The 1998–99 season was Colchester United's first season back in the third tier of English football for 17 years. Colchester achieved promotion after beating Torquay United 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in the Playoff final.

Steve Wignall was under no illusions as to the task his side had. Division Two boasted fallen giants in Manchester City and Stoke and Kevin Keegan led the Al-Fayed revolution at Fulham.

A preferred site was found for the new stadium and, better still, Cuckoo Farm was owned by the Council.

From the magnificent stage of Maine Road and a loyal 25,000 home crowd, Wignall faced his FA Cup nemesis at the tiny Northumberland outpost of Bedlington. The Terriers walloped United 4-1 the most embarrassing defeat in the club's history. The U's won just one of the next nine including a 5-1 home defeat to Gillingham in the Auto Windscreen Shield.

In January 1999, seven days after unleashing a raw Lomana Tresor LuaLua into the first team, Wignall quit citing that he had taken his team as far as he could and was frustrated at the role agents were playing in transfer deals he was trying to set up. Steve Whitton, his assistant, became Caretaker before Mick Wadsworth, recently of Scarborough, fought off the challenge of Cheltenham's Steve Cotterill to become the new manager. He kept Whitton on and brought in a number of foreign players including Brazilian Fumaça and Frenchmen Stéphane Pounewatchy and Fabrice Richard. He appointed Warren Aspinall captain and together they staved off relegation by two points. However, Fumaça's Colchester career lasted just 14 minutes after being pole-axed.

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