The 1961–62 season was Colchester United's 20th season in their history and their first-ever season in the fourth tier of English football, the Fourth Division. Alongside competing in the Fourth Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup and the League Cup.

Quick Facts Chairman, Manager ...

Colchester United

1961–62 season
Chairman	Bill Allen[1]
Manager	Benny Fenton
Stadium	Layer Road
Fourth Division	2nd (promoted)
FA Cup	1st round (eliminated by Peterborough United)
League Cup	1st round (eliminated by Crewe Alexandra)
Top goalscorer	League: Bobby Hunt (38) All: Bobby Hunt (40)
Highest home attendance	10,653 v Peterborough United, 6 November 1961[2]
Lowest home attendance	3,782 v Oldham Athletic, 23 December 1961[3]
Average home league attendance	5,532[4]
Biggest win	9–1 v Bradford City, 30 December 1961
Biggest defeat	0–5 v York City, 7 October 1961
Home colours
← 1960–61 1962–63 →

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Colchester bounced back to the Third Division at the first time of asking, earning their first promotion in the club's history by finishing as runners–up. By the end of the campaign, Colchester trailed Millwall by just one point, winning 23 games and scoring 104 league goals with Bobby Hunt the division's top scorer. The club experienced their record victory during the season when they beat Bradford City 9–1 on 30 December.

In the cup competitions, first-round exits were experienced in both FA and League cups. Colchester were beaten at home to Crewe Alexandra in September in the League Cup, while it took Peterborough United three attempts to overcome Colchester in the FA Cup first round following a second replay.

At the end of a very disappointing 1960–61 season, manager Benny Fenton cut his playing squad by ten players, with players including Neil Langman, Chic Milligan and Tommy Williams all released. The club was over £3,300 in debt, and so a fresh start required for the new season with a new, slimline squad. Just 17 players would be used in the new campaign, with eight of those playing over 40 of the 44 league games possible.

The season started well for Colchester, unbeaten in their first nine league games and scoring 31 goals in the first eight home games to top the Fourth Division table.

During Colchester's heaviest defeat of the season, a 5–0 reverse at York City, the 20-month old son of full back Tommy Millar drowned in a garden pond accident while Millar was playing in the game. This tragedy would also spell the end of Millar's Colchester career when he left to return to Scotland in early 1962. This coincided with a poor run of form and the club slipped to third in the table.

On the back of a 4–1 Boxing Day defeat to Bradford City, Colchester set their record club victory in the return fixture at Layer Road on 30 December. Both Bobby Hunt and strike–partner Martyn King scored four goals each, with Bobby Hill scoring the other as Colchester ran out 9–1 winners. A 4–0 victory at Accrington Stanley saw United regain the top spot from Wrexham, but just a few weeks later, Accrington folded and Colchester's 3–2 and 4–0 wins were expunged.

Defeats to Millwall and Wrexham cost Colchester the championship. Millwall took the title by one point as United finished runners-up with eleven away defeats proving costly. Of the record 104 goals scored in the league during the season, 78 came at home, while Martyn King broke his seasonal record by scoring 31 league goals only to be surpassed by Bobby Hunt with 38, a new club record. Hunt scored three hat-tricks on his way to his tally of 38 with two of those four goal hauls.^[5]

As of match played 30 April 1962.^[6]

More information Name, Position ...

Name	Position	Nationality	Place of birth	Date of birth	Apps	Goals	Signed from	Date signed	Fee
Goalkeepers
Percy Ames	GK		Plymouth	(1931-12-13)13 December 1931 (aged 29)	287	0	Tottenham Hotspur	1 May 1955	Free transfer
Defenders
Duncan Forbes	CB		Edinburgh	(1941-06-19)19 June 1941 (aged 19)	0	0	Musselburgh Athletic	4 September 1961	Nominal
John Fowler	FB		Leith	(1933-10-17)17 October 1933 (aged 27)	250	5	Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic	20 August 1955[lower-alpha 1]	Free transfer
Richie Griffiths	FB		Earls Colne	(1942-03-21)21 March 1942 (aged 19)	0	0	Colchester Casuals	June 1961	Free transfer
Mick Loughton	CB		Colchester	(1942-12-08)8 December 1942 (aged 18)	0	0	Amateur	August 1961	Free transfer
Alf Marshall	FB		Dagenham	(1933-05-21)21 May 1933 (aged 28)	30	0	Dagenham	14 October 1957	£25
Edgar Rumney	FB		Abberton	(1936-09-15)15 September 1936 (aged 24)	23	0	Colchester Casuals	1 May 1957	Free transfer
Midfielders
Brian Abrey	WH		Hendon	(1939-04-25)25 April 1939 (aged 22)	0	0	Chelsea	1 May 1961	Free transfer
John Brown	WH		Edinburgh	(1940-03-06)6 March 1940 (aged 21)	0	0	Dunbar United	4 September 1961	Nominal
Trevor Harris	WH		Colchester	(1936-02-06)6 February 1936 (aged 25)	42	2	Amateur	July 1951	Free transfer
Ron Hunt	WH		Colchester	(1933-09-26)26 September 1933 (aged 27)	94	1	Amateur	October 1951	Free transfer
Forwards
John Baines	CF		Colchester	(1937-09-25)25 September 1937 (aged 23)	3	0	Colchester Casuals	January 1960	Free transfer
David Coleman	CF		Colchester	(1942-03-27)27 March 1942 (aged 19)	0	0	Harwich & Parkeston	18 November 1961[lower-alpha 1]	Free transfer
Mike Foster	WG		Leicester	(1939-02-03)3 February 1939 (aged 22)	0	0	Leicester City	May 1961	Nominal
Bobby Hill	IF		Edinburgh	(1938-06-09)9 June 1938 (aged 22)	138	15	Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare	9 June 1955	Free transfer
Tony Howe	WG		Colchester	(1939-02-14)14 February 1939 (aged 22)	10	2	Colchester Casuals	March 1960	Free transfer
Bobby Hunt	FW		Colchester	(1942-10-01)1 October 1942 (aged 18)	30	7	Amateur	March 1960	Free transfer
Martyn King	CF		Birmingham	(1937-08-23)23 August 1937 (aged 23)	87	56	Amateur	Summer 1955	Free transfer
Colin Lundstrum	WG		Colchester	(1938-10-09)9 October 1938 (aged 22)	0	0	Ipswich Town	August 1961	Free transfer
Sammy McLeod	IF		Glasgow	(1934-01-04)4 January 1934 (aged 27)	141	22	Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare	20 August 1955[lower-alpha 1]	Free transfer
Tony Miller	IF		Chelmsford	(1937-10-26)26 October 1937 (aged 23)	0	0	Amateur	May 1958	Free transfer
Peter Wright	WG		Colchester	(1934-01-26)26 January 1934 (aged 27)	323	67	Amateur	November 1951	Free transfer

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• List of Colchester United F.C. seasons