Colchester United book review: ‘On This #colu Day’

His book, ‘On This #colu Day, has traced the history of his beloved U’s in the form of recalling day-to-day matches, and stories surrounding the Essex club, across each day of the year.

It is a very handy way of recalling forgotten matches, and forgotten moments, and learning new nuggets of information about the U’s.

Each day of the year has at least one entry, so it’s the ideal book to dip in-and-out of, and also to keep picking up to find out what happened on a particular day.

There are so many highlights, and I certainly learnt a good number of new facts and fascinating stories along the way.

For instance, on Saturday, February 20, 1960, U’s striker Martyn King’s opening goal after just 24 seconds of the East Anglian derby against Norwich City, in a 3-0 home win for the U’s at Layer Road, was at the time ‘believed to be the quickest goal ever recorded in club history.’

On Friday, September 12, 1986, Tony English scored the second hat-trick of his career, in a 3-0 home win over Torquay United.

And on that same day of the year (September 12, 2006), Aidan Davison played a blinder to help the U’s to a backs-to-the-wall 1-1 draw at Luton Town during the heady days of the Championship.

Graeson writes, in that particular paragraph, that ‘many of those watching call it the best performance by a goalkeeper wearing a U’s shirt in living memory.’

I was one of those who thought it the best display I had ever seen by a U’s keeper, although I can only go back to my earliest days as a U’s reporter in 1992.

Of course all the obvious U’s highlights are recalled, including that famous win over mighty Leeds United in the FA Cup (1971), the play-off final win over Torquay United (1998), and the not-so-happy moments like relegation out of the Football League (1990).

Priced £12, the book can be purchased from ‘Red Lion Books,’ on the Colchester High Street, or on-line via www.coludata.co.uk