2002–03 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United
2002–03 season
Chairman	Peter Heard
Manager	Steve Whitton; (until 29 January); Geraint Williams (caretaker); (29 January until 25 February); Phil Parkinson; (from 25 February)
Stadium	Layer Road
Second Division	12th
FA Cup	1st round; (eliminated by; Chester City)
League Cup	1st round; (eliminated by; Coventry City)
Football League Trophy	1st round (southern section); (eliminated by; Cheltenham Town)
Top goalscorer	League: ; Joe Keith (9); All: ; Joe Keith; Scott McGleish (9)
Highest home attendance	5,047; v Queens Park Rangers, 3 May 2003
Lowest home attendance	2,721; v Wigan Athletic, 31 August 2002
Average home league attendance	3,367
Biggest win	4–0; v Chesterfield, 18 March 2003
Biggest defeat	0–5; v Luton Town, 21 April 2003
	Home colours
	Home colours
	← 2001–02 2003–04 →

The 2002–03 season was Colchester United's 61st season in their history and their fifth successive season in the third tier of English football, the Second Division. Alongside competing in the Second Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.

After a first round FA Cup exit to Conference side Chester City and a seven-game winless run, manager Steve Whitton left the club by mutual consent, with Phil Parkinson appointed in his first ever managerial role. He led the club from the relegation zone to a 12th-place finish, their highest position for 23 years.

Season overview

Following consecutive seasons of gradual improvement under Steve Whitton, the club found themselves in the relegation zone following a run of seven games without a win and a first round FA Cup exit to non-League Chester City. He left the club by mutual consent in January as former player Geraint Williams stepped up as caretaker manager while putting his name forward for the permanent role. However, with his many contacts at FA board level, chairman Peter Heard made a surprise appointment of Reading's player-coach Phil Parkinson.

Parkinson helped turn around the club's fortunes, lifting them from the relegation zone to 12th place, their best finish for 23 years.

In the League Cup, Colchester were eliminated by Coventry City in the first round, while Cheltenham Town defeated the U's in the first round of the Football League Trophy.

Away from the pitch, following the collapse of ITV Digital which had promised clubs greater television rights finances, a number of clubs found themselves entering administration or suffering lasting financial difficulty as a result of spending the money on players and resources before any had been received. Prudently, Peter Heard had never budgeted more than the club could afford and as such Colchester United were largely unaffected by the collapse.

Players

As of match played 3 May 2003.

