IT was a dramatic day in the history of Colchester United - and they didn't even have a game.

On July 3, 2007, the U's smashed their club record transfer fee twice in the space of a few hours - having earlier that day been rocked by defender Wayne Brown handing in a transfer request.

As Geraint Williams and his side prepared for a second season in the Championship following an unforgettable first campaign in the second tier, the club began to assemble their squad.

With the likes of Jamie Cureton, Richard Garcia and Chris Iwelumo, so key in helping the club achieve a magnificent tenth-place finish the previous year, moving on earlier that summer it was imperative that the U's brought in reinforcements.

Mark Yeates was the first player to arrive that day.

The 22-year-old winger signed on a permanent deal from Tottenham Hotspur, having been a key member of the U's promotion-winning squad of the 2005-06 campaign.

Yeates' signing was for an undisclosed fee.

But it smashed the previous club record of £50,000 for the signing of Neil Gregory from Ipswich Town in 1998 and Adrian Coote's arrival from Norwich City, in 2001.

The Irishman, who had missed just two league games for Colchester in that successful season, penned a three-year deal at Layer Road.

Yeates said: "It's good to be back. By the start of next season we should be looking strong.

"I kept an eye out for every (Colchester) result last season, and I must admit that I was envious about how well the lads did."

No sooner had the ink dried on Yeates' signing that Colchester announced another arrival - striker Clive Platt from MK Dons.

Platt was signed for a fee of £300,000, eclipsing the six-figure fee spent on Yeates to complete his move from MK Dons.

The 6ft 4in striker, had also played for Rochdale, Notts County and Peterborough, had played for MK Dons against the U's in the League Cup the previous season.

"I've been a target man at every club I've been at, and I think I have the build and the game for it," said Platt.

"I believe that Chris Iwelumo did well here and the club plays to its strengths, so I hopefully can benefit from that.

"MK Dons are a great club but it is completely different being able to come to a club in the Championship."

Platt went on to make 135 appearances for Colchester, scoring 27 goals.

Yeates played 81 games for Colchester in his second spell there and was on the scoresheet 21 times.

The new signings did not stop there for Colchester.

The following day, former England striker Teddy Sheringham arrived following his release from West Ham United.

Sadly though, the new signings could not prevent the U's from suffering relegation from the Championship, in 2008.