Back In Time: It's a well known fact that Swindon were Southend's first opponents in the Southern League but they were also the last as well in 1923.
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Saturday 5th May 1923 Southern League: Meanwhile at the Kursaal the reserves played the clubs last ever Southern League match, against Swindon reserves, which ended 2-2. Swindon by coincidence had been the first Southern League opponents back in 1906, but then it had been the first team playing Swindon reserves, now it was reserves v reserves. At half time the Shoebury temperance band entertained the crowd.
Three years later the Blues acheived a notable victory over the Robins.
Saturday 13th March 1926 SOUTHEND UNITED 3-0 SWINDON TOWN
Division III (South) Match 31
Swindon had a good record against Southend, at half time there was little to expect anything different from this game and an injury to Billy Shaw in the second half seemed to compound the Blues problems but this was in fact the turning point.
There were no substitutions in the 1920s and if a player was injured, being taken off the field would be the last resort, in this case the forward line was reshuffled and Shaw was put out on the right wing just for nuisance value, but with most of the play obviously aimed for the left wing. This seemed to put more life into the Blues and with fifteen minutes to go the breakthrough came, but not down the left but the right. A Swindon defender with a routine ball to clear completely missed the ball allowing Southend to nip in score.
A second was scored from a corner, and a third just three minutes from the end, thanks to two goals from Billy Hick and one from Dickie Donoven. The players wore black armbands as a mark of respect for the Chairman's mother who had died the previous Friday. Southend moved up to seventh place in the League. Team: Moore; Bell and Sayles; Jewhurst, O'Rawe and Andrews; Bissett, Donoven, Hick, Shaw and Smith.
Extracts from the "Forgotten Years of the Kursaal" by Peter William Baker
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