No.	Name	Position	Place of birth	Date of birth	Apps	Goals	Signed from	Date signed	Fee
Goalkeepers
1	Simon Brown	GK	Chelmsford	(1976-12-03)3 December 1976 (aged 25)	85	0	Tottenham Hotspur	20 July 1999	Free transfer
31	Richard McKinney	GK	Ballymoney	(1979-05-18)18 May 1979 (aged 23)	0	0	Swindon Town	10 August 2002	Free transfer
32	Dean Gerken	GK	Southend-on-Sea	(1985-05-22)22 May 1985 (aged 17)	0	0	Youth team	1 August 2002	Free transfer
Defenders
2	Joe Dunne	FB	Dublin	(1973-05-25)25 May 1973 (aged 29)	188	7	Dover Athletic	7 December 1999	Nominal
3	Joe Keith	FB	Plaistow	(1978-10-01)1 October 1978 (aged 23)	126	10	West Ham United	24 May 1999	Free transfer
5	Scott Fitzgerald	CB	Westminster	(1969-08-13)13 August 1969 (aged 32)	74	0	Millwall	19 October 2000	Free transfer
8	Mark Warren	CB	Lower Clapton	(1974-11-12)12 November 1974 (aged 27)	0	0	Notts County	6 August 2002	Free transfer
19	Alan White	CB	Darlington	(1975-03-22)22 March 1975 (aged 27)	77	3	Luton Town	16 July 2000	Free transfer
24	Pat Baldwin	CB	City of London	(1982-11-12)12 November 1982 (aged 19)	0	0	Chelsea	16 August 2002	Free transfer
25	Sam Stockley	FB	Tiverton	(1977-09-05)5 September 1977 (aged 24)	11	1	Oxford United	31 October 2002	Free transfer
27	Greg Halford	FB/MF	Chelmsford	(1984-12-08)8 December 1984 (aged 17)	0	0	Youth team	1 August 2002	Free transfer
29	Mike Edwards	CB	Hessle	(1980-04-25)25 April 1980 (aged 22)	0	0	Hull City	27 March 2003	Free transfer
Midfielders
4	Gavin Johnson	MF	Eye	(1970-10-10)10 October 1970 (aged 31)	93	3	Dunfermline Athletic	14 November 1999	Free transfer
6	Thomas Pinault	MF	Grasse	(1981-12-04)4 December 1981 (aged 20)	58	1	AS Cannes	1 July 1999	Free transfer
7	Karl Duguid	MF	Letchworth	(1978-03-21)21 March 1978 (aged 24)	239	34	Youth team	9 December 1995	Free transfer
10	Kemal Izzet	MF	Whitechapel	(1980-09-29)29 September 1980 (aged 21)	51	6	Charlton Athletic	13 April 2001	Free transfer
14	Chris Keeble	MF	Colchester	(1978-09-17)17 September 1978 (aged 23)	25	2	Ipswich Town	23 March 2000	Free transfer
16	Marc Canham	MF	Wegberg	(1982-09-11)11 September 1982 (aged 19)	1	0	Youth team	1 August 2001	Free transfer
17	Bobby Bowry	MF	Hampstead	(1971-05-19)19 May 1971 (aged 31)	41	1	Millwall	25 July 2001	Free transfer
20	Mick Stockwell	MF	Chelmsford	(1965-02-14)14 February 1965 (aged 37)	104	22	Ipswich Town	23 July 2000	Free transfer
	Matt Hearn	MF	Barking	(1984-01-17)17 January 1984 (aged 18)	0	0	Youth team	1 July 2000	Free transfer
	Craig Johnston	MF		(1985-12-04)4 December 1985 (aged 16)	0	0	Youth team	1 July 2002	Free transfer
Forwards
9	Scott McGleish	FW	Chipping Barnet	(1974-02-10)10 February 1974 (aged 28)	90	27	Barnet	12 January 2001	£15,000
11	Dean Morgan	FW	Edmonton	(1983-10-03)3 October 1983 (aged 18)	38	0	Youth team	1 August 2000	Free transfer
12	Kevin Rapley	FW	Reading	(1977-09-21)21 September 1977 (aged 24)	40	9	Notts County	1 August 2001	Free transfer
15	Adrian Coote	FW	Great Yarmouth	(1978-09-30)30 September 1978 (aged 23)	19	4	Norwich City	21 December 2001	£50,000
21	Mvondo Atangana	FW	Yaoundé	(1979-07-10)10 July 1979 (aged 22)	0	0	Dundee United	8 November 2002	Undisclosed
27	Ben Cranfield	FW	Ipswich	(1984-03-01)1 March 1984 (aged 18)	0	0	Youth team	1 August 2001	Free transfer
	Tristan Toney	FW		(1984-02-04)4 February 1984 (aged 18)	0	0	Youth team	1 July 2002	Free transfer

^ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club
^ Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Name	From	Fee
1 July 2002	MF	Craig Johnston	Youth team	Free transfer
1 July 2002	FW	Tristan Toney	Youth team	Free transfer
29 July 2002	CB	Danny Steele	Millwall	Free transfer
1 August 2002	GK	Dean Gerken	Youth team	Free transfer
1 August 2002	FB/MF	Greg Halford	Youth team	Free transfer
6 August 2002	CB	Mark Warren	Notts County	Free transfer
10 August 2002	GK	Richard McKinney	Swindon Town	Free transfer
16 August 2002	CB	Pat Baldwin	Chelsea	Free transfer
31 October 2002	FB	Sam Stockley	Oxford United	Free transfer
8 November 2002	FW	Mvondo Atangana	Dundee United	Undisclosed
27 March 2003	CB	Mike Edwards	Hull City	Free transfer

