1986–87 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1986–87 season
Chairman	Jonathan Crisp
Manager	Mike Walker
Stadium	Layer Road
Fourth Division	5th
Play-offs	Semi-final; (eliminated by; Wolverhampton Wanderers
FA Cup	2nd round; (eliminated by; Aldershot)
League Cup	1st round; (eliminated by; Peterborough United)
Associate Members' Cup	1st round (southern section); (eliminated by; Gillingham)
Top goalscorer	League: ; Tony Adcock (11); All: ; Tony Adcock; Tommy English (12)
Highest home attendance	4,829; v Wolverhampton Wanderers, 14 May 1987
Lowest home attendance	1,404; v Peterborough United, 25 November 1986
Average home league attendance	2,753
Biggest win	5–1; v Stockport County, 6 March 1987
Biggest defeat	2–5; v Scunthorpe United, 21 November 1986
	Home colours
	Home colours
	← 1985–86 1987–88 →

The 1986–87 season was Colchester United's 45th season in their history and sixth consecutive season in fourth tier of English football, the Fourth Division. Alongside competing in the Fourth Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Associate Members' Cup.

The play-offs were introduced in 1987 for clubs finishing in fourth, fifth and sixth positions. United ended the campaign in fifth place, ten points adrift of automatic promotion. They faced fourth placed Wolverhampton Wanderers in the semi-final, but were eliminated following a 2–0 defeat in the first leg and a 0–0 draw at Molineux Stadium in the second leg.

Colchester were eliminated from the FA Cup by eventual play-off winners Aldershot in the second round, and were defeated by Peterborough United and Gillingham respectively in the League Cup and Associate Members' Cup.

Season overview

Mike Walker was appointed as permanent manager after finishing the previous campaign in a caretaker capacity.

Early in the season, Perry Groves was sold to Arsenal for £50,000, but despite this Colchester were bookmakers favourites heading into the new term. Seven successive away defeats from December denied the U's this opportunity as they came home in fifth position, ten points shy of promoted Essex rivals Southend United. However, with the introduction of the play-offs in 1987, Colchester had an opportunity to achieve promotion. They faced fourth-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers at a rain-soaked Layer Road in their semi-final first leg tie in front of a near-capacity 4,829. The visitors came away with a 2–0 victory, and a 0–0 draw at Molineux Stadium in the second leg meant Colchester would remain in the Fourth Division for at least another year.

Colchester did not fare well in cup competition once again, with an early exit in the League Cup to Peterborough United in the first round. They needed a replay against non-League Bishop's Stortford in the FA Cup to reach the second round, but were defeated 3–2 at Aldershot in the second round. The U's progressed from the preliminary round of the Associate Members' Cup to face Gillingham in the southern section first round, but were beaten 2–0 at Priestfield Stadium.^[5]

Players

As of match played 17 May 1987.^[6]

