AS Colchester United’s stars of yesterday get set to recall their historic GM Vauxhall Conference and FA Trophy double at a special Boys of ‘92 Celebration Dinner in the Town Hall next month, two of today’s former U’s stars will be looking to clock up a celebration of their own, writes FRANCIS PONDER.

Phil Parkinson, promotion winner with the U’s in 2006 and colourful goalkeeper Andy Woodman, a U’s loanee in 2000-2001, are set to battle out the FA Trophy final at Wembley on Sunday May 22.

Parkinson, current manager of Welsh club Wrexham, is, like Roy McDonough’s U’s were 30 years ago, also in the running for a National League promotion and FA Trophy double.

Looking forward to the prospect of a promotion back to the Football League and a Trophy double, Parky said: “It would be great to emulate what Colchester achieved all those years ago.

“Wrexham are a sleeping giant that has experienced some fantastic times in past years and winning the double would be good for the area and good for me to get back in the Football League again.

“It would be great to see the good times back at the Racecourse Ground again!”

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Parky (pictured above, with Geraint Williams) has been to Wembley twice before as a manager with Bradford City, but he missed out as a player when his former club Reading played at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

Manager Woodman, meanwhile, initially on loan to the U’s from Brentford back at the turn of the century, is in the hunt for FA Trophy history with Kent high-fliers Bromley.

They lifted the FA Amateur Cup three times back the early 1900s - 1911, 1938 and 1949 the first Amateur Cup final to be staged at Wembley and the first to be shown live on BBC Television.

Woodman enjoyed 59 appearances for the U’s between 2000-02 and is looking ahead with relish to his team’s big Wembley outing.

“With all the interest to the Colchester area, it’s going to be a win either way for their fans whoever wins the Trophy in a few weeks time,” enthused Bromley boss Woodman.

He added: “I enjoyed a season-and-a-half playing at Colchester and I know Parky was a very popular manager there too.

“I’m really looking forward to what should be a great day out - Wembley, you can’t get any better than that!”

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Wrexham, owned by American film stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, reached the final after a 2-0 semi-final win over National League title favourites Stockport County, courtesy of two Paul Mullen goals.

Bromley saw-off York City 3-1, with two goals from leading scorer Essex boy Michael Cheek.

Striker Cheek, with 20 National League and cup goals, is The Ravens' leading marksman and as well as Parkinson and Woodman, he is one of four other players with Colchester or Heybridge Swifts connections.

Bromley goalkeeper Mark Cousins (2005-14, pictured below) and central defender Omar Sowunmi 2019-21) both enjoyed spells with the U’s, while Cheek and centre-back Jack Cawley (son of former U’s favourite Peter Cawley) both turned out for the Swifts.

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Peter Cawley was a member of the U’s team that were agonisingly defeated by Carlisle 4-3 on penalties in the Auto Windscreens Shield Final after the game, played before a Wembley crowd of 46,077, finished goalless 25 years ago.

Meanwhile Benny Fenton’s U’s squad were cruelly denied the former Fourth Division (today’s League Two) crown 60 years ago back in 1962 when the original Accrington Stanley failed to complete their season.

The U’s had done the double over Accrington that season, but when the Lancashire club’s record was expunged Colchester were robbed of four points, gifting the Division Four Championship to Millwall who only forfeited two points from their solitary victory.

The Londoners went on to clinch the title by just one point!

Match-winners were only awarded two points for a win in those days.

Following relegation back to Division Four it marked promotion again 56 years ago when Neil Franklin’s U’s squeezed into fourth place behind Doncaster, Darlington and Torquay in 1966.

A further eight years were to pass for more success when following another relegation, manager Jim Smith spearheaded promotion back to Division Three 48 years ago in 1974 - just five points adrift of Fourth Division champions Peterborough.

In a period of yo-yoing between the two lower divisions Bobby Roberts’ Colchester United won promotion to the old Third Division after finishing third behind Cambridge United and Exeter City 45years ago in 1977.

The next big occasion was the U’s return to the Football League 30 years ago following their relegation into the GM Vauxhall Conference, two years earlier.

U’s fans had to wait a further six years when Steve Wignall’s side were promoted to the new League Two in 1998 before the excitement of the Parky years of elevation to League One and Championship football 18 and 16 years ago.