In a week’s time, United will come up against rock-bottom Kidderminster Harriers at Roots Hall, knowing that their record against the Worcestershire outfit is very good, especially in southeast Essex. However, for the meanwhile, Steve Tilson will be encouraging his troops to try and snatch three points on their travels, this time at the world’s oldest club, Notts County.
The Shrimpers’ overall record is good against the Magpies, with 24 wins as opposed to 22 from County, but in Nottinghamshire it is not as successful, with just six victories there in 27 meetings. The last of those was nearly forty years ago in November 1965, when Blues earned a 3-1 win, and although the last trip saw a 2-2 draw, there was heartbreak in the previous encounter at Meadow Lane as the Seasiders crashed out of the Anglo-Italian Cup on penalty kicks.
This time around, Southend will be boosted by their last outing on the road as they smashed four past Rushden & Diamonds at Nene Park, their first victory away from home since that 2-1 triumph at Brunton Park over Carlisle United a week after the LDV Vans Trophy final at the Millennium Stadium. Lawrie Dudfield and Tesfaye Bramble both found their goalscoring boots on that occasion, and will be hoping to rediscover that form after drawing blanks last weekend.
Talking of drawing blanks, it is a problem that the Magpies themselves have been encountering in a severe form thus far in 2004/5. They have yet to win a match at home this season, and in the past three games, have failed to hit the back of the net at all. Ex-Shrimper Tony Scully is the club’s top scorer with two goals in the club’s only League win, by two goals to one against Lincoln City at Sincil Bank, although Valley Parade witnessed another 2-1 victory against Bradford City in the Carling Cup.
Captain for the 2-1 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers, Adam Barrett, who this week saw his ‘goal’ against Rushden removed from the history books in favour of a David Bell own goal, told the club’s official website, www.southendunited.co.uk, how important the next two matches are, “The next two matches are massive. We can’t afford to drop points because as has been shown in this League if you don’t win games then your position can change radically.”
Barrett also issued a word of warning to his team-mates before handing back the skipper’s armband to club captain Kevin Maher: “It won’t be easy though”, he declared, before adding, “Notts County and Kidderminster will both want to get away from the bottom so they will give it everything they have”.
As the matches come thick and fast over the next few weeks, manager Steve Tilson and head coach Paul Brush will be eager to keep the club’s recent good injury record together. Of the twenty-two man squad, only goalkeeper Bart Griemink, who faces a further month on the sidelines with his strained knee, and midfielder Jay Smith, anticipated to return in November from his right foot troubles, are definitely out of tomorrow’s encounter.
It is, though, looking increasingly likely that the Shrimpers will be going into the match with Notts with only one goalkeeper in the squad, Darryl Flahavan. Paul Brush told the Southend Evening Echo on Wednesday, “We should be finding out [a prospective new custodian’s] decision today, but it’s harder to sign a number two keeper than a number one as players obviously want to play games”, but a lack of further information indicates that those advances were fruitless. In that case, Mark Bentley will be the nominal substitute shotstopper.
The good news for Blues is that right-back Duncan Jupp has been passed fit to face County. The former Wimbledon and Fulham full-back was injured when cynically stopping Nathan Tyson from getting a sight at goal, and was booked by referee Paul Taylor as he left the field on a stretcher. However, the 29-year-old has been told by physiotherapist John Stannard that he has “suffered light bruising around the hip” and that “he is fine now”, joining in training with the rest of the squad on Monday.
Had Jupp not been available, Stuart Williams may have come into the side for his first-team debut from the Under-18s, or Lewis Hunt, likely to lose his place in the centre of midfield to the returning Maher, would have been another option available to Tilson, with right-back being a position that he became familiar with during his time with Derby County.
Andy Edwards, who scored the last time the two sides met in 1995, filled the vacancy for three minutes at the end of that defeat against the Chairboys, but he is not likely to be handed a place in the starting line-up at all, either at full-back or in his usual place at the heart of the defence. Edwards has been forced out of the side by the fine form of three-goal Barrett and Spencer Prior, with that partnership building a good understanding.
