1937–38 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1937–38 season
ChairmanMaurice Pye[1]
ManagerTed Davis
StadiumLayer Road
Southern League6th
Southern League
Mid-Week Section
2nd
Southern League CupWinners
Top goalscorerLeague:
Alec Cheyne (19)

All:
Alec Cheyne (35)
Highest home attendance11,000 (estimate)
v Ipswich Town, 4 September 1937[2]
Lowest home attendance2,500 (estimate)
v Norwich City Reserves, 16 September 1937[3]
Average home league attendance5,167[4]
Biggest win8–0
v Newport County Reserves, 30 April 1938
Biggest defeat2–5
v Norwich City Reserves, 23 April 1938

The 1937–38 season was Colchester United's first ever season after the formation as a professional club from amateur predecessors Colchester Town. Alongside competing in the Southern League, the club also participated in the Southern League Mid-Week Section and Southern League Cup. The club did not enter the FA Cup, but did win the Southern League Cup at the first attempt. Colchester finished 6th position in the league, and finished as runners-up to Millwall Reserves in the Mid-Week Section.

Season overview

[edit]

During a transitional period from the amateur organisation at Colchester Town to a professional club, twelve directors formed the board, appointing former Huddersfield Town goalkeeper and Bath City manager Ted Davis to take charge of team affairs. On 14 July 1937, the announcement was publicly made that the new club would be named Colchester United. A week after his appointment, Davis had already organised for the club to play in the same blue and white striped kit as his former club Huddersfield.

With trial matches taking place between 19 and 26 August 1937, Colchester United played their first ever professional match on 28 August 1937, travelling to The Huish to face Yeovil & Petters United. The game ended 3–0 to Yeovil, but Colchester made amends in their first game at Layer Road against Davis' old side Bath City on 2 September in the Mid-Week Section. The U's thrashed their counterparts 6–1, with Reg Smith registering the club's first hat-trick. Proficient bugle and cornet player Ronnie Dunn, Colchester's goalkeeper, welcomed the players of both sides to the pitch with a rendition of the post horn galop, a tradition which would remain throughout the club's years at Layer Road. The attendance was recorded as £250 instead of numbers of supporters, with the amount equating to an approximate attendance of 3,500. Two days later, an estimated 11,000 came to Layer Road to witness a 3–3 draw in the first meeting between Colchester United and nearby rivals Ipswich Town.

Reg Smith was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers in October 1937 for £250, and with a deal agreed for Cliff Fairchild to join Arsenal at the end of the season for £500, Davis used his entrepreneurial skills to arrange for both First Division clubs to contest the Colchester Challenge Cup at Layer Road. The friendly fixture proved to be a success, with 17,584 seeing Wolves beat Arsenal 1–0.

Following an excellent beginning to Colchester United's existence spelt a swift demise for Colchester Town. With the Oysters suffering financial difficulty, the amateur club folded in 1937, having joined the six-club Essex Senior League. The club re-emerged briefly in January 1938 to complete an Essex Senior Cup tie in order to avoid a fine, but the withdrawal of Town meant that United could enter a reserve side into the Eastern Counties League one month later, with the reserve squad boosted by many of those previously on the books with Colchester Town.

Layer Road suffered severe damage to the roof in January 1938 during a severe gale, with a recently erected corrugated iron roof and timber structure damaging nearby buildings, causing the ground to be closed for two days to clear the debris.

The return match with Ipswich saw 8,000 Colchester fans set a new Portman Road ground record attendance of 23,890, with United wearing a new orange and black away strip. They had worn these kits a week earlier in a friendly against Charlton Athletic to acclimatise themselves to the new strip.