Total spending: ~ £0

Out

Date	Position	Name	To	Fee
31 May 2002	CB	Con Blatsis	Kocaelispor	Free transfer
30 June 2002	DF/MF	Anthony Allman	Woking	Released
1 August 2002	MF	David Gregory	Canvey Island	Released
12 August 2002	CB	Ross Johnson	Dagenham & Redbridge	Released
1 October 2002	FB	David Hadrava	Heybridge Swifts	Released
14 October 2002	FW	Triston Chambers	Dagenham & Redbridge	Released
25 October 2002	GK	Glenn Williamson	Free agent	Released
15 November 2002	FW	Lloyd Opara	Cambridge United	Free transfer
3 December 2002	CB	Danny Steele	Fisher Athletic	Released

Total incoming: ~ £0

^ Rejected offer of a new one-year deal

Loans in

Date	Position	Name	From	End date
15 August 2002	MF	Leke Odunsi	Millwall	1 November 2002
31 August 2002	FB	Sam Stockley	Oxford United	30 October 2002
22 October 2002	FW	Justin Richards	Bristol Rovers	10 December 2002
23 January 2003	FW	Gareth Williams	Crystal Palace	19 March 2003
24 January 2003	CB	Liam Chilvers	Arsenal	31 May 2003
10 March 2003	MF	Johnnie Jackson	Tottenham Hotspur	4 May 2003
27 March 2003	FW	Ben May	Millwall	4 May 2003

^ Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

Loans out

Date	Position	Name	To	End date
5 September 2002	FW	Triston Chambers	Harlow Town	5 October 2002
15 October 2002	FW	Lloyd Opara	Cambridge United	14 November 2002
21 October 2002	FW	Adrian Coote	Bristol Rovers	9 February 2003

Match details

Second Division

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
10	Swindon Town	46	16	12	18	59	63	−4	60
11	Peterborough United	46	14	16	16	51	54	−3	58
12	Colchester United	46	14	16	16	52	56	−4	58
13	Blackpool	46	15	13	18	56	64	−8	58
14	Stockport County	46	15	10	21	65	70	−5	55

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).

Results round by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46
Ground	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	W	D	L	L	W	W	D	L	L	L	L	L	D	W	D	D	L	D	W	D	W	L	D	L	D	L	L	L	D	W	W	D	W	W	L	D	W	W	D	W	D	D	W	L	D	L
Position	10	8	15	19	12	9	11	14	16	16	20	20	21	17	19	18	18	21	19	19	15	16	17	18	17	19	21	22	21	20	16	18	17	15	17	16	15	12	14	11	11	11	10	10	10	12

Source: Statto.com (archived)
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

10 August 2002 (2002-08-10) 1	Colchester United	1–0	Stockport County	Colchester
15:00 BST	Pinault 58'	Report	McLachlan 49'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,300 Referee: Paul Danson

13 August 2002 (2002-08-13) 2	Tranmere Rovers	1–1	Colchester United	Birkenhead
	Koumas 15'	Report	Keith 53'	Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 7,499 Referee: Mike Pike

17 August 2002 (2002-08-17) 3	Crewe Alexandra	2–0	Colchester United	Crewe
	Hulse 9' Bell 81'	Report		Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 5,138 Referee: Graham Salisbury

24 August 2002 (2002-08-24) 4	Colchester United	0–1	Brentford	Colchester
15:00 BST		Report	Hunt 45' (pen.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,135 Referee: Paul Taylor

26 August 2002 (2002-08-26) 5	Peterborough United	0–1	Colchester United	Peterborough
		Report	Keith 80' Warren 90'	Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 4,203 Referee: P Armstrong

31 August 2002 (2002-08-31) 6	Colchester United	1–0	Wigan Athletic	Colchester
15:00 BST	Morgan 41'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,721 Referee: Keith Hill

7 September 2002 (2002-09-07) 7	Colchester United	1–1	Cheltenham Town	Colchester
14:00 BST	Keith 59' (pen.)	Report	Naylor 45'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,845 Referee: B Curson

14 September 2002 (2002-09-14) 8	Port Vale	1–0	Colchester United	Burslem
	Collins 47'	Report		Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 3,328 Referee: M Ryan

