1998–99 Colchester United F.C. season

The 1998–99 season was Colchester United's 57th season in their history and their first season back in the third tier of English football, the Second Division, following promotion via the play-offs in the previous season. Alongside competing in the Second Division, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.

Colchester United

1998–99 season
Chairman	Peter Heard[1]
Manager	Steve Wignall (until 21 January) Steve Whitton (caretaker) (21 January until 28 January) Mick Wadsworth (from 28 January)
Stadium	Layer Road
Second Division	18th
FA Cup	1st round (eliminated by Bedlington Terriers)
League Cup	1st round (eliminated by AFC Bournemouth)
Football League Trophy	1st round (southern section) (eliminated by Gillingham)
Top goalscorer	League: David Gregory (11) All: David Gregory (14)
Highest home attendance	6,554 v Manchester City, 20 March 1999[2]
Lowest home attendance	1,742 v Gillingham, 5 December 1998[3]
Average home league attendance	4,303[4]
Biggest win	4–2 v Wrexham, 15 August 1998 3–1 v Notts County, 21 November 1998
Biggest defeat	0–4 v Burnley, 9 October 1998 1–5 v Gillingham, 5 December 1998
Home colours
← 1997–98 1999–2000 →

After a reasonable start to the season, manager Steve Wignall quit in January expressing that he had taken the club as far as he could. Mick Wadsworth was appointed his replacement and duly brought in a number of new players on permanent and loan contracts. Colchester finished the season in 18th position, two points clear of the relegation zone.

The U's were ignominiously dumped out of the FA Cup in the first round by non-League outfit Bedlington Terriers. They also suffered first round exits in the League Cup and Football League Trophy to AFC Bournemouth and Gillingham respectively.

Season overview

Following promotion from the Third Division, Steve Wignall had a huge task ahead of him to keep Colchester in the division. The league boasted Manchester City and Stoke City amongst its ranks, as well as Kevin Keegan's Fulham during Mohamed Al-Fayed's ownership during their rise to the Premier League.

Wignall's side had a reasonable start to the campaign, but were dumped out of the League Cup and Football League Trophy at the first round stages. The U's then faced a trip to non-League side Bedlington Terriers in the FA Cup first round. Bedlington held a 2–0 lead after 23 minutes and eventually held a 4–0 lead after 86 minutes, before Tony Adcock scored a late consolation goal. Following this, Colchester one just one game in their next nine matches.

In January 1999, seven days after handing raw forward Lomana LuaLua his debut, Wignall quit the club, citing that he had taken the team as far as he could and left frustrated at the role agents were playing in deals he had been trying to set up. Assistant manager Steve Whitton stepped up as caretaker manager before Mick Wadsworth was named the new manager of Colchester United. He kept Whitton on as assistant and brought in a number of new players.

The club survived relegation by two points, ending the campaign in 18th place. Crowds had risen to an average of 4,479, but swingeing cuts were made to the playing staff at the end of the season.^[5]

Players

As of match played 8 May 1999.^[6]

