1949–50 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1949–50 season
Chairman Bill Allen[1]
Manager Jimmy Allen
Stadium Layer Road
Southern League 2nd
Elected to the Football League
FA Cup 4th qualifying round
(eliminated by
Wealdstone)
Southern League Cup Winners
Top goalscorer League:
Vic Keeble (42)
All:
Vic Keeble (46)
Highest home attendance 14,718
v Chelmsford City, 17 September 1949[2]
Lowest home attendance 5,352
v Cheltenham Town, 23 March 1950[3]
Average home league attendance 8,639[4]
Biggest win 8–0
v Kidderminster Harriers, 19 November 1949
Biggest defeat 0–5
v Merthyr Tydfil, 26 April 1950;
1–6
v Gillingham, 29 April 1950
Football kit (white jersey with blue, vertical stripes; white shorts;; and blue socks with white, horizontal hoops).
Home colours
← 1948–49 1950–51 →

The 1949–50 season was Colchester United's eighth season in their history and their eighth and final season in the Southern League. Alongside competing in the Southern League, the club also participated in the FA Cup and Southern League Cup. The club finished as runner-up to Merthyr Tydfil in the league, but despite this Colchester were elected to the Football League at the end of the campaign with the expansion of the League from 88 to 92 clubs.[5] The club won the Southern League Cup 6–4 on aggregate, while they exited the FA Cup at the fourth qualifying round stage following a 1–0 defeat by Wealdstone.

Season overview

Layer Road suffered storm damage ahead of the 1949–50 season, and owing to a shortage of steel, re-construction work was not complete as the season commenced. Manager Jimmy Allen strengthened his defence with the signing of Reg Stewart from Sheffield Wednesday and Bill Layton from Bradford Park Avenue, and by Christmas 1949, Colchester had lost just three of their 28 games played, one of which was the 1–0 FA Cup fourth qualifying round defeat to Wealdstone. The game was one of the first FA Cup ties to be broadcast on television, but on this occasion it was the U's who were on the receiving end of a cup shock.

Colchester had topped the table all season until a fixture-congested April, which saw them held to home draws by Torquay United Reserves and Gravesend & Northfleet, while suffering 5–0 and 6–1 defeats at main title rivals Merthyr Tydfil and Gillingham in the space of three days. Between those defeats, the U's had recovered some pride with a 3–0 Southern League Cup final first-leg win over Bath City. Competing in their fourth match in just five days, a weary Colchester side allowed Bath to lead the second-leg 4–1, meaning the tie would go to extra time. Vic Keeble and Dennis Hillman scored in the added 30-minutes, helping Colchester lift the trophy for the second time.

With Gillingham having defeated Merthyr Tydfil during midweek, all Colchester needed to do in their final fixture was to win at Barry Town to secure the title. However, they were held to a goalless draw and Merthyr Tydfil took the title on goal average. Despite this, Vic Keeble had been the club's top scorer with 46 goals, a record which remains intact. Supplementing this were Fred Cutting's 24 goal haul and Bob Curry's 22, while fellow forward Arthur Turner had spent the majority of the season out injured with cartilage damage.

On 3 June 1950, only Everton and West Bromwich Albion opposed the expansion of the Football League from 88 to 92 clubs by expanding the Third Division North and South, instead preferring another regional league. Of the applications for Third Division South election, Gillingham polled 44 votes, Colchester 28, Worcester City 11, Chelmsford City 8, Peterborough United 5 and Merthyr Tydfil and Yeovil Town just one vote each. Colchester United were elected to the Football League with a Supporters Club membership of over 16,000 and an average gate of over 8,500.[6]

