1956–57 Colchester United F.C. season
# 1956–57 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1956–57 season was Colchester United's 15th season in their history and their seventh 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 Southend United in the first round in the first Essex derby in a cup competition. The season would be Colchester United's highest league finish for 50 years by ending their campaign in third position. It has only been bettered on three occasions; the 2005–06 season, 2006–07 season and the 2007–08 season.

## Season overview

The 1956–57 season proved to be Colchester United's best finish in their history, ending the season in third position in the third tier with a result that was not bettered until 2006. For the majority of the season, Colchester were favourites for promotion, during which time they went 20 league games unbeaten between December 1956 and Easter 1957.

Colchester and rivals Ipswich Town vied for the top spot for much of the season. Colchester were seven-points ahead of their third-placed rivals when the two sides met at Layer Road on 16 February 1957. A record crowd of 18,559 witnessed the 0–0 draw, with over 4,000 fans turned away and over 100 spectators witnessing the action from the roof of the Popular Side stand. Player-manager Benny Fenton missed a 21st-minute penalty during the match, which was saved by Ipswich goalkeeper Roy Bailey.

A 2–1 win over second-placed Torquay United, who trailed by four points as a result, improved Colchester's title credentials. However, the loss of influential players to injury including Bob Dale and Chic Milligan damaged Colchester's hopes. Three consecutive draws in late March and early April allowed Torquay to close the gap to just one point, with Ipswich five points adrift. Over Easter 1957, Colchester lost three consecutive away games at Millwall, Walsall and Swindon Town, but won their final game of the season 2–0 against Watford to put them back at the top of the table, but both Ipswich and Torquay's final matches were 24 hours later. Both sides won their final games, with Colchester slipping to third position in the table and Ipswich were promoted as champions, level on points with Torquay but with a better goal average, while they finished one point ahead of Colchester. Colchester played the entire season unbeaten at Layer Road.

## Players

    As of match played 29 April 1957.

| 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 24) | 45 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 May 1955 | Free transfer |
| John Wright | GK | Aldershot | (1933-08-13)13 August 1933 (aged 22) | 4 | 0 | Colchester Casuals | 23 May 1952 | Free transfer |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Brian Dobson | CB | Colchester | (1934-03-01)1 March 1934 (aged 22) | 6 | 0 | Amateur | January 1956 | Free transfer |
| George Fisher | FB | Bermondsey | (1925-06-19)19 June 1925 (aged 30) | 43 | 1 | Fulham | 1 September 1955 | £1,000 |
| John Fowler | FB | Leith | (1933-10-17)17 October 1933 (aged 22) | 16 | 2 | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic | 20 August 1955 | Free transfer |
| Chic Milligan | CB | Ardrossan | (1930-07-26)26 July 1930 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Ardrossan Winton Rovers | 18 August 1956 | £1,000 |
| Reg Stewart | CB | Sheffield | (1925-10-30)30 October 1925 (aged 30) | 307 | 2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 20 August 1949 | £1,000 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Benny Fenton | WH | West Ham | (1918-10-10)10 October 1918 (aged 37) | 44 | 4 | Charlton Athletic | 5 March 1955 | £500 |
| Trevor Harris | WH | Colchester | (1936-02-06)6 February 1936 (aged 20) | 3 | 0 | Amateur | July 1951 | Free transfer |
| Bert Hill | WH | West Ham | (1930-03-08)8 March 1930 (aged 26) | 60 | 2 | Chelsea | September 1952 | £300 |
| Ron Hunt | WH | Colchester | (1933-09-26)26 September 1933 (aged 22) | 34 | 0 | Amateur | October 1951 | Free transfer |
| Derek Parker | WH | Wivenhoe | (1926-06-23)23 June 1926 (aged 29) | 0 | 0 | West Ham United | March 1957 | £2,500 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Les Barrell | WG | Colchester | (1932-08-30)30 August 1932 (aged 23) | 0 | 0 | Lexden Wanderers | Summer 1956 | Free transfer |
| Russell Blake | WG | Colchester | (1935-07-24)24 July 1935 (aged 20) | 5 | 0 | Dedham Old Boys | 8 September 1955 | Free transfer |
| Bobby Hill | IF | Edinburgh | (1938-06-09)9 June 1938 (aged 17) | 4 | 1 | Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare | 9 June 1955 | Free transfer |
| Martyn King | CF | Birmingham | (1937-08-23)23 August 1937 (aged 18) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | Summer 1955 | Free transfer |
| Kevin McCurley | CF | Consett | (1926-04-02)2 April 1926 (aged 30) | 157 | 64 | Liverpool | June 1951 | £750 |
| Sammy McLeod | IF | Glasgow | (1934-01-04)4 January 1934 (aged 22) | 43 | 2 | Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare | 20 August 1955 | Free transfer |
| Ken Plant | CF | Nuneaton | (1925-08-15)15 August 1925 (aged 30) | 96 | 36 | Bury | January 1954 | Undisclosed |
| Eddie Smith | IF | Marylebone | (1939-03-23)23 March 1939 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Northampton Town | June 1956 | Undisclosed |
| Tommy Williams | WG | Battersea | (1935-02-10)10 February 1935 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Carshalton Athletic | September 1956 | Free transfer |
| Peter Wright | WG | Colchester | (1934-01-26)26 January 1934 (aged 22) | 113 | 22 | 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 1956 | WG | Les Barrell | Lexden Wanderers | Free transfer |
| June 1956 | IF | Eddie Smith | Northampton Town | Undisclosed |
| 18 August 1956 | CB | Chic Milligan | Ardrossan Winton Rovers | £1,000 |
| September 1956 | WG | Tommy Williams | Carshalton Athletic | Free transfer |
| March 1957 | WH | Derek Parker | West Ham United | £2,500 |

