1994–95 Colchester United F.C. season
# 1994–95 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1994–95 season was Colchester United's 53rd season in their history and their third consecutive season in the fourth tier of English football, the Third Division. Alongside competing in the Third Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.

George Burley was installed as Roy McDonough's replacement following his sacking at the end of last season. Following a poor start to the season, Burley turned around Colchester's fortunes as the U's lost just once in 20 league and cup matches. However, he left the club on 24 December to join local rivals Ipswich Town. Dale Roberts was placed in charge as caretaker manager before former Colchester defender Steve Wignall was appointed. He led the club to a 10th-place finish in the league.

Colchester reached the third round of the FA Cup, where they faced Premier League opposition in Wimbledon. They lost that game 1–0 at Selhurst Park. Meanwhile, the U's were eliminated from the Football League Trophy in the group stages, while Brentford won over two legs in the League Cup.

## Season overview

With chairman Gordon Parker sacking former manager and his own son-in-law Roy McDonough just days after the conclusion of the 1993–94 season, former Ayr United player-manager George Burley was appointed his replacement in July. Burley had a shaky start, with a number of youth team players called up for the first game of the season due to injuries. With coach Dale Roberts his assistant, Burley brought in new players, and following six straight defeats from the beginning of the season, the management team turned results around with just one defeat in 20 league and cup matches.

Unbeknownst to Colchester United supporters for their Boxing Day clash with Northampton Town at Layer Road, Burley had in fact resigned after local rivals Ipswich Town had been refused permission to speak with him regarding their vacant managers position. He left the club in fifth place in the table, but one that soured relations with the Suffolk club. Dale Roberts was appointed caretaker manager. He led the U's out at Selhurst Park to face Wimbledon in the third round of the FA Cup, the first time that Colchester would face Premier League opposition. The hosts won 1–0, with half of the 6,903 crowd at Selhurst Park Colchester United supporters. Days later, former Colchester defender Steve Wignall was appointed as Burley's replacement.

On 4 March, Colchester allowed free admittance to all attending the clash with Darlington, including away supporters. Colchester won the game 1–0 in front of a bumper 6,055 crowd.

In the latter stages of the campaign, the U's looked well placed to claim a play-off position, but with just two points earned from the last four games of the season, Colchester eventually finished 10th, twelve points adrift of the play-off spots.

## Players

    As of match played 6 May 1995.

| Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth | Apps | Goals | Signed from | Date signed | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| John Cheesewright | GK | Romford | (1973-01-12)12 January 1973 (aged 21) | 18 | 0 | Braintree Town | 11 January 1994 | £10,000 |
| Carl Emberson | GK | Epsom | (1973-07-13)13 July 1973 (aged 20) | 13 | 0 | Millwall | 6 July 1994 | £25,000 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| Tim Allpress | DF | Hitchin | (1971-01-27)27 January 1971 (aged 23) | 27 | 0 | Bayer Uerdingen | 16 August 1993 | Undisclosed |
| Simon Betts | FB | Middlesbrough | (1973-03-03)3 March 1973 (aged 21) | 63 | 1 | Scarborough | 11 December 1992 | Free transfer |
| Gus Caesar | CB | Tottenham | (1966-03-05)5 March 1966 (aged 28) | 0 | 0 | Airdrieonians | 11 August 1994 | Free transfer |
| Peter Cawley | CB | Walton-on-Thames | (1965-09-15)15 September 1965 (aged 28) | 68 | 4 | Barnet | 30 October 1992 | Free transfer |
| Jean Dalli | FB | Enfield Town | (1976-08-13)13 August 1976 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | 13 August 1994 | Free transfer |
| Tony English | DF/MF | Luton | (1966-10-19)19 October 1966 (aged 27) | 448 | 55 | Coventry City | 24 December 1984 | Free transfer |
| Paul Gibbs | FB | Gorleston | (1972-10-26)26 October 1972 (aged 21) | 0 | 0 | Diss Town | 6 March 1995 | Undisclosed |
| Ben Lewis | CB | Chelmsford | (1977-06-22)22 June 1977 (aged 16) | 0 | 0 | Heybridge Swifts | 1 August 1994 | Free transfer |
| Tony McCarthy | CB | Dublin | (1969-11-09)9 November 1969 (aged 24) | 0 | 0 | Millwall | 17 March 1995 | Free transfer |
| Andy Partner | CB | Colchester | (1974-10-21)21 October 1974 (aged 19) | 4 | 0 | Apprentice | 16 December 1991 | Free transfer |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| Steve Ball | MF | Colchester | (1969-09-02)2 September 1969 (aged 24) | 71 | 11 | Cambridge United | 14 September 1992 | Free transfer |
| Michael Cheetham | MF | Amsterdam | (1967-06-30)30 June 1967 (aged 26) | 0 | 0 | Chestefield | 23 March 1995 | Free transfer |
| Tony Cook | MF | Hemel Hempstead | (1976-09-17)17 September 1976 (aged 17) | 3 | 0 | Queens Park Rangers | 11 January 1994 | Free transfer |
| Tony Dennis | MF | Eton | (1963-12-01)1 December 1963 (aged 30) | 0 | 0 | Chesterfield | 10 August 1994 | Free transfer |
| Chris Fry | MF/WG | Cardiff | (1969-10-23)23 October 1969 (aged 24) | 17 | 0 | Hereford United | 24 October 1993 | Nominal |
| Mark Kinsella | MF | Dublin | (1972-08-12)12 August 1972 (aged 21) | 159 | 23 | Home Farm | 18 August 1989 | Free transfer |
| Adam Locke | MF/FB | Croydon | (1970-08-20)20 August 1970 (aged 23) | 5 | 0 | Southend United | 23 September 1994 | Free transfer |
| Trevor Putney | MF | Harold Hill | (1960-04-09)9 April 1960 (aged 34) | 7 | 0 | Leyton Orient | 15 October 1994 | Free transfer |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| Leighton Allen | FW | Brighton | (1973-11-22)22 November 1973 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Gillingham | 31 August 1994 | Undisclosed |
| Tony Lock | FW | Harlow | (1976-09-03)3 September 1976 (aged 17) | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | 28 January 1995 | Free transfer |
| Robbie Reinelt | FW | Loughton | (1974-03-11)11 March 1974 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Gillingham | 22 March 1995 | Part exchange |
| Niall Thompson | FW | Birmingham | (1974-04-16)16 April 1974 (aged 20) | 0 | 0 | Crystal Palace | 22 November 1994 | Non-contract |
| Steve Whitton | FW | East Ham | (1960-12-04)4 December 1960 (aged 33) | 8 | 2 | Ipswich Town | 24 March 1994 | £10,000 |

* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club
* 1 2 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

## Transfers

### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 June 1994 | FB | George Burley | Motherwell | Undisclosed |
| 6 July 1994 | GK | Carl Emberson | Millwall | £25,000 |
| 1 August 1994 | CB | Ben Lewis | Heybridge Swifts | Free transfer |
| 11 August 1994 | CB | Gus Caesar | Airdrieonians | Free transfer |
| 11 August 1994 | FB | Gary Culling | Braintree Town | £5,000 |
| 13 August 1994 | FB | Jean Dalli | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| 16 August 1994 | MF | Danny Roberts | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| 18 August 1994 | FB | Arron Davis | Torquay United | Trial |
| 31 August 1994 | FW | Leighton Allen | Gillingham | Undisclosed |
| 23 September 1994 | MF/FB | Adam Locke | Southend United | Free transfer |
| 15 October 1994 | MF | Trevor Putney | Leyton Orient | Free transfer |
| 22 November 1994 | FW | Niall Thompson | Crystal Palace | Non-contract |
| 28 January 1995 | FW | Tony Lock | Apprentice | Free transfer |
| 6 March 1995 | FB | Paul Gibbs | Diss Town | Undisclosed |
| 17 March 1995 | CB | Tony McCarthy | Millwall | Free transfer |
| 22 March 1995 | FW | Robbie Reinelt | Gillingham | Part exchange with Steve Brown |
| 23 March 1995 | MF | Michael Cheetham | Chestefield | Free transfer |

* Total spending: ~ £30,000
* 1 2 3 4 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club
* ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| End of season | GK | David Schultz | | |
| Summer 1994 | WG | Sean Campbell | Chelmsford City | Released |
| 15 May 1994 | FW | Roy McDonough | Dagenham & Redbridge | Sacked as player-manager |
| 31 May 1994 | MF | Alan Dickens | Chesham United | Released |
| 20 August 1994 | FB | Gary Culling | Braintree Town | Released |
| 23 August 1994 | MF | Danny Roberts | Grays Athletic | Released |
| 3 September 1994 | FB | Arron Davis | Dorchester Town | End of trial |
| 24 December 1994 | FB | George Burley | Ipswich Town | Resigned as manager |
| March 1995 | FW | Steve Brown | Gillingham | Part exchange with Robbie Reinelt |
| 9 March 1995 | FW/WG | Paul Abrahams | Brentford | £30,000 |

* Total incoming: ~ £30,000
* 1 2 3 Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| August 1994 | MF | Trevor Putney | Leyton Orient | 24 September 1994 |
| 27 December 1994 | CB | Paul Stoneman | Blackpool | 28 January 1995 |
| 16 February 1995 | FW | Carl Asaba | Brentford | 31 May 1995 |
| 9 March 1995 | WG | Martin Williams | Luton Town | 25 March 1995 |

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

## Match details

### Third 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 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ground | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A |
| Result | L | L | L | L | W | W | W | D | W | W | L | D | W | W | D | D | W | D | W | L | W | D | L | D | L | W | D | W | L | L | W | L | W | L | L | L | W | W | D | L | L | D |
| Position | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 |

