1982–83 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1982–83 season was Colchester United's 41st season in their history and second 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 Football League Trophy.

Colchester United

1982–83 season
Chairman	Maurice Cadman[1]
Manager	Allan Hunter (until 18 January) Cyril Lea (from 1 February)
Stadium	Layer Road
Fourth Division	6th
FA Cup	1st round (eliminated by Torquay United)
League Cup	2nd round (eliminated by Southampton)
Football League Trophy	Group stage
Top goalscorer	League: Ian Allinson (22) All: Ian Allinson (26)
Highest home attendance	7,679 v Southampton, 6 October 1982[2]
Lowest home attendance	1,625 v Stockport County, 17 December 1982[3]
Average home league attendance	2,690[4]
Biggest win	5–1 v Scunthorpe United, 15 April 1983
Biggest defeat	0–4 v Halifax Town, 14 January 1983
Home colours
← 1981–82 1983–84 →

Colchester challenged for the top four but once again fell short, on this occasion missing promotion by just two points. A tragic season saw forward John Lyons take his own life, while Allan Hunter resigned two months later, replaced by his assistant Cyril Lea in February.

In the cups, Colchester were entered into the second and final iteration of the Football League Trophy, which the U's exited at the group stage, which defeats to Southampton and Torquay United in the second and first round of the League and FA Cup respectively denied the club a cup run.

Season overview

Allan Hunter continued in his role as player-manager for the new season, with former Ipswich Town coach Cyril Lea his assistant. Colchester led the table undefeated after seven games and earned a League Cup second round tie against Southampton. Following a 0–0 draw at Layer Road, with England international Peter Shilton in inspired form, the U's could not repeat their heroics from 1974 at The Dell, losing 4–2 and making another early exit.

The season then took a tragic turn, when in November, just hours after turning out for the U's against Chester City, forward John Lyons committed suicide at his home in Layer de la Haye. After this incident and having to give up his own playing career, Allan Hunter resigned as manager in January with Colchester in seventh place. Cyril Lea took over initially until the end of the campaign and promptly won eight of his first eleven games. However, four defeats in 17 days during April cost the U's and they finished sixth position in the league, missing promotion by just two points.

Ian Allinson ended the season as Colchester's top scorer with 26 league and cup goals, while youth graduate Tony Adcock scored 17 goals. Veteran goalkeeper Mike Walker, who had missed just nine games in ten seasons for the club, announced his retirement at the end of the season.^[5]

Players

As of match played 13 May 1983.^[6]

Name	Position	Nationality	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 17)	0	0	Ipswich Town	Summer 1982	Undisclosed
Ian Cranstone	GK		Rochford		0	0	Tottenham Hotspur	Summer 1977	Free transfer
Bobby Hamilton	GK				0	0	Unknown	Summer 1977
Defenders
Phil Coleman	FB		Woolwich	(1960-09-08)8 September 1960 (aged 21)	51	4	Millwall	February 1981	£15,000
Micky Cook	FB		Enfield	(1951-04-09)9 April 1951 (aged 31)	607	21	Orient	1 March 1969	Free transfer
Adrian Keith	CB		Colchester	(1962-12-16)16 December 1962 (aged 19)	0	0	West Ham United	December 1982	Free transfer
Wayne Ward	FB		Colchester	(1964-04-28)28 April 1964 (aged 18)	5	0	Apprentice	April 1982	Free transfer
Steve Wignall	CB		Liverpool	(1954-09-17)17 September 1954 (aged 27)	236	12	Doncaster Rovers	September 1977	£5,000
Midfielders
Andy Farrell	MF/FB		Colchester	(1965-10-07)7 October 1965 (aged 16)	0	0	Apprentice	Summer 1982	Free transfer
Andy Gooding	MF				0	0	Apprentice	Summer 1981	Free transfer
Jeff Hull	MF		Rochford	(1960-08-25)25 August 1960 (aged 21)	0	0	Basildon United	17 December 1982[a]	Undisclosed
Steve Leslie	MF		Hornsey	(1952-09-04)4 September 1952 (aged 29)	435	44	Apprentice	20 April 1971[a]	Free transfer
Roger Osborne	MF		Otley	(1950-03-09)9 March 1950 (aged 32)	60	5	Ipswich Town	February 1981	£25,000
Forwards
Tony Adcock	FW		Bethnal Green	(1963-03-27)27 March 1963 (aged 19)	49	6	Apprentice	31 March 1981	Free transfer
Keith Bowen	FW		Northampton	(1958-02-26)26 February 1958 (aged 24)	0	0	Brentford	25 March 1983[b]	£10,000
Perry Groves	WG		Bow	(1965-04-19)19 April 1965 (aged 17)	9	0	Cornard Dynamos	Summer 1981	Free transfer
Roy McDonough	FW		Solihull	(1958-10-16)16 October 1958 (aged 23)	62	18	Chelsea	February 1981	£15,000
Craig Oldfield	FW		Warley	(1963-11-24)24 November 1963 (aged 18)	0	0	Stowmarket Town	Summer 1982	Free transfer
John Taylor	FW		Norwich	(1964-10-24)24 October 1964 (aged 17)	0	0	Apprentice	Summer 1981	Free transfer