17 September 2002 (2002-09-17) 9	Northampton Town	4–1	Colchester United	Northampton
	Gabbiadini 15', 45', 69' Oné 23'	Report	Sampson 39' (o.g.)	Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 3,663 Referee: G Cain

21 September 2002 (2002-09-21) 10	Colchester United	0–1	Oldham Athletic	Colchester
15:00 BST	Warren 56'	Report	Andrews 64' Hill 53'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,021 Referee: Grant Hegley

28 September 2002 (2002-09-28) 11	Queens Park Rangers	2–0	Colchester United	Shepherd's Bush
15:00 BST	Connolly 39' Gallen 72'	Report		Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 12,906 Referee: Steve Tomlin

5 October 2002 (2002-10-05) 12	Colchester United	0–1	Wycombe Wanderers	Colchester
15:00 BST		Report	Brown 4' (pen.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,252 Referee: D Pugh

12 October 2002 (2002-10-12) 13	Swindon Town	2–2	Colchester United	Swindon
	Gurney 66' Sabin 68'	Report	McGleish 3' Pinault 49'	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 4,152 Referee: Mark Warren

18 October 2002 (2002-10-18) 14	Colchester United	2–0	Chesterfield	Colchester
19:45 BST	Izzet 58', 73'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,211 Referee: Trevor Parkes

26 October 2002 (2002-10-26) 15	Huddersfield Town	1–1	Colchester United	Huddersfield
	Stead 90'	Report	Rapley 11'	Stadium: Kirklees Stadium Attendance: 8,912 Referee: Phil Joslin

29 October 2002 (2002-10-29) 16	Colchester United	1–1	Barnsley	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Stockley 10' Steele 17'	Report	Dyer 15'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,096 Referee: Clive Penton

1 November 2002 (2002-11-01) 17	Mansfield Town	4–2	Colchester United	Mansfield
	Christie 19', 25', 29', 64'	Report	Keith 25' (pen.) Rapley 31' White 81'	Stadium: Field Mill Attendance: 3,414 Referee: Howard Webb

9 November 2002 (2002-11-09) 18	Colchester United	2–2	Bristol City	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Pinault 55' Bowry 66'	Report	Peacock 42', 58'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,338 Referee: Joe Ross

23 November 2002 (2002-11-23) 19	Notts County	2–3	Colchester United	Nottingham
	Allsopp 16' Brough 18'	Report	Morgan 7', 35' McGleish 83'	Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 4,626 Referee: Anthony Leake

30 November 2002 (2002-11-30) 20	Colchester United	0–0	Plymouth Argyle	Colchester
15:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,714 Referee: Carl Boyeson

14 December 2002 (2002-12-14) 21	Luton Town	1–2	Colchester United	Luton
	Fotiadis 35'	Report	Duguid 45' Morgan 58'	Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 5,890 Referee: M Cowburn

20 December 2002 (2002-12-20) 22	Colchester United	1–2	Cardiff City	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Stockwell 52' Rapley 58'	Report	Earnshaw 45', 77' Zhiyi 59'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,096 Referee: Uriah Rennie

26 December 2002 (2002-12-26) 23	Colchester United	1–1	Peterborough United	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Izzet 45'	Report	Clarke 82'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,760 Referee: Fraser Stretton

28 December 2002 (2002-12-28) 24	Blackpool	3–1	Colchester United	Blackpool
	Walker 34' Grayson 45' Murphy 59'	Report	Izzet 71'	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 6,040 Referee: A Kaye

4 January 2003 (2003-01-04) 25	Colchester United	2–2	Tranmere Rovers	Colchester
15:00 GMT	McGleish 12' Keith 69' (pen.)	Report	Haworth 38' Mellon 60'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,846 Referee: Lee Cable

11 January 2003 (2003-01-11) 26	Colchester United	1–2	Crewe Alexandra	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Stockwell 41'	Report	Jones 56', 62'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,949 Referee: Keith Hill

18 January 2003 (2003-01-18) 27	Wigan Athletic	2–1	Colchester United	Wigan
	de Vos 44' Liddell 74' (pen.)	Report	Keith 90' (pen.)	Stadium: JJB Stadium Attendance: 5,792 Referee: Andy Penn