Name	Position	Place of birth	Date of birth	Apps	Goals	Signed from	Date signed	Fee
Goalkeepers
Alec Chamberlain	GK	March	(1964-06-20)20 June 1964 (aged 21)	165	0	Ipswich Town	Summer 1982	Undisclosed
Defenders
Terry Baker	CB	Rochford	(1965-11-13)13 November 1965 (aged 20)	23	3	Billericay Town	November 1985	Free transfer
Keith Day	CB	Grays	(1962-11-29)29 November 1962 (aged 23)	84	9	Aveley	Summer 1984	Undisclosed
Tony English	DF/MF	Luton	(1966-10-19)19 October 1966 (aged 19)	75	14	Coventry City	24 December 1984	Free transfer
Kirk Game	CB	Rochford	(1966-10-22)22 October 1966 (aged 19)	6	0	Southend United	August 1985	Free transfer
Stephen Grenfell	FB	Enfield Town	(1966-10-27)27 October 1966 (aged 19)	7	1	Tottenham Hotspur	28 November 1986^[a]	£15,000
Rudi Hedman	CB	Lambeth	(1964-11-16)16 November 1964 (aged 21)	84	5	Apprentice	February 1984	Free transfer
Paul Hinshelwood	FB	Bristol	(1956-08-14)14 August 1956 (aged 29)	0	0	Millwall	September 1986	Undisclosed
Ian Phillips	FB	Cumnock	(1959-04-23)23 April 1959 (aged 27)	134	8	Northampton Town	September 1983	£5,000
Scott Young	FB	Shoreham-by-Sea	(1969-07-22)22 July 1969 (aged 16)	0	0	Apprentice	9 December 1986^[b]	Free transfer
Midfielders
Nick Chatterton	MF	West Norwood	(1954-05-18)18 May 1954 (aged 32)	0	0	Millwall	September 1986	Undisclosed
Andy Farrell	MF/FB	Colchester	(1965-10-07)7 October 1965 (aged 20)	92	1	Apprentice	Summer 1982	Free transfer
Sean Norman	MF	Lowestoft	(1966-11-27)27 November 1966 (aged 19)	0	0	Lowestoft Town	23 August 1986^[b]	Undisclosed
Mark Radford	MF	Leicester	(1968-12-20)20 December 1968 (aged 17)	0	0	Apprentice	26 January 1987^[b]	Free transfer
John Reeves	MF	Hackney	(1963-07-08)8 July 1963 (aged 22)	27	4	Fulham	August 1985	Undisclosed
Richard Wilkins	MF/DF	Lambeth	(1965-05-28)28 May 1965 (aged 21)	0	0	Haverhill Rovers	18 November 1986^[b]	Undisclosed
Forwards
Tony Adcock	FW	Bethnal Green	(1963-03-27)27 March 1963 (aged 23)	209	100	Apprentice	31 March 1981	Free transfer
Simon Burman	WG/MF	Ipswich	(1965-11-26)26 November 1965 (aged 20)	20	1	Apprentice	15 February 1985	Free transfer
Simon Lowe	FW	Westminster	(1962-12-26)26 December 1962 (aged 23)	5	1	Hartlepool United	10 January 1987^[a]	£5,000
Winston White	WG	Leicester	(1958-10-26)26 October 1958 (aged 27)	0	0	Bury	February 1987	Free transfer

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

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
23 August 1986	MF	Sean Norman	Lowestoft Town	Undisclosed	^[7]^[a]
September 1986	FB	Paul Hinshelwood	Millwall	Undisclosed	^[8]
September 1986	MF	Nick Chatterton	Millwall	Undisclosed	^[9]
18 November 1986	MF/DF	Richard Wilkins	Haverhill Rovers	Undisclosed	^[10]
28 November 1986	FB	Stephen Grenfell	Tottenham Hotspur	£15,000	^[11]^[b]
9 December 1986	FB	Scott Young	Apprentice	Free transfer	^[12]^[a]
10 January 1987	FW	Simon Lowe	Hartlepool United	£5,000	^[13]^[b]
26 January 1987	MF	Mark Radford	Apprentice	Free transfer	^[14]^[a]
February 1987	WG	Winston White	Bury	Free transfer	^[15]

Total spending: ~ £20,000

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

Out

Date	Position	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
September 1986	WG	Perry Groves	Arsenal	£50,000	^[16]
7 November 1986	FW	Mick Ferguson	Wealdstone	Undisclosed	^[17]^[a]
21 April 1987	FW	Tommy English	Wealdstone	Undisclosed	^[18]^[a]

Total incoming: ~ £50,000

^ ^a ^b Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

Loans in

Date	Position	Name	From	End date	Ref.
September 1986	WG	Keith Gorman	Ipswich Town	3 October 1986	^[19]^[a]
October 1986	FB	Stephen Grenfell	Tottenham Hotspur	25 November 1986	^[11]^[a]
December 1986	FW	Simon Lowe	Hartlepool United	3 January 1987	^[13]^[a]

