Colchester United held its
annual general meeting in September 1972. Following questioning of his tactics by a shareholder, an incensed
Dick Graham tendered his resignation as manager. The club had achieved two wins in the first six games of the season, but the other four matches ended in defeat.
Dennis Mochan was appointed
caretaker manager until a permanent replacement could be found. He took charge of five games, but was unable to improve Colchester's fortunes, with two draws and three defeats in his five games at the helm. An unknown
Jim Smith, then-manager of
Northern Premier League side
Boston United who had just led the team to the title, was appointed Graham's replacement. With Colchester bottom of
the Football League after 13 matches with six points, Smith's influence gave United an initial boost, earning the Manager of the Month award for lifting the club off the bottom of the table. One of Smith's early pieces of business was signing his former Boston
forward Bobby Svarc for £6,000 just before Christmas. However, his goalscoring influence did not immediately show, returning eight goals in 20 league outings. Fortunes did not improve for the U's as they finished the season in 22nd position and were required to seek
re-election from the Football League. Colchester earned a maximum 48 votes from their fellow League clubs to retain Football League status for another season. ==Players==