1997–98 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1997–98 season
Chairman	Gordon Parker
Manager	Steve Wignall
Stadium	Layer Road
Third Division	4th (promoted)
Play-offs	Winners
FA Cup	2nd round; (eliminated by; Hereford United)
League Cup	1st round; (eliminated by; Luton Town)
Football League Trophy	1st round (southern section); (eliminated by; Leyton Orient)
Top goalscorer	League: ; Paul Abrahams; Neil Gregory; Mark Sale; Aaron Skelton (7); All: ; David Gregory (10)
Highest home attendance	6,220; v Leyton Orient, 25 April 1998
Lowest home attendance	1,867; v Chester City, 19 December 1997
Average home league attendance	3,267
Biggest win	5–1; v Macclesfield Town, 14 March 1998
Biggest defeat	1–4; v Cambridge United, 2 September 1997
	Home colours
	Home colours
	← 1996–97 1998–99 →

The 1997–98 season was Colchester United's 56th season in their history and their sixth 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.

Colchester ended the season with a strong finish, one point shy of automatic promotion in fourth place. This meant another attempt at promotion via the play-offs. Colchester faced Barnet in the semi-final first leg, and they lost 1–0 at Underhill Stadium. In the return leg at Layer Road, Colchester won 3–1 to defeat Barnet 3–2 on aggregate thus achieving a place in the final and a second trip to Wembley in a year. In the final, the U's faced Torquay United. A David Gregory penalty was enough to separate the sides and promote Colchester to the third tier of English football for the first time in 17 years.

Despite reaching the final of the Football League Trophy the season prior, Colchester were knocked out at the first round stage by Leyton Orient this term. They suffered a same fate at the hands of Luton Town in the League Cup and saw a second round exit in the FA Cup to Hereford United.

Season overview

Colchester were eliminated at the first round stage of the League Cup, and also the first round of the Football League Trophy after reaching the 1997 Final. They once again lost to a non-League side in Hereford United in the FA Cup second round following a replay.

The club were awarded a settlement of £300,000 from Ipswich Town owing to the saga over George Burley's acrimonious exit from Colchester to their Suffolk neighbours in late 1994. Meanwhile, Alfred McAlpine were named as the consultants commissioned for the process of building a new stadium for Colchester United, with the club's lease on Layer Road due to expire in 2002.

Manager Steve Wignall broke the club's transfer record by spending £50,000 on Neil Gregory, who joined from Ipswich Town to reunite with his brother David.

Colchester's had a late season upturn in form, winning ten of their final 15 games as they missed automatic promotion by just one point. This meant that they had qualified for the play-offs, where they would face seventh-placed Barnet, who themselves earned a place in the play-offs by just one point ahead of Scunthorpe United.

Barnet won the first-leg at Underhill Stadium 1–0, but both sides were reduced to ten men in the game after Guy Branston was sent off for the U's and Sean Devine saw red for Barnet. Colchester won the Layer Road leg 3–1 after extra time with goals from David Gregory and David Greene. Barnet also had Lee Howarth sent off on 60 minutes while Barnet were leading 2–1 on aggregate.

The win took Colchester to Wembley for the second time in a year and a third trip in six years. The fixture was moved to Friday night to accommodate an England versus Saudi Arabia friendly, and as such attracted a relatively low crowd of 19,486. The game was also broadcast on Sky Sports. David Gregory converted from the penalty spot on 22 minutes to win the match 1–0 for Colchester and earn promotion back to the third tier of English football for the first time in 17 years.^[5]

Players

As of match played 22 May 1998.^[6]