At the end of the season, Colchester finished mid-table, but did reach the Southern League Cup final. They lost the first leg 2–1 at Yeovil, but triumphed 3–1 at Layer Road to win 4–3 on aggregate and secure the club's first ever trophy. The club then adopted the nickname "The U's" to differentiate themselves from "The Oysters" of Colchester Town. Across the season, Colchester found the back of the net 155 times in all competitions, with Alec Cheyne scoring 35 goals, Arthur Pritchard 29 goals and Jack Hodge 24 goals helping the U's to that total. With professional football proving to be a success, the same applied for Colchester's neighbours and rivals Ipswich Town, who were elected to the Football League for the 1938–39 season.[5]

Players

[edit]
As of match played 7 May 1938.[6]
Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth Apps Goals Signed from Date signed Fee
Goalkeepers
Ronnie Dunn GK England Southall (1908-11-24)24 November 1908 (aged 28) 0 0 England Crystal Palace 3 July 1937 Free transfer
Don Youngs GK England 0 0 England Martlesham RAF 5 November 1937 Free transfer
Defenders
Jimmy Baker CB/RH Wales Trethomas (1904-05-05)5 May 1904 (aged 33) 0 0 England Bristol City 9 July 1937 Free transfer
Cliff Fairchild RB England Great Yarmouth (1917-10-23)23 October 1917 (aged 19) 0 0 England Northfleet United 28 August 1937[a] Free transfer
Syd Fieldus DF England Romford (1909-05-27)27 May 1909 (aged 28) 0 0 England Brentford 3 July 1937 Free transfer
Ian Haley RB England North Bierley 0 0 England Colchester Town 1 January 1938[a] Free transfer
George Leslie CB England Slough (1907-07-09)9 July 1907 (aged 29) 0 0 England Guildford City 9 July 1937 Free transfer
Alexander Wood LB United States Scotland Lochgelly (1907-06-12)12 June 1907 (aged 29) 0 0 England Nottingham Forest 16 July 1937 Free transfer
Midfielders
Jimmy Collins LH/RH England Brentford (1903-07-14)14 July 1903 (aged 33) 0 0 England West Ham United 3 July 1937 Free transfer
George Ritchie LH Scotland Maryhill (1904-01-16)16 January 1904 (aged 33) 0 0 England Leicester City 12 August 1937 Free transfer
George Smith RH Wales Connah's Quay 0 0 England Bath City 27 October 1937 Free transfer
Forwards
Bill Barraclough OL England Kingston upon Hull (1909-01-03)3 January 1909 (aged 28) 0 0 England Chelsea 7 August 1937 Free transfer
Albert Bennett CF 0 0 England Colchester Town 25 November 1937[a] Free transfer
Alec Cheyne IH Scotland Glasgow (1907-04-28)28 April 1907 (aged 30) 0 0 England Chelsea 13 August 1937 £3,000
George Crisp WG Wales Pontypool (1911-06-30)30 June 1911 (aged 25) 0 0 Wales Newport County 28 August 1937[a] Undisclosed
Jack Hodge OR England Plymouth 0 0 England Luton Town 13 July 1937 Free transfer
Ken Mayes IL/OL England Wickford (1910-10-08)8 October 1910 (aged 26) 0 0 England Fulham 3 July 1937 £500
Bill Pendergast CF/IL Wales Penygroes (1915-04-13)13 April 1915 (aged 22) 0 0 England Bristol Rovers 9 December 1937 Free transfer
Arthur Pritchard CF Wales Newport (1917-10-22)22 October 1917 (aged 19) 0 0 England Yeovil & Petters United 28 August 1937[a] Free transfer
Ivan Thacker CF England Lowestoft 0 0 England Lowestoft Town 18 February 1938 Free transfer
George Wallis IF England Sawley 0 0 England Bath City 28 February 1938 Free transfer
George Williams IR/CF 0 0 England Ipswich Town 17 July 1937 Free transfer
  1. ^ a b c d e Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Transfers

[edit]