^ ^a ^b ^c Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

Match details

Fourth 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	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A
Result	L	D	W	W	W	L	L	W	W	D	W	D	D	W	L	D	L	W	L	W	L	L	L	W	W	L	D	L	L	W	L	W	L	W	W	W	L	W	L	W	W	W	W	D	L	L
Position	22	19	9	4	3	6	11	7	3	3	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	8	5	6	8	8	6	5	5	5	6	6	5	7	5	7	5	6	5	5	6	7	5	5	5	5	5	5	5

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
3	Southend United	46	25	5	16	68	55	+13	80	Promoted
4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	24	7	15	69	50	+19	79	Participated in play-offs
5	Colchester United	46	21	7	18	64	56	+8	70	Participated in play-offs
6	Aldershot	46	20	10	16	64	57	+7	70	Promoted through play-offs^[a]
7	Leyton Orient	46	20	9	17	64	61	+3	69

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Notes:

^ Aldershot were winners of the play-offs and were thus promoted.

Matches

23 August 1986 (1986-08-23) 1	Lincoln City	3–1	Colchester United	Lincoln
	McInnes 10' Lund 26' Cooper 36'	Report	Adcock 75'	Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 2,303 Referee: M Bailey

29 August 1986 (1986-08-29) 2	Colchester United	1–1	Exeter City	Colchester
19:30 BST	Tony English 75'	Report	Kellow 89'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,633 Referee: G Napthine

5 September 1986 (1986-09-05) 3	Tranmere Rovers	3–4	Colchester United	Birkenhead
	Muir 28' Anderson 36' Hughes 77'	Report	Reeves 9' Adcock 27' Tommy English 80', 90'	Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 1,281 Referee: P Harrison

12 September 1986 (1986-09-12) 4	Colchester United	3–0	Torquay United	Colchester
	Tony English 5', 27', 61'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,476 Referee: David Elleray

16 September 1986 (1986-09-16) 5	Colchester United	2–1	Hartlepool United	Colchester
	Adcock 60', 87'	Report	Hogan 36' (pen.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,326 Referee: Kelvin Morton

20 September 1986 (1986-09-20) 6	Rochdale	1–0	Colchester United	Rochdale
	Taylor 60'	Report		Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 1,240 Referee: Robbie Hart

27 September 1986 (1986-09-27) 7	Colchester United	1–3	Peterborough United	Colchester
	Day 86'	Report	Gregory 43' Gunn 53' (pen.) Lawrence 57'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,343 Referee: D Reeves

1 October 1986 (1986-10-01) 8	Hereford United	2–3	Colchester United	Hereford
	Wells 49' Halliday 66'	Report	Burman 7' Hedman 18' Ferguson 47'	Stadium: Edgar Street Attendance: 2,144 Referee: F Roberts

3 October 1986 (1986-10-03) 9	Colchester United	2–1	Wrexham	Colchester
	Ferguson 15' Williams 50' (o.g.)	Report	Massey 30'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,633 Referee: Phil Don

10 October 1986 (1986-10-10) 10	Southend United	1–1	Colchester United	Southend-on-Sea
	Cadette 23'	Report	Hedman 47'	Stadium: Roots Hall Attendance: 4,004 Referee: R Wiseman

17 October 1986 (1986-10-17) 11	Colchester United	3–1	Cardiff City	Colchester
19:30 BST	Reeves 18' Tony English 55' Burman 81'	Report	Wheeler 83'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,160 Referee: Alf Buksh

21 October 1986 (1986-10-21) 12	Crewe Alexandra	1–1	Colchester United	Crewe
	Thomas 45'	Report	Tommy English 57'	Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 1,812 Referee: W Flood

24 October 1986 (1986-10-24) 13	Stockport County	1–1	Colchester United	Stockport
	Entwistle 9'	Report	Tommy English 77'	Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 1,278 Referee: T Ashby