1. 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

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
Summer 1982	GK		Alec Chamberlain	Ipswich Town	Undisclosed	[7]
Summer 1982	CB		Kevin Beattie	Free agent	Free transfer	[8]
Summer 1982	MF/FB		Andy Farrell	Apprentice	Free transfer	[9]
Summer 1982	FW		Craig Oldfield	Stowmarket Town	Free transfer	[10]
December 1982	CB		Adrian Keith	West Ham United	Free transfer	[11]
17 December 1982	MF		Jeff Hull	Basildon United	Undisclosed	[12][a]
25 March 1983	FW		Keith Bowen	Brentford	£10,000	[13][b]

• Total spending: ~ £10,000

1. 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		Jeff Wood	HJK Helsinki	Free transfer	[14]
November 1982	CB		Kevin Beattie	Middlesbrough	Free transfer	[8]
9 November 1982	FW		John Lyons			[15][a][b]
January 1983	CB		Allan Hunter	Free agent	Retired	[16][c]
February 1983	FW		Kevin Bremner	Millwall	£25,000	[17]
22 April 1983	MF		Dennis Longhorn	Chelmsford City	Released	[18][a]
2 May 1983	GK		Mike Walker	Free agent	Retired	[19][a][d]
13 May 1983	FB		Mick Packer	Wivenhoe Town	Became player-manager	[20][a]
13 May 1983	WG		Ian Allinson	Arsenal	Free transfer	[21][a]

• Total incoming: ~ £25,000

1. Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club
2. John Lyons committed suicide on 10 November 1982
3. Allan Hunter resigned from his position as player-manager at Colchester United on 18 January
4. Mike Walker joined Colchester United's coaching staff after retiring from playing

Loans in

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	End date	Ref.
1 January 1983	FW		John Linford	Ipswich Town	1 March 1983	[22][a]
12 March 1983	FW		Keith Bowen	Brentford	19 March 1983	[13][b]

1. Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game for the club
2. Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games for the club

Loans out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	End date	Ref.
October 1982	FW		Kevin Bremner	Birmingham City	October 1982	[17][23]
December 1982	FW		Kevin Bremner	Wrexham	December 1982	[17][23]
January 1983	FW		Kevin Bremner	Plymouth Argyle	January 1983	[17][23]

Match details

Fourth Division

Main article: 1982–83 Football League

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	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H
Result	W	D	D	W	W	W	D	L	L	D	L	L	W	W	W	W	W	D	L	W	L	D	L	W	W	L	W	W	L	W	W	W	D	W	D	D	W	W	L	L	W	L	L	W	W	W
Position	7	9	3	1	1	1	2	5	8	8	10	13	10	9	8	7	6	6	7	5	7	7	8	7	7	7	6	6	7	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	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
4	Scunthorpe United	46	23	14	9	71	42	+29	83	Promoted
5	Bury	46	23	12	11	74	46	+28	81
6	Colchester United	46	24	9	13	75	55	+20	81
7	York City	46	22	13	11	88	58	+30	79
8	Swindon Town	46	19	11	16	61	54	+7	68

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Matches

Colchester United v Halifax Town

28 August 1982 (1982-08-28) 1	Colchester United	1–0	Halifax Town	Colchester
	McDonough 47'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,610 Referee: Rob Lewis

Hereford United v Colchester United

4 September 1982 (1982-09-04) 2	Hereford United	0–0	Colchester United	Hereford
	Crabbe  65'	Report		Stadium: Edgar Street Attendance: 2,465 Referee: L Robinson

Port Vale v Colchester United

6 September 1982 (1982-09-06) 3	Port Vale	0–0	Colchester United	Burslem
		Report		Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 2,877 Referee: Vic Callow