**League table**

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 8 | Fulham | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 60 | 54 | +6 | 62 |
| 9 | Doncaster Rovers | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 58 | 43 | +15 | 61 |
| 10 | Colchester United | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 58 |
| 11 | Barnet | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 56 | 63 | −7 | 56 |
| 12 | Lincoln City | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 54 | 55 | −1 | 56 |

### Football League Trophy

Group 6 :

| Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Leyton Orient | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 3 | Qualified for next round |
| Fulham | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 3 | Qualified for next round |
| Colchester United | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |

## Squad statistics

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Third Division | Third Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Football League Trophy |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | ENG | John Cheesewright | 29 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Carl Emberson | 22 | 0 | 19+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Tim Allpress | 13 | 0 | 3+8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Simon Betts | 41 | 2 | 34+1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Gus Caesar | 47 | 1 | 39 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Peter Cawley | 29 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Jean Dalli | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Tony English | 41 | 3 | 33 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Paul Gibbs | 9 | 0 | 8+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | IRL | Tony McCarthy | 10 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Andy Partner | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Michael Cheetham | 9 | 1 | 8+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Tony Dennis | 41 | 2 | 32+1 | 2 | 1+3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | WAL | Chris Fry | 37 | 8 | 24+9 | 8 | 1+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | MF | IRL | Mark Kinsella | 50 | 9 | 42 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| | MF | ENG | Adam Locke | 28 | 1 | 20+2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Trevor Putney | 30 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Leighton Allen | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Tony Lock | 3 | 1 | 0+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Robbie Reinelt | 5 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | CAN | Niall Thompson | 14 | 5 | 5+8 | 5 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Steve Whitton | 44 | 13 | 36 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season ||||||||||||||
| | DF | SCO | George Burley | 9 | 0 | 5+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Gary Culling | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Arron Davis | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Paul Stoneman | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Danny Roberts | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Paul Abrahams | 36 | 7 | 20+8 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| | FW | ENG | Carl Asaba | 12 | 2 | 9+3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Steve Brown | 36 | 8 | 26+2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Martin Williams | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Place | Position | Name | Third Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | FW | Steve Whitton | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 2 | MF | Mark Kinsella | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | FW | Steve Brown | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | MF/WG | Chris Fry | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | FW/WG | Paul Abrahams | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 6 | FW | Niall Thompson | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | DF/MF | Tony English | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | FW | Carl Asaba | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | FB | Simon Betts | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | CB | Peter Cawley | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | MF | Tony Dennis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | MF | Trevor Putney | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | CB | Gus Caesar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | MF | Michael Cheetham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | FW | Tony Lock | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | MF/FB | Adam Locke | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | CB | Tony McCarthy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | CB | Paul Stoneman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | TOTALS | 56 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 70 |

### Disciplinary record

| Position | Name | Third Division | Third Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Football League Trophy | Total | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| DF/MF | Tony English | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF/FB | Adam Locke | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| MF | Trevor Putney | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | TOTALS | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |

### Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.

| Place | Player | Third Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Football League Trophy | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | John Cheesewright | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | Carl Emberson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| | TOTALS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |

### Player debuts

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

| Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| CB | Gus Caesar | 13 August 1994 | Torquay United | Layer Road |
| FB | Gary Culling | 13 August 1994 | Torquay United | Layer Road |
| FB | Jean Dalli | 13 August 1994 | Torquay United | Layer Road |
| MF | Tony Dennis | 13 August 1994 | Torquay United | Layer Road |
| MF | Danny Roberts | 16 August 1994 | Brentford | Layer Road |
| FB | Arron Davis | 20 August 1994 | Mansfield Town | Field Mill |
| FB | George Burley | 23 August 1994 | Brentford | Griffin Park |
| GK | Carl Emberson | 23 August 1994 | Brentford | Griffin Park |
| MF | Trevor Putney | 27 August 1994 | Doncaster Rovers | Layer Road |
| FW | Leighton Allen | 10 September 1994 | Hartlepool United | Layer Road |
| MF/FB | Adam Locke | 24 September 1994 | Darlington | Feethams |
| MF | Trevor Putney | 15 October 1994 | Carlisle United | Brunton Park |
| FW | Niall Thompson | 22 November 1994 | Yeading | Layer Road |
| CB | Paul Stoneman | 27 December 1994 | Fulham | Craven Cottage |
| FW | Tony Lock | 28 January 1995 | Wigan Athletic | Layer Road |
| FW | Carl Asaba | 18 February 1995 | Barnet | Underhill Stadium |
| FB | Paul Gibbs | 11 March 1995 | Hartlepool United | Victoria Park |
| WG | Martin Williams | 11 March 1995 | Hartlepool United | Victoria Park |
| CB | Tony McCarthy | 18 March 1995 | Exeter City | Layer Road |
| MF | Michael Cheetham | 18 March 1995 | Scarborough | Layer Road |
| FW | Robbie Reinelt | 11 April 1995 | Gillingham | Priestfield Stadium |

* 1 2 3 Second debut for the club