Name	Position	Nationality	Place of birth	Date of birth	Apps	Goals	Signed from	Date signed	Fee
Goalkeepers
Carl Emberson	GK		Epsom	(1973-07-13)13 July 1973 (aged 24)	185	0	Millwall	6 July 1994	£25,000
Tamer Fernandes	GK		Paddington	(1974-12-07)7 December 1974 (aged 23)	0	0	Peterborough United	28 January 1998	Free transfer
Andy Walker	GK		Bexleyheath	(1981-09-30)30 September 1981 (aged 16)	0	0	Youth team	1 August 1998	Free transfer
Defenders
Simon Betts	FB		Middlesbrough	(1973-03-03)3 March 1973 (aged 25)	195	11	Scarborough	11 December 1992	Free transfer
Joe Dunne	FB		Dublin	(1973-05-25)25 May 1973 (aged 25)	80	4	Gillingham	27 March 1996	Free transfer
David Greene	CB		Luton	(1973-10-26)26 October 1973 (aged 24)	118	9	Luton Town	21 June 1996	£30,000
Nicky Haydon	DF/MF		Barking	(1978-08-10)10 August 1978 (aged 19)	21	1	Youth team	1 August 1995	Free transfer
Sean Hillier	DF		Clacton-on-Sea	(1981-09-11)11 September 1981 (aged 16)	0	0	Youth team	1 August 1998	Free transfer
Stéphane Pounewatchy	CB		Paris	(1968-02-10)10 February 1968 (aged 30)	0	0	Port Vale	18 February 1999	Monthly contract
Fabrice Richard	FB		Saintes	(1973-08-16)16 August 1973 (aged 24)	0	0	AS Cannes	18 March 1999	Free transfer
Scott Stamps	FB		Edgbaston	(1975-03-20)20 March 1975 (aged 23)	40	1	Torquay United	26 March 1997	£15,000
Midfielders
Warren Aspinall	MF		Wigan	(1967-09-13)13 September 1967 (aged 30)	6	0	Brentford	25 March 1999	Undisclosed
Paul Buckle	MF		Hatfield	(1970-12-16)16 December 1970 (aged 27)	74	8	Wycombe Wanderers	28 November 1996	Free transfer
Jason Dozzell	MF		Ipswich	(1967-12-09)9 December 1967 (aged 30)	0	0	Northampton Town	15 October 1998	Non-contract
Karl Duguid	MF		Letchworth	(1978-03-21)21 March 1978 (aged 20)	70	7	Youth team	9 December 1995[a]	Free transfer
Steve Forbes	MF		Stoke Newington	(1975-12-24)24 December 1975 (aged 22)	44	3	Millwall	14 March 1997	Free transfer
David Gregory	MF		Sudbury	(1970-01-23)23 January 1970 (aged 28)	112	11	Peterborough United	8 December 1995	Free transfer
Sam Okafor	MF		Xtiam	(1982-03-17)17 March 1982 (aged 16)	0	0	Youth team	1 August 1998	Free transfer
Dave Rainford	MF		Stepney	(1979-04-21)21 April 1979 (aged 19)	0	0	Youth team	July 1997	Free transfer
Aaron Skelton	MF/DF		Welwyn Garden City	(1974-11-22)22 November 1974 (aged 23)	48	7	Luton Town	3 July 1997	Free transfer
Richard Wilkins	MF/DF		Lambeth	(1965-05-28)28 May 1965 (aged 33)	273	39	Hereford United	3 July 1996	£17,500
Geraint Williams	MF		Treorchy	(1962-01-05)5 January 1962 (aged 36)	0	0	Ipswich Town	6 July 1998	Free transfer
Forwards
Paul Abrahams	FW/WG		Colchester	(1973-10-31)31 October 1973 (aged 24)	149	31	Brentford	23 October 1996	£20,000
Tony Adcock	FW		Bethnal Green	(1963-03-27)27 March 1963 (aged 35)	346	148	Luton Town	3 August 1995	Free transfer
Neil Gregory	FW		Ndola	(1972-10-07)7 October 1972 (aged 25)	18	7	Ipswich Town	26 March 1998	£50,000
Tony Lock	FW		Harlow	(1976-09-03)3 September 1976 (aged 21)	51	8	Apprentice	28 January 1995[a]	Free transfer
Lomana LuaLua	FW		Kinshasa	(1980-12-28)28 December 1980 (aged 17)	0	0	Leyton Sixth Form College	1 September 1998	Non-contract
KK Opara	FW		Owerri	(1981-12-21)21 December 1981 (aged 16)	0	0	Youth team	1 September 1998	Free transfer
Mark Sale	FW		Burton upon Trent	(1972-02-27)27 February 1972 (aged 26)	61	11	Mansfield Town	10 March 1997	£23,500