Name	Position	Place of birth	Date of birth	Apps	Goals	Signed from	Date signed	Fee
Goalkeepers
Carl Emberson	GK	Epsom	(1973-07-13)13 July 1973 (aged 23)	129	0	Millwall	6 July 1994	£25,000
Tamer Fernandes	GK	Paddington	(1974-12-07)7 December 1974 (aged 22)	0	0	Peterborough United	28 January 1998	Free transfer
Defenders
Simon Betts	FB	Middlesbrough	(1973-03-03)3 March 1973 (aged 24)	172	11	Scarborough	11 December 1992	Free transfer
Peter Cawley	CB	Walton-on-Thames	(1965-09-15)15 September 1965 (aged 31)	184	9	Barnet	30 October 1992^[a]	Free transfer
Joe Dunne	FB	Dublin	(1973-05-25)25 May 1973 (aged 24)	47	2	Gillingham	27 March 1996	Free transfer
David Greene	CB	Luton	(1973-10-26)26 October 1973 (aged 23)	71	4	Luton Town	21 June 1996	£30,000
Nicky Haydon	DF/MF	Barking	(1978-08-10)10 August 1978 (aged 18)	1	1	Youth team	1 August 1995	Free transfer
Scott Stamps	FB	Edgbaston	(1975-03-20)20 March 1975 (aged 22)	8	0	Torquay United	26 March 1997	£15,000
Midfielders
Paul Buckle	MF	Hatfield	(1970-12-16)16 December 1970 (aged 26)	29	3	Wycombe Wanderers	28 November 1996	Free transfer
Karl Duguid	MF	Letchworth	(1978-03-21)21 March 1978 (aged 19)	42	4	Youth team	9 December 1995^[b]	Free transfer
Steve Forbes	MF	Stoke Newington	(1975-12-24)24 December 1975 (aged 21)	1	1	Millwall	14 March 1997	Free transfer
Jeremy Goss	MF	Dhekelia	(1965-05-11)11 May 1965 (aged 32)	0	0	Heart of Midlothian	January 1998	Free transfer
David Gregory	MF	Sudbury	(1970-01-23)23 January 1970 (aged 27)	58	1	Peterborough United	8 December 1995	Free transfer
Dave Rainford	MF	Stepney	(1979-04-21)21 April 1979 (aged 18)	0	0	Youth team	July 1997	Free transfer
Aaron Skelton	MF/DF	Welwyn Garden City	(1974-11-22)22 November 1974 (aged 22)	0	0	Luton Town	3 July 1997	Free transfer
Richard Wilkins	MF/DF	Lambeth	(1965-05-28)28 May 1965 (aged 32)	230	34	Hereford United	3 July 1996	£17,500
Forwards
Paul Abrahams	FW/WG	Colchester	(1973-10-31)31 October 1973 (aged 23)	119	24	Brentford	23 October 1996	£20,000
Tony Adcock	FW	Bethnal Green	(1963-03-27)27 March 1963 (aged 34)	314	143	Luton Town	3 August 1995	Free transfer
Neil Gregory	FW	Ndola	(1972-10-07)7 October 1972 (aged 24)	10	5	Ipswich Town	26 March 1998	£50,000
Ian Hathaway	WG	Wordsley	(1968-08-22)22 August 1968 (aged 28)	0	0	Torquay United	1 August 1997	Free transfer
Tony Lock	FW	Harlow	(1976-09-03)3 September 1976 (aged 20)	10	2	Apprentice	28 January 1995^[b]	Free transfer
Mark Sale	FW	Burton upon Trent	(1972-02-27)27 February 1972 (aged 25)	13	3	Mansfield Town	10 March 1997	£23,500

^ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club
^ ^a ^b Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
July 1997	MF	Dave Rainford	Youth team	Free transfer	^[7]^[8]
3 July 1997	MF/DF	Aaron Skelton	Luton Town	Free transfer	^[9]^[10]
1 August 1997	WG	Ian Hathaway	Torquay United	Free transfer	^[11]^[12]
8 September 1997	GK	Paul Newell	Sittingbourne	Non-contract	^[13]
January 1998	MF	Jeremy Goss	Heart of Midlothian	Free transfer	^[14]
28 January 1998	GK	Tamer Fernandes	Peterborough United	Free transfer	^[15]^[16]
26 March 1998	FW	Neil Gregory	Ipswich Town	£50,000	^[17]^[18]