Players

As of match played 6 May 1950.[7]
Name Position Nationality Place of birth Date of birth Apps Goals Signed from Date signed Fee
Goalkeepers
Ken WhiteheadGKEngland380England Clacton TownMay 1948Free transfer
George WrightGKEnglandPlymouth10 October 1919 (aged 29)20England Plymouth ArgyleMay 1949£1,000
Defenders
Doug BeachFBEnglandWatford2 February 1920 (aged 29)00England Southend United8 October 1949[lower-alpha 1]Free transfer
George FrenchFBEnglandColchester10 November 1926 (aged 22)00England West Ham UnitedFebruary 1949Free transfer
Digger KettleFBEnglandColchester3 June 1922 (aged 26)1061England Arclight SportsSeptember 1946Free transfer
Reg StewartCBEnglandSheffield30 October 1925 (aged 23)00England Sheffield Wednesday20 August 1949[lower-alpha 2]£1,000
Midfielders
Harry BearrymanWHEnglandWandsworth26 September 1924 (aged 24)945England Chelsea4 July 1947Free transfer
Bill LaytonWHEnglandShirley13 January 1915 (aged 34)00England Bradford Park AvenueAugust 1949£800
John MooreWHEnglandChiswick25 September 1923 (aged 25)00England Brentford8 September 1949[lower-alpha 2]£1,000
Forwards
Bob AllenWGEnglandBromley-by-Bow11 October 1916 (aged 32)723England Gainsborough Trinity13 June 1946Free transfer
Bob CurryIFEnglandGateshead2 November 1918 (aged 30)13068England Northampton Town13 June 1947Free transfer
Fred CuttingIFEnglandNorth Walsham4 December 1921 (aged 27)7331England Norwich City6 December 1947[lower-alpha 2]Free transfer
Stan FoxallWGEnglandCrowle8 September 1914 (aged 34)3511England West Ham UnitedJune 1948Free transfer
José GallegoWGSpainSan Sebastián8 April 1923 (aged 26)00England SouthamptonJuly 1949Free transfer
Dennis HillmanWGEnglandSouthend-on-Sea27 November 1918 (aged 30)9521England Brighton & Hove Albion21 September 1946Free transfer
Vic KeebleCFEnglandColchester25 June 1930 (aged 18)3017England King George Youth Club23 May 1947£10
Denis MaffeyCFEnglandSunderland22 February 1922 (aged 27)311England Ipswich TownMay 1948Free transfer
Bob NevilleOL72England RowhedgeOctober 1946Free transfer
Arthur TurnerCFEnglandPoplar22 January 1921 (aged 28)11183England Charlton AthleticSeptember 1946Free transfer
  1. ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club
  2. 1 2 3 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Transfers

In

Date Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
July 1949 WG Spain José Gallego England Southampton Free transfer [8]
August 1949 WH England Bill Layton England Bradford Park Avenue £800 [9]
20 August 1949 CB England Reg Stewart England Sheffield Wednesday £1,000 (paid on joining Football League in 1950) [10][lower-alpha 1]
8 September 1949 WH England John Moore England Brentford £1,000 [11][lower-alpha 1]
8 October 1949 FB England Doug Beach England Southend United Free transfer [12][lower-alpha 2]
20 October 1949 CB England Ronnie Sales England Leyton Orient Free transfer [13][lower-alpha 1]
22 October 1949 CF John Sharpe England Southampton Trial [14][lower-alpha 1]
  1. 1 2 3 4 Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club
  2. ↑ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

Out

Date Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
End of season GK England Harry Wright England Guildford City Coach [15]
End of season WH England Wally Nunn England Guildford City Free transfer [16]
End of season WH/IR England Frank Stamper England Hartlepools United Undisclosed [17]
End of season WG England Norman George Free agent Released [18]
End of season IF Scotland Andy Brown England Kidderminster Harriers Free transfer [19]
End of season IR England Ray Townrow England Clacton Town Free transfer [20]
May 1949 WH England Alf Miller England Colchester United Coaching staff [21]
10 September 1949 CF England Len Cater England Clacton Town Free transfer [22][lower-alpha 1]
1 October 1949 FB Wales Bill Bower England Sudbury Town Free transfer [23]
20 October 1949 CB England Ronnie Sales England Hartlepools United Free [24][lower-alpha 1]
22 October 1949 CF John Sharpe Free agent End of trial [14][lower-alpha 1]
  1. 1 2 3 Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

Match details

Southern League

League table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGAv1Pts2Promotion, qualification or relegation
1Merthyr Tydfil463439143622.3171Southern League champions, no promotion
2Colchester United (P)463196109512.1471Elected to Third Division South
3Yeovil Town4629710104452.3165
4Chelmsford City4626911121641.8961
5Gillingham (P)462391492611.5155Elected to Third Division South

Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Number of goals scored

(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated; (R) Relegated.

