1951–52 Colchester United F.C. season
# 1951–52 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1951–52 season was Colchester United's tenth season in their history and their second 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 before being knocked out by Second Division side Barnsley. In the league, they bettered the previous season's 16th-placed finish by finishing 10th.

## Season overview

Colchester's 1951–52 season began poorly, with six defeats in the opening seven games due to an injury-ravaged squad. Rooted to the foot of the table, a mid-season revival including a double over local rivals Ipswich Town eventually saw the U's finish the season 10th in the final standings.

Vic Keeble became Colchester's first export that commanded a high transfer fee when he moved to First Division Newcastle United for a £15,000 fee in January 1952. Despite his mid-season sale, Keeble remained the top scorer for the U's with 17 goals. Manager Jimmy Allen signed Kevin McCurley from Liverpool for £750 as a replacement for Keeble in March 1952. He scored six times in eleven games during the final two months of the campaign.

## Players

    As of match played 3 May 1952.

| 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 26) | 0 | 0 | Southend United | 8 March 1952 | £450 |
| George Wright | GK | Plymouth | (1919-10-10)10 October 1919 (aged 31) | 95 | 0 | Plymouth Argyle | May 1949 | £1,000 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| George French | FB | Colchester | (1926-11-10)10 November 1926 (aged 24) | 0 | 0 | West Ham United | February 1949 | Free transfer |
| John Harrison | FB | Leicester | (1927-09-27)27 September 1927 (aged 23) | 33 | 0 | Aston Villa | 30 September 1950 | Nominal |
| Digger Kettle | FB | Colchester | (1922-06-03)3 June 1922 (aged 28) | 165 | 1 | Arclight Sports | September 1946 | Free transfer |
| Phil Rookes | FB | Dulverton | (1919-04-23)23 April 1919 (aged 32) | 0 | 0 | Portsmouth | July 1951 | £1,000 |
| Trevor Rowlands | FB | Wattstown | (1922-02-02)2 February 1922 (aged 29) | 15 | 1 | Norwich City | 20 July 1950 | £1,000 |
| Reg Stewart | CB | Sheffield | (1925-10-30)30 October 1925 (aged 25) | 99 | 0 | Sheffield Wednesday | 20 August 1949 | £1,000 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Harry Bearryman | WH | Wandsworth | (1924-09-26)26 September 1924 (aged 26) | 194 | 9 | Chelsea | 4 July 1947 | Free transfer |
| Jimmy Elder | WH | Scone | (1928-03-05)5 March 1928 (aged 23) | 46 | 4 | Portsmouth | 19 August 1950 | £1,000 |
| Trevor Harris | WH | Colchester | (1936-02-06)6 February 1936 (aged 15) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | July 1951 | Free transfer |
| Ron Hunt | WH | Colchester | (1933-09-26)26 September 1933 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | October 1951 | Free transfer |
| Len Jones | WH | Barnsley | (1913-06-09)9 June 1913 (aged 37) | 43 | 3 | Southend United | 19 August 1950 | Undisclosed |
| John Moore | WH | Chiswick | (1923-09-25)25 September 1923 (aged 27) | 13 | 0 | Brentford | 8 September 1949 | £1,000 |
| Harry Wilkinson | WH | Sunderland | (1926-03-20)20 March 1926 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Exeter City | 1951 | Free transfer |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Peter Aitchison | WG | Harlow | (1931-09-19)19 September 1931 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | August 1950 | Free transfer |
| John Church | WG | Lowestoft | (1919-09-17)17 September 1919 (aged 31) | 42 | 10 | Norwich City | 19 August 1950 | £1,000 |
| Dick Cullum | FW | Colchester | (1931-01-28)28 January 1931 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Colchester Colts | 28 March 1951 | Free transfer |
| Adam Davidson | WG | Invergowrie | (1929-11-18)18 November 1929 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Sheffield Wednesday | August 1951 | Free transfer |
| Jack McClelland | FW | Colchester | (1930-08-11)11 August 1930 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | Summer 1951 | Free transfer |
| Kevin McCurley | CF | Consett | (1926-04-02)2 April 1926 (aged 25) | 0 | 0 | Liverpool | June 1951 | £750 |
| Johnny McKim | IF | Greenock | (1926-01-22)22 January 1926 (aged 25) | 24 | 8 | Chelsea | 19 August 1950 | £1,000 |
| Augie Scott | IF | Sunderland | (1921-02-19)19 February 1921 (aged 30) | 0 | 0 | Southampton | 18 August 1951 | £2,000 |
| Arthur Turner | CF | Poplar | (1921-01-22)22 January 1921 (aged 30) | 155 | 98 | Charlton Athletic | September 1946 | Free transfer |
| Peter Wright | WG | Colchester | (1934-01-26)26 January 1934 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Amateur | November 1951 | Free transfer |

* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

## Transfers

### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1951 | WH | Harry Wilkinson | Exeter City | Free transfer |
| Summer 1951 | FW | Jack McClelland | Amateur | Free transfer |
| June 1951 | CF | Kevin McCurley | Liverpool | £750 |
| July 1951 | WH | Trevor Harris | Amateur | Free transfer |
| July 1951 | FB | Phil Rookes | Portsmouth | £1,000 |
| August 1951 | WG | Adam Davidson | Sheffield Wednesday | Free transfer |
| 18 August 1951 | IF | Augie Scott | Southampton | £2,000 |
| October 1951 | WH | Ron Hunt | Amateur | Free transfer |
| November 1951 | WG | Peter Wright | Amateur | Free transfer |
| 8 March 1952 | GK | Frank Coombs | Southend United | £450 |

* Total spending: ~ £4,200
* 1 2 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 | IF | Bob Curry | Clacton Town | Player-manager |
| August 1951 | WG | Bob Allen | Bedford Town | Free transfer |
| 2 November 1951 | WG | Dennis Hillman | Gillingham | Free transfer |
| 29 January 1952 | CF | Vic Keeble | Newcastle United | £15,000 |
| 23 February 1952 | IF | Fred Cutting | Great Yarmouth Town | Free transfer |

* Total incoming: ~ £15,000
* ↑ 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 | H | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | H | H |
| Result | L | D | L | L | L | L | L | W | W | D | D | D | W | W | D | L | L | W | D | D | D | W | W | W | L | W | W | L | W | L | L | D | W | L | D | L | W | W | W | W | L | L | L | D | D | W |
| Position | 20 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 |

**League table**

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 8 | Northampton Town | 46 | 22 | 5 | 19 | 93 | 74 | 1.257 | 49 |
| 9 | Southend United | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 75 | 66 | 1.136 | 48 |
| 10 | Colchester United | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 56 | 77 | 0.727 | 46 |
| 11 | Torquay United | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 86 | 98 | 0.878 | 44 |
| 12 | Aldershot | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 78 | 89 | 0.876 | 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 | Frank Coombs | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | George Wright | 36 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | John Harrison | 44 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Digger Kettle | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Phil Rookes | 28 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | DF | WAL | Trevor Rowlands | 26 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Reg Stewart | 47 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Harry Bearryman | 49 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Jimmy Elder | 47 | 3 | 44 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| | MF | ENG | Ron Hunt | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Len Jones | 18 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | John Moore | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Peter Aitchison | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | John Church | 41 | 3 | 38 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Adam Davidson | 21 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | Kevin McCurley | 11 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Johnny McKim | 27 | 10 | 26 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Augie Scott | 48 | 6 | 45 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| | FW | ENG | Arthur Turner | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Peter Wright | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||
| | FW | ENG | Fred Cutting | 20 | 9 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Vic Keeble | 28 | 17 | 25 | 16 | 3 | 1 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Third Division South | FA Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | CF | Vic Keeble | 16 | 1 | 17 |
| 2 | IF | Johnny McKim | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | IF | Fred Cutting | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | CF | Kevin McCurley | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | IF | Augie Scott | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 6 | WG | John Church | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | WH | Jimmy Elder | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | WG | Peter Aitchison | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | CF | Arthur Turner | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | WG | Adam Davidson | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | WH | Len Jones | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | FB | Trevor Rowlands | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 56 | 5 | 61 |

### Disciplinary record

| Nationality | Position | Name | Third Division South | Third Division South | FA Cup | FA Cup | Total | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | CB | Reg Stewart | 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 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | Frank Coombs | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| | TOTALS | 14 | 0 | 14 |

### Player debuts

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

| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| FB | Phil Rookes | 18 August 1951 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Goldstone Ground |
| IF | Augie Scott | 18 August 1951 | Brighton & Hove Albion | Goldstone Ground |
| WG | Adam Davidson | 13 September 1951 | Plymouth Argyle | Layer Road |
| WG | Peter Aitchison | 25 December 1951 | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium |
| GK | Frank Coombs | 8 March 1952 | Bristol City | Ashton Gate Stadium |
| WH | Ron Hunt | 15 March 1952 | Port Vale | Layer Road |
| CF | Kevin McCurley | 22 March 1952 | Northampton Town | County Ground |
| WG | Peter Wright | 22 March 1952 | Northampton Town | County Ground |