In

[edit]
Date Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
Summer 1937 GK England Ted Platt None Free transfer [7]
23 June 1937 CF Scotland Reg Smith England Bristol City Free transfer [8]
3 July 1937 LH/RH England Jimmy Collins England West Ham United Free transfer [9]
3 July 1937 GK England Ronnie Dunn England Crystal Palace Free transfer [10]
3 July 1937 DF England Syd Fieldus England Brentford Free transfer [11]
3 July 1937 IL/OL England Ken Mayes England Fulham £500 [12]
9 July 1937 CB/RH Wales Jimmy Baker England Bristol City Free transfer [13]
9 July 1937 CB England George Leslie England Guildford City Free transfer [14]
13 July 1937 OR England Jack Hodge England Luton Town Free transfer [15]
16 July 1937 LB United States Alexander Wood England Nottingham Forest Free transfer [16]
17 July 1937 IR/CF George Williams England Ipswich Town Free transfer [17]
7 August 1937 OL England Bill Barraclough England Chelsea Free transfer [18]
12 August 1937 LH Scotland George Ritchie England Leicester City Free transfer [19]
13 August 1937 IH Scotland Alec Cheyne England Chelsea £3,000 [20]
28 August 1937 RB England Cliff Fairchild England Northfleet United Free transfer [21][a]
28 August 1937 WG Wales George Crisp Wales Newport County Undisclosed [22][a]
28 August 1937 CF Wales Arthur Pritchard England Yeovil & Petters United Free transfer [23][a]
7 October 1937 DF England John Ormesher England Colchester Town Free transfer [24][a]
27 October 1937 RH Wales George Smith England Bath City Free transfer [25]
5 November 1937 GK England Don Youngs England Martlesham RAF Free transfer [26]
17 November 1937 CF England Tully Day England Harwich & Parkeston Free transfer [27][a]
25 November 1937 CF Albert Bennett England Colchester Town Free transfer [28][a]
9 December 1937 CF/IL Wales Bill Pendergast England Bristol Rovers Free transfer [29]
1 January 1938 RB England Ian Haley England Colchester Town Free transfer [30][a]
18 February 1938 CF England Ivan Thacker England Lowestoft Town Free transfer [31]
28 February 1938 IF England George Wallis England Bath City Free transfer [32]
23 April 1938 OR England Sam Simnett England Ipswich Town Free transfer [33][a]
  • Total spending: Decrease ~ £3,500
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Out

[edit]
Date Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
25 October 1937 CF Scotland Reg Smith England Wolverhampton Wanderers £500 [32]
January 1938 DF England John Ormesher Free agent Released [24]
March 1938 GK England Ted Platt England Arsenal Free transfer [7]
19 April 1938 CF England Tully Day England Harwich & Parkeston Free transfer [27][a]
23 April 1938 OR England Sam Simnett Free agent Released [33][a]
  • Total incoming: Increase ~ £500
  1. ^ a b Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

Match details

[edit]

Friendlies

[edit]
27 September 1937 (1937-09-27) Friendly Colchester United 0–4 Portsmouth Colchester
Report Beattie 10', 65'
Smith 35', 90'
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 3,500
14 October 1937 (1937-10-14) Friendly Colchester United 3–1 Queens Park Rangers Colchester
Pritchard 16', 40'
Cheyne
Report McCarthy 85' Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 1,500
16 October 1937 (1937-10-16) Friendly Colchester United 1–4 Chelsea Reserves Colchester
15:15 Cheyne 12' Report Lewis 11', 57'
Sherbourne 33', 71'
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: V. Asherwood
22 January 1938 (1938-01-22) Friendly Colchester United 0–1 Charlton Athletic XI Colchester
Report Barron 50' Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,731
24 March 1938 (1938-03-24) Friendly Colchester United 2–1 Crystal Palace Colchester
Williams 5', 65' Report Waldron Stadium: Layer Road

Southern League

[edit]

League table

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts
4 Yeovil & Petters United 34 14 14 6 72 45 1.600 42
5 Norwich City II 34 15 11 8 77 55 1.400 41
6 Colchester United 34 15 8 11 90 58 1.552 38
7 Bristol Rovers II 34 14 8 12 63 62 1.016 36
8 Swindon Town II 34 14 7 13 70 76 0.921 35
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976-77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.

