1972–73 Colchester United F.C. season
# 1972–73 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1972–73 season was Colchester United's 31st season in their history and their fifth successive season in the fourth tier of English football, the Fourth Division. Alongside competing in the Fourth Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup and the League Cup.

Manager Dick Graham resigned early in the new season, following two and four defeats wins in the opening six games of the campaign. Jim Smith was appointed his successor in early October, but his first win didn't arrive until mid-November. Colchester endured a very poor season, and were required to seek re-election after finishing 22nd in the league table.

Colchester suffered an early exit in the cup competitions as they were defeated in the first round of the League Cup by Gillingham, and the second round of the FA Cup by Bournemouth.

## Season overview

Colchester United held its annual general meeting in September 1972. Following questioning of his tactics by a shareholder, an incensed Dick Graham tendered his resignation as manager. The club had achieved two wins in the first six games of the season, but the other four matches ended in defeat. Dennis Mochan was appointed caretaker manager until a permanent replacement could be found. He took charge of five games, but was unable to improve Colchester's fortunes, with two draws and three defeats in his five games at the helm. An unknown Jim Smith, then-manager of Northern Premier League side Boston United who had just led the team to the title, was appointed Graham's replacement. With Colchester bottom of the Football League after 13 matches with six points, Smith's influence gave United an initial boost, earning the Manager of the Month award for lifting the club off the bottom of the table.

One of Smith's early pieces of business was signing his former Boston forward Bobby Svarc for £6,000 just before Christmas. However, his goalscoring influence did not immediately show, returning eight goals in 20 league outings. Fortunes did not improve for the U's as they finished the season in 22nd position and were required to seek re-election from the Football League. Colchester earned a maximum 48 votes from their fellow League clubs to retain Football League status for another season.

## Players

    As of match played 30 April 1973.

| Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| John McInally | GK | Gatehouse of Fleet | (1951-09-26)26 September 1951 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Lincoln City | 25 November 1972 | Free transfer |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Richard Bourne | CB | Colchester | (1954-12-09)9 December 1954 (aged 17) | 2 | 0 | Apprentice | 3 April 1972 | Free transfer |
| Micky Cook | FB | Enfield | (1951-04-09)9 April 1951 (aged 21) | 101 | 1 | Orient | 1 March 1969 | Free transfer |
| Ray Harford | CB | Halifax | (1945-06-01)1 June 1945 (aged 27) | 0 | 0 | Port Vale | 3 February 1973 | £1,750 |
| John McLaughlin | FB | Edmonton | (1954-10-29)29 October 1954 (aged 17) | 9 | 0 | Apprentice | 18 March 1972 | Free transfer |
| Stuart Morgan | CB | Swansea | (1949-09-23)23 September 1949 (aged 22) | 0 | 0 | Reading | August 1972 | Free transfer |
| Lindsay Smith | CB | Enfield | (1954-09-18)18 September 1954 (aged 17) | 19 | 3 | Apprentice | 20 April 1971 | Free transfer |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Phil Bloss | MF | Colchester | (1953-01-16)16 January 1953 (aged 19) | 23 | 2 | Apprentice | January 1971 | Free transfer |
| Stan Brown | MF | Lewes | (1941-09-15)15 September 1941 (aged 30) | 0 | 0 | Fulham | December 1972 | Free transfer |
| Steve Foley | MF | Clacton-on-Sea | (1953-06-21)21 June 1953 (aged 18) | 17 | 4 | Apprentice | July 1969 | Free transfer |
| Steve Leslie | MF | Hornsey | (1952-09-04)4 September 1952 (aged 19) | 47 | 13 | Apprentice | 20 April 1971 | Free transfer |
| Bobby Mills | MF | Edmonton | (1955-03-16)16 March 1955 (aged 17) | 3 | 0 | Apprentice | 4 March 1972 | Free transfer |
| Bobby Roberts | MF | Edinburgh | (1940-09-02)2 September 1940 (aged 31) | 0 | 0 | Coventry City | 1 March 1973 | Free transfer |
| Phil Thomas | MF | Sherborne | (1952-12-14)14 December 1952 (aged 19) | 0 | 0 | Bournemouth | Summer 1972 | Free transfer |
| Tony Wingate | MF | Islington | (1955-03-21)21 March 1955 (aged 17) | 1 | 0 | Apprentice | 18 March 1972 | Free transfer |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Mick Mahon | WG | Manchester | (1944-09-17)17 September 1944 (aged 27) | 96 | 19 | York City | May 1970 | Free transfer |
| Bobby Svarc | FW | Leicester | (1946-02-08)8 February 1946 (aged 26) | 0 | 0 | Boston United | December 1972 | £6,000 |

