Colchester had an upturn in league form and leapt to mid-table, but soon a string of poor results mean the U's spent much of the campaign in the relegation zone.

Aside from after a home win over Bristol Rovers in February, United were in the bottom four from late November until the final day of the season, when results went in their favour and they beat Preston North End to secure League One survival by the narrowest of margins.

[8] On 22 May, Dominic Vose signed a contract extension until summer 2016,[9] while Ryan Dickson decided against a new deal at the club and opted to join League One rivals Crawley Town.

[34] Chairman Robbie Cowling acted quickly to replace Dunne by promoting Tony Humes to position of first-team manager, having previously overseen youth development at the club and had guided the under-18 side to a league and cup double in the 2013–14 season.

He handed Dominic Smith his professional debut when he was sent on as a second-half substitute for Gavin Massey, but the U's were unable to break the deadlock in a 0–0 draw, their first clean sheet of the season.

[53] After scoring a brace in his previous game, Massey, alongside defenders Tom Eastman and Frankie Kent, all signed contract extensions with the club on 16 October.

[64] Academy product Michael O'Donoghue was handed his professional debut on 14 November against Barnsley in an unfamiliar defence following injuries to Magnus Okuonghae and Frankie Kent.

[67] On 21 November, Marcus Bean, who had not featured under Humes, was loaned out by the club to League Two side Portsmouth until early January with a view to a permanent move.

[68] Meanwhile, development squad player Billy Roast joined Isthmian League Premier Division outfit AFC Hornchurch on loan until 20 December.

[69] On 22 November, Colchester hosted Coventry City, who consigned the U's to their third consecutive league defeat with a 1–0 victory,[70] in a match that saw Magnus Okuonghae ruled out for the rest of the season with a ruptured achilles tendon.

[72] On 26 November, experienced defender David Wright left the club by mutual consent following a series of niggling injuries and having made only three substitute appearances this season.

[73] A makeshift defence lined-up at Milton Keynes Dons on 29 November as Elliott Hewitt, Cole Kpekawa and debutant Will Packwood started alongside Tom Eastman, the only contracted Colchester played in the back four.

[75] Prior to Colchester's FA Cup second round fixture against Peterborough United, the club brought in experienced Latvia international defender Kaspars Gorkšs on a short-term contract.

[80] Worsening Colchester's injury woes was Michael O'Donoghue who only shortly after making his first-team bow was ruled out for nine months after rupturing his cruciate ligaments in training on 16 December.

[81] Three loanees then extended their stays with the club as Rhys Healey signed on until the end of the season, while Elliott Hewitt and Cole Kpekawa both agreed to a further month.

[82] Colchester ended a run of five successive defeats on 20 December with a 1–0 win over Yeovil Town at Huish Park with Craig Eastmond's first goal of the season.

[86] The game, televised on BBC Two Wales took place in front of a sparse crowd of just 4,194, the lowest ever attendance at the Cardiff City Stadium in protest of the club's ownership.

[87] Dominic Smith joined Billy Roast at AFC Hornchurch in a one-month loan deal,[88] while David Fox agreed an extension to his short-term contract until the end of the season.

[89] Marcus Bean returned from his Portsmouth loan, but the club cancelled his contract by mutual consent the same day before signing for Wycombe Wanderers.

[93] With his contract set to expire in the summer, top-scorer Freddie Sears made a move to Championship side Ipswich Town for an undisclosed fee on 16 January.

[96] On 22 January, Colchester confirmed the signings of two further players with the arrival of Chris Porter from Sheffield United on an 18-month contract,[97] and Millwall defender Matthew Briggs on loan until the end of the season.

However, three goals for the visitors without reply in the second-half gave Crewe victory, while Jack Marriott pulled one back for the U's three minutes after arriving on the pitch as a substitute.

City pulled a goal back on 50-minutes, and Aden Flint scored on 61-minutes to make it 3–2, but the U's held on for a vital win to move them out of the relegation zone for the first time since November.

[127] To replace the departing Hewitt, Humes drafted in further defensive cover, signing Rotherham United's right-back Richard Brindley on loan until the end of the season.

[130] Karleigh Osborne, an unused substitute in the win, was then recalled by his parent club Bristol City after making four appearances until a hamstring injury ruled him out of action.

[138] With an opportunity to lift themselves out of the relegation places with a win at home to Swindon on 28 April, Colchester had the best possible start when Jacob Murphy tapped in after just 37-seconds of their encounter.

The home side pushed for a winner but settled for a 1–1 draw, leaving them 22nd in League One, one point from safety and relying on a final day win over Preston and other results working for them to survive the threat of relegation.

[139] The final game of the 2014–15 season was to be played at the Community Stadium against Preston North End, who were second in League One and needing to match Milton Keynes Dons result against Yeovil Town to gain promotion to the Championship.

With relegation rivals Crawley, Crewe, and Notts County, and Leyton Orient only managing a draw, the U's remained in League One by two points, finished in 19th-position and safety.

[141] Colchester's performance and result against Preston earned the club the League Managers Association 'Performance of the 'Week' award, as voted by the panel consisting of LMA chairman Howard Wilkinson, Alex Ferguson, Joe Royle, Dave Bassett, and Barry Fry.