Colchester United v Rochdale

10 September 1982 (1982-09-10) 4	Colchester United	4–1	Rochdale	Colchester
	Allinson 44' (pen.) Wignall 45' Lyons 49', 90'	Report	Wellings 17' (pen.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,836 Referee: D Brazier

Crewe Alexandra v Colchester United

17 September 1982 (1982-09-17) 5	Crewe Alexandra	0–1	Colchester United	Crewe
		Report	Lyons 33'	Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 2,539

Colchester United v Blackpool

25 September 1982 (1982-09-25) 6	Colchester United	4–1	Blackpool	Colchester
15:00 BST	Lyons 27' Leslie 37' Groves 63' Allinson 85'	Report	Pashley 36' (pen.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,918 Referee: Ian Borrett

Colchester United v Hull City

28 September 1982 (1982-09-28) 7	Colchester United	0–0	Hull City	Colchester
19:30 BST		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,071 Referee: Colin Downey

Scunthorpe United v Colchester United

2 October 1982 (1982-10-02) 8	Scunthorpe United	2–1	Colchester United	Scunthorpe
	O'Berg 32' Angus 48'	Report	Osborne 50'	Stadium: Old Showground Attendance: 2,616 Referee: A Robinson

Swindon Town v Colchester United

10 October 1982 (1982-10-10) 9	Swindon Town	3–0	Colchester United	Swindon
15:00 BST	Rideout 36' (pen.) Rowland 44', 53'	Report		Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 4,473 Referee: L Burden

Colchester United v Darlington

15 October 1982 (1982-10-15) 10	Colchester United	2–2	Darlington	Colchester
	Allinson 14' McDonough 65'	Report	Walsh 50', 56'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,547 Referee: D Letts

Northampton Town v Colchester United

19 October 1982 (1982-10-19) 11	Northampton Town	2–1	Colchester United	Northampton
19:30 BST	Denyer 46' Burrows 88'	Report	Allinson 85'	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 1,955 Referee: T Spencer

Bury v Colchester United

30 October 1982 (1982-10-30) 12	Bury	1–0	Colchester United	Bury
	Parker 63'	Report		Stadium: Gigg Lane Attendance: 2,653 Referee: G Tyson

Colchester United v Wimbledon

2 November 1982 (1982-11-02) 13	Colchester United	3–0	Wimbledon	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Allinson 31' McDonough 52', 70'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,219 Referee: H Taylor

Colchester United v Mansfield Town

6 November 1982 (1982-11-06) 14	Colchester United	2–0	Mansfield Town	Colchester
	Lyons 9', 44' Cook  50'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,009 Referee: J Martin

Colchester United v Chester City

9 November 1982 (1982-11-09) 15	Colchester United	1–0	Chester City	Colchester
	Wignall 84'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,362 Referee: Tony Ward

Tranmere Rovers v Colchester United

13 November 1982 (1982-11-13) 16	Tranmere Rovers	2–4	Colchester United	Birkenhead
	Mungall 43' Kerr 74'	Report	McDonough 1' Allinson 3', 20' Adcock 82'	Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 1,410

Bristol City v Colchester United

27 November 1982 (1982-11-27) 17	Bristol City	0–2	Colchester United	Bristol
		Report	Bremner 12' Allinson 85'	Stadium: Ashton Gate Stadium Attendance: 4,310 Referee: Tom Bune

Colchester United v York City

3 December 1982 (1982-12-03) 18	Colchester United	0–0	York City	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Wignall  20'	Report	Byrne  20'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,214 Referee: Alan Gunn

Hull City v Colchester United

11 December 1982 (1982-12-11) 19	Hull City	3–0	Colchester United	Kingston upon Hull
	Flounders 69', 81' Hawley 77'	Report		Stadium: Boothferry Park Attendance: 4,323 Referee: David Hutchinson

Colchester United v Stockport County

17 December 1982 (1982-12-17) 20	Colchester United	3–0	Stockport County	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Allinson 24', 70' McDonough 51'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,625 Referee: Alf Grey

Peterborough United v Colchester United

27 December 1982 (1982-12-27) 21	Peterborough United	2–1	Colchester United	Peterborough
	Winters 6' Firm 70'	Report	Bremner 44' McDonough  34' Packer  69'	Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 4,235 Referee: J Key

Colchester United v Aldershot

28 December 1982 (1982-12-28) 22	Colchester United	0–0	Aldershot	Colchester
19:30 GMT		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,463 Referee: J Deakin

