It was just over five months ago that Blues last triumphed on their travels, by two goals to one at Brunton Park over a poor Carlisle United side. This season has already seen four trips around the country, and despite good performances against West Ham United (0-2) in the Carling Cup and Bristol Rovers (1-2) just seven days ago in League Two, the closest United have got to winning was at Sincil Bank when Lincoln City were held to a Wayne Gray-inspired 1-1 draw. In between, Rochdale defeated a lacklustre Seasiders outfit 2-0 at Spotland.
But the signs were in place on Monday that the Shrimpers were starting to find the sort of form that has made them many pundits’ tip for an outside play-off bet. The Silkmen rarely threatened Bart Griemink’s goal, and only a mistake by the 32-year-old shotstopper allowed Danny Whittaker to score. Despite both goals coming from Adam Barrett, both Tesfaye Bramble and Lawrie Dudfield also appeared threatening.
Barrett himself, speaking to the club’s official website, www.southendunited.co.uk, was as surprised as anyone to get on the scoresheet. He said, “I like to get forward and get a few chances and so far I have managed to do so”. The centre-half, who also netted in the defeat at the Memorial Stadium against his old club three days earlier, added, “Scoring a couple each game is probably a tough task. The boys have been joking with me that I should be playing up front but I’m more than happy to chip in where I can”.
However, the ex-Leyton Orient trainee also revealed that he has every confidence that the goals – and the victories – will start to flood in: “I don’t think the rest of the team are concerned. We will take the goals however they come. It will come for the forwards though and as I have said this victory has given us a big confidence boost.”
Another man to hit the spotlight on the Bank Holiday was Che Wilson, who made his first start of the season in place of Nicky Nicolau at left back. The former Arsenal man had been struggling with a slight injury and, having failed a late fitness test on the morning of the game, Wilson, another ex-Pirates captain, was thrust into the Shrimpers defence.
The 25-year-old former Norwich City man explained the Southend Evening Echo after his solid performance, “The manager told me after training on Sunday that I would be in the side and it came out of the blue for me really”. However, unperturbed by the shock return, Wilson was just happy to be playing again, “It was great for me to be back in the team again though, and hopefully I can stay in the side now”.
Having impressed in the pre-season campaign and then again for the Seasiders’ reserve side at Brighton & Hove Albion a fortnight ago, Wilson was a little unhappy at missing out for the first six games of the current campaign, but revealed, “I carried on working hard, waiting for a chance and thankfully it came against Macclesfield”.
He is likely to retain his spot in the 21st-placed Blues defence, despite Nicolau making a return to action himself on Wednesday afternoon as the second-string failed to convert a number of opportunities and could only manage a 1-1 draw with Oxford United. Despite the poor result, there were a number of pluses for head coach Paul Brush and manager Steve Tilson in the display.
Michael Husbands was one man happy with his performance after netting the Southend goal. The former Hereford United loanee, who featured as the cover star of The Little Gazette’s official matchday programme, explained to the club website, “The lads played hard and we had the right attitude. We were unlucky in the end but I think overall it was a good performance”. Speaking of tomorrow’s match, he declared his intentions to fight his way into the first team: “I took people on today and I thought my final ball was better so hopefully the gaffer has seen that and will consider me in his plans”.
Brush echoed those words and also singled out one man for particular praise: “I thought we did very well in the first half. We didn’t have the quality in the second though. We created enough chances but one way or another the ball didn’t go in. Jim Corbett did very well today, he was tenacious”. The ex-Blackburn Rovers man will be eying the retention of his place on the subs’ bench.
The only position where there isn’t real competition for places seems to be up front. Drewe Broughton’s extra effort has so far yielded just two goals in his entire Shrimpers League career, and he is yet to find the scoresheet in five games this season. Wayne Gray may have confidently slammed home his penalty at Lincoln, but the upshot has not been an upturn in confidence or any extra speed or skill that was predicted.
That leaves the duo already mentioned as the top men for the job. Neither Lawrie Dudfield – who has appeared in some capacity in every single match this season – or Tesfaye Bramble, who has only been used in half on account of his three-match suspension for his opening day sending off, have scored yet in 2004/5, and Bramble’s last goal came against Colchester United in the area final of the LDV Vans Trophy at Layer Road. However, they seemed most likely to score on Monday, and will hope to get that morale-boosting goal under their belts at Nene Park.
