1952–53 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
1952–53 season
Chairman	William Allen
Manager	Jimmy Allen; Until 1 April 1953
Third Division South	22nd
FA Cup	3rd Round
Top goalscorer	League: ; Kevin McCurley (15); All: ; Kevin McCurley (18)
Highest home attendance	14,674 (Ipswich Town)
Lowest home attendance	3,382 (Crystal Palace)
Average home league attendance	8,175
	Home colours
	Home colours
	← 1951–52 1953–54 →

The 1952–53 season was Colchester United's third consecutive season in the Football League Third Division South. They finished 22nd and reached the third round of the FA Cup

Season Review

The 1952-53 season kicked off with a 14,674 Layer Road crowd witnessing a 0-0 draw with Ipswich and United hovered around mid table for the first half of the season and once again reached the Third Round of the FA Cup. Disposing of non-Leaguers Weymouth and Llanelli, it was a Yorkshire club again that ended Colchester's run. Securing a 2-2 draw at Second Division Rotherham, U's lost the replay 2-0 at Layer Road missing out on a potential tie with Newcastle.

A disastrous run of just one point from the last six games then saw United slip from 13th to just one place and two points above the re-election zone. Kevin McCurley had justified Allen's outlay with 19 goals and the season was significant with the introduction of a young winger by the name of Peter Wright. The need for floodlights was emphasized when just 3,382 watched the re-arranged Thursday 19 March 1953 afternoon fixture with Crystal Palace.

Criticised by supporters for his style of play and unwilling to implement the Board's call for a reduction in playing staff, Allen resigned on 2 May 1953. The Board shortlisted three names for the vacant managerial position and, in line with their cost reduction policy, appointed Ron Meades as player-manager. Meades had presented his CV claiming to have been with Cardiff and more recently manager of Western League side Wadebridge Town. A piece of investigative journalism by U's reporter Arthur Wood revealed that Meades was a fraud and after four days in charge Meades was asked to leave by a very embarrassed United hierarchy.^[2]

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
––	GK	ENG	Frank Coombs
––	GK	ENG	George Wright
––	DF	ENG	Harry Bearryman
––	DF	ENG	Roy Bicknell
––	DF	SCO	Jimmy Elder
––	DF	ENG	George French
––	DF	ENG	John Harrison
––	DF	ENG	Bertie Hill
––	DF	ENG	Ron Hunt
––	DF	ENG	Digger Kettle
––	DF	ENG	Phil Rookes


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
––	DF	ENG	Reg Stewart
––	MF	ENG	Peter Aitchison
––	MF	ENG	John Church
––	MF	ENG	Mike Grice
––	MF	ENG	Peter Wright
––	FW	ENG	Bert Barlow
––	FW	ENG	Dick Cullum
––	FW	ENG	Kevin McCurley
––	FW	SCO	Johnny McKim
––	FW	ENG	Augie Scott

Player Info

Pos.	Name	Place of Birth	Date of Birth	Previous Club	Date Joined	Fee
GK	Frank Coombs	East Ham	24 April 1925	Southend United	8 March 1952	£450
GK	George Wright	Plymouth	10 October 1919	Plymouth Argyle	5 May 1949	Free
DF	Harry Bearryman	Wandsworth	26 September 1924	Chelsea	30 August 1947	Free
DF	Roy Bicknell	Doncaster	19 February 1926	Gravesend & Northfleet	4 October 1952	Free
DF	Jimmy Elder	Scone	5 March 1928	Portsmouth	19 August 1950	£2,000
DF	George French	Unknown	10 November 1926	Unknown	4 October 1952	Free
DF	John Harrison	Leicester	27 September 1927	Aston Villa	30 September 1950	Undisclosed
DF	Bertie Hill	West Ham	8 March 1930	Chelsea	11 April 1953	Free
DF	Ron Hunt	Colchester	26 September 1933	Youth Team	1 August 1951	Free
DF	Digger Kettle	Colchester	3 June 1922	Arclight Sports	26 December 1946	Free
DF	Phil Rookes	Dulverton	23 April 1919	Portsmouth	18 August 1951	Undisclosed
DF	Reg Stewart	Sheffield	30 October 1925	Sheffield Wednesday	20 August 1949	£1,000
MF	Peter Aitchison	Harlow	19 September 1931	Youth Team	1 August 1951	Free
MF	John Church	Lowestoft	17 September 1919	Norwich City	19 August 1950	£1,200
MF	Mike Grice	Woking	3 November 1931	Lowestoft Town	11 September 1952	£50
MF	Peter Wright	Colchester	26 January 1934	Youth Team	1 August 1951	Free
FW	Bert Barlow	Kilnhurst	22 July 1917	Leicester City	13 September 1952	£1,000
FW	Dick Cullum	Colchester	28 January 1931	Youth Team	1 August 1950	Free
FW	Kevin McCurley	Consett	2 April 1926	Liverpool	22 March 1952	£750
FW	Johnny McKim	Greenock	22 January 1926	Chelsea	19 August 1950	£1,000
FW	Augie Scott	Sunderland	19 February 1921	Southampton	18 August 1951	Free

