The Mariners have won eleven of the last eighteen matches between the two clubs after the head-to-head had stood in Southend’s favour some fifteen years ago. In that time, Blues have suffered some absolute maulings at the hands of the Lincolnshire outfit, although most of those have come at Blundell Park rather than Roots Hall.
The last season in which the two seaside towns, both famous for their fish and chips and out-dated amusement facilities, met was 1997/8 as United slipped through the Football League back into the basement division. In November 1997 Southend crashed 5-1 to Grimsby, just six months after being thrashed 4-0 at the same venue. At Roots Hall, Town completed a double with a 1-0 March win.
It is possible that the two clubs could be vying for promotion when they next meet, on the final day of the campaign on May 7th 2005, but they will be hoping to register a much-needed three points tomorrow night as the hosts prepare for their third Friday evening fixture of 2004/5, with another five (home and away) already lined up.
The first had been a dramatic 2-1 win against Boston United, with Wayne Gray and Mark Gower on the scoresheet before Darryl Flahavan was sent off and Tesfaye Bramble had to take over between the sticks for the duration of the second period. The next was not so joyous as SKY television visited Roots Hall for the 3-0 FA Cup first round defeat to League One leaders Luton Town.
That game was just a fortnight ago, and since then, Blues have slipped to their first League Two loss in a month as well, crashing by three goals to one against fellow promotion candidates. The game was tarnished by the abysmal refereeing of West Midlands FA official Mick Fletcher, and the longer-lasting effect is a one-match ban for Shrimpers skipper Kevin Maher.
Talking to the Southend Evening Echo at the start of the week, the Ilford-born Irishman was rightfully incensed. Maher, under new Football League regulations, has to sit out the first match after receiving his ban, and will watch Blues battle tomorrow from the touchline instead of directing matters from the middle of the park.
“Right from the very first whistle the referee was a joke, and even the fourth official was laughing about him at half-time”, the ex-Eire Under-21 international revealed. “He gave decisions none of us could understand and he missed a blatant elbow on Andy Edwards when he was standing just five yards away with a perfect view of the incident”, Maher continued, still seething from the hurt of his red card.
Fletcher made bad mistakes that favoured both sides at times, but Maher’s marching orders had a direct effect on the remainder of the game, with Scott Guyett netting from the ensuing free-kick. Captain Maher concluded, “I don’t know how he failed to give anything for that [Edward’s injury], but it summed up his performance”, wisely steering clear of mentioning his own miscarriage of justice.
With the influential midfielder ruled out, Lewis Hunt is set to move back into the centre of the park, with Jay Smith having suffered his set-back from a return to the game. Hunt’s transfer leaves a space at the back, and Spencer Prior, a man who will remember some of those defeats to the Mariners, is desperate to reclaim his position in the team.
The former Manchester City backliner completed 45 minutes in the first half of the 1-0 reversal to Luton Town in the Pontin’s Holidays Combination on Tuesday afternoon before making way for another injury returnee, Nick Skelton, and disclosed that he had suffered some discomfort, although it would not be enough to restrain his comeback.
Talking again to the Evening Echo, Prior said, “If I was to wait until there was no pain at all in my knee then I would be out for at least another six weeks. No-one wants that and I think I’ve had as much treatment as I possibly can on it now”. The veteran centre-half, who has played in nineteen of Southend’s 22 games this season, added, “I’ve rested up for eight or nine days and I’m going to have to go out there and get on with it”.
The decision to play may not be in Prior’s hands, as physiotherapist John Stannard takes another look at Edwards, who should be fit enough to return to action. The former Rushden & Diamonds blocker has showed that he is raring for a regular first-team slot in his last two matches, and deserves to be handed a prolonged spell in the team. Whoever is given the nod, Adam Barrett will line up again after notching his seventh goal in the season at Huish Park last Saturday to move joint top of the Seasiders’ hot shot list.