Matches

[edit]
28 August 1937 (1937-08-28) 1 Yeovil & Petters United 3–0 Colchester United Yeovil
15:15 Halliday 30', 49', 70' Report Stadium: Huish Athletic Ground
Referee: E. Davis
4 September 1937 (1937-09-04) 2 Colchester United 3–3 Ipswich Town Colchester
Crisp 41'
Wood 43'
Cheyne 75'
Report Williams 2'
Alsop 15'
Perrett 80' (pen.)
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 11,000
11 September 1937 (1937-09-11) 3 Colchester United 0–0 Yeovil & Petters United Colchester
15:15 Report Stadium: Layer Road
18 September 1937 (1937-09-18) 4 Colchester United 5–0 Guildford City Colchester
15:15 Crisp 16'
R. Smith 37'
Pritchard 38', 53', 57'
Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,000
25 September 1937 (1937-09-25) 5 Aldershot Reserves 0–0 Colchester United Aldershot
Report Stadium: Recreation Ground
29 September 1937 (1937-09-29) 6 Torquay United Reserves 2–2 Colchester United Torquay
15:30 Shelley 3', 53' Report Baker 18'
R. Smith 30'
Stadium: Plainmoor
9 October 1937 (1937-10-09) 7 Plymouth Argyle Reserves 5–4 Colchester United Plymouth
Dougan 13'
McHarg 33', 38', 40', 75'
Report Mitcheson 25' (o.g.)
Cheyne 46'
Pritchard 90'
R. Smith
Stadium: Home Park
Attendance: 3,000
23 October 1937 (1937-10-23) 8 Colchester United 3–2 Cheltenham Town Colchester
15:15 Crisp 4'
Fieldus 75'
Ritchie 86'
Report Ray 50'
Thornley 62'
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,500
6 November 1937 (1937-11-06) 9 Newport County Reserves 2–2 Colchester United Newport
Chadwick 75' (pen.)
Owen 85'
Report G. Smith 12'
Cheyne 65'
Barraclough Red card
Stadium: Somerton Park
13 November 1937 (1937-11-13) 10 Colchester United 2–2 Norwich City Reserves Colchester
Crisp 2'
G. Smith 47'
Report Cassidy 43', 88' Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,000
20 November 1937 (1937-11-20) 11 Folkestone 2–4 Colchester United Folkestone
Cheesmur 25'
Caswell 44'
Report Hodge 56', 75'
Cheyne
Fieldus
Stadium: Cheriton Road
27 November 1937 (1937-11-27) 12 Colchester United 2–0 Aldershot Reserves Colchester
14:35 Hodge 54'
Fieldus 78'
Report Stadium: Layer Road
4 December 1937 (1937-12-04) 13 Swindon Town Reserves 1–5 Colchester United Swindon
Emery Report Pritchard 10'
Hodge 60'
Stadium: County Ground
Attendance: 1,000
18 December 1937 (1937-12-18) 14 Colchester United 7–1 Folkestone Colchester
14:30 Hodge 8', 57'
Day 25', 54', 73'
Cheyne 27'
Pritchard 65'
Report Jones 87' Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 3,000
25 December 1937 (1937-12-25) Exeter City Reserves P–P Colchester United Exeter
Report Stadium: St James Park
27 December 1937 (1937-12-27) 15 Colchester United 3–1 Exeter City Reserves Colchester
Barraclough 18'
Day 53'
Cheyne 79'
Report McGill 45' Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 8,000
1 January 1938 (1938-01-01) 16 Colchester United 6–1 Barry Town Colchester
Cheyne 6'
Hodge 19'
Pendergast 21', 42', 70'
Day 32'
Report Carless 82' Stadium: Layer Road