25 January 2003 (2003-01-25) 28	Colchester United	0–2	Blackpool	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Duguid 82'	Report	Murphy 52' Coid 70'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,305 Referee: Colin Webster

1 February 2003 (2003-02-01) 29	Stockport County	1–1	Colchester United	Stockport
	Beckett 36'	Report	Keith 88'	Stadium: Edgeley Park Attendance: 4,011 Referee: Joe Ross

8 February 2003 (2003-02-08) 30	Bristol City	1–2	Colchester United	Bristol
	Fagan 51'	Report	McGleish 12' Pinault 69'	Stadium: Ashton Gate Stadium Attendance: 11,107 Referee: Andy Hall

14 February 2003 (2003-02-14) 31	Colchester United	1–0	Mansfield Town	Colchester
19:45 GMT	McGleish 88'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,247 Referee: Iain Williamson

22 February 2003 (2003-02-22) 32	Cheltenham Town	1–1	Colchester United	Cheltenham
	Alsop 2'	Report	Williams 44'	Stadium: Whaddon Road Attendance: 3,607 Referee: Steve Baines

1 March 2003 (2003-03-01) 33	Colchester United	4–1	Port Vale	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Williams 7', 36', 72' Keith 53'	Report	Bridge-Wilkinson 55'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,581 Referee: Scott Mathieson

4 March 2003 (2003-03-04) 34	Colchester United	2–0	Northampton Town	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Williams 28' McGleish 76'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,408 Referee: D Crick

8 March 2003 (2003-03-08) 35	Oldham Athletic	2–0	Colchester United	Oldham
	Eyre 13' Eyres 19'	Report	White 45'	Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 5,223 Referee: Paul Danson

11 March 2003 (2003-03-11) 36	Brentford	1–1	Colchester United	Brentford
	McCammon 37'	Report	Keith 84' (pen.)	Stadium: Griffin Park Attendance: 3,990 Referee: P Crossley

15 March 2003 (2003-03-15) 37	Colchester United	2–0	Huddersfield Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Izzet 74' McGleish 81'	Report	Sharp 40'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,835 Referee: P Armstrong

18 March 2003 (2003-03-18) 38	Chesterfield	0–4	Colchester United	Chesterfield
		Report	Izzet 43' Williams 48' Payne 68' (o.g.) Morgan 81'	Stadium: Saltergate Attendance: 3,226 Referee: Neale Barry

22 March 2003 (2003-03-22) 39	Barnsley	1–1	Colchester United	Barnsley
	Dyer 36'	Report	McGleish 38'	Stadium: Oakwell Attendance: 9,154 Referee: Eddie Evans

29 March 2003 (2003-03-29) 40	Colchester United	1–0	Swindon Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Izzet 57'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,787 Referee: Graham Poll

5 April 2003 (2003-04-05) 41	Plymouth Argyle	0–0	Colchester United	Plymouth
		Report		Stadium: Home Park Attendance: 7,122 Referee: Paul Taylor

12 April 2003 (2003-04-12) 42	Colchester United	1–1	Notts County	Colchester
15:00 BST	Duguid 2'	Report	Stallard 45'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,435 Referee: Mark Warren

19 April 2003 (2003-04-19) 43	Cardiff City	0–3	Colchester United	Cardiff
		Report	Duguid 4' Izzet 61' Morgan 73'	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 12,663 Referee: Steve Tomlin

21 April 2003 (2003-04-21) 44	Colchester United	0–5	Luton Town	Colchester
15:00 BST		Report	Howard 14', 45', 90' Griffiths 21' Nicholls 43' (pen.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,967 Referee: Clive Penton

26 April 2003 (2003-04-26) 45	Wycombe Wanderers	0–0	Colchester United	High Wycombe
15:00 BST		Report		Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 6,283 Referee: B Curson

3 May 2003 (2003-05-03) 46	Colchester United	0–1	Queens Park Rangers	Colchester
15:00 BST		Report	Furlong 52'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 5,047 Referee: Paul Durkin

Football League Cup

11 September 2002 (2002-09-11) 1st round	Coventry City	3–0	Colchester United	Coventry
	McSheffrey 1' McAllister 15' Mills 83'	Report		Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 6,075 Referee: Ray Olivier