Total spending: ~ £50,000

Out

Date	Position	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
End of season	MF	Ernie Cooksey	Heybridge Swifts	Released	^[19]^[20]
Summer 1997	GK	Garrett Caldwell	Toronto Supra	Undisclosed	^[21]^[22]
Summer 1997	CB	Andy Partner	Heybridge Swifts	Free transfer	^[23]
31 May 1997	FB	Paul Gibbs	Torquay United	Free transfer	^[24]^[25]
31 May 1997	CB	Tony McCarthy	Shelbourne^[a]	Released	^[26]^[27]
July 1997	MF/WG	Chris Fry	Exeter City	Released	^[28]^[29]
1 August 1997	MF/FB	Adam Locke	Bristol City	Free transfer	^[30]^[31]
17 September 1997	GK	Paul Newell	Northampton Town^[b]	Released	^[13]
27 February 1998	FW	Steve Whitton	Free agent^[c]	Retired	^[32]^[33]

Total incoming: ~ £0

^ Following Tony McCarthy's release by Colchester United, he later signed for Shelbourne.
^ Following Paul Newell's release by Colchester United, he later signed for Northampton Town.
^ After retiring through injury, Steve Whitton remained at Colchester United as assistant manager.

Loans in

Date	Position	Name	From	End date	Ref.
26 September 1997	FW	Isaiah Rankin	Arsenal	26 December 1997	^[34]^[35]
16 October 1997	CB	Wayne Brown	Ipswich Town	8 November 1997	^[36]^[37]
1 January 1998	FW	Neil Gregory	Ipswich Town	2 March 1998	^[17]^[18]
9 February 1998	CB	Guy Branston	Leicester City	10 May 1998	^[38]^[39]^[a]

^ Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game in his first spell for the club

Loans out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	End date	Ref.
24 December 1997	MF		Dave Rainford	Wivenhoe Town	24 February 1998	^[7]^[8]

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	43	44	45	46
Ground	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A
Result	W	L	D	D	L	W	W	W	L	D	L	D	W	W	D	D	L	W	L	L	L	W	D	W	L	L	W	W	L	D	L	W	W	W	W	D	L	W	D	W	W	W	W	L	D	W
Position	4	12	8	14	18	12	8	8	10	10	14	14	9	8	7	8	12	9	11	13	16	14	15	13	13	13	12	13	13	13	13	12	11	11	8	9	11	8	9	7	6	6	4	5	5	4

Source: 11v11.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
2	Macclesfield Town (P)	46	23	13	10	63	44	+19	82	Promotion to the Second Division
3	Lincoln City (P)	46	20	15	11	60	51	+9	75	Promotion to the Second Division
4	Colchester United (O, P)	46	21	11	14	72	60	+12	74	Qualification for the Third Division play-offs
5	Torquay United	46	21	11	14	68	59	+9	74
6	Scarborough	46	19	15	12	67	58	+9	72

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Matches

9 August 1997 (1997-08-09) 1	Colchester United	2–1	Darlington	Colchester
15:00 BST	Abrahams 32' Buckle 59' (pen.)	Report	Oliver 75' (pen.) Brydon 81'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,958 Referee: Barry Knight

16 August 1997 (1997-08-16) 2	Hartlepool United	3–2	Colchester United	Hartlepool
	Baker 3' Allon 56', 63'	Report	Buckle 38' (pen.) Abrahams 60'	Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 2,174 Referee: P Robinson

22 August 1997 (1997-08-22) 3	Colchester United	1–1	Barnet	Colchester
19:45 BST	Wilkins 72'	Report	Howarth 59'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,286 Referee: M Bailey

30 August 1997 (1997-08-30) 4	Torquay United	1–1	Colchester United	Torquay
	Gittens 85'	Report	Wilkins 65'	Stadium: Plainmoor Attendance: 2,081 Referee: D Crick

2 September 1997 (1997-09-02) 5	Cambridge United	4–1	Colchester United	Cambridge
19:45 BST	Butler 6', 46' Taylor 61', 68'	Report	D. Gregory 36'	Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 3,264 Referee: Fraser Stretton

8 September 1997 (1997-09-08) 6	Colchester United	3–1	Brighton & Hove Albion	Colchester
19:45 BST	Greene 4', 57' Abrahams 49'	Report	Baird 47'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,081 Referee: J Kirkby

