August
Wednesday 14th – Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Southend United 0 – Avon Insurance Combination
Wednesday 21st – Southend United 4 (Rawle 1, 6, 21, Belgrave 87) Northampton Town 3 – Avon Insurance Combination
Wednesday 28th – AFC Bournemouth 2 Southend United 1 (Steven Clark 50) – Avon Insurance Combination
The second-string’s programme of fixtures began all the way back on a Wednesday evening in August, with manager Rob Newman naming himself in the starting line-up at Woodside Road, home of Worthing. A dull but respectable 0-0 draw ensued with neither side carving out any memorable opportunities in humid conditions.
A week later and the match could not have been any different. Blues Twos took to the field against Northampton Town, and in stark contrast to the corresponding fixture the year before, the game was a thriller. Just thirty seconds in, Mark Rawle opened his account for the season, and within two-and-a-half minutes it was all square. However, Rawle was again on target twice more to complete a 21-minute hat-trick and hand the Shrimpers a 3-1 lead. Eight minutes later, the Cobblers had pulled another back through Steve Morrison, and with just seconds to go until the interval, Morrison equalised. The second period did not live up to expectations, but Barrington Belgrave converted Danny Maye’s cross in the dying minutes to hand Southend their first win of the season.
Another seven days passed, and United were on their travels again, this time to the home of Lymington and New Milton to take on AFC Bournemouth. As a relatively inexperienced Seasiders eleven took to the field, it was non surprise that James Hayter handed the home side the lead shortly after the interval. A minute later, Steven Clark netted a rare goal to level, but former Southend trialist Amos Foyewa chipped Danny Gay to give the Cherries the three points.
September
Tuesday 3rd – Southend United 2 (Maye 24, Belgrave 55) Plymouth Argyle 3 – Avon Insurance Combination
Tuesday 17th – Wycombe Wanderers 0 Southend United 2 (Thurgood 5 [pen], Johnson [o.g.] 45) – Avon Insurance Combination
Monday 23rd – Norwich City 4 Southend United 3 (Belgrave 2, Steven Clark) – Friendly
September saw the reintroduction of floodlit reserve football at Roots Hall for the first time in over two years as the Shrimpers took on Plymouth Argyle. And the 428 who attended were treated to a fantastic spectacle. Argyle, who sported ludicrous tangerine shirts combined with green shorts under the lights, took an early lead through the equally exotic Marino Keith, but Danny Maye netted his only Shrimpers goal to pull level midway through the first half. Ten minutes into the second half, Belgrave scored his second in three games to give Blues the lead. However, in a dramatic finish, Keith again and Jay Barwick scored two goals in three minutes just a short while from the final whistle to give the south-westerners the three points.
Two weeks later, the Shrimpers went in search of their second victory at another non-League ground, Aylesbury United, taking on Wycombe Wanderers. Just five minutes into the clash Stuart Thurgood handed the visitors the lead with a strong penalty past Martin Taylor between the Choirboys’ sticks after Roger Johnson had handled Danny Maye’s cross. And forty minutes later, on the stroke of half-time, the afternoon got worse for the defender as he diverted Keith Rowland’s cross into the net under pressure from Belgrave.
The month closed with a friendly fixture arranged due to a large gap in the reserve programme on Southend’s behalf, and to help striker Zema Abbey return to fitness for Norwich City. Abbey netted in the first half, and helped Chris Llewellyn to double the lead just after the break. Belgrave pulled one back against his old club, but substitute Jason Shackell (one of six Under-19 performers who replaced the experienced players at 2-0) restored the two-goal advantage. Belgrave again, and another from Steven Clark, meant that the Shrimpers drew level but future Scunthorpe United forward Paul Hayes netted a late injury time winner to give the Canaries the victory.
