1952–53 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1952–53 season
Manager Jimmy Allen
Until 1 April 1953
Third Division South 22nd
FA Cup 3rd Round
Top goalscorer League:
Kevin McCurley (15)
All:
Kevin McCurley (18)
Highest home attendance 14,674 (Ipswich Town)
Lowest home attendance 3,382 (Crystal Palace)
Average home attendance 8,175
← 1951–52 1953–54 →

The 1952–53 season was Colchester United's third consecutive season in the Football League Third Division South. They finished 22nd and reached the third round of the FA Cup

Contents

Season Review

The 1952-53 season kicked off with a 14,674 Layer Road crowd witnessing a 0-0 draw with Ipswich and United hovered around mid table for the first half of the season and once again reached the Third Round of the FA Cup. Disposing of non-Leaguers Weymouth and Llanelli, it was a Yorkshire club again that ended Colchester's run. Securing a 2-2 draw at Second Division Rotherham, U's lost the replay 2-0 at Layer Road missing out on a potential tie with Newcastle.

A disastrous run of just one point from the last six games then saw United slip from 13th to just one place and two points above the re-election zone. Kevin McCurley had justified Allen's outlay with 19 goals and the season was significant with the introduction of a young winger by the name of Peter Wright. The need for floodlights was emphasized when just 3,382 watched the re-arranged Thursday March 19th 1953 afternoon fixture with Crystal Palace.

Criticised by supporters for his style of play and unwilling to implement the Board's call for a reduction in playing staff, Allen resigned on May 2nd 1953. The Board shortlisted three names for the vacant managerial position and, in line with their cost reduction policy, appointed Ron Meades as player-manager. Meades had presented his CV claiming to have been with Cardiff and more recently manager of Western League side Wadebridge Town. A piece of investigative journalism by U's reporter Arthur Wood revealed that Meades was a fraud and after four days in charge Meades was asked to leave by a very embarrassed United hierarchy. [1]

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
–– GK Frank Coombs
–– GK George Wright
–– DF Harry Bearryman
–– DF Roy Bicknell
–– DF Jimmy Elder
–– DF George French
–– DF John Harrison
–– DF Bertie Hill
–– DF Ron Hunt
–– DF Digger Kettle
–– DF Phil Rookes
No. Position Player
–– DF Reg Stewart
–– MF Peter Aitchinson
–– MF John Church
–– MF Mike Grice
–– MF Peter Wright
–– FW Bert Barlow
–– FW Dick Cullum
–– FW Kevin McCurley
–– FW Johnny McKim
–– FW Augie Scott

Player Info

Pos. Name Place of Birth Date of Birth Previous Club Date Joined Fee
GK Frank Coombs East Ham 24 April 1925 Southend United 8 March 1952 £450
GK George Wright Plymouth 10 October 1919 Plymouth Argyle 5 May 1949 Free
DF Harry Bearryman Wandsworth 26 September 1924 Chelsea 30 August 1947 Free
DF Roy Bicknell Doncaster 19 February 1926 Gravesend & Northfleet 4 October 1952 Free
DF Jimmy Elder Scone 5 March 1928 Portsmouth 19 August 1950 £1,000
DF George French Unknown 10 November 1926 Unknown 4 October 1952 Free
DF John Harrison Leicester 27 September 1927 Aston Villa 30 September 1950 Undisclosed
DF Bertie Hill West Ham 8 March 1930 Chelsea 11 April 1953 Free
DF Ron Hunt Colchester 26 September 1933 Youth Team 1 August 1951 Free
DF Digger Kettle Colchester 3 June 1922 Arclight Sports 26 December 1946 Free
DF Phil Rookes Dulverton 23 April 1919 Portsmouth 18 August 1951 Undisclosed
DF Reg Stewart Sheffield 30 October 1925 Sheffield Wednesday 20 August 1949 £1,000
MF Peter Aitchinson Harlow 19 September 1931 Youth Team 1 August 1951 Free
MF John Church Lowestoft 17 September 1919 Norwich City 19 August 1950 £1,200
MF Mike Grice Woking 3 November 1931 Lowestoft Town 11 September 1952 £50
MF Peter Wright Colchester 26 January 1934 Youth Team 1 August 1951 Free
FW Bert Barlow Kilnhurst 22 July 1917 Leicester City 13 September 1952 £1,000
FW Dick Cullum Colchester 28 January 1931 Youth Team 1 August 1950 Free
FW Kevin McCurley Consett 2 April 1926 Liverpool 22 March 1952 £750
FW Johnny McKim Greenock 22 January 1926 Chelsea 19 August 1950 £1,000
FW Augie Scott Sunderland 19 February 1921 Southampton 18 August 1951 Free