31 October 1986 (1986-10-31) 14	Colchester United	3–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Colchester
	Ferguson 49' Streete 74' (o.g.) Tony English 82'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,741 Referee: M Scott

4 November 1986 (1986-11-04) 15	Burnley	2–1	Colchester United	Burnley
	Grewcock 28' Hoskin 45'	Report	Ferguson 85'	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 1,692 Referee: J Key

7 November 1986 (1986-11-07) 16	Colchester United	0–0	Orient	Colchester
19:30 GMT		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,924 Referee: D Hedges

21 November 1986 (1986-11-21) 17	Scunthorpe United	5–2	Colchester United	Scunthorpe
	Lister 4' Broddle 45' Johnson 63', 66' McLean 83' (pen.)	Report	Hedman 25' Grenfell 70'	Stadium: Old Showground Attendance: 1,725 Referee: A Robinson

28 November 1986 (1986-11-28) 18	Colchester United	3–1	Halifax Town	Colchester
	Farrell 37' Adcock 75' Phillips 89'	Report	Longhurst 84'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,567 Referee: I Hemley

13 December 1986 (1986-12-13) 19	Colchester United	0–2	Preston North End	Colchester
15:00 GMT		Report	Williams 63' Hildersley 90'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,240 Referee: J Martin

20 December 1986 (1986-12-20) 20	Swansea City	1–2	Colchester United	Swansea
	McCarthy 7' (pen.)	Report	Tommy English 47' Farrell 76'	Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 4,515 Referee: K Baker

26 December 1986 (1986-12-26) 21	Colchester United	1–2	Cambridge United	Colchester
11:00 GMT	Lowe 51'	Report	Crown 12' Spriggs 19'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,376 Referee: Ian Borrett

27 December 1986 (1986-12-27) 22	Aldershot	1–0	Colchester United	Aldershot
	Langley 67'	Report		Stadium: Recreation Ground Attendance: 2,594 Referee: Tony Ward

1 January 1987 (1987-01-01) 23	Northampton Town	3–2	Colchester United	Northampton
	Benjamin 50' Morley 56' Gilbert 86' (pen.)	Report	Adcock 52', 63'	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 8,215 Referee: D Vickers

3 January 1987 (1987-01-03) 24	Colchester United	1–0	Scunthorpe United	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Adcock 45'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,100 Referee: N Butler

10 January 1987 (1987-01-10) 25	Colchester United	2–0	Lincoln City	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Farrell 39', 68'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,768 Referee: Vic Callow

17 January 1987 (1987-01-17) 26	Exeter City	2–0	Colchester United	Exeter
	Baker 4' (o.g.) Robson 80'	Report		Stadium: St James Park Attendance: 2,553 Referee: D Reeves

23 January 1987 (1987-01-23) 27	Colchester United	1–1	Tranmere Rovers	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Norman 79'	Report	Worthington 53'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,167 Referee: M Cotton

31 January 1987 (1987-01-31) 28	Torquay United	3–1	Colchester United	Torquay
	McNichol 41' Dobson 48' Nardiello 64'	Report	Adcock 51'	Stadium: Plainmoor Attendance: 1,034 Referee: J Deakin

6 February 1987 (1987-02-06) 29	Hartlepool United	1–0	Colchester United	Hartlepool
	Walker 90'	Report		Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 1,235 Referee: C Seel

13 February 1987 (1987-02-13) 30	Colchester United	2–0	Rochdale	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Tommy English 13' Wilkins 82'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,020 Referee: Brian Hill

21 February 1987 (1987-02-21) 31	Peterborough United	2–0	Colchester United	Peterborough
	Phillips 7' (pen.) Gallagher 15'	Report		Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 2,020 Referee: D Scott

27 February 1987 (1987-02-27) 32	Colchester United	2–0	Hereford United	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Tommy English 52' (pen.) Phillips 54'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,999 Referee: Alf Buksh

3 March 1987 (1987-03-03) 33	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2–0	Colchester United	Wolverhampton
	Holmes 41' Bull 86'	Report		Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 5,715 Referee: D Shaw

