Chairman Jack Rippingale Third Division 7th League Cup 1st Round | Manager Bobby Roberts FA Cup 5th Round | |
 | ||
Top goalscorer League:
Bobby Gough (16)
All:
Bobby Gough (22) | ||
The 1978–79 season was Colchester United's second consecutive season in the Football League Third Division.
Contents
Season Review
Manager Bobby Roberts kept faith with his squad, but with a second injury to Eddie Rowles, Colin Garwood's replacement, forced him into the transfer market. Cash-strapped United splashed out £15,000 on Millwall's Trevor Lee who became the first black player to represent Colchester's first team.
Once again, United fell short of promotion finishing seventh - nine points behind third-placed Swansea. In the final game of the season 9 May 1979 United recorded their biggest ever away win in the League with a 5-1 romp at Tranmere less than a month after they had stunned champions-elect Watford with a 3-0 Good Friday win at Vicarage Road.
Colchester's season wouldn't be complete without the obligatory cup run and after disposing of Oxford, with a Bobby Gough hat trick, laying the ghost of Leatherhead with a 4-0 replay win at Layer Road and overcoming tricky away ties at Darlington and Newport, the U's welcomed Manchester United to Layer Road. Called off from the original Saturday date, Colchester were so near to an Old Trafford replay only for Jimmy Greenhoff to break the hearts of most of the 13,171 crowd with an 86th-minute winner.
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Third Division Results Summary
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Third Division Results
Source: 1978-79 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk
League Cup
Source: 1978-79 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk
FA Cup
Source: 1978-79 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk
Most Frequent Starting XI
This section shows players in a 5-4-1 formation with the most league starts during the season.