8 January 1938 (1938-01-08) 17 Cheltenham Town 2–2 Colchester United Cheltenham
14:30 Ray
Rushforth
Report Pendergast 4'
Cheyne
Stadium: Whaddon Road
Referee: R. Griffin
15 January 1938 (1938-01-15) 18 Colchester United 2–0 Dartford Colchester
Pritchard
Pendergast
Report Stadium: Layer Road
5 February 1938 (1938-02-05) 19 Ipswich Town 3–2 Colchester United Ipswich
Astill 44'
Perrett 85'
Little 89'
Report Pritchard 27'
Cheyne 70'
Stadium: Portman Road
Attendance: 23,890
12 February 1938 (1938-02-12) 20 Barry Town 2–1 Colchester United Barry
Dakin 5', 15' Report Cheyne Stadium: Jenner Park Stadium
19 February 1938 (1938-02-19) 21 Dartford 3–0 Colchester United Dartford
Smithson 65'
Catlin
Moseley
Report Stadium: Watling Street
24 February 1938 (1938-02-24) 22 Colchester United 3–1 Tunbridge Wells Rangers Colchester
Hodge 23'
Cheyne 77'
Barraclough 82'
Report Kavanagh 85' Stadium: Layer Road
26 February 1938 (1938-02-26) 23 Colchester United 1–0 Bristol Rovers Reserves Colchester
Pritchard 13' Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,238
5 March 1938 (1938-03-05) 24 Bristol Rovers Reserves 2–1 Colchester United Bristol
Charles
Sullivan
Report Wallis 10' Stadium: Eastville Stadium
26 March 1938 (1938-03-26) 25 Colchester United 4–0 Torquay United Reserves Colchester
Wallis 46', 51', 73'
Cheyne 62'
Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 5,312
2 April 1938 (1938-04-02) 26 Guildford City 3–2 Colchester United Guildford
R. Brown 45'
Bytheway 80'
J. Brown 86'
Report Cheyne 26'
Hodge 39'
Stadium: St Joseph's Road
Attendance: 4,000
9 April 1938 (1938-04-09) 27 Exeter City Reserves 2–1 Colchester United Exeter
Farrell 40'
Pollard 83'
Report Hodge 65' Stadium: St James Park
15 April 1938 (1938-04-15) 28 Bath City 2–3 Colchester United Bath
15:15 Weale 27'
Davis
Report Day 25', 70', 89' Stadium: Twerton Park
16 April 1938 (1938-04-16) 29 Colchester United 7–1 Swindon Town Reserves Colchester
15:15 Crisp 30' (pen.), 39', 75' (pen.)
Cheyne 39', 80'
Hodge
Day
Report Hunt Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,782
18 April 1938 (1938-04-18) 30 Colchester United 1–1 Bath City Colchester
15:15 Cheyne 40' Report Curtis 85' Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 8,000
21 April 1938 (1938-04-21) 31 Norwich City Reserves 5–2 Colchester United Norwich
Law 32', 37'
O'Reilly 35'
Morris 68'
Burley 82'
Report Crisp 46'
Pritchard 89'
Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 1,596
23 April 1938 (1938-04-23) 32 Tunbridge Wells Rangers 3–0 Colchester United Royal Tunbridge Wells
Kavanagh 5', 40', 50' Report Stadium: Down Farm
30 April 1938 (1938-04-30) 33 Colchester United 8–0 Newport County Reserves Colchester
Wallis 3'
Crisp 5'
Cheyne 9'
Pritchard 18', 65', 67', 78'
Hodge 88'
Report Stadium: Layer Road
7 May 1938 (1938-05-07) 34 Colchester United 2–3 Plymouth Argyle Reserves Colchester
15:15 Cheyne 36', 38' (pen.) Report Connor 55', 58'
Dougan 61'
Stadium: Layer Road

