mooney initially had a loan deal which ran until 6 january, but decided to return to colchester united for the remainder of 2010/2011 season. he finished as the club's top scorer with 14 goals in all competitions as they finished in 10th place in league one. with his reading contract expiring in june 2011, mooney became a free agent. however, in july 2011, it was reported, after some speculation, that mooney would not be returning to the u's on a permanent basis.