Transfers

Transfers In

Date Pos. Player Name Previous Club Transfer Fee Notes
6 September 1952 FW Stan Edwards Chelsea Free
11 September 1952 MF Mike Grice Lowestoft Town £50
13 September 1952 FW Bert Barlow Leicester City £1,000
4 October 1952 DF Roy Bicknell Gravesend & Northfleet Free
4 October 1952 DF George French Unknown Free
14 March 1953 DF Harry Wilkinson Exeter City Free
11 April 1953 DF Bertie Hill Chelsea Free

Transfers Out

Date Pos. Player Name New Club Transfer Fee Notes
3 May 1952 MF Adam Davidson Carnoustie Panmure Free
7 February 1953 DF Trevor Rowlands Lovells Athletic Free
14 March 1953 DF Harry Wilkinson Folkestone Town Free
4 April 1953 DF Len Jones Ipswich Town Free
30 April 1953 FW Stan Edwards Leyton Orient Free

Results

Third Division South Results Summary

Pos Club Pld W D L GF GA Av Pts
21 Gillingham 46 12 15 19 55 74 0.743 39
22 Colchester United 46 12 14 20 59 76 0.776 38
23 Shrewsbury Town 46 12 12 22 68 91 0.747 36

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GAv = Goal average; Pts = Points

Third Division South Results

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
23/08/1952 Ipswich Town H 0-0 14,674
28/08/1952 Reading H 2-1 9,190 McKim (2)
30/08/1952 Aldershot A 0-0 8,278
03/09/1952 Reading A 0-2 13,908
06/09/1952 Swindon Town H 3-1 9,062 Church, Edwards, McKim
11/09/1952 Bristol Rovers H 0-3 8,909
13/09/1952 Queens Park Rangers A 0-1 13,837
15/09/1952 Bristol Rovers A 1-3 17,336 Elder (pen.)
20/09/1952 Shrewsbury Town H 1-0 7,779 Scott
23/09/1952 Bristol City A 2-3 12,615 Barlow, Rowlands
27/09/1952 Walsall A 3-0 7,736 Church, Grice, McCurley
04/10/1952 Gillingham H 1-1 8,529 Church
11/10/1952 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic A 0-1 11,679
18/10/1952 Southend United H 3-3 10,589 Church, McCurley, McKim
25/10/1952 Watford A 0-2 16,100
01/11/1952 Brighton & Hove Albion H 0-0 8,139
08/11/1952 Newport County A 1-0 9,000 McKim
29/11/1952 Torquay United H 4-1 6,846 Barlow, Church (2), McKim
13/12/1952 Leyton Orient H 3-1 6,622 McCurley (2), McKim
20/12/1952 Ipswich Town A 2-2 12,572 McCurley, McKim
26/12/1952 Norwich City A 0-3 19,859
03/01/1953 Aldershot H 1-2 7,438 McCurley
17/01/1953 Swindon Town A 1-0 8,545 McKim
21/01/1953 Exeter City A 0-2 3,951
24/01/1953 Queens Park Rangers H 1-1 9,150 Rowlands
31/01/1953 Exeter City H 3-1 5,643 Barlow, Elder (pen.), Rowlands
07/02/1953 Shrewsbury Town A 0-3 7,624
14/02/1953 Walsall H 6-1 5,102 McCurley (3), McKim (3)
21/02/1953 Gillingham H 1-1 10,000 McCurley
28/02/1953 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic H 1-1 7,858 McCurley
07/03/1953 Southend United A 0-4 10,250
14/03/1953 Watford H 1-1 6,667 McCurley
19/03/1953 Crystal Palace H 3-0 3,382 McCurley (2), McKim
21/03/1953 Brighton & Hove Albion A 0-0 12,366
28/03/1953 Newport County H 3-3 6,200 Church, Elder (pen.), McCurley
03/04/1953 Coventry City H 0-1 10,618
04/04/1953 Crystal Palace A 1-3 12,099 Church
06/04/1953 Coventry City A 2-2 11,284 Bearryman, Edwards
11/04/1953 Bristol City H 3-1 7,519 Barlow, Edwards (2)
16/04/1953 Northampton Town A 0-2 7,982
18/04/1953 Torquay United A 1-5 7,269 Barlow
23/04/1953 Millwall H 0-0 8,127
25/04/1953 Newport County H 1-2 8,122 Barlow
27/04/1953 Millwall A 1-3 7,970 P.Wright
30/04/1953 Leyton Orient A 3-5 2,553 Edwards, Scott, P.Wright
02/05/1953 Norwich City H 0-4 10,029