Torquay United v Colchester United

1 January 1983 (1983-01-01) 23	Torquay United	2–0	Colchester United	Torquay
	Cooper 16' Hughes 85'	Report		Stadium: Plainmoor Attendance: 2,758 Referee: A Glasson

Colchester United v Hartlepool United

3 January 1983 (1983-01-03) 24	Colchester United	4–1	Hartlepool United	Colchester
	Allinson 14' Adcock 22', 85' Wignall 44'	Report	Brown 20'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,239 Referee: M James

Colchester United v Hereford United

7 January 1983 (1983-01-07) 25	Colchester United	3–2	Hereford United	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Allinson 22' (pen.), 34' Adcock 59'	Report	Harvey 4' Bartley 52'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,216 Referee: D Reeves

Halifax Town v Colchester United

14 January 1983 (1983-01-14) 26	Halifax Town	4–0	Colchester United	Halifax
	Nuttall 31' Staniforth 34', 83', 86'	Report		Stadium: The Shay Attendance: 1,863 Referee: R Guy

Colchester United v Crewe Alexandra

21 January 1983 (1983-01-21) 27	Colchester United	4–3	Crewe Alexandra	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Adcock 8', 37', 86' Allinson 11' (pen.)	Report	Cliss 9', 69' Bancroft 90'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,221 Referee: K Salmon

Blackpool v Colchester United

5 February 1983 (1983-02-05) 28	Blackpool	1–2	Colchester United	Blackpool
	Hetzke 75'	Report	Adcock 50' Hull 61'	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 1,747 Referee: P Tyldesley

Wimbledon v Colchester United

15 February 1983 (1983-02-15) 29	Wimbledon	2–1	Colchester United	Wimbledon
19:30 GMT	Smith 70' Hodges 72'	Report	Adcock 20'	Stadium: Plough Lane Attendance: 1,753 Referee: L Shapter

Colchester United v Swindon Town

18 February 1983 (1983-02-18) 30	Colchester United	1–0	Swindon Town	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Cook 71'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,386 Referee: Martin Bodenham

Darlington v Colchester United

26 February 1983 (1983-02-26) 31	Darlington	1–3	Colchester United	Darlington
	McLean 72' (pen.)	Report	McDonough 9' Adcock 41', 57'	Stadium: Feethams Attendance: 1,089 Referee: A Challinor

Colchester United v Northampton Town

1 March 1983 (1983-03-01) 32	Colchester United	3–1	Northampton Town	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Allinson 25' (pen.) Hull 56' Adcock 66'	Report	Massey 2'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,501 Referee: M Taylor

Chester City v Colchester United

5 March 1983 (1983-03-05) 33	Chester City	1–1	Colchester United	Chester
	Simpson 61'	Report	Adcock 56'	Stadium: Sealand Road Attendance: 1,136 Referee: Keith Cooper

Colchester United v Bury

12 March 1983 (1983-03-12) 34	Colchester United	2–1	Bury	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Allinson 38' Bowen 44'	Report	Potts 83'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,357 Referee: M Dimblebee

Mansfield Town v Colchester United

19 March 1983 (1983-03-19) 35	Mansfield Town	1–1	Colchester United	Mansfield
	Nicholson 81'	Report	Hull 48'	Stadium: Field Mill Attendance: 2,371 Referee: R Bridges

Colchester United v Tranmere Rovers

25 March 1983 (1983-03-25) 36	Colchester United	3–3	Tranmere Rovers	Colchester
19:30 GMT	Osborne 4' Bowen 47' Adcock 60'	Report	Griffiths 12' Aspinall 44' Brown 75'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,547 Referee: E Scales

Colchester United v Peterborough United

1 April 1983 (1983-04-01) 37	Colchester United	1–0	Peterborough United	Colchester
	Allinson 9'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,759 Referee: Rob Lewis

Aldershot v Colchester United

2 April 1983 (1983-04-02) 38	Aldershot	0–1	Colchester United	Aldershot
		Report	Hull 34'	Stadium: Recreation Ground Attendance: 1,670 Referee: M Robinson

York City v Colchester United

9 April 1983 (1983-04-09) 39	York City	3–0	Colchester United	York
	Busby 37' Pollard 48' (pen.) Senior 89'	Report		Stadium: Bootham Crescent Attendance: 2,538 Referee: R Nixon

Colchester United v Port Vale

12 April 1983 (1983-04-12) 40	Colchester United	1–2	Port Vale	Colchester
	Adcock 2'	Report	Newton 18' Fox 76'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,275 Referee: D Hedges

