2009–10 Colchester United F.C. season

Season Review

Manager Paul Lambert brought in a number of targets identified to chairman Robbie Cowling during pre-season, and so in came David Fox, Ashley Vincent, Alan Maybury, Lee Beevers, Ben Williams and Magnus Okuonghae all on permanent deals with Mark Yeates, leading scorer in that first WHCS season, joining Middlesbrough for a reported £350,000.

On the down side Lambert's outcasts were cruelly consigned to training with the Youth team and denied squad numbers and a place in the squad photo, whilst the manager poured scorn on being linked to the vacant job at Motherwell. With Chris Coyne leaving for Australia, Scott Vernon being touted as a transfer makeweight and John White, Jamie Guy, Matt Lockwood, Phil Ifil, Matt Heath and Johnnie Jackson feeling the backlash, Lambert turned his attention to Shrewsbury's leading marksman Grant Holt. Failing on that deal Lambert tied up a deal to sign Hamilton duo Richard Offiong and Joël Thomas for a combined fee of £225,000. Offiong pulled out at the last minute whilst Thomas signed for £125,000. Rumours also suggested that Lambert's ex-Celtic colleague Henrik Larsson could sign in the Swedish off-season.

To add to its growing reputation the WHCS staged it second international on 16 July 2009 when England Ladies hosted Iceland Ladies before 4,170 fans.

Lambert saved his best transfer news until three days before the season opener at Norwich when he secured U's old boy Kevin Lisbie on a season-long loan after the striker refused to move to within 30 minutes of Ipswich as demanded by Town manager Roy Keane. Lisbie responded in magnificent fashion as United walloped their Norfolk neighbours in a truly sensational 7-1 thrashing at Carrow Road. A week later U's confirmed top spot in League One with a 2-1 win over Yeovil but amazingly Norwich contacted Robbie Cowling after the game wanting to appoint Lambert as their new manager following their sacking of 7-1 fall-guy Bryan Gunn. Cowling refused at first, but then relented when it became clear Lambert's mind was made up despite no official approach by Norwich. He offered Lambert the chance to talk to Norwich on the proviso that no position could be accepted until compensation was discussed and agreed between the two clubs. Compensation was never agreed and so Lambert resigned, on a match day with U's due to host Gillingham, taking assistant Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa with him, both of whom resigned the day after Lambert's appointment.

Robbie Cowling and Steve Bradshaw both came out fighting vowing to take Norwich to a Football League tribunal and declaring that the next U's manager would be of Premier League quality and better than Lambert. They did not go against their words as former Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd was unveiled on 3 September 2009.

Boothroyd's U's banished the home hoodoo with 7 wins from 8 League games to the end of the year and he enjoyed 9 games without defeat after his appointment. He signed John-Joe O'Toole, Kayode Odejayi and Danny Batth on loan with the first named pair agreeing to join permanently ahead of the January transfer window. With the Lambert compensation saga set to run on and on, Robbie Cowling refused Norwich fans additional tickets over and above their normal allocation for the return match in January 2010 saying he would rather have an empty seat than one occupied by extra City fans.

The decade ended with United consolidated in a promising top four position after a 2-1 home win over Southampton in front of 8,514. Cowling's determination had inspired the Colchester public and a new ground record of 10,064 was recorded for the visit of Norwich.

Steve Bradshaw, who had been in the team fighting for the U's new £2m training ground at Tiptree which was finally approved at its third appeal hearing, resigned from his position, whilst ex-Newcastle star and Peruvian International Nolberto Solano was training with the U's.

Early results under Aidy Boothroyd's management were promising, but the team fell apart in the final two months and blew their chance of promotion.

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:
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: D = Draw; L = Loss; W = Win; P = Postponed.

League Cup

First Round

Football League Trophy

First Round – Southern Section

FA Cup

First Round

Second Round

Third Round

Most Frequent Starting XI

This section shows players in a 4-4-2 formation with the most league starts during the season.