12 September 1997 (1997-09-12) 7	Colchester United	1–0	Scarborough	Colchester
19:45 BST	Lock 87'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,756 Referee: Alan Wiley

20 September 1997 (1997-09-20) 8	Swansea City	0–1	Colchester United	Swansea
		Report	Greene 49'	Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 3,414 Referee: Scott Mathieson

27 September 1997 (1997-09-27) 9	Colchester United	1–2	Exeter City	Colchester
15:00 BST	Abrahams 52' Greene 62'	Report	Rowbotham 28' Flack 56'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,175 Referee: A Butler

4 October 1997 (1997-10-04) 10	Mansfield Town	1–1	Colchester United	Mansfield
	Whitehall 6'	Report	Greene 12'	Stadium: Field Mill Attendance: 2,341 Referee: K Lynch

11 October 1997 (1997-10-11) 11	Peterborough United	3–2	Colchester United	Peterborough
	Carruthers 55' Houghton 58' Quinn 78'	Report	Rankin 32' Adcock 82'	Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 6,277 Referee: Paul Taylor

18 October 1997 (1997-10-18) 12	Colchester United	1–1	Shrewsbury Town	Colchester
15:00 BST	Skelton 51'	Report	Seabury 25'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,977 Referee: Rob Harris

21 October 1997 (1997-10-21) 13	Colchester United	2–1	Doncaster Rovers	Colchester
19:45 BST	Sale 8' Skelton 8'	Report	McDonald 31'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,588 Referee: Andy D'Urso

25 October 1997 (1997-10-25) 14	Leyton Orient	0–2	Colchester United	Leyton
15:00 BST		Report	Adcock 4' Forbes 78'	Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 4,592 Referee: Anthony Bates

31 October 1997 (1997-10-31) 15	Colchester United	3–3	Scunthorpe United	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Rankin 2' Buckle 35' Sale 40'	Report	Hope 52' D'Auria 61', 63'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,134 Referee: Roger Furnandiz

4 November 1997 (1997-11-04) 16	Macclesfield Town	0–0	Colchester United	Macclesfield
		Report		Stadium: Moss Rose Attendance: 1,577 Referee: Chris Foy

8 November 1997 (1997-11-08) 17	Rochdale	2–1	Colchester United	Rochdale
	Stuart 44' Painter 65' (pen.)	Report	Duguid 60'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 1,702 Referee: Terry Heilbron

18 November 1997 (1997-11-18) 18	Colchester United	2–0	Notts County	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Sale 67' Rankin 86'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,643 Referee: Rob Styles

22 November 1997 (1997-11-22) 19	Colchester United	0–1	Lincoln City	Colchester
	Cawley 61' 90'	Report	Gordon 61'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,932 Referee: R Pearson

29 November 1997 (1997-11-29) 20	Rotherham United	3–2	Colchester United	Rotherham
	Glover 11', 62' Knill 73'	Report	Skelton 47' Sale 61'	Stadium: Millmoor Attendance: 3,259 Referee: William Burns

13 December 1997 (1997-12-13) 21	Hull City	3–1	Colchester United	Kingston upon Hull
	Dewhurst 54' Rioch 57' (pen.) Darby 82'	Report	Adcock 88'	Stadium: Boothferry Park Attendance: 3,896 Referee: Mike Jones

19 December 1997 (1997-12-19) 22	Colchester United	2–0	Chester City	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Adcock 13' Duguid 75'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,867 Referee: M Pierce

26 December 1997 (1997-12-26) 23	Brighton & Hove Albion	4–4	Colchester United	Gillingham
	Emblen 47', 61', 67' Minton 86' (pen.)	Report	Rankin 15', 29' Adcock 13' Stamps 75'	Stadium: Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 2,647 Referee: Mark Halsey

29 December 1997 (1997-12-29) 24	Colchester United	3–2	Cambridge United	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Wilkins 45', 48' Skelton 67'	Report	Barnwell-Edinboro 6', 69'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,518 Referee: Paul Rejer

3 January 1998 (1998-01-03) 25	Colchester United	1–2	Hartlepool United	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Buckle 81'	Report	Clark 13' Howard 74'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,885 Referee: Alan Wiley

