1939–40 Colchester United F.C. season
Lua error in Module:Infobox at line 199: malformed pattern (missing ']'). The 1939–40 season was Colchester United's third season in their history and their third in the Southern League. Alongside competing in the Southern League, the club were also due to participate in the Southern League Mid-Week Section, FA Cup and Southern League Cup. They were also due to play the Southern League Cup matches remaining from the previous season during the campaign, but only played the outstanding semi-final fixture against Norwich City Reserves. The season was to end prematurely, with competitive football abandoned with the outbreak of World War II. Colchester United played regular season fixtures until 2 September 1939, with the 0–0 draw at Layer Road with Ipswich Town Reserves the final competitive fixture to be played by the club for almost six years.
Contents
Season overview
War loomed over Europe during the beginning of the 1939–40 campaign. After kicking the season off with a win against Plymouth Argyle Reserves on 26 August 1939, Colchester played Norwich City Reserves in the first-leg of the delayed Southern League Cup semi-final, beating their opponents 5–1. After only three Southern League games, World War II was declared, and as with predecessors Colchester Town during World War I, the club closed down, denying the club a chance to earn League football after gaining considerable momentum over the previous two seasons.
Colchester United continued to play friendlies against local opposition until December 1939, when the Army Fire Fighting Corp took over Layer Road for drill practice. The ground itself did continued to host matches during hostilities, as a number of high-profile military encounters took place at the stadium. The influx of military personnel through Colchester Garrison ensured that Layer Road played host to a number of star players through the war years.[4]
Players
- As of match played 2 September 1939.[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Match details
Friendlies
16 August 1939 Friendly | Southend United | 2–2 | Colchester United | Southend-on-Sea |
---|---|---|---|---|
Martin ![]() Ormandy ![]() |
Report | Pritchard ![]() ![]() |
Stadium: Southend Stadium Attendance: 1,753 |
30 September 1939 Friendly | Crittall Athletic | 1–1 | Colchester United | Braintree |
---|---|---|---|---|
Unknown goalscorer ![]() |
Report | Law ![]() |
Attendance: 800 |
7 October 1939 Friendly | Colchester United | 4–1 | 17th/21st Lancers | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
15:00 | Leslie ![]() Morris ![]() Bidewell ![]() Law ![]() |
Report | Simpson ![]() |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 500 |
14 October 1939 Friendly | Colchester United | 1–2 | Crittall Athletic | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
15:00 | Cheyne ![]() |
Report | Edwards ![]() Rees ![]() |
Stadium: Layer Road |
21 October 1939 Friendly | Chelmsford City | 4–0 | Colchester United | Chelmsford |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wright ![]() Shaw ![]() Burley ![]() ![]() |
Report | Stadium: New Writtle Street Attendance: 3,417 |
28 October 1939 Friendly | Colchester United | 3–3 | Norwich City Reserves | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cheyne ![]() Birch ![]() |
Report | Coleman ![]() Rose ![]() Houseago ![]() |
Stadium: Layer Road |
7 November 1939 Friendly | Colchester United | 7–0 | Officers' Cadet Training Unit | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
15:00 | Edwards ![]() ![]() ![]() Fieldus ![]() ![]() Perrett ![]() Rees ![]() |
Report | Stadium: Layer Road |
11 November 1939 Friendly | Southend United | 3–2 | Colchester United | Southend-on-Sea |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shalcross ![]() Oswald ![]() Lewis ![]() |
Report | Mullane ![]() |
Stadium: Southend Stadium |
25 November 1939 Friendly | Colchester United | 2–1 | Fulham Reserves | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
14:40 | Fieldus ![]() Birch ![]() |
Report | Cranfield ![]() |
Stadium: Layer Road |
2 December 1939 Friendly | Colchester United | 4–0 | Southend United | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
14:30 | Birch ![]() Rees ![]() Cheyne ![]() ![]() |
Report | Stadium: Layer Road |
9 December 1939 Friendly | Colchester United | 4–3 | 17th/21st Lancers | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
14:30 | Little ![]() Perrett ![]() Pendergast ![]() ![]() |
Report | Elder ![]() ![]() McCormack ![]() |
Stadium: Layer Road |
16 December 1939 Friendly | Colchester United | 1–1 | Chelmsford City | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cheyne ![]() |
Report | Jones ![]() |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 500 |
23 December 1939 Friendly | Chelmsford City | 6–1 | Colchester United | Chelmsford |
---|---|---|---|---|
Beauchamp ![]() Burley ![]() Jones ![]() McCormick ![]() ![]() Sliman ![]() |
Report | Cheyne ![]() |
Stadium: New Writtle Street Attendance: 1,300 |
25 December 1939 Friendly | Norwich City Reserves | 1–2 | Colchester United | Norwich |
---|---|---|---|---|
Unknown goalscorer ![]() |
Report | Little ![]() Rees ![]() |
Stadium: Carrow Road |
26 December 1939 Friendly | Colchester United | 3–4 | Norwich City Reserves | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
14:15 | Potts ![]() Simpson ![]() ![]() |
Report | Unknown goalscorer ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Stadium: Layer Road |
30 December 1939 Friendly | Colchester United | 3–2 | Dartford | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
Morris ![]() Fieldus ![]() ![]() |
Report | Rozier ![]() ![]() |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 200 |
Southern League
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26 August 1939 1 | Colchester United | 3–1 | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
15:15 | Law ![]() Cheyne ![]() Birch ![]() |
Report | Olver ![]() |
Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,200 |
31 August 1939 2 | Colchester United | 1–2 | Chelmsford City | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cheyne ![]() Wallis ![]() |
Report | Burley ![]() Phillips ![]() |
Stadium: Layer Road |
2 September 1939 3 | Colchester United | 0–0 | Ipswich Town Reserves | Colchester |
---|---|---|---|---|
Report | Stadium: Layer Road |
Southern League Cup
28 August 1939 1938–39 Semi-final 1st leg | Norwich City Reserves | 1–5 | Colchester United | Norwich |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coleman ![]() |
Report | Law ![]() Astill ![]() ![]() Pritchard ![]() Birch ![]() |
Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 1,480 |
Squad statistics
Appearances and goals
No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Southern League | Southern League Cup |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||||
GK | ![]() |
Billy Light | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
DF | ![]() |
Joe Birch | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
DF | ![]() |
Syd Fieldus | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
DF | ![]() |
George Leslie | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
DF | ![]() |
Bill Main | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
DF | ![]() |
Robert Morris | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
DF | ![]() |
Alf Worton | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
FW | ![]() |
Len Astill | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||||
FW | ![]() |
Ken Burditt | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
FW | ![]() |
Alec Cheyne | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||
FW | ![]() |
George Law | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
FW | ![]() |
Arthur Pritchard | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||
FW | ![]() |
George Wallis | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season | |||||||||||||
FW | ![]() |
Robert Murray | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Goalscorers
Place | Nation | Position | Name | Southern League | Southern League Cup | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
FW | Len Astill | 0 | 2 | 2 |
![]() |
DF | Joe Birch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
![]() |
FW | Alec Cheyne | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
![]() |
FW | George Law | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
5 | ![]() |
FW | Arthur Pritchard | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Own goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
TOTALS | 4 | 5 | 9 |
Disciplinary record
Nationality | Position | Player | Southern League | Southern League Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|||
![]() |
FW | George Wallis | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
TOTALS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Captains
Number of games played as team captain.[8]
Place | Nation | Position | Player | Southern League | Southern League Cup | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
FW | Alec Cheyne | 1 | 0 | 1 |
![]() |
DF | George Leslie | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Not recorded
|
1 | 1 | 2 |
Player debuts
Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[9]
Position | Player | Date | Opponent | Ground | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
DF | ![]() |
26 August 1939 | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Layer Road | |
FW | ![]() |
26 August 1939 | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Layer Road | |
FW | ![]() |
26 August 1939 | Plymouth Argyle Reserves | Layer Road |
Transfers and contracts
In
Date | Pos | Player | From | Fee | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
25 May 1939 | FW | ![]() |
![]() |
£1,000 | [10] |
18 June 1939 | FW | ![]() |
![]() |
Free transfer | [11] |
19 August 1939 | DF | ![]() |
![]() |
Free transfer | [12] |
Out
Date | Pos | Player | To | Fee | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 May 1939 | DF | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [13] |
31 May 1939 | GK | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [14] |
31 May 1939 | DF | ![]() |
![]() |
Free transfer | [15] |
31 May 1939 | DF | ![]() |
Retired | Retired | [16] |
31 May 1939 | DF | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [17] |
31 May 1939 | FW | ![]() |
![]() |
Free transfer | [18] |
31 May 1939 | FW | ![]() |
![]() |
Free transfer | [19] |
31 May 1939 | FW | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [20] |
31 May 1939 | FW | George Williams | Free agent | Released | [21] |
1 July 1939 | GK | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [22] |
21 July 1939 | FW | ![]() |
![]() |
Undisclosed | [23] |
31 August 1939 | FW | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [24] |
2 September 1939 | DF | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [25] |
2 September 1939 | DF | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [26] |
2 September 1939 | DF | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [12] |
2 September 1939 | DF | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [27] |
2 September 1939 | DF | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [28] |
2 September 1939 | FW | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [29] |
2 September 1939 | FW | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [10] |
2 September 1939 | FW | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [11] |
2 September 1939 | FW | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [30] |
7 September 1939 | DF | ![]() |
Retired | Retired | [31] |
7 September 1939 | FW | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [32] |
5 January 1940 | FW | ![]() |
Free agent | Released | [33] |
See also
References
General
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Specific
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