Football League Trophy

22 October 2002 (2002-10-22) 1st round (southern section)	Cheltenham Town	4–1	Colchester United	Cheltenham
	Brayson 45' (pen.), 78' McCann 63' Alsop 68'	Report	McGleish 57' McKinney 45'	Stadium: Whaddon Road Attendance: 1,369 Referee: Paul Danson

FA Cup

16 November 2002 (2002-11-16) 1st round	Colchester United	0–1	Chester City	Colchester
15:00 GMT		Report	Tate 83'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,901 Referee: Steve Tomlin

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Second Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Football League Trophy
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	ENG	Simon Brown	29	0	26+1	0	1	0	0	0	0+1	0
3	DF	ENG	Joe Keith	39	9	36	9	1	0	1	0	1	0
4	MF	ENG	Gavin Johnson	9	0	8	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
5	DF	IRL	Scott Fitzgerald	26	0	26	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	MF	FRA	Thomas Pinault	45	4	32+10	4	1	0	1	0	1	0
7	MF	ENG	Karl Duguid	27	3	26+1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	DF	ENG	Mark Warren	21	0	20	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
9	FW	ENG	Scott McGleish	46	9	38+5	8	1	0	1	0	1	1
10	MF	ENG	Kemal Izzet	48	8	43+2	8	1	0	1	0	1	0
11	FW	MSR	Dean Morgan	39	6	22+15	6	0+1	0	1	0	0	0
12	FW	ENG	Kevin Rapley	24	2	14+7	2	1	0	0+1	0	1	0
14	MF	ENG	Chris Keeble	3	0	0+3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	FW	NIR	Adrian Coote	16	0	7+9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	MF	ENG	Marc Canham	3	0	2+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	MF	SKN	Bobby Bowry	38	1	33+2	1	1	0	1	0	1	0
19	DF	ENG	Alan White	43	0	41	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
20	MF	ENG	Mick Stockwell	42	2	30+9	2	1	0	1	0	1	0
21	FW	CMR	Mvondo Atangana	7	0	1+5	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
24	DF	ENG	Pat Baldwin	22	0	13+7	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
25	DF	ENG	Sam Stockley	35	1	31+2	1	1	0	0	0	1	0
27	DF	ENG	Greg Halford	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	DF	ENG	Mike Edwards	5	0	3+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	GK	NIR	Richard McKinney	23	0	20+1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
18	DF	ENG	Liam Chilvers	6	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	FW	ENG	Justin Richards	3	0	0+2	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
22	DF	ENG	Danny Steele	9	0	6+2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
23	MF	ENG	Leke Odunsi	8	0	3+3	0	0	0	0+1	0	0+1	0
23	FW	WAL	Gareth Williams	8	6	6+2	6	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	MF	ENG	Johnnie Jackson	8	0	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	FW	ENG	Lloyd Opara	6	0	0+5	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
28	FW	ENG	Ben May	6	0	4+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goalscorers

Place	Number	Position	Name	Second Division	Football League Trophy	Total
1	3	FB	Joe Keith	9	0	9
1	9	FW	Scott McGleish	8	1	9
3	10	MF	Kemal Izzet	8	0	8
4	11	FW	Dean Morgan	6	0	6
4	23	FW	Gareth Williams	6	0	6
6	6	MF	Thomas Pinault	4	0	4
7	7	MF	Karl Duguid	3	0	3
8	12	FW	Kevin Rapley	2	0	2
8	20	MF	Mick Stockwell	2	0	2
10	17	MF	Bobby Bowry	1	0	1
10	25	FB	Sam Stockley	1	0	1
			Own goals	2	0	2
			TOTALS	52	1	53