Colchester United v Scunthorpe United

15 April 1983 (1983-04-15) 41	Colchester United	5–1	Scunthorpe United	Colchester
19:30 BST	Adcock 9', 54' Allinson 10', 81' (pen.) Bowen 89'	Report	Cammack 17'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,155 Referee: Ian Borrett

Stockport County v Colchester United

22 April 1983 (1983-04-22) 42	Stockport County	3–0	Colchester United	Stockport
19:30 BST	Smith 16' Coyle 63' Quinn 64'	Report		Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 1,733 Referee: H Wilson

Rochdale v Colchester United

26 April 1983 (1983-04-26) 43	Rochdale	2–1	Colchester United	Rochdale
	Higgins 22' French 32'	Report	Allinson 80'	Stadium: Spotland Stadium Attendance: 1,219 Referee: M Peck

Colchester United v Bristol City

29 April 1983 (1983-04-29) 44	Colchester United	3–1	Bristol City	Colchester
19:30 BST	Allinson 35' (pen.) Bowen 39' McDonough 87'	Report	Ritchie 41' (pen.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,196 Referee: Tony Ward

Hartlepool United v Colchester United

2 May 1983 (1983-05-02) 45	Hartlepool United	1–4	Colchester United	Hartlepool
11:45 BST	Linacre 74'	Report	Allinson 32' Coleman 65', 66' Groves 80'	Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 804 Referee: D Shaw

Colchester United v Torquay United

13 May 1983 (1983-05-13) 46	Colchester United	1–0	Torquay United	Colchester
	Wignall 71'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,181 Referee: Alan Gunn

Football League Trophy

Main article: 1982–83 Football League Trophy § Group A

Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	BP	Pts
Watford	3	3	0	0	10	3	+7	2	11
Colchester United	3	2	0	1	6	3	+3	1	7
Southend United	3	0	1	2	3	8	−5	0	1
Orient	3	0	1	2	2	7	−5	0	1

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Colchester United v Southend United

13 August 1982 (1982-08-13) 1st round	Colchester United	3–1	Southend United	Colchester
	Coleman 36' Allinson 46' Lyons 85'	Report	Cusack 34'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,662 Referee: K Salmon

Watford v Colchester United

17 August 1982 (1982-08-17) 1st round	Watford	2–1	Colchester United	Watford
19:30 BST	Blissett 72' Jenkins 79'	Report	Allinson 80'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 3,837 Referee: D Hedges

Orient v Colchester United

21 August 1982 (1982-08-21) 1st round	Orient	0–2	Colchester United	Leyton
15:00 BST		Report	Lyons 60', 89'	Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 1,384 Referee: K Baker

League Cup

Main article: 1982–83 Football League Cup

Colchester United v Aldershot

31 August 1982 (1982-08-31) 1st round 1st leg	Colchester United	2–0	Aldershot	Colchester
	Wignall 12' Groves 35'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,665 Referee: M Dimblebee

Aldershot v Colchester United

14 September 1982 (1982-09-14) 1st round 2nd leg	Aldershot	0–1	Colchester United	Aldershot
		Report	Allinson 85'	Stadium: Recreation Ground Attendance: 1,680 Referee: M Taylor
Note: Colchester won 3–0 on aggregate

Colchester United v Southampton

6 October 1982 (1982-10-06) 2nd round 1st leg	Colchester United	0–0	Southampton	Colchester
19:30 BST		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 7,679 Referee: B Hill

Southampton v Colchester United

26 October 1982 (1982-10-26) 2nd round 2nd leg	Southampton	4–2	Colchester United	Southampton
	Wallace 28' Cassells 40' Armstrong 73' Moran 90'	Report	Allinson 14' (pen.) Lyons 50'	Stadium: The Dell Referee: E Read
Note: Southampton won 4–2 on aggregate

FA Cup

Main article: 1982–83 FA Cup

Colchester United v Torquay United

20 November 1982 (1982-11-20) 1st round	Colchester United	0–2	Torquay United	Colchester
		Report	Little 34' Cooper 62' Grapes  40'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,913 Referee: D Reeves