Notes:

1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976–77 season.

2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.

Matches

FA Cup

Southern League Cup

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

[7][25]

No. Pos Nat Player TotalSouthern League Southern League
Cup 		FA Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK England George Wright 52 0 46 0 5 0 1 0
DF England Doug Beach 35 0 30 0 4 0 1 0
DF England Digger Kettle 44 0 39 0 4 0 1 0
DF England Reg Stewart 51 0 45 0 5 0 1 0
MF England Harry Bearryman 52 4 46 3 5 1 1 0
MF England Bill Layton 43 7 37 7 5 0 1 0
MF England John Moore 13 0 13 0 0 0 0 0
FW England Bob Allen 17 3 16 3 1 0 0 0
FW England Bob Curry 42 22 37 20 4 2 1 0
FW England Fred Cutting 52 24 46 21 5 3 1 0
FW England Stan Foxall 51 5 45 5 5 0 1 0
FW Spain José Gallego 8 1 8 1 0 0 0 0
FW England Dennis Hillman 41 6 35 4 5 2 1 0
FW England Vic Keeble 51 46 45 42 5 4 1 0
FW England Denis Maffey 6 0 5 0 1 0 0 0
FW England Arthur Turner 6 0 5 0 1 0 0 0
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
DF Wales Bill Bower 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
DF England Ronnie Sales 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
FW England Len Cater 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0
FW John Sharpe 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

Goalscorers

[25]

Place Nationality Position Name Southern League Southern League Cup FA Cup Total
1 England CF Vic Keeble 42 4 0 46
2 England IF Fred Cutting 21 3 0 24
3 England IF Bob Curry 20 2 0 22
4 England WH Bill Layton 7 0 0 7
5 England WG Dennis Hillman 4 2 0 6
6 England WG Stan Foxall 5 0 0 5
7 England WH Harry Bearryman 3 1 0 4
8 England WG Bob Allen 3 0 0 3
9 Spain WG José Gallego 1 0 0 1
Own goals 3 0 0 3
TOTALS 109 12 0 121

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.[26]

Place Nationality Player Southern League Southern League Cup FA Cup Total
1 England George Wright 18 2 0 20
TOTALS 18 2 0 20

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.[27]

Position Nationality Player Date Opponent Ground Notes
WH England Bill Layton 20 August 1949 Weymouth Layer Road
CB England Reg Stewart 20 August 1949 Weymouth Layer Road
WG Spain José Gallego 20 August 1949 Weymouth Layer Road
WH England John Moore 8 September 1949 Chingford Town Newgate Street
FB England Doug Beach 8 October 1949 Chelmsford City Layer Road [lower-alpha 1]
CB England Ronnie Sales 20 October 1949 Lovell's Athletic Rexville
CF John Sharpe 22 October 1949 Yeovil Town Layer Road
  1. ↑ Second debut for the club

See also

References

General

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

  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 4–1 Chelmsford City". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Colchester Utd 2–2 Cheltenham Town". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Willis, Tom. "Promotion to/Relegation from the Football League by year". Thepyramid.info. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  6. ↑ Hudson, Matt (11 August 2013). "The 1930s and 1940s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Jose Gallego". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "Bill Layton". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  10. ↑ "Reg Stewart". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  11. ↑ "John Moore". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Doug Beach". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "Ronnie Sales". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  14. 1 2 "John Sharpe". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  15. ↑ "Harry Wright". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  16. ↑ "Wally Nunn". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  17. ↑ "Frank Stamper". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  18. ↑ "Norman George". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  19. ↑ "Andy Brown". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  20. ↑ "Ray Townrow". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  21. ↑ "Alf Miller". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  22. ↑ "Len Cater". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  23. ↑ "Bill Bower". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  24. ↑ "Ronnie Sales". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  25. 1 2 "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  26. ↑ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  27. ↑ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
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