | Southern League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Southern League Mid-Week Section | Southern League Mid-Week Section | Southern League Cup | Southern League Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | ENG | Ronnie Dunn | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Billy Light | 42 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Don Youngs | 20 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | NIR | Cecil Allan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | WAL | Jimmy Baker | 21 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Joe Birch | 62 | 1 | 44 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Syd Fieldus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Ian Haley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | George Leslie | 58 | 1 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Alf Worton | 64 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Robert Morris | 65 | 5 | 44 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | George Ritchie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | WAL | George Smith | 36 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Len Astill | 41 | 21 | 27 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| | FW | SCO | Alec Cheyne | 40 | 21 | 29 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| | FW | WAL | George Crisp | 31 | 11 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Jack Hodge | 60 | 17 | 42 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | Ernie Matthews | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | George Merritt | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Robert Murray | 29 | 6 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | WAL | Arthur Pritchard | 59 | 44 | 40 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| | FW | ENG | Ivan Thacker | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | George Wallis | 63 | 24 | 43 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||||
| | FW | ENG | Ken Mayes | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Southern League | FA Cup | SL Mid-Week Section | Southern League Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | CF | Arthur Pritchard | 34 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 44 |
| 2 | IF | George Wallis | 16 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 24 |
| 3 | IL/OL | Len Astill | 12 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 21 |
| 3 | IH | Alec Cheyne | 14 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 21 |
| 5 | OR | Jack Hodge | 12 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 17 |
| 6 | WG | George Crisp | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| 7 | IF | Robert Murray | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 8 | LH/RH | Robert Morris | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | CF | Ernie Matthews | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | CB/RH | Jimmy Baker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | LB/RB | Joe Birch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | CB | George Leslie | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | RH | George Smith | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | CF | Ivan Thacker | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| | | TOTALS | 110 | 5 | 36 | 10 | 161 |

### Captains

Number of games played as team captain.

| Place | Position | Player | Southern League | FA Cup | SL Mid-Week Section | Southern League Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | CB | George Leslie | 38 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 54 |
| | | Not recorded | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 |
| | | TOTALS | 44 | 2 | 16 | 3 | 65 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.

| Place | Player | Southern League | FA Cup | SL Mid-Week Section | Southern League Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Billy Light | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| 2 | Don Youngs | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | Ronnie Dunn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | TOTALS | 20 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 25 |

### Player debuts

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

| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| GK | Billy Light | 28 August 1938 | Gillingham | Layer Road |
| LB/RB | Joe Birch | 28 August 1938 | Gillingham | Layer Road |
| LH/RH | Robert Morris | 28 August 1938 | Gillingham | Layer Road |
| LB | Alf Worton | 28 August 1938 | Gillingham | Layer Road |
| IL/OL | Len Astill | 28 August 1938 | Gillingham | Layer Road |
| CF | Ernie Matthews | 28 August 1938 | Gillingham | Layer Road |
| LB | Cecil Allan | 22 September 1938 | Norwich City Reserves | Carrow Road |
| IF | George Merritt | 8 October 1938 | Aldershot Reserves | Recreation Ground |
| IF | Robert Murray | 2 February 1939 | Folkestone | Layer Road |