1. Date of signing refers to the date of the player's first game for the club

Transfers

In

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
6 July 1998	MF		Geraint Williams	Ipswich Town	Free transfer	[7][8]
1 August 1998	DF		Sean Hillier	Youth team	Free transfer	[9][10]
1 August 1998	MF		Sam Okafor	Youth team	Free transfer	[11][12]
1 August 1998	FW		KK Opara	Youth team	Free transfer	[13][14]
1 August 1998	GK		Andy Walker	Youth team	Free transfer	[15][16]
1 August 1998	CB		Ian Wiles	Youth team	Free transfer	[17][18]
1 September 1998	FW		Lomana LuaLua	Leyton Sixth Form College	Non-contract	[19][20]
15 October 1998	MF		Jason Dozzell	Northampton Town	Non-contract	[21][22]
18 February 1999	CB		Stéphane Pounewatchy	Port Vale	Monthly contract	[23][24]
18 March 1999	MF		Fumaça	Catuense	Undisclosed	[25][26]
18 March 1999	FB		Fabrice Richard	AS Cannes	Free transfer	[27][28]
25 March 1999	MF		Warren Aspinall	Brentford	Undisclosed	[29][30]

• Total spending: ~ £0

Out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	Fee	Ref.
End of season	MF		Jeremy Goss	King's Lynn	Released	[31]
31 May 1998	CB		Peter Cawley	Braintree Town	Undisclosed	[32][33]
15 August 1998	CB		Ian Wiles	Heybridge Swifts	Undisclosed	[17][a]
24 October 1998	WG		Ian Hathaway	Aldershot Town	Released	[34][35]
24 March 1999	MF		Fumaça	Barnsley	Released	[25][26]

• Total incoming: ~ £0

1. Date of departure refers to the date of the player's final game for the club

Loans in

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	From	End date	Ref.
3 October 1998	CB		Guy Branston	Leicester City	3 October 1998	[36][37][a]
9 November 1998	CB		Keith Dublin	Southend United	9 December 1998	[38][39]
8 February 1999	MF		Warren Aspinall	Brentford	24 March 1999	[29][30]
24 February 1999	FW		Bradley Allen	Charlton Athletic	18 March 1999	[40][41]
25 March 1999	FW		Steve Germain	AS Cannes	9 May 1999	[42][43]
25 March 1999	MF		Brian Launders	Derby County	27 March 1999	[44][45]

1. Loan start and end dates refer to the date of the player's first and final games in his second spell for the club

Loans out

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	To	End date	Ref.
25 September 1998	WG		Ian Hathaway	Aldershot Town	23 October 1998	[34][35]
1 January 1999	MF		Dave Rainford	Scarborough	24 January 1999	[46][47]
March 1999	DF/MF		Nicky Haydon	Kettering Town	March 1999	[48][49]
5 March 1999	MF		Steve Forbes	Peterborough United	5 April 1999	[50][51]
25 March 1999	FW		Mark Sale	Plymouth Argyle	9 May 1999	[52][53]

Match details

Second Division

Main article: 1998–99 Football League

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	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A
Result	W	W	L	L	L	W	D	D	D	W	L	L	L	D	L	D	W	W	D	D	D	L	L	D	L	L	D	D	W	W	D	D	D	D	L	L	L	W	L	W	L	W	D	W	L	L
Position	8	3	5	11	12	9	12	12	12	10	12	16	17	18	20	19	18	14	14	14	14	15	16	16	17	18	17	18	17	15	15	15	16	16	16	17	17	15	17	17	18	15	18	16	17	18

Source: 11v11.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
16	Notts County	46	14	12	20	52	61	−9	54
17	Wrexham	46	13	14	19	43	62	−19	53
18	Colchester United	46	12	16	18	52	70	−18	52
19	Wycombe Wanderers	46	13	12	21	52	58	−6	51
20	Oldham Athletic	46	14	9	23	48	66	−18	51

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference

Matches

Colchester United v Chesterfield

8 August 1998 (1998-08-08) 1	Colchester United	1–0	Chesterfield	Colchester
15:00 BST	Sale 90'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,042 Referee: Paul Danson