Transfers

Transfers In

Date	Pos.	Player Name	Previous Club	Transfer Fee	Notes
6 September 1952	FW	Stan Edwards	Chelsea	Free
11 September 1952	MF	Mike Grice	Lowestoft Town	£50
13 September 1952	FW	Bert Barlow	Leicester City	£1,000
4 October 1952	DF	Roy Bicknell	Gravesend & Northfleet	Free
4 October 1952	DF	George French	Unknown	Free
14 March 1953	DF	Harry Wilkinson	Exeter City	Free
11 April 1953	DF	Bertie Hill	Chelsea	Free

Transfers Out

Date	Pos.	Player Name	New Club	Transfer Fee	Notes
3 May 1952	MF	Adam Davidson	Carnoustie Panmure	Free
7 February 1953	DF	Trevor Rowlands	Lovells Athletic	Free
14 March 1953	DF	Harry Wilkinson	Folkestone Town	Free
4 April 1953	DF	Len Jones	Ipswich Town	Free
30 April 1953	FW	Stan Edwards	Leyton Orient	Free

Results

Third Division South Results Summary

Pos	Club	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Av	Pts
21	Gillingham	46	12	15	19	55	74	0.743	39
22	Colchester United	46	12	14	20	59	76	0.776	38
23	Shrewsbury Town	46	12	12	22	68	91	0.747	36

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GAv = Goal average; Pts = Points

Third Division South Results

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
23/08/1952	Ipswich Town	H	0-0	14,674
28/08/1952	Reading	H	2-1	9,190	McKim (2)
30/08/1952	Aldershot	A	0-0	8,278
03/09/1952	Reading	A	0-2	13,908
06/09/1952	Swindon Town	H	3-1	9,062	Church, Edwards, McKim
11/09/1952	Bristol Rovers	H	0-3	8,909
13/09/1952	Queens Park Rangers	A	0-1	13,837
15/09/1952	Bristol Rovers	A	1-3	17,336	Elder (pen.)
20/09/1952	Shrewsbury Town	H	1-0	7,779	Scott
23/09/1952	Bristol City	A	2-3	12,615	Barlow, Rowlands
27/09/1952	Walsall	A	3-0	7,736	Church, Grice, McCurley
04/10/1952	Gillingham	H	1-1	8,529	Church
11/10/1952	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	A	0-1	11,679
18/10/1952	Southend United	H	3-3	10,589	Church, McCurley, McKim
25/10/1952	Watford	A	0-2	16,100
01/11/1952	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	0-0	8,139
08/11/1952	Newport County	A	1-0	9,000	McKim
29/11/1952	Torquay United	H	4-1	6,846	Barlow, Church (2), McKim
13/12/1952	Leyton Orient	H	3-1	6,622	McCurley (2), McKim
20/12/1952	Ipswich Town	A	2-2	12,572	McCurley, McKim
26/12/1952	Norwich City	A	0-3	19,859
03/01/1953	Aldershot	H	1-2	7,438	McCurley
17/01/1953	Swindon Town	A	1-0	8,545	McKim
21/01/1953	Exeter City	A	0-2	3,951
24/01/1953	Queens Park Rangers	H	1-1	9,150	Rowlands
31/01/1953	Exeter City	H	3-1	5,643	Barlow, Elder (pen.), Rowlands
07/02/1953	Shrewsbury Town	A	0-3	7,624
14/02/1953	Walsall	H	6-1	5,102	McCurley (3), McKim (3)
21/02/1953	Gillingham	H	1-1	10,000	McCurley
28/02/1953	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	H	1-1	7,858	McCurley
07/03/1953	Southend United	A	0-4	10,250
14/03/1953	Watford	H	1-1	6,667	McCurley
19/03/1953	Crystal Palace	H	3-0	3,382	McCurley (2), McKim
21/03/1953	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	0-0	12,366
28/03/1953	Newport County	H	3-3	6,200	Church, Elder (pen.), McCurley
03/04/1953	Coventry City	H	0-1	10,618
04/04/1953	Crystal Palace	A	1-3	12,099	Church
06/04/1953	Coventry City	A	2-2	11,284	Bearryman, Edwards
11/04/1953	Bristol City	H	3-1	7,519	Barlow, Edwards (2)
16/04/1953	Northampton Town	A	0-2	7,982
18/04/1953	Torquay United	A	1-5	7,269	Barlow
23/04/1953	Millwall	H	0-0	8,127
25/04/1953	Newport County	H	1-2	8,122	Barlow
27/04/1953	Millwall	A	1-3	7,970	P.Wright
30/04/1953	Leyton Orient	A	3-5	2,553	Edwards, Scott, P.Wright
02/05/1953	Norwich City	H	0-4	10,029

