Bramble has found it hard to get into the team this season after a strong start which included some fantastic performances against Colchester United and Boston United. Bramble famously put on the goalkeeping jersey when Darryl Flahavan was dismissed, in the Friday night fixture against the Pilgrims, and turned in a great performance with the gloves.
It looks at if Bramble may have played his last game for the Shrimpers with his contract running out at the end of the season means that first team football will give him the opportunity to ‘put himself in the shop window’ when managers look to strengthen their squads in the summer. It remains unclear as to whether Bramble will be able to feature in the Easter Monday fixture between Southend and Cambridge. This aside, the move appears to be a very negative one for Southend as they now have little cover in the event of an injury to any of the main strikers Lawrie Dudfield, Freddy Eastwood and Wayne Gray; I would expect Tilson to bring some sort of cover in before the transfer window possibly in the form of a loan signing from a Premier League or Championship side.
Bramble has had his critics at Roots Hall but as he seemingly leaves Southend few can argue with the fact that Bramble was always in the headlines. Whether he was scoring great overhead kicks in the F.A. Cup, getting sent off for seemingly stupid things, being charged for drink driving, or even making a fool of Col Ewe ‘shot stopper (I use that term loosely)’ Simon Brown, Tes was always in the forefront of the action since moving to Roots Hall in January 2001.
To ensure that everyone appreciates Bramble’s eventfulness I will leave you with a few of my favourite Bramble moments:
- Scores four goals in a three game spell, in the 2000/2001 season, including two against Luton Town in the F.A. Cup, one a spectacular overhead kick.
- Starts 2002/2003 reasonably well although it was in the F.A. Cup replay against Hartlepool Town that he excelled scoring an excellent volley in an amazing Shrimpers fight back.
- Gets dismissed for Southend against Hull City when the Shrimpers are two nil up and have a penalty. Bramble serves a three game ban for violent conduct.
- Is charge with drink driving and driving without a licence.
- Scores in another F.A. Cup First Round replay, this time at Park Lane against local rivals Canvey Island. Also scores in Second Round win against Lincoln City.
- Scores in the famous LDV Vans Area Final against Colchester United managing to nutmeg goalkeeper Simon Brown in the process.
- Fails to score again in the rest of the season, a run that lasted 21 games.
- Inexplicably got in the way of a goal bound shot in the F.A. Cup replay against Scarborough. Winning the tie would have given the Blues the opportunity to play Chelsea in the next stage of the competition.
- Crazily gets sent off on the first day of the 2004/2005 campaign for a stupid lunge against Cheltenham Town.
- Turns into an incredible goalkeeper in a Friday night fixture against Boston United.
- Gains his first international cap for international minnows Montserrat.
- Scores only two more goals in twenty five appearances for the Blues and finds most of his time playing in the reserves where he plays poorly on a number of occasions, notably against Thurrock in the Essex Senior Cup.
- Loaned out to Cambridge United until the end of the 2004/2005 season.