1981–82 Colchester United F.C. season
# 1981–82 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1981–82 season was Colchester United's 40th season in their history and first season back in fourth tier of English football, the Fourth Division following relegation the previous campaign. Alongside competing in the Fourth Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup and the League Cup.

Colchester mounted a serious promotion challenge for much of the season, but a downturn in form in the second half of the season led to Bobby Roberts losing his job as manager, with Allan Hunter recruited to replace him in May when the U's promotion hopes were over for the season. They exited both cups in the third round, although they took Second Division Newcastle United to a thrilling extra time finale at Layer Road where the hosts were eventually defeated 4–3.

## Season overview

After the board had decided to keep the faith in Bobby Roberts for the new season despite relegation, the introduction of the three-points for a win format for this year helped Colchester hit the top of the league by November 1981, scoring an impressive 41 goals. The U's also reached the third round of the FA Cup, taking Newcastle United to a replay before losing 4–3 following extra time at Layer Road.

A £25,000 outlay brought forward John Lyons to Layer Road who promptly scored on his debut as Colchester thrashed promotion rivals Sheffield United 5–2 in front of the Match of the Day cameras. However, a host of injuries and suspensions in the latter stages of the season saw Colchester drop down the table, and as such the board requested Roberts resign in April. He refused to do so and was sacked a month later. Former player Ray Bunkell filled the brief void before Allan Hunter was brought in as his replacement, tasked with his first managerial role.

Colchester had gone from promotion favourites to sixth, 16 points off the promotion places, despite a prolific strike force in Ian Allinson, who scored 26 goals, and Kevin Bremner, who scored 24 goals.

## Players

    As of match played 15 May 1982.

| Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| Ian Cranstone | GK | Rochford | | 0 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | Summer 1977 | Free transfer |
| Bobby Hamilton | GK | | | 0 | 0 | Unknown | Summer 1977 | |
| Mike Walker | GK | Colwyn Bay | (1945-11-28)28 November 1945 (aged 35) | 418 | 0 | Watford | July 1973 | £4,000 |
| Jeff Wood | GK | Islington | (1954-02-04)4 February 1954 (aged 27) | 0 | 0 | Charlton Athletic | Summer 1981 | Undisclosed |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Phil Coleman | FB | Woolwich | (1960-09-08)8 September 1960 (aged 20) | 4 | 0 | Millwall | February 1981 | £15,000 |
| Micky Cook | FB | Enfield | (1951-04-09)9 April 1951 (aged 30) | 551 | 15 | Orient | 1 March 1969 | Free transfer |
| Allan Hunter | CB | Sion Mills | (1946-06-30)30 June 1946 (aged 34) | 0 | 0 | Ipswich Town | May 1982 | Player-manager |
| Mick Packer | FB | Willesden | (1950-04-20)20 April 1950 (aged 31) | 366 | 21 | Watford | July 1973 | Free transfer |
| Wayne Ward | FB | Colchester | (1964-04-28)28 April 1964 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | April 1982 | Free transfer |
| Steve Wignall | CB | Liverpool | (1954-09-17)17 September 1954 (aged 26) | 183 | 11 | Doncaster Rovers | September 1977 | £5,000 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Andy Gooding | MF | | | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1981 | Free transfer |
| Steve Leslie | MF | Hornsey | (1952-09-04)4 September 1952 (aged 28) | 391 | 41 | Apprentice | 20 April 1971 | Free transfer |
| Dennis Longhorn | MF | Hythe | (1950-09-12)12 September 1950 (aged 30) | 26 | 0 | Aldershot | May 1980 | Free transfer |
| Roger Osborne | MF | Otley | (1950-03-09)9 March 1950 (aged 31) | 12 | 0 | Ipswich Town | February 1981 | £25,000 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Tony Adcock | FW | Bethnal Green | (1963-03-27)27 March 1963 (aged 18) | 1 | 0 | Apprentice | 31 March 1981 | Free transfer |
| Ian Allinson | WG | Hitchin | (1957-10-01)1 October 1957 (aged 23) | 257 | 30 | Apprentice | Summer 1974 | Free transfer |
| Kevin Bremner | FW | Banff | (1957-10-07)7 October 1957 (aged 23) | 38 | 10 | Keith | October 1980 | £25,000 |
| Perry Groves | WG | Bow | (1965-04-19)19 April 1965 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Cornard Dynamos | Summer 1981 | Free transfer |
| John Lyons | FW | Buckley | (1956-11-08)8 November 1956 (aged 24) | 0 | 0 | Cambridge United | February 1982 | £25,000 |
| Roy McDonough | FW | Solihull | (1958-10-16)16 October 1958 (aged 22) | 12 | 2 | Chelsea | February 1981 | £15,000 |
| John Taylor | FW | Norwich | (1964-10-24)24 October 1964 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1981 | Free transfer |

* ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

## Transfers

### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Summer 1981 | GK | Jeff Wood | Charlton Athletic | Undisclosed |
| Summer 1981 | MF | Andy Gooding | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| Summer 1981 | WG | Perry Groves | Cornard Dynamos | Free transfer |
| Summer 1981 | FW | John Taylor | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| February 1982 | FW | John Lyons | Cambridge United | £25,000 |
| April 1982 | FB | Wayne Ward | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| May 1982 | CB | Allan Hunter | Ipswich Town | Player-manager |

* Total spending: ~ £25,000

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| End of season | FB | Nigel Crouch | Harwich & Parkeston | Released |
| End of season | FB | Leo Cusenza | Harlow Town | Released |
| End of season | MF | Tony Evans | Tiptree United | Released |
| End of season | WG | Bobby Hodge | Torquay United | Released |
| End of season | FW | Gary Harvey | Harwich & Parkeston | Released |
| 12 September 1981 | MF | Steve Foley | Wivenhoe Town | Released |
| 23 January 1982 | MF | Eddie Rowles | Free agent | Retired |
| 30 March 1982 | MF | Russell Cotton | Free agent | Released |
| 7 May 1982 | CB | Steve Wright | HJK Helsinki | Undisclosed |

* Total incoming: ~ £0
* 1 2 3 4 Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game 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 | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A |
| Result | W | W | L | W | D | L | L | W | W | W | W | W | L | W | W | W | W | W | D | D | D | L | W | D | W | L | W | L | L | D | D | L | L | D | W | D | L | L | D | D | W | D | L | W | L | W |
| Position | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |

**League table**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | Bournemouth | 46 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 62 | 30 | +32 | 88 | Promoted |
| 5 | Peterborough United | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 71 | 57 | +14 | 82 | |
| 6 | Colchester United | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 82 | 57 | +25 | 72 | |
| 7 | Port Vale | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 56 | 49 | +7 | 70 | |
| 8 | Hull City | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 70 | 61 | +9 | 69 | |

## 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 | WAL | Mike Walker | 56 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Phil Coleman | 47 | 4 | 34+3 | 4 | 4+1 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Micky Cook | 56 | 6 | 46 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| | DF | NIR | Allan Hunter | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Mick Packer | 15 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Wayne Ward | 5 | 0 | 3+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Steve Wignall | 53 | 1 | 43 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Steve Leslie | 44 | 3 | 31+3 | 2 | 4+1 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Dennis Longhorn | 23 | 0 | 14+7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Roger Osborne | 48 | 5 | 39 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Tony Adcock | 48 | 6 | 31+9 | 5 | 2+1 | 1 | 4+1 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Ian Allinson | 52 | 26 | 41+1 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| | FW | SCO | Kevin Bremner | 56 | 24 | 46 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| | FW | ENG | Perry Groves | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | WAL | John Lyons | 18 | 3 | 16+2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Roy McDonough | 50 | 16 | 40 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||
| | DF | ENG | Steve Wright | 48 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Russell Cotton | 11 | 0 | 9+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Steve Foley | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Eddie Rowles | 12 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | WG | Ian Allinson | 21 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
| 2 | FW | Kevin Bremner | 21 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| 3 | FW | Roy McDonough | 14 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| 4 | FW | Tony Adcock | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | FB | Micky Cook | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | MF | Roger Osborne | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | FB | Phil Coleman | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | MF | Steve Leslie | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | FW | John Lyons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | FB | Mick Packer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | CB | Steve Wignall | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| | | TOTALS | 82 | 8 | 8 | 98 |

### Disciplinary record

| Position | Name | Fourth Division | Fourth Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| CB | Steve Wright | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| FW | Roy McDonough | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | TOTALS | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.

| Place | Nationality | Player | Fourth Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | | Mike Walker | 10 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| | | TOTALS | 10 | 2 | 1 | 13 |

### Player debuts

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

| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| FW | John Lyons | 6 February 1982 | Sheffield United | Layer Road |
| WG | Perry Groves | 10 April 1982 | Bournemouth | Layer Road |
| FB | Wayne Ward | 24 April 1982 | Darlington | Layer Road |
| CB | Allan Hunter | 15 May 1982 | Crewe Alexandra | Gresty Road |
