Shrimpers stop away rot as Prosser shocks Port Vale in final minute!

So we were thrown a curve-ball re Captain Craig Easton's availabilty for the tough trip to the Valiants, not even on the bench!

Anyway, Graham Coughlan and Blair Sturrock were unsurprisingly thrown back in, the former for suspended Bilel Mohsni, the latter to allow the youth of Kyle Asante to have a rest on the bench, where he will be joined by the equally youthful Harry Crawford.

Blimey, and the son of Luggy is back with a shot straight from the kick-off from way out, but way wide as well.

The dangerous Marc Richards for the Valiants is already throwing his weight about and proving a handful for the recalled veteran Coughlan.

Vale might be seeing more of the ball, but in the early stages the Shrimpers are holding their own.

And on seven minutes Sean Clohessy is given space to get down the right and try his luck with a strike from outside the area, however it's wide again, where a couple of minutes later Sturrock shoots, er, wide.

We certainly don't like haven't been testing the keeper much in recent games and so far the Essex boys are going down a similar route, but to show we're not the only ones, the Valiants very own Doug Loft shows the home support they can have a go from outside the box while not giving Southend's No.1 Glenn Morris anything to do as well.

Then a moment on the quarter hour for the travelling faithful to get interested when Blair wins a free-kick that gives Ryan Hall a chance to strike, yet sadly nothing comes from it.

However, you felt it wasn't going to last and sure enough, after increased pressure had forced an opening corner for Port Vale, they took the lead on 25 minutes.

On the edge of the area Robert Taylor shoots home into the top right hand corner, another lead given away by United.

Some slight increase in pace from both sides leads to an increase in free-kicks but none lead to any real opening until Barry Corr at last has a shot from 20 yards out that once again fails to wake up the Vale shot stopper Stuart Tomlinson.

Miguel Comminges at least livens up proceedings a touch by finding himself in the referee's notebook for a daft challenge eight minutes before the break, while there's even a corner to cheer soon after yet Hall's attempt to cause danger is cleared by Anthony Griffith.

The Potteries club decide they will try to double the lead before half-time as Coughlan does well to clear from Richards leading to a Doug Loft corner that has former Valiant Luke Prosser makeing sure there's no more goals before the ref blows the whistle.

Good luck Luggy on what he says, or can do, to stop yet another defeat, what would be Southend's sixth on the trot away from Roots Hall.

Second 45 starts with the usual bout of stoppages to hold up play before a Port Vale corner has the home support off their seats but Prosser again clears well, followed up by a Gareth Owen shot inside the box that sails over the Morris crossbar.

Play swaps to the other end and another Hall corner just leads to a Corr foul allowing the Valiants to take a breath, hard to believe at the moment that Big Baz has grabbed 18 goals, then again that's how he often looks before scoring, and soon after Anthony Grant has at last a shot on target for United, our first I believe, but Tomlinson easily gathers the ball.

The action is building up now and as the clock moves towards the hour Justin Edwards shoots from 20 yards leading to another Loft corner, Comminges clears.

This leads to double Hall action, first a corner that needs some good Vale defence as it swings towards Tomlinson's goal, then a free-kick awarded for a foul on Anthony Grant sees him strike towards goal to no avail.

However, it not long before Vale have another corner sent in by Loft which leads to Luggy's usual last throw of the dice, a double substitution, this one on 74 minutes, wideboy Louie Soares for Sturrock, while an extra central striker to help out Corr as Harry Crawford replaces Comminges.

And this leads to, another Loft corner for the home side, more points are drifting away as the game enters the last ten.

Goalscorer Taylor also leaves the field to plenty of Vale Park applause, Lewis Haldane coming on, making it a full hat-trick of Valiant substitutions.

So just when the shirt-sleeved crowd start drifting away into the setting sun and the Shrimpers end accept it's going to be another fruitless afternoon, on 90 minutes up steps the often hapless defender Luke Prosser against his former club, to strike the ball on his weaker right foot for an unexpected equaliser, always the best, into the top right hand corner from after an error by home defender Lee Collins.

Well that was good, and four minutes of stoppage time could do nothing to change the result as the play-offs could be tough for the Vale now from this latest set back.

It makes Friday and Bradford City under the Roots Hall floodlights a touch easier, a game that might be a stroll for us, but is very important to the still relegation haunted Bantams.

Southend player markings: Morris - 6, Comminges - 5 (Crawford 75 - 5), Coughlan - 6, Barker 6, Prosser - 6, Clohessy - 5, Ferdinand - 6, Grant - 6, Hall - 7, Sturrock - 5 (Soares 74 - 5), Corr - 6.

Referee: Mr. P. Gibbs - 7.

Competition: Npower League Two Date: Saturday, 9th April 2011 Kick off: 15:00 Venue: Vale Park
	Port Vale Taylor 25	1 - 1	Southend Utd. Prosser 90

50.3%	Possession	49.7%
1	Goal Attempts	1
1	On Target	1
0	Off Target	0
0	Hit Woodwork	0
7	Corners	4

Referee	Attendance
Phil Gibbs	0

Port Vale cards shown
69	Roberts	Unsporting behaviour
Southend Utd. cards shown
37	Comminges	Unsporting behaviour