Wrexham v Colchester United

15 August 1998 (1998-08-15) 2	Wrexham	2–4	Colchester United	Wrexham
	Roberts 62' Connolly 78' (pen.)	Report	Abrahams 16' Haydon 43' N. Gregory 48' D. Gregory 64' (pen.)	Stadium: Racecourse Ground Attendance: 4,157 Referee: E Lomas

Colchester United v Fulham

22 August 1998 (1998-08-22) 3	Colchester United	0–1	Fulham	Colchester
15:00 BST		Report	Collins 82'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 6,377 Referee: Steve Bennett

Luton Town v Colchester United

29 August 1998 (1998-08-29) 4	Luton Town	2–0	Colchester United	Luton
15:00 BST	Douglas 61' Davis 81' Johnson  53'	Report		Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 5,005 Referee: Roger Furnandiz

Colchester United v Stoke City

31 August 1998 (1998-08-31) 5	Colchester United	0–1	Stoke City	Colchester
15:00 BST	Kavanagh 78'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,728 Referee: Paul Taylor

York City v Colchester United

5 September 1998 (1998-09-05) 6	York City	1–2	Colchester United	York
15:00 BST	Thompson 76' (pen.)	Report	N. Gregory 2' Forbes 86'	Stadium: Bootham Crescent Attendance: 2,699 Referee: Steve Baines

Wigan Athletic v Colchester United

8 September 1998 (1998-09-08) 7	Wigan Athletic	1–1	Colchester United	Wigan
	Lee 86'	Report	Sale 62'	Stadium: Springfield Park Attendance: 2,784 Referee: Anthony Bates

Colchester United v Gillingham

12 September 1998 (1998-09-12) 8	Colchester United	1–1	Gillingham	Colchester
	N. Gregory 28'	Report	Asaba 27'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,612 Referee: G Frankland

Reading v Colchester United

19 September 1998 (1998-09-19) 9	Reading	1–1	Colchester United	Reading
	Williams 17'	Report	Duguid 89'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 9,058 Referee: D Pugh

Colchester United v Wycombe Wanderers

26 September 1998 (1998-09-26) 10	Colchester United	2–1	Wycombe Wanderers	Colchester
15:00 BST	Forbes 65' D. Gregory 89' (pen.)	Report	Stallard 60'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,205 Referee: Andy D'Urso

Oldham Athletic v Colchester United

3 October 1998 (1998-10-03) 11	Oldham Athletic	1–0	Colchester United	Oldham
	Rickers 20'	Report		Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 4,231 Referee: B Coddington

Colchester United v Burnley

9 October 1998 (1998-10-09) 12	Colchester United	0–4	Burnley	Colchester
19:45 BST		Report	Payton 2', 11' Vindheim 50' Cooke 72'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 5,532 Referee: D Crick

Preston North End v Colchester United

17 October 1998 (1998-10-17) 13	Preston North End	2–0	Colchester United	Preston
	Eyres 12' Nogan 39'	Report		Stadium: Deepdale Attendance: 10,483 Referee: Phil Dowd

Walsall v Colchester United

20 October 1998 (1998-10-20) 14	Walsall	1–1	Colchester United	Walsall
	Platt 47'	Report	Lock 87'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 3,319 Referee: Graham Laws

Manchester City v Colchester United

31 October 1998 (1998-10-31) 15	Manchester City	2–1	Colchester United	Manchester
15:00 GMT	Horlock 50' (pen.) Morrison 53'	Report	Dozzell 59'	Stadium: Maine Road Attendance: 24,820 Referee: Mike Pike

Colchester United v Macclesfield Town

6 November 1998 (1998-11-06) 16	Colchester United	1–1	Macclesfield Town	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Greene 75'	Report	Griffiths 28'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,927 Referee: Ray Olivier

