In the past, Ron Martin has said that he has regarded the opening ten to fifteen matches as a fair barometer of how a season will pan out, and it was certainly the case that he allowed Steve Wignall, the previous manager at Roots Hall, that long to get things sorted, but promptly sacked him when the club continued to struggle in the relegation places.
Steve Tilson, therefore, will be hoping to have created a good impression in his first ten to fifteen matches in his first full season occupying the Roots Hall hotseat. After five League Two games, his Southend side sat in 23rd, only just above Chester City, but thankfully wins over Macclesfield Town (2-1) and Rushden & Diamonds (4-1) at Nene Park have lifted Blues to 14th and now the side look set to enjoy a better campaign.
Speaking at the recent Shrimpers Trust Question & Answer session on Tuesday, Tilson admitted that he has been buoyed by his side’s upturn in form: “From the West Ham game confidence has grown, but after Bristol Rovers you could see the confidence getting higher. In the last two games it has been high, and with a few more results we can get into the promotion area”.
Later, the former south Essex table tennis junior champion and all-round sportsman added, “We’re playing well, we have Wycombe down here on Saturday, they’re flying, third in the League, so we want to get a result to show the rest of the division what we can do”. He continued, “We know what we can do, but we want to show the rest of the division”.
There is now intent on the southeast Essex to impose the club on the rest of League Two, and to make sure that the long-suffering supporters at the Hall finally have something to cheer about after eleven seasons of bottom-half finishes. That sense of purpose is spreading right through the side, and Darryl Flahavan, who will be handed his chance in goal following Bart Griemink’s injury, has no issued a statement of objectives for the next six weeks.
Safe in the knowledge that Tilson and head coach Paul Brush will be seeking to give him an extended run in the side before any outlandish swoops for the likes of Simon Royce, Flahavan has told the club’s official website, www.southendunited.co.uk, that he is relishing this opportunity. “I’m a hundred per cent confident in my ability. I’ve played more than 200 games at this level so I know what’s what. Saturday’s game can’t come soon enough for me”.
And as he stamped his authority on the interview in a manner that many will hope transfers to newfound command of his penalty area, the Southampton-born shotstopper concluded, “I don’t want to make any mistakes and I want to do a good job in the games I’m going to play. I want to make it as hard as possible to leave me put again and then we will see what the manager decides to do when Bart is fit again”.
Tilson also revealed that the club would be looking to sign a young Premiership goalkeeper as cover for Flahavan in the six-week period while Griemink recovers from a second degree strain in his right knee, but as yet any search has proved fruitless. Last season, Wignall had troubled securing early season loan deals as high-profile clubs preferred to retain youngsters until they were sure that they would not be required. Tilson’s intent not to play the youthful goalkeeper is also seen as a hindrance.
Ahead of Flahavan, Adam Barrett is currently enjoying a rich vein of form in the centre of the defence. The former Bristol Rovers captain has now scored four goals in three games, although here at TLG we still maintain that the final strike at Nene Park was a David Bell own goal as the defender kneed into his own net under pressure from Barrett. The 24-year-old didn’t seem to get a touch, but having scored twice in his previous outing, he was happy to attempt to claim his fourteenth career goal.
Partnering Barrett should be Spencer Prior. The former Norwich City and Manchester City blocker was culpable for the only Diamonds goal, having surrendered possession easily to Andrew Burgess, but other than that had an exemplary ninety minutes, whilst Andy Edwards endured a torrid time along with the rest of the defence in the reserve team defeat to Northampton Town on Tuesday afternoon.
Tilson and Brush are also wary of the threat that three higher division strikers may have on an ageing back line of Prior and Edwards, as started the season. Barrett is now a certainty, but the management duo have already isolated the Chairboys’ forwards as a major threat to any prospective triumph that may come about.
Former Reading and England Under-21 star Nathan Tyson, who bagged a quickfire hat-trick in the Biscuitmen’s 5-0 Pontin’s Holidays Combination win over Blues’ Twos nearly a year ago has now signed for Wanderers after a successive loan period in Buckinghamshire at the end of the last season, and he tops the scoring charts at the newly-renamed Causeway Stadium with three thus far, including the penalty that ensured a 1-1 draw with Oxford United last Friday night.
Joining him in attack are often two supplementary front men. Adam Birchall is a young Arsenal striker, well down the pecking order at Highbury, but at Adams Park thanks to the ties the long-serving Gunners defender Tony Adams, now boss at Wycombe, retains with his old club. And Ian Stonebridge has been a dependable front man in the past with Plymouth Argyle.
