Colchester United won promotion on this day in 1998

David Gregory’s 22nd-minute penalty gave Steve Wignall’s side a 1-0 triumph over the Gulls in front of a Friday-night crowd of 19,486 on May 22, 1998, to secure the U’s promotion to the third tier.

The spot-kick was awarded for handball against Torquay defender Jon Gittens, after Steve Forbes had tried to lift the ball over the former Portsmouth defender in the area.

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And it was enough for Colchester to celebrate their first promotion from division three in 22 years.

The U’s had finished fourth in the division three table that season just a point off the automatic promotion places, having risen from mid-table with ten wins from their final 15 games.

Colchester had booked their Wembley date against Torquay after beating Barnet over two legs, in the play-off semi-final.

The final was moved to the Friday night, due to Glenn Hoddle's England side playing Saudi Arabia in a pre-World Cup friendly on the Saturday.

It meant that the final only attracted a crowd of 19,486, an attendance that would no doubt have been considerably more had it been played the following day.

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The Colchester promotion-winning squad that year featured the likes of skipper Richard Wilkins, Aaron Skelton, Paul Abrahams and joint leading-scorers Mark Sale and Neil Gregory, while goalkeeper Carl Emberson was an ever present.

The Colchester starting line-up that day was Emberson, Dunne, Betts, Skelton, Greene, D Gregory, Wilkins, Buckle, Sale, N Gregory, Forbes.

Subs: Lock, Duguid, Abrahams.