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

## Transfers

### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Summer 1972 | GK | Des Kelly | Norwich City | Free transfer |
| Summer 1972 | CB | Martin Binks | Orient | Free transfer |
| Summer 1972 | FB | Steve Wooldridge | Crystal Palace | Free transfer |
| Summer 1972 | MF | Phil Thomas | Bournemouth | Free transfer |
| May 1972 | FW | Bobby Moss | Orient | Free transfer |
| July 1972 | CB | Bobby Noble | Barrow | £1,000 |
| August 1972 | CB | Stuart Morgan | Reading | Free transfer |
| 26 August 1972 | CB | John South | Orient | Trial |
| October 1972 | MF | Jim Smith | Boston United | Player-manager |
| 25 November 1972 | GK | John McInally | Lincoln City | Free transfer |
| December 1972 | MF | Stan Brown | Fulham | Free transfer |
| December 1972 | FW | Bobby Svarc | Boston United | £6,000 |
| 3 February 1973 | CB | Ray Harford | Port Vale | £1,750 |
| March 1973 | MF | Bobby Roberts | Coventry City (Youth team coach) | Free transfer |

* Total spending: ~ £8,750
* 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 | FW | Brian Gibbs | Bletchley Town | Player-manager |
| Summer 1972 | CB | Bobby Howlett | Bowers United | Released |
| 29 April 1972 | FB | Eric Burgess | Wealdstone | Released |
| 9 October 1972 | CB | John South | Orient | End of trial |
| December 1972 | FB | Steve Wooldridge | Folkestone | Free transfer |
| 29 December 1972 | FB | Brian Hall | Chelmsford City | Released |
| January 1973 | CB | Martin Binks | Cambridge United | Free transfer |
| February 1973 | GK | Des Kelly | Lowestoft Town | Released |
| February 1973 | FW | Bobby Moss | Dover Athletic | Free transfer |
| 17 February 1973 | GK | Barry Smith | Walsall | Released |
| March 1973 | CB | Bobby Noble | Southport | £2,000 |
| March 1973 | FW | Dave Simmons | Cambridge United | £3,000 |
| 6 April 1973 | MF | Jim Smith | Colchester United | Manager |

* Total incoming: ~ £5,000
* 1 2 3 4 Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | End date | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 10 November 1972 | GK | | John McInally | Lincoln City | 10 November 1972 | |
| 4 January 1973 | CB | | Ray Harford | Port Vale | 27 January 1973 | |

### Loans out

| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | End date | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| November 1972 | FB | | Steve Wooldridge | Folkestone | December 1972 | |
| November 1972 | FW | | Bobby Moss | Folkestone | December 1972 | |

* 1 2 Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games for the club

## Match details

### Fourth Division

**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 | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | A | H | H |
| Result | W | L | L | L | L | W | L | L | D | D | L | L | L | D | L | D | D | L | W | W | L | W | L | D | L | W | W | L | L | L | D | L | D | L | L | L | D | D | L | W | W | L | D | L | L | W |
| Position | 7 | 12 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 |

**League table**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Liverpool (C) | 42 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 72 | 42 | 1.714 | 60 | Qualification for the European Cup first round |
| 2 | Arsenal | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 57 | 43 | 1.326 | 57 | |
| 3 | Leeds United | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 71 | 45 | 1.578 | 53 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Ipswich Town | 42 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 55 | 45 | 1.222 | 48 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 66 | 54 | 1.222 | 47 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 6 | West Ham United | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 67 | 53 | 1.264 | 46 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 7 | Derby County | 42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 56 | 54 | 1.037 | 46 | |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 58 | 48 | 1.208 | 45 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 60 | 51 | 1.176 | 45 | |
| 10 | Birmingham City | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 53 | 54 | 0.981 | 42 | |
| 11 | Manchester City | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 57 | 60 | 0.950 | 41 | |
| 12 | Chelsea | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 49 | 51 | 0.961 | 40 | |
| 13 | Southampton | 42 | 11 | 18 | 13 | 47 | 52 | 0.904 | 40 | |
| 14 | Sheffield United | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 51 | 59 | 0.864 | 40 | |
| 15 | Stoke City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 61 | 56 | 1.089 | 38 | Qualification for the Watney Cup |
| 16 | Leicester City | 42 | 10 | 17 | 15 | 40 | 46 | 0.870 | 37 | |
| 17 | Everton | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 41 | 49 | 0.837 | 37 | |
| 18 | Manchester United | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 44 | 60 | 0.733 | 37 | |
| 19 | Coventry City | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 40 | 55 | 0.727 | 35 | |
| 20 | Norwich City | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 36 | 63 | 0.571 | 32 | |
| 21 | Crystal Palace (R) | 42 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 41 | 58 | 0.707 | 30 | Relegation to the Second Division |
| 22 | West Bromwich Albion (R) | 42 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 38 | 62 | 0.613 | 28 | Relegation to the Second Division |

* 1 2 West Ham United and Stoke City qualified for the Watney Cup as the two teams with the most goals that hadn't already qualified for a European competition.