* Total spending: ~ £3,500
* ↑ 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 | GK | George Wright | Sudbury Town | Free transfer |
| End of season | IF | Alfred Noble | Leytonstone | Free transfer |
| Summer 1956 | CB | Billy Hunt | Sudbury Town | Released |
| September 1956 | FB | John Harrison | Free agent | Retired |
| 16 February 1957 | WH | Bob Dale | Free agent | Retired |
| March 1957 | FB | George French | Retired | Retired |

* ↑ 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 | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H |
| Result | W | W | L | D | D | L | D | W | W | W | L | W | W | L | W | L | W | D | D | W | L | L | W | D | W | D | W | W | W | W | W | W | D | D | W | D | D | W | D | D | D | W | L | L | L | W |
| Position | 4 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |

**League table**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 101 | 54 | 1.870 | 59 | Division Champions, promoted |
| 2 | Torquay United | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 89 | 64 | 1.391 | 59 | |
| 3 | Colchester United | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 84 | 56 | 1.500 | 58 | |
| 4 | Southampton | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 76 | 52 | 1.462 | 54 | |
| 5 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 88 | 62 | 1.419 | 52 | |

## 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 | 47 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | George Fisher | 46 | 2 | 45 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | John Fowler | 44 | 1 | 43 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Chic Milligan | 35 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Reg Stewart | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Benny Fenton | 39 | 8 | 38 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Bert Hill | 15 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Derek Parker | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Les Barrell | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Russell Blake | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Bobby Hill | 39 | 7 | 38 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Martyn King | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Kevin McCurley | 32 | 10 | 31 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| | FW | SCO | Sammy McLeod | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Ken Plant | 47 | 24 | 46 | 24 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Eddie Smith | 36 | 13 | 35 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Tommy Williams | 23 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Peter Wright | 45 | 8 | 44 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||
| | DF | ENG | John Harrison | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Bob Dale | 34 | 2 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Third Division South | FA Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | CF | Ken Plant | 24 | 0 | 24 |
| 2 | IF | Eddie Smith | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| 3 | CF | Kevin McCurley | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| 4 | WH | Benny Fenton | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | WG | Peter Wright | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 6 | IF | Bobby Hill | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 7 | WG | Tommy Williams | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | WH | Bob Dale | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | FB | George Fisher | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | IF | Sammy McLeod | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | FB | John Fowler | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | WH | Bert Hill | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | CB | Chic Milligan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | WG | Les Barrell | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | CF | Martyn King | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | | TOTALS | 83 | 1 | 84 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.

| Place | Nationality | Player | Third Division South | FA Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | | Percy Ames | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| | | TOTALS | 13 | 0 | 13 |

### Player debuts

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

| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| CB | Chic Milligan | 18 August 1956 | Southend United | Layer Road |
| WG | Les Barrell | 18 August 1956 | Southend United | Layer Road |
| IF | Eddie Smith | 18 August 1956 | Southend United | Layer Road |
| CF | Martyn King | 27 August 1956 | Crystal Palace | Layer Road |
| WG | Tommy Williams | 24 November 1956 | Brentford | Layer Road |
| WH | Derek Parker | 13 April 1957 | Aldershot | Layer Road |
