[7] Player-manager Roy McDonough guided the club back to the Football League in 1992, winning the non-league double of the Conference title and the FA Trophy.
[9] The club were again promoted in the 2005–06 season under the stewardship of Phil Parkinson, gaining the opportunity to play second-tier football for the first time in their history.
[10] Colchester United's first team have competed in a number of professional competitions, and all players who have played in 100 or more of these matches, either as a member of the starting line-up or as a substitute, are listed below.
[11][12] In second position is Welsh goalkeeper Mike Walker, who between 1973 and 1983 made 524 starts with no substitute appearances.
[13][14] The club's goalscoring record is held by Tony Adcock, who scored 149 goals in all competitions in two spells, his first between 1981 and 1987, and his second between 1995 and 1998.