10 January 1998 (1998-01-10) 26	Darlington	4–2	Colchester United	Darlington
	Gaughan 40' Roberts 59' Haydon 84' (o.g.) Dorner 86'	Report	N. Gregory 69', 78'	Stadium: Feethams Attendance: 2,170 Referee: Scott Mathieson

16 January 1998 (1998-01-16) 27	Colchester United	1–0	Torquay United	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Lock 86'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,776 Referee: Fraser Stretton

20 January 1998 (1998-01-20) 28	Colchester United	2–1	Cardiff City	Colchester
	N. Gregory 69' Buckle 79'	Report	Dale 85'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,929 Referee: M Bailey

24 January 1998 (1998-01-24) 29	Barnet	3–2	Colchester United	Chipping Barnet
	Devine 44', 65' McGleish 59'	Report	Skelton 4' Wilkins 83'	Stadium: Underhill Stadium Attendance: 2,471 Referee: Paul Danson

31 January 1998 (1998-01-31) 30	Scarborough	1–1	Colchester United	Scarborough
	Campbell 83'	Report	Whitton 46'	Stadium: Athletic Ground Attendance: 2,219 Referee: Graham Laws

6 February 1998 (1998-02-06) 31	Colchester United	1–2	Swansea City	Colchester
19:45 GMT	N. Gregory 27'	Report	Coates 52' Price 78'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,789 Referee: J Kirkby

13 February 1998 (1998-02-13) 32	Colchester United	2–0	Mansfield Town	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Lock 30' D. Gregory 68'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,320 Referee: J Robinson

21 February 1998 (1998-02-21) 33	Exeter City	0–1	Colchester United	Exeter
		Report	Lock 68'	Stadium: St James Park Attendance: 3,346 Referee: Anthony Bates

24 February 1998 (1998-02-24) 34	Shrewsbury Town	0–2	Colchester United	Shrewsbury
		Report	N. Gregory 7' D. Gregory 68'	Stadium: Gay Meadow Attendance: 1,972 Referee: Clive Wilkes

27 February 1998 (1998-02-27) 35	Colchester United	1–0	Peterborough United	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Branston 61'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,117 Referee: D Crick

3 March 1998 (1998-03-03) 36	Colchester United	0–0	Rochdale	Colchester
19:45 GMT		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,112 Referee: Steve Baines

7 March 1998 (1998-03-07) 37	Scunthorpe United	1–0	Colchester United	Scunthorpe
	McAuley 17'	Report		Stadium: Glanford Park Attendance: 2,143 Referee: K Lynch

14 March 1998 (1998-03-14) 38	Colchester United	5–1	Macclesfield Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Sale 36', 57' Skelton 76' Abrahams 79' Lock 88'	Report	Whittaker 38'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,760 Referee: Steve Bennett

21 March 1998 (1998-03-21) 39	Notts County	0–0	Colchester United	Nottingham
		Report		Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 6,284 Referee: E Lomas

28 March 1998 (1998-03-28) 40	Lincoln City	0–1	Colchester United	Lincoln
		Report	Dunne 28'	Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 4,040 Referee: J Brandwood

3 April 1998 (1998-04-03) 41	Colchester United	2–1	Rotherham United	Colchester
19:30 BST	Skelton 11' Sale 55'	Report	Martindale 12'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,824 Referee: Rob Styles

11 April 1998 (1998-04-11) 42	Cardiff City	0–2	Colchester United	Cardiff
		Report	Abrahams 48' D. Gregory 60'	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,809 Referee: M Fletcher

13 April 1998 (1998-04-13) 43	Colchester United	4–3	Hull City	Colchester
15:00 BST	D. Gregory 6' Lock 13' Dunne 79' Duguid 90'	Report	Boyack 24' McGinty 48' Darby 70'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,700 Referee: Paul Taylor

18 April 1998 (1998-04-18) 44	Chester City	3–1	Colchester United	Chester
	Whelan 19' Fisher 35' Rimmer 36'	Report	Abrahams 75'	Stadium: Deva Stadium Attendance: 1,780 Referee: P Richards