Disciplinary record

Number	Nationality	Position	Name	Second Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Football League Trophy		Total
Number	Nationality	Position	Name
19		CB	Alan White	13	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	2
8		CB	Mark Warren	5	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	2
7		MF	Karl Duguid	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
10		MF	Kemal Izzet	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
12		FW	Kevin Rapley	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	1
22		CB	Danny Steele	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
24		CB	Pat Baldwin	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	0
31		GK	Richard McKinney	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
6		MF	Thomas Pinault	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
17		MF	Bobby Bowry	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
25		FB	Sam Stockley	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
5		CB	Scott Fitzgerald	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
9		FW	Scott McGleish	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
18		CB	Liam Chilvers	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
3		FB	Joe Keith	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
4		MF	Gavin Johnson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
15		FW	Adrian Coote	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
18		FW	Justin Richards	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
20		MF	Mick Stockwell	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
23		MF	Leke Odunsi	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
26		MF	Johnnie Jackson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
28		FW	Ben May	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
29		CB	Mike Edwards	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
			TOTALS	56	7	0	0	1	0	2	1	59	8

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.

Place	Number	Player	Second Division	Total
1	31	Richard McKinney	9	9
2	1	Simon Brown	3	3
		TOTALS	12	12

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.

Number	Position	Player	Date	Opponent	Ground
8	CB	Mark Warren	10 August 2002	Stockport County	Layer Road
31	GK	Richard McKinney	10 August 2002	Stockport County	Layer Road
22	CB	Danny Steele	24 August 2002	Brentford	Layer Road
23	MF	Leke Odunsi	26 August 2002	Peterborough United	London Road Stadium
25	FB	Sam Stockley	7 September 2002	Cheltenham Town	Layer Road
24	CB	Pat Baldwin	11 September 2002	Coventry City	Highfield Road
18	FW	Justin Richards	22 October 2002	Cheltenham Town	Whaddon Road
25	FB	Sam Stockley	9 November 2002	Bristol City	Layer Road
21	FW	Mvondo Atangana	16 November 2002	Chester City	Layer Road
18	CB	Liam Chilvers	25 January 2003	Blackpool	Layer Road
23	FW	Gareth Williams	25 January 2003	Blackpool	Layer Road
26	MF	Johnnie Jackson	11 March 2003	Brentford	Griffin Park
28	FW	Ben May	29 March 2003	Swindon Town	Layer Road
29	CB	Mike Edwards	5 April 2003	Plymouth Argyle	Home Park
27	FB/MF	Greg Halford	21 April 2003	Luton Town	Layer Road

^ Second debut for the club

References

General

Books

Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.

Websites

"Colchester United football club match record: 2003". 11v11.com. Retrieved 14 November 2018.

Specific

^ Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 279. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.
^ "Colchester Utd 0–1 Queens Park Rangers". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 1–0 Wigan Athletic". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
^ "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
^ Hudson, Matt (11 August 2013). "The 1990s and 2000s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
^ "Colchester United". FootballSquads. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
^ "All Colchester United football club players: 2003". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
^ "Craig Johnston". 11v11.com. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
^ Craig Johnston at Soccerbase
^ "Tristan Toney". 11v11.com. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Danny Steele". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ ^a ^b Danny Steele at Soccerbase
^ "Dean Gerken". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Dean Gerken at Soccerbase
^ "Greg Halford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Greg Halford at Soccerbase
^ "Mark Warren". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Mark Warren at Soccerbase
^ "Richard McKinney (Goalkeeper)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Richard McKinney at Soccerbase
^ "Pat Baldwin". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Pat Baldwin at Soccerbase
^ ^a ^b "Sam Stockley". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ ^a ^b Sam Stockley at Soccerbase
^ "Simon Atangana". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Mvondo Atangana at Soccerbase
^ "Mike Edwards". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Mike Edwards at Soccerbase
^ "Con Blatsis". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Con Blatsis at Soccerbase
^ "Anthony Allman". 11v11.com. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Anthony Allman at Soccerbase
^ "David Gregory". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ David Gregory at Soccerbase
^ "Ross Johnson". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Ross Johnson at Soccerbase
^ "David Hadrava". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ David Hadrava at Soccerbase
^ ^a ^b "Triston Chambers". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ ^a ^b Triston Chambers at Soccerbase
^ "Glenn Williamson". 11v11.com. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Glenn Williamson at Soccerbase
^ ^a ^b "Lloyd Opara". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ ^a ^b Lloyd Opara at Soccerbase
^ ^a ^b "Lloyd Opara". 11v11.com. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
^ "Leke Odunsi". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Leke Odunsi at Soccerbase
^ "Justin Richards". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Justin Richards at Soccerbase
^ "Gareth Williams". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Gareth Williams at Soccerbase
^ "Liam Chilvers". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Liam Chilvers at Soccerbase
^ "Johnnie Jackson". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Johnnie Jackson at Soccerbase
^ "Ben May". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Ben May at Soccerbase
^ "Adrian Coote". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
^ Adrian Coote at Soccerbase
^ ^a ^b "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
^ "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
^ "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
^ "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
^ "Colchester Utd 2–2 Bristol City". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2018.