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 20 | Hartlepool | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 49 | 0.694 | 41 | |
| 21 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 9 | 18 | 19 | 38 | 61 | 0.623 | 36 | Re-elected |
| 22 | Colchester United | 46 | 10 | 11 | 25 | 48 | 76 | 0.632 | 31 | Re-elected |
| 23 | Northampton Town | 46 | 10 | 11 | 25 | 40 | 73 | 0.548 | 31 | Re-elected |
| 24 | Darlington | 46 | 7 | 15 | 24 | 42 | 85 | 0.494 | 29 | Re-elected |

## Squad statistics

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Fourth Division | Fourth Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | SCO | John McInally | 29 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Richard Bourne | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Micky Cook | 45 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Ray Harford | 21 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | John McLaughlin | 44 | 2 | 40 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | WAL | Stuart Morgan | 36 | 2 | 30+2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Lindsay Smith | 35 | 1 | 26+5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Phil Bloss | 16 | 0 | 12+2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Stan Brown | 23 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Steve Foley | 40 | 9 | 36 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Steve Leslie | 33 | 3 | 27+3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Bobby Mills | 5 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Bobby Roberts | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Phil Thomas | 35 | 2 | 32+1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Mick Mahon | 48 | 12 | 44 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Bobby Svarc | 20 | 8 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||
| | GK | ENG | Barry Smith | 19 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | GK | IRL | Des Kelly | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Martin Binks | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Brian Hall | 18 | 1 | 14+1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Bobby Noble | 31 | 0 | 25+2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | John South | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Steve Wooldridge | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Jim Smith | 9 | 0 | 7+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Bobby Moss | 19 | 3 | 16+2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Dave Simmons | 28 | 9 | 22+2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0+1 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | WG | Mick Mahon | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2 | MF | Steve Foley | 8 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 2 | FW | Dave Simmons | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| 4 | FW | Bobby Svarc | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | MF | Steve Leslie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | FW | Bobby Moss | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | FB | John McLaughlin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | CB | Stuart Morgan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | MF | Phil Thomas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | FB | Brian Hall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | CB | Ray Harford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | CB | Lindsay Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | TOTALS | 48 | 6 | 0 | 54 |

### Disciplinary record

| Position | Name | Fourth Division | Fourth Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| CB | Stuart Morgan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| CB | Lindsay Smith | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| FB | Brian Hall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| CB | Ray Harford | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| CB | Bobby Noble | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | TOTALS | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.

| Place | Player | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | John McInally | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | Barry Smith | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Des Kelly | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | TOTALS | 8 | 2 | 0 | 10 |

### Player debuts

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

| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| CB | Stuart Morgan | 12 August 1972 | Hereford United | Layer Road |
| CB | Bobby Noble | 12 August 1972 | Hereford United | Layer Road |
| FB | Steve Wooldridge | 12 August 1972 | Hereford United | Layer Road |
| FW | Bobby Moss | 12 August 1972 | Hereford United | Layer Road |
| MF | Phil Thomas | 16 August 1972 | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium |
| CB | Martin Binks | 19 August 1972 | Hartlepool | Victoria Park |
| CB | John South | 26 August 1972 | Newport County | Layer Road |
| GK | Des Kelly | 4 November 1972 | Bradford City | Valley Parade |
| GK | John McInally | 10 November 1972 | Southport | Layer Road |
| MF | Jim Smith | 10 November 1972 | Southport | Layer Road |
| GK | John McInally | 25 November 1972 | Reading | Elm Park |
| MF | Stan Brown | 29 December 1972 | Hartlepool | Layer Road |
| FW | Bobby Svarc | 29 December 1972 | Hartlepool | Layer Road |
| CB | Ray Harford | 6 January 1973 | Newport County | Somerton Park |
| CB | Ray Harford | 3 February 1973 | Aldershot | Recreation Ground |
| MF | Bobby Roberts | 16 March 1973 | Cambridge United | Layer Road |

* 1 2 Second debut for the club