25 April 1998 (1998-04-25) 45	Colchester United	1–1	Leyton Orient	Colchester
15:00 BST	N. Gregory 45'	Report	Inglethorpe 44'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 6,220 Referee: Andy Hall

2 May 1998 (1998-05-02) 46	Doncaster Rovers	0–1	Colchester United	Doncaster
15:00 BST		Report	N. Gregory 56'	Stadium: Belle Vue Attendance: 3,572 Referee: Terry Heilbron

Football League play-offs

10 May 1998 (1998-05-10) Semi-final 1st leg	Barnet	1–0	Colchester United	Chipping Barnet
13:30 BST	Heald 48' Devine 82'	Report	Branston 82'	Stadium: Underhill Stadium Attendance: 3,858 Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme

13 May 1998 (1998-05-13) Semi-final 2nd leg	Colchester United	3–1 (a.e.t.)	Barnet	Colchester
19:45 BST	D. Gregory 12' (pen.), 95' Greene 65'	Report	Goodhind 41' Howarth 60'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 5,863 Referee: Terry Heilbron
Note: Colchester win 3–2 on aggregate.

22 May 1998 (1998-05-22) Final	Colchester United	1–0	Torquay United	Wembley
19:45 BST	D. Gregory 22' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 19,486 Referee: M Fletcher

Football League Cup

12 August 1997 (1997-08-12) 1st round 1st leg	Colchester United	0–1	Luton Town	Colchester
19:45 BST		Report	Thorpe 87'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,840 Referee: Steve Bennett

26 August 1997 (1997-08-26) 1st round 2nd leg	Luton Town	1–1	Colchester United	Luton
	Thorpe 34'	Report	Hathaway 51'	Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 2,816
Note: Luton win 2–1 on aggregate.

FA Cup

15 November 1997 (1997-11-15) 1st round	Brentford	2–2	Colchester United	Brentford
15:00 GMT	Taylor 9', 55'	Report	Sale 38' D. Gregory 88'	Stadium: Griffin Park Attendance: 2,899 Referee: Barry Knight

25 November 1997 (1997-11-25) 1st round replay	Colchester United	0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p)	Brentford	Colchester
19:45 GMT		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,613 Referee: Barry Knight

6 December 1997 (1997-12-06) 2nd round	Colchester United	1–1	Hereford United	Colchester
15:00 GMT	D. Gregory 10'	Report	Grayson 61'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,558 Referee: K Lynch

16 December 1997 (1997-12-16) 2nd round replay	Hereford United	1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p)	Colchester United	Hereford
	Grayson 48'	Report	Forbes 47'	Stadium: Edgar Street Attendance: 3,725 Referee: K Lynch

Football League Trophy

9 December 1997 (1997-12-09) 1st round (southern section)	Leyton Orient	1–0	Colchester United	Leyton
	Inglethorpe 51'	Report		Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 933 Referee: Andy Hall

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

^[6]^[40]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Third Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Football League Trophy		Football League play-offs
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	ENG	Carl Emberson	56	0	46	0	4	0	2	0	1	0	3	0
	DF	ENG	Simon Betts	23	0	17	0	2+1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	DF	ENG	Peter Cawley	33	0	27	0	3	0	2	0	1	0	0	0
	DF	IRL	Joe Dunne	33	2	22+3	2	3+1	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
	DF	IRL	David Greene	47	5	38	4	4	0	2	0	0	0	3	1
	DF	ENG	Nicky Haydon	20	0	9+8	0	1+1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Scott Stamps	32	1	26	1	2+1	0	2	0	1	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Paul Buckle	45	5	33+5	5	1	0	2	0	1	0	3	0
	MF	ENG	Karl Duguid	28	3	6+15	3	3+1	0	0	0	0+1	0	0+2	0
	MF	ENG	Steve Forbes	43	2	25+10	1	2	1	1+1	0	0+1	0	3	0
	MF	ENG	David Gregory	54	10	42+2	5	4	2	2	0	1	0	3	3
	MF	ENG	Aaron Skelton	48	7	37+2	7	3+1	0	1	0	1	0	2+1	0
	MF	ENG	Richard Wilkins	43	5	37	5	2	0	2	0	0	0	2	0
	FW	ENG	Paul Abrahams	30	7	16+9	7	1+1	0	2	0	0	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Tony Adcock	32	5	19+6	5	3+1	0	0+2	0	1	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Neil Gregory	18	7	12+3	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	FW	ENG	Ian Hathaway	16	1	5+7	0	1+1	0	2	1	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Tony Lock	41	6	14+18	6	0+3	0	0+2	0	0+1	0	0+3	0
	FW	ENG	Mark Sale	48	8	38+1	7	3	1	2	0	1	0	3	0
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
	DF	ENG	Guy Branston	13	1	12	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	DF	ENG	Wayne Brown	2	0	0+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Isaiah Rankin	12	5	10+1	5	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Steve Whitton	23	1	15+6	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goalscorers