Southern League Mid-Week Section

[edit]

League table

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GR Pts Result
1 Millwall Reserves (C) 18 13 3 2 59 21 2.810 29 Southern League Midweek Section champions
2 Colchester United 18 13 1 4 42 23 1.826 27
3 Aldershot Reserves 18 11 3 4 38 29 1.310 25
4 Folkestone 18 7 6 5 32 36 0.889 20
5 Norwich City Reserves 18 9 1 8 45 39 1.154 19
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Number of goals scored. The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976–77 season. The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
(C) Champions

Matches

[edit]
2 September 1937 (1937-09-02) 1 Colchester United 6–1 Bath City Colchester
R. Smith 5', 13', 60'
Pritchard 25', 41'
Hodge 40'
Report Brown 89' Stadium: Layer Road
23 September 1937 (1937-09-23) 2 Colchester United 1–0 Folkestone Colchester
Baker 35' Report Stadium: Layer Road
2 October 1937 (1937-10-02) 3 Bath City 3–4 Colchester United Bath
Davis 44', 88'
Dransfield 80' (pen.)
Report Pritchard 26'
Hodge 50', 57'
Crisp
Stadium: Twerton Park
7 October 1937 (1937-10-07) 4 Colchester United 1–2 Tunbridge Wells Rangers Colchester
R. Smith 72' Report Finnan 13'
Langley
Stadium: Layer Road
20 October 1937 (1937-10-20) 5 Portsmouth 'A' 3–4 Colchester United Portsmouth
Cook 12'
Price 30'
Beaumont 79'
Report Pritchard 6'
Cheyne 11', 14'
R. Smith 70'
Stadium: Fratton Park
30 October 1937 (1937-10-30) 6 Dartford 1–2 Colchester United Dartford
Moseley 89' Report Cheyne 15'
Pritchard 60'
Stadium: Watling Street
17 November 1937 (1937-11-17) 7 Aldershot Reserves 3–1 Colchester United Aldershot
Simpson 1'
Court 49', 75'
Report Crisp 78' Stadium: Recreation Ground
25 November 1937 (1937-11-25) 8 Norwich City Reserves 2–1 Colchester United Norwich
Burley 71'
Church 74'
Report Barraclough 65'
Barraclough Red card
Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 1,518
11 December 1937 (1937-12-11) 9 Colchester United 1–0 Aldershot Reserves Colchester
Cheyne 17' Report Stadium: Layer Road
29 January 1938 (1938-01-29) 10 Colchester United 2–1 Portsmouth 'A' Colchester
15:00 Cheyne 29'
Pendergast 40'
Report Cunnington 25' Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 4,632
31 January 1938 (1938-01-31) 11 Millwall Reserves 2–0 Colchester United Millwall
15:00 Osborne 30'
Walsh 60' (pen.)
Report Stadium: The Den
3 March 1938 (1938-03-03) 12 Colchester United 1–0 Dartford Colchester
Barraclough 89' Report Stadium: Layer Road
10 March 1938 (1938-03-10) 13 Colchester United 5–0 Guildford City Colchester
Hodge 10'
Wallis 40'
Day 79'
Cheyne
Report Stadium: Layer Road
12 March 1938 (1938-03-12) 14 Folkestone 2–2 Colchester United Folkestone
Cheesmur 51'
Halls 87'
Report Crisp 26'
Cheyne 67'
Stadium: Cheriton Road
19 March 1938 (1938-03-19) 15 Colchester United 3–0 Norwich City Reserves Colchester
15:15 Thacker 2'
Cheyne 12'
Hodge 72'
Report Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 6,215
23 March 1938 (1938-03-23) 16 Tunbridge Wells Rangers 0–1 Colchester United Royal Tunbridge Wells
Report Hodge 25' Stadium: Down Farm
2 May 1938 (1938-05-02) 17 Guildford City 1–4 Colchester United Guildford
Atherton Report Crisp 20'
Pritchard 23', 28'
Hodge 43'
Stadium: St Joseph's Road
5 May 1938 (1938-05-05) 18 Colchester United 3–2 Millwall Reserves Colchester
Wallis 5'
Cheyne 58'
Pritchard 61'
Report Mangnall 5', 30' Stadium: Layer Road

