Francis Laurent; looking for a club again, let's hope it's easier than last time!
Tuesday October 28th, 2008: Southend United 1 Leeds United 0
Viva La Laurent - League One's Thierry Henry. Well, for one night he was!
The Chelsea cup-tie will be remembered Sunday, this award is for the League games only and though that 3-0 win against Borient, at last, the 3-3 draw and 1-0 win over the Farmers, are all oustanding memories we felt for sheer quality over the 90 minutes, including that winning goal, only three days after we'd been hammered by Lambert's Bristol Rovers, was the pick, as was a certain Frenchman who took the Yorkshiremen apart on his full league debut.
I walked back to the station thinking promotion was there for the taking but it took a Tottenham centre-half on loan to help us get anywhere the 7th position we reached this cold night in October when we beat Leeds at the Hall, again.
It was standing room only all the way from Prittlewell as National Express obviously didn't read the fixture list and a few hundred Leeds fans joined the regulars on the way back from the game in the usual four carriage train!
At least we won! (Hope someone took that double, home win and 1-0!)
And deservedly so as Leeds may have had plenty of possession but rarely got through the tight Blues defense and when they did the shooting was high and wide or they found Southend keeper Adam Federici in his usual top form.
An incredible reponse to Saturday's poor showing at Bristol and the Blues management team of Tilson and Brush should take a bow for preparing the team so well.
Southend took the lead after Lubomir Michalik brought down the lively Francis Laurent, a fantastic full debut by the Frenchman, on the edge of the box.
Harding curled in a left-footed free-kick over the four-man Leeds wall and into the top left corner of Casper Ankergren's goal on 18 minutes.
Laurent was everywhere, his fast footwork taking him past challenge after challenge. We've been pushing his claims here at TLG for a couple of weeks but nobody knew what a gem we actually had. Super sub is one thing but this was doing it from the start. The Lord must be worried!
More good news was that Sawyer started and we all saw what was missing from the weekend. Never stopped running until, along with Laurent, tiredness set in during the second half.
Both eventually left to deserved standing ovations along with the hard working Revell.
The hosts had threatened to open the scoring even before Harding struck, and they should have had a second when Ankergren parried a Laurent effort and Hal Robson-Kanu blasted over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Leeds eventually clawed their way back into the game, but were unable to find an equaliser as Jonathan Howson fired straight at Adam Federici, who also parried a Fabian Delph effort, and Jonathan Douglas blasted wide.
And the visitors had a let-off on the stroke of half-time when Michalik appeared to push Laurent over but referee Pat Miller dismissed claims for a penalty.
Leeds started the second half more positively and were denied a goal when Federici scooped Neil Kilkenny's 16-yard shot onto the roof of the net.
At the other end Ankergren avoided a repeat of the first goal by clawing a 25-yard Harding free-kick away for a corner.
Both sides created opportunities, with Alex Revell, easily having his best game for the club, just off target for Blues.
Leeds pushed hard for the equaliser, as Southend decided to hold out for what they already had, with substitutes, fat boy Andy Robinson, (we lost Gower because of him, don't know what the Swanny fans were moaning about, they were well shot of him), and Robert Snodgrass enjoying the best chances.
Even time for a bit of handbags as sub Snoppy decided to have words with Robinson after he brought Grant down needlessly in injury time at the end.
In fact Leeds were guilty of some incredible play acting that went unpunished by the referee. Really lads, you keep telling us you remain a big club act so try behaving like one, your not in the Champions League any more. I expect more from a Gary MacAllister managed side.
The whistle went and Southend find themselves back up to seventh place, a terrific game which Blues deserved to win but I have no doubt that both these teams will be in the shake up come May.
To add to the mood of celebration it was even snowing by the I time got home.
Southend United: Federici, Francis, Clarke, Barrett, Harding, Betsy, Christophe, Sawyer (Grant 81), Robson-Kanu, Revell (McCormack 83), Laurent (Scannell 76).
Leeds United: Ankergran, Richardson, Michalek, Telfer, Parker, Delph (Snodgrass 67), Howson, Douglas, Kilkenny (Robinson 67), Bechio, Beckford.
(First posted in The Little Gazette, Wednesday October 30th, 2008.)