As such Southend are likely to be kept busy, and Tilson is unlikely to make any changes at all at the back in a bid to keep a tight defensive unit. Duncan Jupp is a solid right-back who has earned many a plaudit for an improvement in his consistency this term, whilst Che Wilson’s immense pre-season form forced the 38-year-old to select him ahead of Nicky Nicolau, who offers more going forwards. Wilson has taken that with two hands.
There will have to be at least one change, however, to the starting line-up. Kevin Maher astoundingly managed to pick up five bookings in just seven matches, and having waited seven days for the ban to kick in, will miss this solitary match on Saturday. Mark Bentley will keep his spot in the middle of the park, and should be joined by Lewis Hunt on account of his greater defensive work and also the injury to Jay Smith keeping him out of contention. Jimmy Corbett may be seen as too much of a risk.
Corbett, Michael Husbands and Michael Kightly represent three figures who wait in the sidelines for a chance to play on the flanks. Brush commented that the club favour the ex-Blackburn Rovers flier to do a job on the right-hand side or up front, so he seems to be ploughing a forlorn furrow in the second-string as a central midfielder. Despite the attributes of this trio, Mark Gower and Carl Pettefer showed improved form in Irthlingborough and will almost certainly retain their places.
Up front, too, there is little prospect of any changes. Lawrie Dudfield got off the mark for the season with a brace against the Diamonds, the second from the penalty spot as United finally put any worries about the dreaded twelve-yarder to rest. Tesfaye Bramble also scored his first goal of the season, and for nearly ten months in the Football League in nodding home the third of the afternoon. Wayne Gray and Drewe Broughton failed to impress in the reserves, and will remain in contention for one place on the substitutes bench.
The Chairboys will be without at least three players as they sit out the game with long-term injuries. Craig Faulconbridge has had a torrid time in Buckinghamshire with injuries in the past couple of seasons, and after spending some time at Lilleshall, hopes to fit by Christmas. Meanwhile, Mark Philo may make the end of the season as he predicts an April return from a broken ankle, with Matt Bloomfield also having suffered an injury to the same part of his body in pre-season out until November.
Another loan striker, Bas Savage from Reading, is a possibility, although Tony Adams told the Bucks Free Press, www.bucksfreepress.co.uk, that he has not decided which formation to use, “I don’t see an advantage in a three. Bas is more effective with Nathan Tyson in a two. It’s not set in stone. I have favourite players rather than a favourite system. Four-four-two has limitations, as has four-three-three”.
Adams, who played a friendly against Southend for HM Chelmsford Prison whilst serving time for drink-driving, is waiting on the fitness of Shahed Ahmed and Russell Martin, although both are expected to be available tomorrow. Gary Silk is suspended after being sent off in the draw with Oxford, which should mean that Keith Ryan, the only player on either team’s staff that played in the last meeting between the sides, is assured of a place in the starting line-up.
Kick-off is at three o’clock as usual, and supporters are encouraged to bring musical instruments and make some noise. For more information, visit the club website at www.southendunited.co.uk. This preview included quotes from Steve Tilson at the Shrimpers Trust Q&A, a full transcript of which can be found on the Trust website at www.shrimperstrust.co.uk.
LIKELY SQUADS
Southend United | Wycombe Wanderers | |
4-4-2 Darryl Flahavan Duncan Jupp Che Wilson Spencer Prior Adam Barrett Carl Pettefer Lewis Hunt Mark Bentley Mark Gower Tesfaye Bramble Lawrie Dudfield --- Nicky Nicolau Andy Edwards Drewe Broughton Michael Husbands James Corbett --- Wayne Gray Michael Kightly | Starting Line-Ups GK DR DL DC DC MR-MC MC MC ML-FC FC FC Substitutes 1 2 3 4 5 Also Available * * | 4-3-3 Frank Talia Gus Uhlenbeek Keith Ryan Stuart Nethercott Roger Johnson Danny Senda Michael Williamson Clint Easton Adam Birchall Nathan Tyson Ian Stonebridge --- Steve Williams Bas Savage Johnny Dixon Shahed Ahmed Russell Martin --- |
REFEREE: Paul Taylor (Hertfordshire) – for a full look at Taylor’s career, purchase tomorrow’s matchday programme, ‘The Blues’.
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com