^[40]

Place	Position	Name	Third Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Football League play-offs	Total
1	MF	David Gregory	5	2	0	3	10
2	FW	Mark Sale	7	1	0	0	8
3	FW/WG	Paul Abrahams	7	0	0	0	7
	FW	Neil Gregory	7	0	0	0	7
	MF/DF	Aaron Skelton	7	0	0	0	7
6	FW	Tony Lock	6	0	0	0	6
7	FW	Tony Adcock	5	0	0	0	5
	MF	Paul Buckle	5	0	0	0	5
	CB	David Greene	4	0	0	1	5
	FW	Isaiah Rankin	5	0	0	0	5
	MF/DF	Richard Wilkins	5	0	0	0	5
12	MF	Karl Duguid	3	0	0	0	3
13	FB	Joe Dunne	2	0	0	0	2
13	MF	Steve Forbes	1	1	0	0	2
15	CB	Guy Branston	1	0	0	0	1
	WG	Ian Hathaway	0	0	1	0	1
	FB	Scott Stamps	1	0	0	0	1
	FW	Steve Whitton	1	0	0	0	1
		Own goals	0	0	0	0	0
		TOTALS	72	4	1	4	81

Disciplinary record

^[41]

Nationality	Position	Name	Third Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Football League Trophy		Football League play-offs		Total
Nationality	Position	Name
	CB	David Greene	5	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	7	1
	CB	Peter Cawley	5	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	1
	FW	Mark Sale	7	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	9	0
	FB	Joe Dunne	3	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	8	0
	FW	Steve Whitton	7	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
	MF	Steve Forbes	6	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
	MF	David Gregory	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	6	0
	FB	Scott Stamps	5	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	FW/WG	Paul Abrahams	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
	FB	Simon Betts	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
	CB	Guy Branston	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	1
	MF	Karl Duguid	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
	DF/MF	Nicky Haydon	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	FW	Tony Lock	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	MF	Richard Wilkins	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
	FW	Tony Adcock	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	MF	Paul Buckle	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	FW	Neil Gregory	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	FW	Isaiah Rankin	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	CB	Wayne Brown	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	GK	Carl Emberson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	WG	Ian Hathaway	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	MF/DF	Aaron Skelton	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
		TOTALS	74	2	9	0	2	0	3	0	8	1	100	3

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.^[42]

Place	Nationality	Player	Third Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Football League Trophy	Football League play-offs	Total
1		Carl Emberson	15	1	0	0	1	17
		TOTALS	15	1	0	0	1	17

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.^[43]

Position	Player	Date	Opponent	Ground	Notes
WG	Ian Hathaway	9 August 1997	Darlington	Layer Road
MF/DF	Aaron Skelton	9 August 1997	Darlington	Layer Road
FW	Isaiah Rankin	27 September 1997	Exeter City	Layer Road
CB	Wayne Brown	18 October 1997	Shrewsbury Town	Layer Road
FW	Neil Gregory	3 January 1998	Hartlepool United	Layer Road
CB	Guy Branston	13 February 1998	Mansfield Town	Layer Road
FW	Neil Gregory	3 April 1998	Rotherham United	Layer Road	^[44]^[a]

^ Second debut for the club

References

General

Books

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.