6 March 1987 (1987-03-06) 34	Colchester United	5–1	Stockport County	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Lowe 4', 14', 30' Tommy English 17' Day 46'	Report	Edwards 78' Allatt 10'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,001 Referee: N Butler

14 March 1987 (1987-03-14) 35	Cardiff City	0–2	Colchester United	Cardiff
		Report	Lowe 49', 51'	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 2,222 Referee: Vic Callow

17 March 1987 (1987-03-17) 36	Colchester United	2–1	Crewe Alexandra	Colchester
	Day 13' Lowe 84'	Report	Blissett 47'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,249 Referee: Colin Downey

20 March 1987 (1987-03-20) 37	Colchester United	1–2	Southend United	Colchester
	White 43'	Report	Johnson 59' Cadette 89'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,357 Referee: Rob Lewis

28 March 1987 (1987-03-28) 38	Wrexham	0–1	Colchester United	Wrexham
		Report	Tommy English 80'	Stadium: Racecourse Ground Attendance: 1,320 Referee: Joe Worrall

3 April 1987 (1987-04-03) 39	Orient	1–0	Colchester United	Leyton
	Jones 38'	Report	Phillips 21'	Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 3,105 Referee: Keith Cooper

10 April 1987 (1987-04-10) 40	Colchester United	1–0	Burnley	Colchester
19:30 BST	Adcock 29'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,635 Referee: M Dimblebee

17 April 1987 (1987-04-17) 41	Colchester United	3–1	Northampton Town	Colchester
19:30 BST	Wilkins 39' Chatterton 57' (pen.) Hedman 76'	Report	Logan 15'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,676 Referee: Colin Downey

21 April 1987 (1987-04-21) 42	Cambridge United	0–1	Colchester United	Cambridge
		Report	Tony English 63'	Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 2,946 Referee: P Vanes

24 April 1987 (1987-04-24) 43	Colchester United	2–1	Swansea City	Colchester
19:30 BST	Hinshelwood 58' Adcock 59'	Report	Atkinson 11'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,323

29 April 1987 (1987-04-29) 44	Halifax Town	0–0	Colchester United	Halifax
		Report		Stadium: The Shay Attendance: 911 Referee: M Heath

4 May 1987 (1987-05-04) 45	Colchester United	0–1	Aldershot	Colchester
11:00 BST		Report	Ring 26'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,310 Referee: Ian Borrett

9 May 1987 (1987-05-09) 46	Preston North End	1–0	Colchester United	Preston
	Swann 90'	Report		Stadium: Deepdale Attendance: 8,757 Referee: M Scott

Football League play-offs

14 May 1987 (1987-05-14) Semi-final 1st leg	Colchester United	0–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Colchester
19:30 BST		Report	Kelly 28' Bull 32'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,829 Referee: Rob Lewis

17 May 1987 (1987-05-17) Semi-final 2nd leg	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–0	Colchester United	Wolverhampton
12:15 BST		Report		Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 16,330
Note: Wolverhampton won 2–0 on aggregate.

League Cup

26 August 1986 (1986-08-26) 1st round 1st leg	Colchester United	0–0	Peterborough United	Colchester
19:30 BST		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,551 Referee: Martin Bodenham

3 September 1986 (1986-09-03) 1st round 2nd leg	Peterborough United	2–0	Colchester United	Peterborough
	Gallagher 70' Luke 86'	Report		Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 2,648 Referee: Keren Barratt
Note: Peterborough won 2–0 on aggregate.