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

^[6][24]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Fourth Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Football League Trophy
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	ENG	Alec Chamberlain	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Phil Coleman	45	3	37	2	1	0	4	0	3	1
	DF	ENG	Micky Cook	48	1	41	1	0	0	4	0	3	0
	DF	ENG	Adrian Keith	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Wayne Ward	16	0	14	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Steve Wignall	52	5	44	4	1	0	4	1	3	0
	MF	ENG	Jeff Hull	27	4	27	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Steve Leslie	36	1	26+3	1	1	0	4	0	1+1	0
	MF	ENG	Roger Osborne	53	2	45	2	1	0	4	0	3	0
	FW	ENG	Tony Adcock	34	17	26+4	17	0+1	0	1	0	2	0
	FW	WAL	Keith Bowen	13	4	13	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Perry Groves	22	3	8+9	2	0	0	2	1	3	0
	FW	ENG	Roy McDonough	49	8	38+3	8	1	0	4	0	2+1	0
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
	GK	WAL	Mike Walker	50	0	42	0	1	0	4	0	3	0
	DF	ENG	Kevin Beattie	7	0	3+1	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
	DF	NIR	Allan Hunter	25	0	17+1	0	1	0	3	0	1+2	0
	DF	ENG	Mick Packer	12	0	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Dennis Longhorn	29	0	27+1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Ian Allinson	54	26	46	22	1	0	4	2	3	2
	FW	SCO	Kevin Bremner	19	2	10+5	2	1	0	0+2	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	John Linford	7	0	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	WAL	John Lyons	22	10	15	6	0	0	4	1	3	3

Goalscorers

^[24]

Place	Nationality	Position	Name	Fourth Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Football League Trophy	Total
1		WG	Ian Allinson	22	0	2	2	26
2		FW	Tony Adcock	17	0	0	0	17
3		FW	John Lyons	6	0	1	3	10
4		FW	Roy McDonough	8	0	0	0	8
5		CB	Steve Wignall	4	0	1	0	5
6		FW	Keith Bowen	4	0	0	0	4
		MF	Jeff Hull	4	0	0	0	4
8		FB	Phil Coleman	2	0	0	1	3
		WG	Perry Groves	2	0	1	0	3
10		FW	Kevin Bremner	2	0	0	0	2
		MF	Roger Osborne	2	0	0	0	2
12		FB	Micky Cook	1	0	0	0	1
		MF	Steve Leslie	1	0	0	0	1
			Own goals	0	0	0	0	0
			TOTALS	75	0	5	6	86

Disciplinary record

^[25]

Nationality	Position	Name	Fourth Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Football League Trophy		Total
	FB	Micky Cook	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
	FW	Roy McDonough	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
	FB	Mick Packer	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
	CB	Steve Wignall	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
		TOTALS	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4

Clean sheets

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

Place	Nationality	Player	Fourth Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Football League Trophy	Total
1		Mike Walker	15	0	3	1	19
2		Alec Chamberlain	1	0	0	0	1
		TOTALS	16	0	3	1	20

Player debuts

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

Position	Nationality	Player	Date	Opponent	Ground	Notes
CB		Kevin Beattie	17 August 1982	Watford	Vicarage Road
MF		Jeff Hull	17 December 1982	Stockport County	Layer Road
CB		Adrian Keith	1 January 1983	Torquay United	Plainmoor
GK		Alec Chamberlain	3 January 1983	Hartlepool United	Layer Road
FW		John Linford	14 January 1983	Halifax Town	The Shay
FW		Keith Bowen	12 March 1983	Bury	Layer Road
FW		Keith Bowen	25 March 1983	Tranmere Rovers	Layer Road	[28][a]

1. Second debut for the club

See also

• List of Colchester United F.C. seasons

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: 1983". 11v11.com. Retrieved 29 April 2018.

Specific

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 0–0 Southampton". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
3. "Colchester Utd 3–0 Stockport County". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
4. "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
5. Hudson, Matt (11 July 2012). "The 1970s and 1980s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
6. "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
7. "Alec Chamberlain (Goalkeeper)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
8. "Kevin Beattie". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
9. "Andy Farrell". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
10. "Craig Oldfield". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
11. "Adrian Keith". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
12. "Jeff Hull". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
13. "Keith Bowen". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
14. "Jeff Wood". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
15. "John Lyons". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
16. "Allan Hunter". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
17. "Kevin Bremner". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
18. "Dennis Longhorn". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
19. "Mike Walker (Goalkeeper)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
20. "Mick Packer". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
21. "Ian Allinson". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
22. "John Linford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
23. "Kevin Bremner". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
24. "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
25. "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
26. "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
27. "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
28. "Colchester Utd 3–3 Tranmere Rovers". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2018.