Colchester United v Northampton Town

10 November 1998 (1998-11-10) 17	Colchester United	1–0	Northampton Town	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Greene 88'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,597 Referee: Roger Furnandiz

Notts County v Colchester United

21 November 1998 (1998-11-21) 18	Notts County	1–3	Colchester United	Nottingham
15:00 GMT	Murray 52'	Report	Greene 10', 23' D. Gregory 48'	Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 4,598 Referee: Mike Jones

Colchester United v Millwall

28 November 1998 (1998-11-28) 19	Colchester United	0–0	Millwall	Colchester
15:00 GMT		Report	Nethercott  40'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,476 Referee: Andy Hall

Lincoln City v Colchester United

12 December 1998 (1998-12-12) 20	Lincoln City	0–0	Colchester United	Lincoln
15:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 4,513 Referee: Alan Wiley

Colchester United v Blackpool

18 December 1998 (1998-12-18) 21	Colchester United	2–2	Blackpool	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Greene 7' D. Gregory 78'	Report	Ormerod 11' Hughes 88'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,228 Referee: Steve Baines

Fulham v Colchester United

26 December 1998 (1998-12-26) 22	Fulham	2–0	Colchester United	Fulham
12:00 GMT	Smith 26' Hayles 72' (pen.)	Report	Emberson  72'	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 11,939 Referee: Peter Walton

Colchester United v Bristol Rovers

28 December 1998 (1998-12-28) 23	Colchester United	0–3	Bristol Rovers	Colchester
13:00 GMT		Report	Cureton 2' Roberts 44' Ipoua 84' Shore  69'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,609 Referee: Keith Hill

Colchester United v Luton Town

2 January 1999 (1999-01-02) 24	Colchester United	2–2	Luton Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT	D. Gregory 20' (pen.) Abrahams 84'	Report	Alexander 7' (pen.) White 72'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,964 Referee: Barry Knight

Chesterfield v Colchester United

9 January 1999 (1999-01-09) 25	Chesterfield	3–1	Colchester United	Chesterfield
	Wilkinson 61' Howard 68' Reeves 81'	Report	LuaLua 75'	Stadium: Saltergate Attendance: 3,761 Referee: William Burns

Colchester United v Wrexham

15 January 1999 (1999-01-15) 26	Colchester United	1–3	Wrexham	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Wilkins 15'	Report	Whitley 9' Haydon 11' (o.g.) Griffiths 24'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,491 Referee: Steve Bennett

Stoke City v Colchester United

23 January 1999 (1999-01-23) 27	Stoke City	3–3	Colchester United	Stoke-on-Trent
	D. Gregory 30' (o.g.) Lightbourne 34' Sigurðsson 42'	Report	Betts 9' D. Gregory 44' Dozzell 80'	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 12,507 Referee: T Jones

Bristol Rovers v Colchester United

30 January 1999 (1999-01-30) 28	Bristol Rovers	1–1	Colchester United	Bristol
	Roberts 28'	Report	D. Gregory 88' (pen.)	Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 6,249 Referee: P Richards

Colchester United v York City

5 February 1999 (1999-02-05) 29	Colchester United	2–1	York City	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Betts 1' Greene 4'	Report	Cresswell 74' (pen.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,982 Referee: Paul Rejer

Colchester United v Wigan Athletic

12 February 1999 (1999-02-12) 30	Colchester United	2–1	Wigan Athletic	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Wilkins 22' D. Gregory 28'	Report	Sharp 70'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,934 Referee: M Fletcher

Gillingham v Colchester United

20 February 1999 (1999-02-20) 31	Gillingham	1–1	Colchester United	Gillingham
15:00 GMT	Asaba 22'  41'	Report	Duguid 64' Greene  41'	Stadium: Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 7,276 Referee: J Kirkby

Colchester United v Reading

27 February 1999 (1999-02-27) 32	Colchester United	1–1	Reading	Colchester
15:00 GMT	N. Gregory 8'	Report	Parkinson 81'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,686 Referee: Anthony Bates