Southern League Cup

[edit]
16 September 1937 (1937-09-16) 1st round Colchester United 7–3 Norwich City Reserves Colchester
Cheyne 22', 40'
R. Smith 27', 80'
Pritchard 35', 87'
Hodge 76'
Report Reilly 18'
Fairchild 20' (o.g.)
Church 71'
Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 2,500
16 December 1937 (1937-12-16) 2nd round Colchester United 2–0 Guildford City Colchester
Day 50'
Cheyne 83'
Report Stadium: Layer Road
30 March 1938 (1938-03-30) Semi-final 1st leg Dartford 0–2 Colchester United Chelmsford
17:20 Report Hodge 35'
Day 75'
Stadium: New Writtle Street
Attendance: 3,000
7 April 1938 (1938-04-07) Semi-final 2nd leg Colchester United 8–1
(10–1 agg.)
Dartford Colchester
Hodge 4', 65'
Day 21', 30'
Cheyne 35', 50'
Crisp 70'
Report Prout 20' (pen.) Stadium: Layer Road
19 April 1938 (1938-04-19) Final 1st leg Yeovil & Petters United 2–1 Colchester United Yeovil
18:30 Attley 20'
Manns 40'
Report Cheyne 84' Stadium: Huish Athletic Ground
Attendance: 1,600
27 April 1938 (1938-04-27) Final 2nd leg Colchester United 3–1
(4–3 agg.)
Yeovil & Petters United Colchester
18:30 Cheyne 25'
Pritchard 35', 84'
Report Appleby 68' Stadium: Layer Road
Attendance: 7,500

Squad statistics

[edit]

Appearances and goals

[edit]

[6][34]

No. Pos Nat Player Total Southern League Southern League
Mid-Week Section
Southern League
Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England ENG Ronnie Dunn 51 0 31 0 15 0 5 0
GK England ENG Don Youngs 7 0 3 0 3 0 1 0
DF Wales WAL Jimmy Baker 31 2 17 1 10 1 4 0
DF England ENG Cliff Fairchild 52 0 30 0 16 0 6 0
DF England ENG Syd Fieldus 21 3 13 3 4 0 4 0
DF England ENG Ian Haley 9 0 5 0 4 0 0 0
DF England ENG George Leslie 43 0 24 0 16 0 3 0
DF United States USA Alexander Wood 54 1 32 1 16 0 6 0
MF England ENG Jimmy Collins 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
MF Scotland SCO George Ritchie 31 1 20 1 7 0 4 0
MF Wales WAL George Smith 24 2 15 2 9 0 0 0
FW England ENG Bill Barraclough 26 4 19 2 6 2 1 0
FW   Albert Bennett 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
FW Scotland SCO Alec Cheyne 54 35 32 19 16 9 6 7
FW Wales WAL George Crisp 39 14 19 9 15 4 5 1
FW England ENG Jack Hodge 51 24 30 12 15 7 6 5
FW England ENG Ken Mayes 37 0 19 0 12 0 6 0
FW Wales WAL Bill Pendergast 11 6 8 5 3 1 0 0
FW Wales WAL Arthur Pritchard 37 29 22 17 11 8 4 4
FW England ENG Ivan Thacker 4 1 2 0 2 1 0 0
FW England ENG George Wallis 16 7 10 5 6 2 0 0
FW   George Williams 4 0 3 0 1 0 0 0
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
DF England ENG John Ormesher 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
FW England ENG Tully Day 15 15 7 9 4 2 4 4
FW England ENG Sam Simnett 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
FW England ENG Reg Smith 14 10 8 3 5 5 1 2

Goalscorers

[edit]

[34]

Place Nationality Position Name Southern League SL Mid-Week Section Southern League Cup Total
1 Scotland IH Alec Cheyne 19 9 7 35
2 Wales CF Arthur Pritchard 17 8 4 29
3 England OR Jack Hodge 12 7 5 24
4 England CF Tully Day 9 2 4 15
5 Wales WG George Crisp 9 4 1 14
6 England CF Reg Smith 3 5 2 10
7 England IF George Wallis 5 2 0 7
8 Wales CF/IL Bill Pendergast 5 1 0 6
9 England OL Bill Barraclough 2 2 0 4
10 England DF Syd Fieldus 3 0 0 3
11 Wales CB/RH Jimmy Baker 1 1 0 2
Wales RH George Smith 2 0 0 2
13 Scotland LH George Ritchie 1 0 0 1
England CF Ivan Thacker 0 1 0 1
United States LB Alexander Wood 1 0 0 1
Own goals 1 0 0 1
TOTALS 0 0 0 155