Source: 1952-53 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

FA Cup

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
22/11/1952	R1	Weymouth	A	1-1	8,000	McKim
27/11/1952	R1 (R)	Weymouth	H	4-0	4,314	O.G., Edwards (2), McKim
06/12/1952	R2	Llanelli	H	3-2	9,693	Barlow, Church, McCurley
27/11/1952	R3	Rotherham United	A	2-2	16,547	McCurley (2)
27/11/1952	R3 (R)	Rotherham United	H	0-2	8,991

Source: 1952-53 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk

Squad statistics

^[3]

No.	Nat.	Pos.	Name	Total		Third Division South		FA Cup
No.	Nat.	Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
––	GK	ENG	Frank Coombs	18	0	18	0	0	0
––	GK	ENG	George Wright	33	0	28	0	5	0
––	DF	ENG	Harry Bearryman	49	1	44	1	5	0
––	DF	ENG	Roy Bicknell	8	0	6	0	2	0
––	DF	SCO	Jimmy Elder	50	3	45	3	5	0
––	DF	ENG	George French	1	0	1	0	0	0
––	DF	ENG	John Harrison	50	0	45	0	5	0
––	DF	ENG	Bertie Hill	2	0	2	0	0	0
––	DF	ENG	Ron Hunt	0	0	0	0	0	0
––	DF	ENG	Len Jones	13	0	13	0	0	0
––	DF	ENG	Digger Kettle	0	0	0	0	0	0
––	DF	ENG	Phil Rookes	45	0	42	0	3	0
––	DF	WAL	Trevor Rowlands	5	3	5	3	0	0
––	DF	ENG	Reg Stewart	45	0	40	0	5	0
––	DF	ENG	Harry Wilkinson	1	0	1	0	0	0
––	MF	ENG	Peter Aitchison	3	0	3	0	0	0
––	MF	ENG	John Church	39	9	34	8	5	1
––	MF	ENG	Mike Grice	14	1	14	1	0	0
––	MF	ENG	Peter Wright	12	2	12	2	0	0
––	FW	ENG	Bert Barlow	33	7	28	6	5	1
––	FW	ENG	Dick Cullum	0	0	0	0	0	0
––	FW	ENG	Stan Edwards	19	7	16	5	3	2
––	FW	ENG	Kevin McCurley	47	18	42	15	5	3
––	FW	SCO	Johnny McKim	34	15	29	13	5	2
––	FW	ENG	Augie Scott	40	2	38	2	2	0

Scorers

^[4]

All

Scorer	Goals
Kevin McCurley	18
Johnny McKim	15
John Church	9
Bert Barlow	7
Stan Edwards	7
Jimmy Elder	3
Trevor Rowlands	3
Augie Scott	2
Peter Wright	2
Harry Bearryman	1
Mike Grice	1
Own goal	1

League

Scorer	Goals
Kevin McCurley	15
Johnny McKim	13
John Church	8
Bert Barlow	6
Stan Edwards	5
Jimmy Elder	3
Trevor Rowlands	3
Augie Scott	2
Peter Wright	2
Harry Bearryman	1
Mike Grice	1

FA Cup

Scorer	Goals
Kevin McCurley	3
Stan Edwards	2
Johnny McKim	2
Bert Barlow	1
John Church	1
Own goal	1

References

^ 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.
^ "The U's History: The 50s". Colchester United F.C. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
^ "1952–53 Season Appearance Data". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
^ "1952–53 Season Goalscorers Data". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2011.

[WWCU-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] "The U's History: The 50s". Colchester United F.C. Retrieved 23 May 2011.

[3] "1952–53 Season Appearance Data". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2011.

[4] "1952–53 Season Goalscorers Data". coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2011.

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