FA Cup

15 November 1986 (1986-11-15) 1st round	Bishop's Stortford	1–1	Colchester United	Bishop's Stortford
	Fergusson 45'	Report	Tommy English 20'	Stadium: Rhodes Avenue Attendance: 2,413 Referee: Colin Downey

18 November 1986 (1986-11-18) 1st round replay	Colchester United	2–0	Bishop's Stortford	Colchester
	Tommy English 2' Adcock 77'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,516 Referee: Colin Downey

6 December 1986 (1986-12-06) 2nd round	Aldershot	3–2	Colchester United	Aldershot
	Wignall 2' Foyle 17', 77'	Report	Tommy English 1' Grenfell 90'	Stadium: Recreation Ground Attendance: 2,997

Associate Members' Cup

Group 1
Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Aldershot	2	1	1	0	7	5	+2	4
Colchester United	2	1	0	1	4	5	−1	3
Peterborough United	2	0	1	1	4	5	−1	1

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

25 November 1986 (1986-11-25) Preliminary round (southern section)	Colchester United	2–1	Peterborough United	Colchester
	Hedman 25' Gage 73' (o.g.)	Report	Phillips 56'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,404 Referee: Colin Downey

9 December 1986 (1986-12-09) Preliminary round (southern section)	Aldershot	4–2	Colchester United	Aldershot
	King 8' Fielder 15' Mazzon 48' Ring 70'	Report	Wilkins 34', 85'	Stadium: Recreation Ground Attendance: 993 Referee: M James

26 January 1987 (1987-01-26) 1st round (southern section)	Gillingham	2–0	Colchester United	Gillingham
	Smith 66' Cascarino 77'	Report		Stadium: Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 1,984 Referee: Ian Borrett

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

^[6]^[20]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Fourth 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
	FW	ENG	Alec Chamberlain	56	0	46	0	3	0	2	0	3	0	2	0
	DF	ENG	Terry Baker	23	0	19	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	1	0
	DF	ENG	Keith Day	46	3	38	3	3	0	1	0	3	0	1	0
	DF	ENG	Tony English	40	7	32	7	3	0	1	0	2	0	2	0
	DF	ENG	Kirk Game	32	0	25	0	3	0	1+1	0	2	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Stephen Grenfell	30	2	23	1	3	1	0	0	3	0	1	0
	DF	ENG	Rudi Hedman	54	5	38+6	4	2+1	0	2	0	2+1	1	2	0
	DF	ENG	Paul Hinshelwood	49	1	41	1	3	0	0	0	3	0	2	0
	DF	SCO	Ian Phillips	41	2	33	2	3	0	2	0	3	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Scott Young	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Nick Chatterton	22	1	20+1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Andy Farrell	36	4	24+4	4	3	0	2	0	3	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Sean Norman	17	1	12+1	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	0
	MF	ENG	Mark Radford	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	John Reeves	20	2	16+1	2	0+1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Richard Wilkins	30	4	22+1	2	0+2	0	0	0	2+1	2	2	0
	FW	ENG	Tony Adcock	45	12	33+2	11	3	1	2	0	3	0	2	0
	FW	ENG	Simon Burman	14	2	10+2	2	1+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Simon Lowe	28	7	25+1	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	FW	ENG	Winston White	16	1	14	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
	FW	ENG	Tommy English	30	12	18+6	9	3	3	1	0	2	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Mick Ferguson	19	4	16	4	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Keith Gorman	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Perry Groves	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goalscorers

^[20]

Place	Position	Name	Fourth Division	FA Cup	Football League Trophy	Total
1	FW	Tony Adcock	11	1	0	12
1	FW	Tommy English	9	3	0	12
3	DF/MF	Tony English	7	0	0	7
3	FW	Simon Lowe	7	0	0	7
5	CB	Rudi Hedman	4	0	1	5
6	MF/FB	Andy Farrell	4	0	0	4
	FW	Mick Ferguson	4	0	0	4
	MF/DF	Richard Wilkins	2	0	2	4
9	CB	Keith Day	3	0	0	3
10	WG/MF	Simon Burman	2	0	0	2
	FB	Stephen Grenfell	1	1	0	2
	FB	Ian Phillips	2	0	0	2
	MF	John Reeves	2	0	0	2
14	MF	Nick Chatterton	1	0	0	1
	FB	Paul Hinshelwood	1	0	0	1
	MF	Sean Norman	1	0	0	1
	WG	Winston White	1	0	0	1
		Own goals	2	0	1	3
		TOTALS	64	5	4	73