[SDG-9] Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game in his second spell for the club

[DG-10] Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

[38] Rejected offer of a new one-year deal

[Loanend-52] Loan end date refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

[2deb-70] Second debut for the club

[WWCU-1] Whitehead, Jeff; Drury, Kevin (2008). The Who's Who of Colchester United: The Layer Road Years. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 279. ISBN 978-1-85983-629-3.

[2] "Colchester Utd 0–1 Queens Park Rangers". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2018.

[3] "Colchester Utd 1–0 Wigan Athletic". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2018.

[4] "Average Attendance Figures Per Season". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2018.

[5] Hudson, Matt (11 August 2013). "The 1990s and 2000s". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 14 October 2018.

[apps-6] "Appearances". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

[FS-7] "Colchester United". FootballSquads. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

[8] "All Colchester United football club players: 2003". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.

[11] "Craig Johnston". 11v11.com. Retrieved 26 October 2018.

[12] Craig Johnston at Soccerbase

[13] "Tristan Toney". 11v11.com. Retrieved 26 October 2018.

[Steele-14] "Danny Steele". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[Steele_SB-15] Danny Steele at Soccerbase

[16] "Dean Gerken". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[17] Dean Gerken at Soccerbase

[18] "Greg Halford". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[19] Greg Halford at Soccerbase

[20] "Mark Warren". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[21] Mark Warren at Soccerbase

[22] "Richard McKinney (Goalkeeper)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[23] Richard McKinney at Soccerbase

[24] "Pat Baldwin". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[25] Pat Baldwin at Soccerbase

[Stockley-26] "Sam Stockley". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[Stockley_SB-27] Sam Stockley at Soccerbase

[28] "Simon Atangana". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[29] Mvondo Atangana at Soccerbase

[30] "Mike Edwards". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[31] Mike Edwards at Soccerbase

[32] "Con Blatsis". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[33] Con Blatsis at Soccerbase

[34] "Anthony Allman". 11v11.com. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[35] Anthony Allman at Soccerbase

[36] "David Gregory". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[37] David Gregory at Soccerbase

[39] "Ross Johnson". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[40] Ross Johnson at Soccerbase

[41] "David Hadrava". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[42] David Hadrava at Soccerbase

[Chambers-43] "Triston Chambers". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[Chambers_SB-44] Triston Chambers at Soccerbase

[45] "Glenn Williamson". 11v11.com. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[46] Glenn Williamson at Soccerbase

[Opara-47] "Lloyd Opara". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[Opara_SB-48] Lloyd Opara at Soccerbase

[Opara_11-49] "Lloyd Opara". 11v11.com. Retrieved 26 October 2018.

[50] "Leke Odunsi". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[51] Leke Odunsi at Soccerbase

[53] "Justin Richards". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[54] Justin Richards at Soccerbase

[55] "Gareth Williams". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[56] Gareth Williams at Soccerbase

[57] "Liam Chilvers". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[58] Liam Chilvers at Soccerbase

[59] "Johnnie Jackson". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[60] Johnnie Jackson at Soccerbase

[61] "Ben May". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[62] Ben May at Soccerbase

[63] "Adrian Coote". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

[64] Adrian Coote at Soccerbase

[goals-65] "Goals". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2018.

[66] "Discipline". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2018.

[67] "Clean sheets (1st team)". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2018.

[68] "Alltime- List of Debuts". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2018.

[69] "Colchester Utd 2–2 Bristol City". Coludata.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2018.