Source: 1952-53 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

FA Cup

Main article: 1952–53 FA Cup
Date Round Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
22/11/1952 R1 Weymouth A 1-1 8,000 McKim
27/11/1952 R1 (R) Weymouth H 4-0 4,314 O.G., Edwards (2), McKim
06/12/1952 R2 Llanelli H 3-2 9,693 Barlow, Church, McCurley
27/11/1952 R3 Rotherham United A 2-2 16,547 McCurley (2)
27/11/1952 R3 (R) Rotherham United H 0-2 8,991

Source: 1952-53 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

Squad statistics

[2]

No. Nat. Pos. Name Total Third Division South FA Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
–– GK Frank Coombs 18 0 18 0 0 0
–– GK George Wright 33 0 28 0 5 0
–– DF Harry Bearryman 49 1 44 1 5 0
–– DF Roy Bicknell 8 0 6 0 2 0
–– DF Jimmy Elder 50 3 45 3 5 0
–– DF George French 1 0 1 0 0 0
–– DF John Harrison 50 0 45 0 5 0
–– DF Bertie Hill 2 0 2 0 0 0
–– DF Ron Hunt 0 0 0 0 0 0
–– DF Len Jones 13 0 13 0 0 0
–– DF Digger Kettle 0 0 0 0 0 0
–– DF Phil Rookes 45 0 42 0 3 0
–– DF Trevor Rowlands 5 3 5 3 0 0
–– DF Reg Stewart 45 0 40 0 5 0
–– DF Harry Wilkinson 1 0 1 0 0 0
–– MF Peter Aitchinson 3 0 3 0 0 0
–– MF John Church 39 9 34 8 5 1
–– MF Mike Grice 14 1 14 1 0 0
–– MF Peter Wright 12 2 12 2 0 0
–– FW Bert Barlow 33 7 28 6 5 1
–– FW Dick Cullum 0 0 0 0 0 0
–– FW Stan Edwards 19 7 16 5 3 2
–– FW Kevin McCurley 47 18 42 15 5 3
–– FW Johnny McKim 34 15 29 13 5 2
–– FW Augie Scott 40 2 38 2 2 0

Scorers

[3]

All

Scorer Goals
Kevin McCurley 18
Johnny McKim 15
John Church 9
Bert Barlow 7
Stan Edwards
Jimmy Elder 3
Trevor Rowlands
Augie Scott 2
Peter Wright
Harry Bearryman 1
Mike Grice
Own goal 1

League

Scorer Goals
Kevin McCurley 15
Johnny McKim 13
John Church 8
Bert Barlow 6
Stan Edwards 5
Jimmy Elder 3
Trevor Rowlands
Augie Scott 2
Peter Wright
Harry Bearryman 1
Mike Grice

FA Cup

Scorer Goals
Kevin McCurley 3
Stan Edwards 2
Johnny McKim
Bert Barlow 1
John Church
Own goal 1

References

  1. ^ "The U's History: The 50s". Colchester United F.C.. http://www.cu-fc.com/page/History/0,,10424~1320520,00.html. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  2. ^ "1952–53 Season Appearance Data". coludata.co.uk. http://www.coludata.co.uk/appearances.asp?sid=12&cid=All. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
  3. ^ "1952–53 Season Goalscorers Data". coludata.co.uk. http://www.coludata.co.uk/goals.asp?sid=12&cid=All. Retrieved 23 May 2011. 
Managers
Managers
Players
Rivalries
Seasons
1937-38  • 1938-39  • 1939-40  • 1945-46  • 1946-47  • 1947-48  • 1948-49  • 1949-50  • 1950-51  • 1951-52  • 1952-53  • 1953-54  • 1954-55  • 1955-56  • 1956-57  • 1957-58  • 1958-59  • 1959-60  • 1960-61  • 1961-62  • 1962-63  • 1963-64  • 1964-65  • 1965-66  • 1966-67  • 1967-68  • 1968-69  • 1969-70  • 1970-71  • 1971-72  • 1972-73  • 1973-74  • 1974-75  • 1975-76  • 1976-77  • 1977-78 • 1978-79  • 1979-80  • 1980-81  • 1981-83  • 1982-83  • 1983-84 • 1984-85  • 1985-86  • 1986-87  • 1987-88  • 1988-89  • 1989-90  • 1990-91  • 1991-92  • 1992-93  • 1993-94  • 1994-95  • 1995-96  • 1996-97 • 1997-98  • 1998-99  • 1999-2000  • 2000-01  • 2001-02  • 2002-03  • 2003-04  • 2004-05  • 2005-06  • 2006-07  • 2007-08  • 2008-09  • 2009-10  • 2010–11  • Current
Stadiums
Layer Road (1937–2008) · Colchester Community Stadium (2008–)
Statistics