Wycombe Wanderers v Colchester United

6 March 1999 (1999-03-06) 33	Wycombe Wanderers	2–2	Colchester United	High Wycombe
15:00 GMT	Baird 57' Scott 75'	Report	Dozzell 18' D. Gregory 90' (pen.)	Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 4,670 Referee: Fraser Stretton

Colchester United v Oldham Athletic

9 March 1999 (1999-03-09) 34	Colchester United	2–2	Oldham Athletic	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Allen 40' D. Gregory 67' (pen.)	Report	Whitehall 5' Duxbury 75'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 3,616 Referee: Keith Hill

Macclesfield Town v Colchester United

13 March 1999 (1999-03-13) 35	Macclesfield Town	2–0	Colchester United	Macclesfield
	Landon 65' Bailey 90'	Report		Stadium: Moss Rose Attendance: 2,796 Referee: B Coddington

Colchester United v Manchester City

20 March 1999 (1999-03-20) 36	Colchester United	0–1	Manchester City	Colchester
18:00 GMT		Report	Goater 55'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 6,554 Referee: Rob Styles

AFC Bournemouth v Colchester United

27 March 1999 (1999-03-27) 37	AFC Bournemouth	2–1	Colchester United	Bournemouth
12:00 GMT	Warren 35' Hughes 40'	Report	Greene 20'	Stadium: Dean Court Attendance: 6,442 Referee: M Pierce

Colchester United v Preston North End

2 April 1999 (1999-04-02) 38	Colchester United	1–0	Preston North End	Colchester
19:45 BST	Aspinall 78'	Report	Clement  51'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 5,644 Referee: P Robinson

Burnley v Colchester United

5 April 1999 (1999-04-05) 39	Burnley	3–1	Colchester United	Burnley
	Johnrose 57' Payton 82', 89'	Report	D. Gregory 26' LuaLua  54'	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 10,747 Referee: G Cain

Colchester United v Walsall

10 April 1999 (1999-04-10) 40	Colchester United	1–0	Walsall	Colchester
15:00 BST	Greene 45'	Report		Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,082 Referee: Mark Halsey

Millwall v Colchester United

14 April 1999 (1999-04-14) 41	Millwall	2–0	Colchester United	Bermondsey
	Grant 1', 16' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: The Den Attendance: 4,686 Referee: Lee Cable

Colchester United v Notts County

16 April 1999 (1999-04-16) 42	Colchester United	2–1	Notts County	Colchester
19:45 BST	Buckle 37' Aspinall 86' (pen.)	Report	Stallard 7'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,215 Referee: D Crick

Northampton Town v Colchester United

24 April 1999 (1999-04-24) 43	Northampton Town	3–3	Colchester United	Northampton
15:00 BST	Savage 18' Corazzin 41' (pen.) Howey 63'	Report	Buckle 3' Aspinall 47' (pen.) Duguid 71'	Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 6,146 Referee: G Frankland

Colchester United v AFC Bournemouth

27 April 1999 (1999-04-27) 44	Colchester United	2–1	AFC Bournemouth	Colchester
19:45 BST	Hayter 11' (o.g.) Dozzell 67'	Report	Greene 34' (o.g.)	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,168 Referee: Lee Cable

Colchester United v Lincoln City

1 May 1999 (1999-05-01) 45	Colchester United	1–3	Lincoln City	Colchester
15:00 BST	Duguid 49'	Report	Gordon 43' Thorpe 44', 75'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 4,613 Referee: Andy Hall

Blackpool v Colchester United

8 May 1999 (1999-05-08) 46	Blackpool	2–1	Colchester United	Blackpool
	Ormerod 1' Clarkson 89'	Report	Pounewatchy 27'	Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 4,866 Referee: D Laws

Football League Cup

Main article: 1998–99 Football League Cup

AFC Bournemouth v Colchester United

11 August 1998 (1998-08-11) 1st round 1st leg	AFC Bournemouth	2–0	Colchester United	Bournemouth
	Robinson 16' Howe 87'	Report		Stadium: Dean Court Attendance: 3,745 Referee: Clive Wilkes

Colchester United v AFC Bournemouth

18 August 1998 (1998-08-18) 1st round 2nd leg	Colchester United	3–2	AFC Bournemouth	Colchester
19:45 BST	D. Gregory 12' (pen.), 90' (pen.) Abrahams 66'	Report	Stein 23' Fletcher 28'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 2,550 Referee: Barry Knight
Note: Bournemouth win 4–3 on aggregate.