Disciplinary record

[edit]

[35]

Nationality Position Name Southern League SL Mid-Week Section Southern League Cup Total
Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card
England OL Bill Barraclough 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2
Wales WG George Crisp 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
TOTALS 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 2

Captains

[edit]

Number of games played as team captain.[36]

Place Nationality Position Player Southern League SL Mid-Week Section Southern League Cup Total
1 Scotland LH George Ritchie 17 7 4 28
2 Wales CB/RH Jimmy Baker 3 4 1 8
Not recorded
14 7 1 22
TOTALS 34 18 6 58

Clean sheets

[edit]

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[37]

Place Nationality Player Southern League SL Mid-Week Section Southern League Cup Total
1 England Ronnie Dunn 7 4 2 13
2 England Don Youngs 1 2 0 3
TOTALS 8 6 2 16

Player debuts

[edit]

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[38]

Position Nationality Player Date Opponent Ground Notes
GK England Ronnie Dunn 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
LH/RH England Jimmy Collins 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
RB England Cliff Fairchild 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
CB England George Leslie 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
LH Scotland George Ritchie 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
LB United States Alexander Wood 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
IH Scotland Alec Cheyne 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
WG Wales George Crisp 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
OR England Jack Hodge 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
CF Wales Arthur Pritchard 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
CF England Reg Smith 28 August 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Huish Athletic Ground
IL/OL England Ken Mayes 2 September 1937 Bath City Layer Road
OL England Bill Barraclough 11 September 1937 Yeovil & Petters United Layer Road
CB/RH Wales Jimmy Baker 23 September 1937 Folkestone Layer Road
DF England John Ormesher 7 October 1937 Tunbridge Wells Rangers Layer Road
DF England Syd Fieldus 9 October 1937 Plymouth Argyle Reserves Home Park
RH Wales George Smith 30 October 1937 Dartford Watling Street
CF England Tully Day 17 November 1937 Aldershot Reserves Recreation Ground
CF Albert Bennett 25 November 1937 Norwich City Reserves Carrow Road
CF/IL Wales Bill Pendergast 11 December 1937 Aldershot Reserves Layer Road
RB England Ian Haley 1 January 1938 Barry Town Layer Road
IR/CF George Williams 31 January 1938 Millwall Reserves The Den
GK England Don Youngs 24 February 1938 Tunbridge Wells Rangers Layer Road
CF England Ivan Thacker 3 March 1938 Dartford Layer Road
IF England George Wallis 3 March 1938 Dartford Layer Road
OR England Sam Simnett 23 April 1938 Tunbridge Wells Rangers Down Farm

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

General

[edit]

Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.

Specific

[edit]
  1. ^ Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.
  2. ^ "Colchester Utd 3–3 Ipswich Town". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Colchester Utd 7–3 Norwich City Reserves". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  5. ^ Hudson, Matt (11 August 2013). "The 1930s and 1940s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  7. ^ a b Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.
  8. ^ "Reg Smith". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Jimmy Collins". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Ronnie Dunn". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Syd Fieldus". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Kenny Mayes". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  13. ^ "James Baker". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  14. ^ "George Leslie". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  15. ^ "Jack Hodge". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  16. ^ "Alex Wood". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  17. ^ "George Williams". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  18. ^ "Bill Barraclough". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  19. ^ "George Ritchie". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  20. ^ "Alec Cheyne". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  21. ^ "Cliff Fairchild". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  22. ^ "George Crisp". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  23. ^ "Arthur Pritchard". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  24. ^ a b "John Ormesher". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  25. ^ "George Smith". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  26. ^ "Don Youngs". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  27. ^ a b "Tully Day". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  28. ^ "Albert Bennett". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  29. ^ "Will Pendergast". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  30. ^ "Ian Haley". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  31. ^ "Ivan Thacker". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  32. ^ a b "Geo Wallis". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  33. ^ a b "Sam Simnett". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  34. ^ a b "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  35. ^ "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  36. ^ "All matches". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  37. ^ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  38. ^ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015.