Another player who has been handed his chance and has taken it with both hands is Che Wilson. The Ely-born former Bristol Rovers captain replaced Nicky Nicolau for the 2-1 win at home to Macclesfield Town, and the defeat to Wycombe represented the first time that he had started a game and United had lost in 2004/5. Nicolau, unable to get any match practice in a reserve game this week after Wanderers pulled out of the Pontin’s Holidays Combination at the start of the season, may not even be named amongst the substitutes again.
As detailed earlier, Kevin Maher will regain the armband and will captain the side in the centre of midfield, returning alongside Mark Bentley, who opened his goalscoring account for the campaign by netting the first goal of the game against Wycombe six days ago. Maher outlined his frustration in his programme notes at missing last week’s game through suspension, “I picked up one or two silly bookings so far which I’m annoyed about but I need to learn from that”. He will hope to channel that disappointment in a leader’s performance tomorrow.
On the flanks, Mark Gower will be hoping to continue his return to full confidence. The former Barnet playmaker was distraught after missing two open goal opportunities against Wycombe that would surely have helped the Shrimpers to a win. He told the Echo, “I should have scored – I know that. I was in two minds whether to cut in or not but in the end I decided to shoot and it just screwed off my boot”.
Gower and Carl Pettefer have been the choice of Tilson at the start of the season, and their form has led to Michael Husbands’ transfer-listing. The former Aston Villa man has not even made the squad in recent times, often travelling to matches as the cover for pre-match warm-up injuries, but James Corbett and Michael Kightly are likely to fill those positions as back-up this weekend.
Finally, up front, despite not managing any goals last weekend, Dudfield and Bramble looked dangerous and should retain their places in the side. Drewe Broughton and Wayne Gray are likely to travel northwards to act as cover for the striking positions, with the two talents offering different options from the substitutes’ bench.
By contrast to Southend’s almost clean bill of health, County have had a massive thirteen of their nineteen senior players out at some stage of the campaign. Julien Baudet picked up a calf strain and Gavin Gordon an ankle knock in last Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Northampton Town at Sixfields, and are rated as doubtful for tomorrow’s clash. Left-back Ian Richardson could return tomorrow, whilst Stefan Oakes is close to a comeback.
Oakes, as well as first-teamers Matthew Gill, Glyn Hurst and Matthew Williams all played in Wednesday afternoon’s 2-1 reserve team defeat to Scunthorpe United, the club’s fourth match without a win in the Pontin’s Holidays League season. Saul Deeney and Fahrudin Kudozovic have also both represented the first-team at varying stages of this campaign, and came through the second-string match unscathed.
With a run of just two wins in the last twenty matches, manager Gary Mills must be feeling the pressure at Meadow Lane, and he has strengthened the squad with a number of new signings in the past fortnight. Left-sided utility man Craig Pead has arrived from Coventry City, striker Marvin Robinson from Chesterfield and another forward, Youssef Sofianne has come in on loan from West Ham United fresh from a spell in his native France.
In short, this match represents a must-win game for both clubs, and the three o’clock kick-off is an early six-pointer. Three points for Blues will put them back in the hunt for the play-offs, whilst also sending Magpies fans into further despair. The other way round, and the match against Kidderminster would take on extra significance, with the possibility of United going bottom of League Two – not a position any supporters will be wanting to consider ten games into the campaign.
LIKELY SQUADS
Notts County | Southend United | |
4-4-2 Wayne Henderson David Pipe Ian Richardson Mike Edwards Rob Ullathorne Tony Scully Julien Baudet Paul Bolland Craig Pead Marvin Robinson Youssef Sofianne --- Saul Deeney Mike Whitlow Matthew Gill Glyn Hurst Matthew Williams --- Stefan Oakes Fahrudin Kudozovic | Starting Line-Ups GK DR DL DC DC MR MC MC ML FC FC Substitutes 1 2 3 4 5 Also Available * * * | 4-4-2 Darryl Flahavan Duncan Jupp Che Wilson Adam Barrett Spencer Prior Carl Pettefer Kevin Maher Mark Bentley Mark Gower Tesfaye Bramble Lawrie Dudfield --- Lewis Hunt Andy Edwards Drewe Broughton Wayne Gray James Corbett --- Nicky Nicolau Michael Husbands Michael Kightly |
REFEREE: Scott Mathieson (Cheshire)
ASSISTANTS: Phil Gibbs (West Midlands) and Dean Whitestone (Northamptonshire)
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com