October
Wednesday 2nd – Southend United 0 Cardiff City 1 – Avon Insurance Combination
Wednesday 9th – Colchester United 0 Southend United 0 – Avon Insurance Combination
Wednesday 16th – Southend United 2 (Searle 62, Thurgood 68 [pen]) Brentford 1 – Avon Insurance Combination
Tuesday 22nd – Millwall 1 Southend United 2 (Thurgood 25 [pen], Webb 45) – Avon Insurance Combination
Blues Twos continued their winless sequence by drawing successive blanks. Richard Ingram won a needless free-kick from Tom Jordan, and Jason Bowen’s free-kick was converted by James Collins to hand Cardiff City a vital 1-0 triumph at Roots Hall, and this was followed by a trip to local rivals Colchester United a week later. Despite controlling large portions of the encounter with a youthful-looking side, Southend were denied a deserved victory as Richard McKinney brought Steven Clark down inside the penalty area with an open goal gaping and referee Kevin Wright waved frantic appeals for a spot-kick away.
After three matches without a win, the schedulers at Roots Hall ridiculously arranged an evening reserve game at the same time as England limped to their 2-2 draw with Macedonia at St. Mary’s. Only 64 people turned up, and after the first half many wished that they hadn’t, and unmarked Stephen Evans netting for the Bees after eleven minutes. However, a spirited second half revival took place; first hard-working Damon Searle running seventy yards to finish a Mark Salter cross and then Stuart Thurgood tucking away another penalty to secure all three points halfway through the latter period.
And six days later Blues Twos were at it again, travelling down to the New Den to tackle Millwall. With impressive young trialists Chris Moore (of Newcastle United) and Leon Britton (West Ham United, although he went on to join Swansea City on loan) in the starting line-up, it was the Shrimpers who started brightest, and Steven Clark gave the visitors the perfect tonic when he won a penalty from Ronnie Bull. Thurgood scored again from twelve yards, and the lead was doubled on the stroke of half-time as Danny Webb, netting in his only Southend appearance of the season, after Mark Salter’s original shot was parried out by Willy Gueret. Ben May worried United with a consolation nine minutes from time.
November
Wednesday 13th – Cambridge United 1 Southend United 2 (Morris 53, Salter 58) – Avon Insurance Combination
Tuesday 19th – Great Wakering Rovers 1 Southend United 2 (Thurgood 82, 85 [pen]) – Essex Senior Cup
As the winter began to set in, more fixtures fell by the wayside, including a night game against Crystal Palace and a conventional tie versus Luton Town. However, despite heavy rain prior to the match, an early morning pitch inspection decreed the match against Cambridge United should go ahead, and the small gathering of Shrimpers were pleased that it did. Lloyd Opara, who had fired in goals galore against the Under-19s early in the season, gave the home side the lead just before half-time, but another second half fightback saw first trialist Danny Morris and then strike partner Mark Salter hand Southend their third consecutive 2-1 win.
Six days later they made it four with a victory over Great Wakering Rovers in the Third Round of the Essex Senior Cup. In a brutal tussle, Rovers were handed the lead by Phil Pilkington, but two late goals by captain Thurgood, one his fourth from the penalty spot, gave the visiting Blues Twos a safe passage into Round Four.
December
Wednesday 4th – Reading 4 Southend United 0 – Avon Insurance Combination
Wednesday 11th – Hornchurch 1 Southend United 2 (Whelan 56, Salter 90) – Essex Senior Cup
The year appeared to have ended on a low as Steve Tilson took his men to Loop Meadow, home of Didcot Town to battle it out against First Division Reading. A 4-0 reversal followed, with experienced duo Martin Butler and Jamie Cureton both hitting braces. However, the Senior Cup gave the Shrimpers second-string something to look forward to in 2003 as they disposed of Hornchurch in the Fourth Round. The game was not without it’s problems, a dull first half saw international shotstopper Dmitri Kharine redundant in the Hornchurch net, though Phil Whelan soon gave him something to think about with a powerful header ten minutes into the second. Former Southend player Steve Jones was awarded a contentious penalty with twenty minutes remaining, and he converted the penalty himself. Thurgood was then dismissed, amidst great debate, and Salter netted a late winner. Urchins’ defender Gavin McGowen was then given his marching orders to end a stormy tie.
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com
TLG 2002/3 Season Review – Blues Twos Part One
Mark Rawle scored a hat-trick against Northampton
Barrington Belgrave netted three times in September
Captain Stuart Thurgood hit a brace of penalties during October
Custodian Danny Gay was ever-present up until Christmas