FA Cup

Main article: 1998–99 FA Cup

Bedlington Terriers v Colchester United

14 November 1998 (1998-11-14) 1st round	Bedlington Terriers	4–1	Colchester United	Bedlington
	Ditchburn 16' Milner 23', 86' (pen.) Cross 60'	Report	Adcock 88'	Stadium: Welfare Park Attendance: 2,027 Referee: Matt Messias

Football League Trophy

Main article: 1998–99 Football League Trophy

Colchester United v Gillingham

5 December 1998 (1998-12-05) 1st round (southern section)	Colchester United	1–5	Gillingham	Colchester
15:00 GMT	D. Gregory 23'	Report	Asaba 22' Pennock 29' Taylor 34', 67' Smith 37'	Stadium: Layer Road Attendance: 1,742 Referee: B Jordan

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

^[6][54]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Second Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Football League Trophy
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	ENG	Carl Emberson	41	0	37	0	1	0	2	0	1	0
	GK	ENG	Tamer Fernandes	8	0	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	GK	ENG	Andy Walker	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Simon Betts	31	2	22+6	2	0	0	2	0	1	0
	DF	IRL	Joe Dunne	39	0	32+4	0	1	0	0+1	0	1	0
	DF	IRL	David Greene	46	8	42	8	1	0	2	0	1	0
	DF	ENG	Nicky Haydon	16	1	7+6	1	0+1	0	2	0	0	0
	DF	FRA	Stéphane Pounewatchy	15	1	15	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	FRA	Fabrice Richard	10	0	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Scott Stamps	25	0	19+2	0	1	0	2	0	0+1	0
	MF	ENG	Warren Aspinall	15	3	15	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Paul Buckle	47	2	39+4	2	1	0	2	0	1	0
	MF	ENG	Jason Dozzell	31	4	23+6	4	1	0	0	0	0+1	0
	MF	ENG	Karl Duguid	35	4	23+10	4	0+1	0	0+1	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Steve Forbes	18	2	8+7	2	1	0	0+1	0	1	0
	MF	ENG	David Gregory	48	14	43+1	11	1	0	2	2	1	1
	MF	NGA	Sam Okafor	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Dave Rainford	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Aaron Skelton	9	0	7+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	ENG	Richard Wilkins	26	2	25+1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	WAL	Geraint Williams	43	0	38+1	0	1	0	2	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Paul Abrahams	30	3	13+14	2	0	0	2	1	1	0
	FW	ENG	Tony Adcock	8	1	0+6	0	0+1	1	0+1	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Neil Gregory	41	4	29+9	4	0	0	2	0	1	0
	FW	ENG	Tony Lock	25	1	14+9	1	1	0	0	0	0+1	0
	FW	COD	Lomana LuaLua	13	1	6+7	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	NGA	KK Opara	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Mark Sale	35	2	21+10	2	1	0	2	0	1	0
Players who appeared for Colchester who left during the season
	DF	ENG	Guy Branston	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Keith Dublin	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	ENG	Ian Wiles	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	BRA	Fumaça	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	IRL	Brian Launders	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	ENG	Bradley Allen	4	1	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	FRA	Steve Germain	6	0	1+5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goalscorers

^[54]