Websites

"Colchester United football club match record: 1998". 11v11.com. Retrieved 5 September 2018.

Specific

^ Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 279. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.
^ "Colchester Utd 1–1 Leyton Orient". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 2–0 Chester City". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Hudson, Matt (11 August 2013). "The 1990s and 2000s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ ^a ^b "David Rainford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
^ ^a ^b David Rainford at Soccerbase
^ "Aaron Skelton". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Aaron Skelton at Soccerbase
^ "Ian Hathaway". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Ian Hathaway at Soccerbase
^ ^a ^b Paul Newell at Soccerbase
^ "Jeremy Goss". Flown From the Nest. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ "Tamer Fernandes". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
^ Tamer Fernades at Soccerbase
^ ^a ^b "Neil Gregory". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ ^a ^b Neil Gregory at Soccerbase
^ "Ernie Loses Battle With Cancer". Colchester United FC. 3 July 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Ernie Cooksey at Soccerbase
^ "Garrett Caldwell (Goalkeeper)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Garrett Caldwell at Soccerbase
^ "Andy Partner". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ "Paul Gibbs". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Paul Gibbs at Soccerbase
^ "Tony McCarthy". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Tony McCarthy at Soccerbase
^ "Chris Fry". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Chris Fry at Soccerbase
^ "Adam Locke". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Adam Locke at Soccerbase
^ "Steve Whitton (Midfielder / Forward)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Steve Whitton at Soccerbase
^ "Isaiah Rankin". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Isaiah Rankin at Soccerbase
^ "Wayne Brown". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Wayne Brown at Soccerbase
^ "Guy Branston". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
^ Guy Branston at Soccerbase
^ ^a ^b "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
^ "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
^ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
^ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 2–1 Rotherham United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2018.

[SDG-7] Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

[DG-8] Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

[28] Following Tony McCarthy's release by Colchester United, he later signed for Shelbourne.

[35] Following Paul Newell's release by Colchester United, he later signed for Northampton Town.

[36] After retiring through injury, Steve Whitton remained at Colchester United as assistant manager.

[Loanend1-45] Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game in his first spell for the club

[2deb-51] Second debut for the club

[WWCU-1] Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 279. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.

[2] "Colchester Utd 1–1 Leyton Orient". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[3] "Colchester Utd 2–0 Chester City". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[4] "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[5] Hudson, Matt (11 August 2013). "The 1990s and 2000s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[apps-6] "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[Rainford-9] "David Rainford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2018.

[Rainford_SB-10] David Rainford at Soccerbase

[11] "Aaron Skelton". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[12] Aaron Skelton at Soccerbase

[13] "Ian Hathaway". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[14] Ian Hathaway at Soccerbase

[Newell_SB-15] Paul Newell at Soccerbase

[16] "Jeremy Goss". Flown From the Nest. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[17] "Tamer Fernandes". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 4 September 2018.

[18] Tamer Fernades at Soccerbase

[Gregory-19] "Neil Gregory". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[Gregory_SB-20] Neil Gregory at Soccerbase

[21] "Ernie Loses Battle With Cancer". Colchester United FC. 3 July 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[22] Ernie Cooksey at Soccerbase

[23] "Garrett Caldwell (Goalkeeper)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[24] Garrett Caldwell at Soccerbase

[25] "Andy Partner". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[26] "Paul Gibbs". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[27] Paul Gibbs at Soccerbase

[29] "Tony McCarthy". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[30] Tony McCarthy at Soccerbase

[31] "Chris Fry". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[32] Chris Fry at Soccerbase

[33] "Adam Locke". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[34] Adam Locke at Soccerbase

[37] "Steve Whitton (Midfielder / Forward)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[38] Steve Whitton at Soccerbase

[39] "Isaiah Rankin". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[40] Isaiah Rankin at Soccerbase

[41] "Wayne Brown". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[42] Wayne Brown at Soccerbase

[43] "Guy Branston". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

[44] Guy Branston at Soccerbase

[goals-46] "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2018.

[47] "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2018.

[48] "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2018.

[49] "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2018.

[50] "Colchester Utd 2–1 Rotherham United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2018.

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