Chairman Peter Heard FA Cup 5th Round | League One 2nd (Promoted) League Cup 1st Round | |
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Manager Phil Parkinson
(Until 14 June 2006) Football League Trophy Finals (Southern section) | ||
The 2005–06 season was Colchester United's eighth consecutive season in the third tier of English football. The season ended in success with Colchester's first ever promotion into the second tier of English football when they finished 2nd in League One. In addition, they had good cup runs in the FA Cup, being knocked out by then Premier League champions Chelsea in the 5th round, and finished as area finalists in the LDV Vans Trophy.
Contents
Season Review
The season kick started with the arrival of Phil Parkinson's old Reading team-mate Jamie Cureton on loan from Swindon.
U's were in the top four by Christmas and their 12-match unbeaten run was halted at Swindon on Boxing Day. Parkinson's side simply embarked on another run of seven straight wins, 10 if Cup ties are included, and topped the table in January 2006. Once again United reached the LDV Southern Area Final but losing to Swansea City. The FA Cup brought more success on and off the pitch. Poor Leamington were thrashed 9-1 in the First Round on 5 December 2005, equalling a 44-year club record. U's won at Shrewsbury and then beat Championship sides Sheffield United and Derby to set up a mouth watering tie at Chelsea.
José Mourinho's side had been assembled for around £225m whilst United were valued at £150,000. More than 6,000 fans in the 41,810 live televised game witnessed the incredible, as Carvalho's own goal put United in front. Chelsea threw on their big guns Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Hernán Crespo to win 3-1. United captured a little piece of worldwide acclaim and a huge bonus to their bank balance, but league form dropped alarmingly. U's won just one in 13, including Cup ties, went seven out of eight League games in February without scoring and lost the top of the table clash with Southend by 3-0 at Layer Road.
Wins at Bournemouth and at home to Rotherham meant United only had to secure a draw in the last match at Yeovil. Ironically United's first ever professional match in 1937 was in the Somerset town and they nervously held onto a 0-0 draw to gain promotion to their promised land - The Coca Cola Championship - three points behind their Essex neighbours Southend. The average gate of 3,969 was paltry compared to some of the sides that they would face but Parkinson had delivered U's ultimate dream.
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
League One 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
League One Results Round by Round
Source: [1]
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: D = Draw; L = Loss; W = Win; P = Postponed.
League Trophy
Southern Section
Most Frequent Starting XI
This section shows players in a 4-5-1 formation with the most league starts during the season.