Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United ( officially: Colchester United Football Club ) - also known as The U 's - is an English football club based in Colchester. After a short stay in the Football League Championship, the club in 2008 rose again in the third-class Football League One.
History
Foundation phase and Amateur Football
The club was founded in 1937 and initially shared his home ground, the place in the Layer Road, with the now -defunct local rivals Colchester Town Football Club, which was in turn been resident since 1910 there and 1919, the field of the British Army had acquired.
After Colchester United had played in the Southern League in its first ten years in amateur football field, defeating the club in the season 1947/48 as the first amateur club in the FA Cup history in a 1-0 win against Huddersfield Town, a team from the First Division, then the English top flight. In the following season Colchester United put in first round of the same competition against Reading FC on 27 November 1948, 19,072 paying spectators the still valid club's record.
Colchester United as a professional association
For the season 1950/51 Colchester United was inducted into the Football League Division Three South, played there until 1958 and then qualified for the single-track Third Division. In the following period, the descents were transferred to the Fourth Division for the years 1961, 1965, 1968, 1976 and 1981 regularly with rise successes in the years 1962, 1966, 1974 and 1977.
As a fourth division of the club in February 1971, also probably the biggest triumph in its history, as in the fifth round of the FA Cup celebrated the defeat of Don Revie coached Leeds United in front of 16,000 spectators after two goals by former England international Ray Crawford 3-2 was what ensured that Colchester could reach as only the second fourth division club in the cup history the quarterfinals.
In the championship, but the club suffered major losses audience, as the success of the nearby clubs Ipswich Town and primarily mobilized in London West Ham United supporters increasingly in Colchester.
The " era Jonathan Crisp "
After Colchester United had always stopped after relegation in 1981, four years in the top third of the table, but never seriously engaged in the promotion battle, took over in May 1985, the millionaire businessman Jonathan Crisp the Association, who at the time a debt of 140,000 pounds had accumulated. He called 1986 the well-known Northern Irish actor and comedian Frank Carson in a simplistic leading position and dismissed in November 1987 after narrowly missing out on promotion in the play- offs of the 1986/87 season the recently selected as coach of the month in the Fourth Division Mike Walker. New coach has been with Roger Brown, a former player of FC Fulham, who stepped down again after a 0:8 defeat against Leyton Orient in 1988.
The club joined the current season starting on the third to last place and was forced to retire a year later as the last of the Fourth Division of professional football. Crisp himself returned after six years in which he tried six coaches, had increased the level of debt at one million and it sold the stadium to the city, the club 's back.
Return to professional football and recent developments
The organization structured around basic and missed under manager Ian Atkins in the first year to return to the professional game just barely. In the following season, when Roy McDonough took over the team in the capacity of player coach, Colchester competed with the equal richer and play very strong club Wycombe Wanderers under Martin O'Neill for the championship. After a spectacular game between the two teams in High Wycombe, as Colchester goalkeeper Scott Barratt scored the winning goal from over 80 meters, Colchester rose on goal difference against the Wanderers with 92 points. The subsequent playoff victory in the FA Trophy against Witton Albion increased success even to a Double.
Colchester established himself henceforth in the fourth division, and after the defeat in the play- offs for promotion to the third division in 1996, the club in 1998 managed to return in the third English League Second Division now called. Since then Colchester United has mostly in the lower half of the table played in this league, which was renamed before the start of the 2004/05 season in Football League One. Under coach Geraint Williams succeeded in 2006 as the runner- promotion to the Football League Championship managed and thus for the first time entered the second highest English league. In this, however, could hold only two years. Current manager of Colchester United 's Adrian Boothroyd.
Club colors and crest
Colchester United play in blue and white striped jerseys and shorts in white, these colors go back to the first club president, supporters of Huddersfield Town was. The alternate colors are contemporary yellow and blue. The club crest depicts an eagle against a blue and white striped shield, which also shows the name of the association in white letters. The eagle represents here the Roman roots of the city. The club used before the eagle coat of arms of Colchester, but this changed in the 70s.
Others
- Steve Lamacq, a well known DJ in the British radio station Radio 1 is probably the most famous supporters of the club.
- Colchester United currently maintains a great rivalry to league rivals Southend United. Further voltages to the club Ipswich Town and Wycombe Wanderers exist because of the common history in the Southern League, and recently in the Football Conference.
- For the 2007 /08 season Colchester United Teddy Sheringham had been contracted as the 41 -year-old striker, consequently, to the team of his son Charlie born in 1988, Crystal Palace, took.
Famous former players
- Ireland Mark Kinsella
- Congo Democratic Republic of Lomana Tresor LuaLua
- England Roy McDonough
- England Steve McGavin
- England Teddy Sheringham
- Wales Mike Walker