is an English professional football club based in Colchester, Essex, that was founded in 1937. The club went on to compete in the Southern Football League from 1937 until 1950, when they were elected to the Football League. During this time, Colchester produced one of the most notable FA Cup runs by a non-league side in 1947–48, as they defeated fellow non-leaguers Banbury Spencer in the first round, before beating Football League clubs Wrexham, Huddersfield Town and Bradford Park Avenue. They finally fell to Blackpool in the fifth round. The club played in the Third Division South for eight seasons, until the league was re-organised at the end of the 1957–58 season. The club finished in 12th position in the table, meaning that from the 1958–59 season, the U's would be playing in the Third Division. Colchester remained in the Third Division until they were relegated in 1961, but made an immediate return to the third tier when they finished the 1961–62 season in second position, one point behind champions Millwall. Three years later, the club finished 23rd of 24 clubs in the Third Division, as they were relegated back to the Fourth Division. Another single season in the fourth tier followed as Colchester were promoted in fourth position. Their spell in the Third Division didn't last long, as they again finished in the relegation zone in 1968. The U's remained in the Fourth Division for a further six seasons, but during this period, the U's embarked on one of the most notable runs in FA Cup history, as manager Dick Graham took his ageing side to the 1970–71 quarter-finals. They dispatched non-league side Ringmer, before knocking-out Cambridge United, Barnet and Rochdale following a replay. United faced Don Revie's Leeds United in the fifth round, who were at the top of the First Division at the time. The U's race to an unprecedented 3–0 lead in the match, before Leeds pulled two goals back. The match ended 3–2 to Colchester to record a famous giant-killing victory. They then faced Everton in the quarter-final match but lost 5–0 at Goodison Park. Three seasons later, Colchester sealed promotion once again as they ended the 1973–74 season in third place. Relegation followed in 1976, with promotion following one season later. Colchester returned to the Fourth Division for the final time in 1981 as they finished 22nd of 24 teams. The club struggled financially in the late 1980s and suffered a drop in form, causing them to finish bottom of the Football League in 1990 and were relegated to the Conference. Colchester returned to the Football League at the second attempt, finishing second to Barnet in 1990–91, before beating Wycombe Wanderers to the title in 1991–92. The club completed a league and cup double as they lifted the FA Trophy. Now in the recently renamed Division Three, Colchester earned a play-off spot in the 1996–97 season, but lost in the semi-finals to Plymouth Argyle. The U's reached Wembley for the 1997 Football League Trophy Final, where they were defeated on penalties by Carlisle United. However, Colchester did achieve Wembley success the following season as they beat Torquay United 1–0 in the 1998 Football League Third Division play-off Final. The club consolidated their position in the third tier for a number of seasons, before they achieved another feat in earning promotion to the Championship in 2006 by finishing in second position to Southend United. Colchester finished in 10th position in the Championship, their highest-ever league finish. However, the following season, they were relegated back to League One, where they currently play. 2018/2019 - Colchester currently play in Football League two Since their formation in 1937, as of the 2017–18 season, Colchester United have spent two seasons in the second tier of English football, 37 seasons in the third tier, 26 seasons in the fourth tier and two seasons in non-League football. The table below details Colchester United's in all senior first-team competitions from the 1937–38 season to the end of the most recently completed season.