Another player attempting to re-establish himself in the side is midfielder Mark Bentley. The former Aveley and Enfield Town man only regained his position last weekend, and is eager to keep a hold on what is one the most closely contested places in the side. “It was nice to be back in the team”, he said to the Echo, “It had been frustrating sitting on the bench and hopefully now I can get back to the way I was at the start of the season”.
But boss Steve Tilson and assistant Paul Brush do not have the same problems in selection in goal. Bart Griemink remains the club’s only fit and senior goalkeeper, with reports from Southend’s Boots & Laces training ground suggesting that Flahavan’s heel is ‘black’ with bruising and causing the Southampton-born shotstopper some agony. Nick Morgan will be on standby.
Alongside Barrett and his partner at the back should be Che Wilson on the left, ahead of Nicky Nicolau, who continues to impress in the second-string, and Duncan Jupp, who was dropped for the first team in his Shrimpers career for the trip to Huish Park. Stuart Williams is set to stand down with the return of Prior as defensive cover.
In the wide positions, Mark Gower is a natural selection, but on the right-hand side, Carl Pettefer still fails to provide a consistent threat, and the reserve team selection suggests that Tesfaye Bramble could be employed out wide. The Montserrat international has one of the best crosses at the club, but needs to be reassured that he is an integral component of the side when he is selected there. Jimmy Corbett and Michael Husbands are out of favour and Michael Kightly has extended his loan spell at Farnborough Town.
Playing Bramble on the wing takes away one option up front, but there are still three men to choose from for just two places in the eleven. Freddy Eastwood was largely innocuous against the Glovers, but Wayne Gray was the Shrimpers major threat, and the partnership is likely to be given more time to blossom. Lawrie Dudfield, therefore, will continue to warm the substitutes’ bench.
Grimsby have had injury concerns all season, and at various stages of 2004/5, Russell Slade has been without Rob Jones, Glen Downey, Simon Ramsden, Tony Crane and Terrell Forbes. Ramsden is still set to miss out on a trip to the seaside as he attempts to recover from a neck injury sustained in August, and he has only just started work on his heading in training, remaining a month away from a come back.
Crane is another to be ruled out of the clash through a knee injury, having been out since January. The former Sheffield Wednesday player is out for a further three or four weeks, but former Queens Park Rangers man is available after having charges brought against him by a 15-year-old girl dropped at Kingston Crown Court as the accuser was deemed “unreliable”. Forbes has been on a short-term deal since the start of the season.
Town are 17th in the League Two table, but having collected 23 points, are just four behind the Shrimpers who are some ten places further up, and still occupying a play-off place. Slade, who masterminded Scarborough’s FA Cup success over Southend last year, has missed out on striker Richie Barker though, with the ex-Rotherham United front man joining Mansfield Town instead. The manager is unlikely to be able to bring in a new target until the start of next week.
Blues will move, temporarily at least, into fourth place in the table should they emerge victorious tomorrow night, so be sure to particpate in what will be a bumper night of entertainment. Indeed, even the man in the middle, Joe Ross of London, could provide some sparks - thankfully Kevin Maher is suspended! Kick-off is, as ever, at 7:45 p.m., and three points would set all Shrimpers supporters up nicely for a relaxing weekend!
LIKELY SQUADS
Southend United | Grimsby Town | |
4-4-2 Bart Griemink Duncan Jupp Che Wilson Andy Edwards Adam Barrett Tesfaye Bramble Mark Bentley Lewis Hunt Mark Gower Freddy Eastwood Wayne Gray --- Nick Morgan Nicky Nicolau Carl Pettefer Lawrie Dudfield Spencer Prior --- James Corbett Michael Husbands Stuart Williams | 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 Antony Williams Rob Jones Dean Gordon Justin Whittle John McDermott Jason Crowe Thomas Pinault Ronnie Bull Andy Parkinson Colin Cramb Ashley Sestanovich --- Paul Fraser Stacy Caldicott Greg Young Graham Hockless Danny North --- Terrell Forbes |
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com