Place	Nationality	Position	Name	Second Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Football League Trophy	Total
1		MF	David Gregory	11	0	2	1	14
2		CB	David Greene	8	0	0	0	8
3		MF	Jason Dozzell	4	0	0	0	4
		MF	Karl Duguid	4	0	0	0	4
		FW	Neil Gregory	4	0	0	0	4
6		FW/WG	Paul Abrahams	2	0	1	0	3
		MF	Warren Aspinall	3	0	0	0	3
8		FB	Simon Betts	2	0	0	0	2
		MF	Paul Buckle	2	0	0	0	2
		MF	Steve Forbes	2	0	0	0	2
		FW	Mark Sale	2	0	0	0	2
		MF/DF	Richard Wilkins	2	0	0	0	2
13		FW	Tony Adcock	0	1	0	0	1
		FW	Bradley Allen	1	0	0	0	1
		DF/MF	Nicky Haydon	1	0	0	0	1
		FW	Tony Lock	1	0	0	0	1
		FW	Lomana LuaLua	1	0	0	0	1
		CB	Stéphane Pounewatchy	1	0	0	0	1
			Own goals	1	0	0	0	1
			TOTALS	52	1	3	1	57

Disciplinary record

^[55]

Nationality	Position	Name	Second Division		FA Cup		League Cup		Football League Trophy		Total
	CB	David Greene	5	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	1
	FW	Neil Gregory	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	FW	Mark Sale	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	FB	Scott Stamps	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	MF	Jason Dozzell	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	MF	Karl Duguid	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	CB	Stéphane Pounewatchy	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	MF	Warren Aspinall	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	FB	Simon Betts	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
	MF	Paul Buckle	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	FB	Joe Dunne	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	GK	Carl Emberson	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
	MF	David Gregory	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	MF	Steve Forbes	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	FW	Lomana LuaLua	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
	FW/WG	Paul Abrahams	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	MF/DF	Richard Wilkins	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	MF	Geraint Williams	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
	FW	Bradley Allen	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	CB	Keith Dublin	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	FB	Fabrice Richard	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
		TOTALS	67	3	3	1	0	0	1	0	72	3

Clean sheets

Number of games goalkeepers kept a clean sheet.^[56]

Place	Nationality	Player	Second Division	FA Cup	League Cup	Football League Trophy	Total
1		Carl Emberson	6	0	0	0	6
		TOTALS	6	0	0	0	6

Player debuts

Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.^[57]

Position	Nationality	Player	Date	Opponent	Ground	Notes
MF		Geraint Williams	8 August 1998	Chesterfield	Layer Road
CB		Ian Wiles	15 August 1998	Wrexham	Racecourse Ground
MF		Dave Rainford	5 September 1998	York City	Bootham Crescent
CB		Guy Branston	3 October 1998	Oldham Athletic	Boundary Park	[58][a]
MF		Jason Dozzell	17 October 1998	Preston North End	Deepdale
CB		Keith Dublin	21 November 1998	Notts County	Meadow Lane
GK		Tamer Fernandes	2 January 1999	Luton Town	Layer Road
FW		Lomana LuaLua	9 January 1999	Chesterfield	Saltergate
MF		Warren Aspinall	20 February 1999	Gillingham	Priestfield Stadium
CB		Stéphane Pounewatchy	20 February 1999	Gillingham	Priestfield Stadium
FW		Bradley Allen	27 February 1999	Reading	Layer Road
MF		Fumaça	29 March 1999	Manchester City	Layer Road
MF		Warren Aspinall	27 March 1999	AFC Bournemouth	Dean Court	[59][a]
MF		Brian Launders	27 March 1999	AFC Bournemouth	Dean Court
FB		Fabrice Richard	27 March 1999	AFC Bournemouth	Dean Court
FW		Steve Germain	2 April 1999	Preston North End	Layer Road
MF		Sam Okafor	8 May 1999	Blackpool	Bloomfield Road
FW		KK Opara	8 May 1999	Blackpool	Bloomfield Road
GK		Andy Walker	8 May 1999	Blackpool	Bloomfield Road

1. Second debut for the club

See also

• List of Colchester United F.C. seasons