Chairman Gordon Parker Division Three 8th Coca-Cola Cup 2nd Round | Manager Steve Wignall FA Cup 1st Round Auto Windscreens Shield Runners-up | |
 | ||
The 1996–97 season was Colchester United's fifth consecutive season in the fourth tier of English football. They finished as runners-up in the Auto Windscreens Shield after losing 4-3 on penalties to Carlisle United.
Contents
Season Review
A fresh looking Layer Road welcomed in the 1996/7 season with the Clock End all-seated and covered.
Mark Kinsella finally got the move his talents deserved. A bargain £150,000 took him to Charlton and there was early League Cup cheer when U's turned a 3-2 deficit with a 3-1 victory at First Division West Bromwich Albion. It was all the more noteworthy as striker Steve Whitton played the entire second half in goal.
Paul Buckle scored Colchester's first ever Golden Goal against Millwall in the Auto Windscreen Shield on 9 January 1997 and wins over Brentford and Northampton set up a Southern Final with Peterborough. All looked lost with a 2-0 first leg defeat but Paul Abrahams' glorious Golden Goal sent United to Wembley.
Unfortunately six defeats in eight League games had seen United slip to 13th. Manager Steve Wignall declared: "I won't be happy until I have guided this club to promotion. All I ask of the fans is trust me with your club."
The Wembley 1997 Football League Trophy Final against Carlisle, played on 20 April in front of 45,077, ended in a 0-0 draw after extra time. Peter Cawley and a young Karl Duguid missed from the spot leaving the Cumbrians to hoist the trophy in the cruellest of manners. Three wins and a draw after Wembley meant that United missed out on the play-offs by just one point. A season of so much promise ended in just memories.
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Division Three 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
Division Three Results
Source: 1996-97 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk
League Cup
Source: 1996-97 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk
FA Cup
Source: 1996-97 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk
League Trophy
Southern Section
Source: 1996-97 Season Colchester United Results - coludata.co.uk
Most Frequent Starting XI
This section shows players in a 4-4-2 formation with the most league starts during the season.