Disciplinary record

^[21]

Nationality	Position	Name	Fourth Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Football League Trophy		Football League play-offs		Total
Nationality	Position	Name
	CB	Keith Day	3	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	5	0
	FB	Paul Hinshelwood	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	FB	Ian Phillips	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
	WG/MF	Simon Burman	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	FB	Stephen Grenfell	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	CB	Rudi Hedman	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
	FW	Tony Adcock	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	CB	Terry Baker	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	GK	Alec Chamberlain	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	DF/MF	Tony English	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	MF/FB	Andy Farrell	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	FW	Mick Ferguson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	CB	Kirk Game	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
		TOTALS	15	1	5	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	22	1

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.^[22]

Place	Nationality	Player	Fourth Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Football League Trophy	Football League play-offs	Total
1		Alec Chamberlain	12	1	1	0	1	15
		TOTALS	12	1	1	0	1	15

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.^[23]

Position	Player	Date	Opponent	Ground	Notes
MF	Sean Norman	23 August 1986	Lincoln City	Sincil Bank
MF	Nick Chatterton	12 September 1986	Torquay United	Layer Road
FB	Paul Hinshelwood	12 September 1986	Torquay United	Layer Road
WG	Keith Gorman	3 October 1986	Wrexham	Layer Road
FB	Stephen Grenfell	31 October 1986	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Layer Road
MF/DF	Richard Wilkins	18 November 1986	Bishop's Stortford	Layer Road
FB	Stephen Grenfell	28 November 1986	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Layer Road	^[24]^[a]
FB	Scott Young	9 December 1986	Aldershot	Recreation Ground
FW	Simon Lowe	20 December 1986	Swansea City	Vetch Field
FW	Simon Lowe	10 January 1987	Lincoln City	Layer Road	^[25]^[a]
MF	Mark Radford	26 January 1987	Gillingham	Priestfield Stadium
WG	Winston White	3 March 1987	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Molineux Stadium

^ ^a ^b 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: 1987". 11v11.com. Retrieved 21 July 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 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 2–1 Peterborough United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
^ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
^ Hudson, Matt (11 July 2012). "The 1970s and 1980s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Sean Norman". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Paul Hinshelwood". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Nicky Chatterton". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Richard Wilkins (Defender / Midfielder)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Stephen Grenfell". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Scott Young". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Simon Lowe". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Mark Radford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Winston White". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Perry Groves". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Mick Ferguson". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Tommy English". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ "Keith Gorman". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
^ "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 3–1 Halifax Town". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 2–0 Lincoln City". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 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

[DG-10] Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

[SDG-15] Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

[FG-22] Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

[Loanend-25] Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

[table_note_res_PPP0.82919663508851-26] Aldershot were winners of the play-offs and were thus promoted.

[2deb-32] 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 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2018.

[3] "Colchester Utd 2–1 Peterborough United". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2018.

[4] "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2018.

[5] Hudson, Matt (11 July 2012). "The 1970s and 1980s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[apps-6] "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[9] "Sean Norman". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[11] "Paul Hinshelwood". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[12] "Nicky Chatterton". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[13] "Richard Wilkins (Defender / Midfielder)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[Grenfell-14] "Stephen Grenfell". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[16] "Scott Young". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[Lowe-17] "Simon Lowe". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[18] "Mark Radford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[19] "Winston White". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[20] "Perry Groves". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[21] "Mick Ferguson". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[23] "Tommy English". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[24] "Keith Gorman". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

[goals-27] "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2018.

[28] "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2018.

[29] "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2018.

[30] "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2018.

[31] "Colchester Utd 3–1 Halifax Town". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2018.

[33] "Colchester Utd 2–0 Lincoln City". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2018.

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