In midfield, Kevin Maher will play his last match before a one-game ban comes into effect for his seven-clash achievement of five bookings in a season. He will be partnered once again by Mark Bentley, but in the forthcoming second-string match at Northampton Town next Tuesday, both Lewis Hunt and Corbett will effectively play off for the second central midfield position.
At the current moment in time, Mark Gower, the midfield playmaker, is rated as fifty-fifty for the Diamonds clash after he suffered a foot injury during the first half against the Macc Lads. The one-time Tottenham Hotspur player took the almost unprecedented step of going out at half-time with Steve Tilson to test the injury, and despite it looking bad then, he managed another half-hour before being replaced by Hunt on 74 minutes. That extra thirty minutes could just rule him out of tomorrow’s game.
If he is unfit, then Husbands, or Michael Kightly could come into replace him on the right-hand side. The duo both came through the reserve match unscathed, and in Kightly’s case, it was the best that he has looked on a football pitch for some time. Carl Pettefer is almost assured of his place, although whether that will be on the left or the right-hand side of midfield is yet to be seen.
With Barrett and Wilson looking as though they are guaranteed spots in the defence, and Duncan Jupp confident on the right-hand side, the last place is a battle between Hunt (again), Spencer Prior and Andy Edwards. Prior’s competent display on Monday, coupled with an off-colour display by Edwards in midweek points to the ex-Leicester City and Manchester City man getting the nod. Despite another good game for Darryl Flahavan, Bart Griemink has done little to call his goalkeeping place into question.
The meeting will see Tilson come face-to-face with former Shrimpers assistant manager Stewart Robson, who is now applying himself to that same role with Rushden. Former West Ham and Arsenal man Robson is Ernie Tippett’s right-hand man, and at the time was the subject of vitriolic accusations from Blues’ support for the departure of first Rob Newman and then his work alongside Steve Wignall.
Diamonds appear to be having the same problems as Southend in finding the back of net, although three weeks ago they hit three past Lincoln at Sincil Bank. Manager Tippett, who was first with Robson at Wimbledon in a coaching capacity, has ordered his side to do more training, and told the Northampton Chronicle, “I agree when people say we have lots of good possession and work our way into the attacking third. But then it just seems to break down for us”.
Millwall forward Kevin Braniff is on loan at Nene Park and promises to be one of the major threats for Blues to keep out. In mitigation of his brief drought, Tippett said, “What we all need to remember is that Kevin Braniff has been playing reserve-team football for over a year, Alex Hay is a very young striker learning his game and Craig Dove only made his debut a few weeks ago. We know that we have got a lot of work to do in that area. We also need to get better crosses in from David Bell and Andy Burgess”.
As for the back line, the Chronicle report that goalkeeper Billy Turley, who in contrast to Rushden’s single goal in four games at Nene Park this year only managed three clean sheets in 2003/4 has benefited from help from ex-England and Scotland coach Alan Hodgkinson, whilst former Tranmere Rovers defender Graham Allen is fit to make a return in the centre of the defence, where Phillip Gulliver has deputised alongside Rob Gier, a one-time Wimbledon man who had a trial with the Shrimpers at the end of last season.
Meanwhile, Gary Mills could miss out with a sore ankle and captain Stuart Gray has been having difficulties with a groin niggle picked up in the 0-0 draw with Bristol Rovers over Bank Holiday weekend. On the plus side for the home team, Marcus Kelly joins Allen as a contender for a return, but Gareth Seddon is at Lilleshall and Lee Worgan is on international duty with the Welsh Under-21 squad.
LIKELY SQUADS
Rushden & Diamonds | Southend United | |
4-4-2 Billy Turley Sean Connolly Peter Hawkins Robert Gier Graham Allen Andy Burgess Gary Mills Stuart Gray David Bell Kevin Braniff Alex Hay --- John Dempster Adam Sambrook Phillip Gulliver Craig Dove Marcus Kelly --- Jason Taylor | 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 Bart Griemink Duncan Jupp Che Wilson Spencer Prior Adam Barrett Michael Husbands Kevin Maher Mark Bentley Carl Pettefer Tesfaye Bramble Lawrie Dudfield --- Darryl Flahavan Nicky Nicolau Lewis Hunt James Corbett Drewe Broughton --- Andy Edwards Wayne Gray Michael Kightly |
REFEREE: Lee Probert (South Gloucestershire)
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Darren Cann (Norfolk) and Patrick Miller (Bedfordshire)
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com