TLG 2004/5 Season Review – Pre-Season

17/07/04 East Thurrock United (a) W7-0

Gower, Corbett, Bramble, Gray 2, Husbands, Burns (o.g.)

Mark Gower opened the scoring, whilst Tesfaye Bramble instigated the second half rout

The match itself was touch-and-go after a torrential and thunderous downpour just over an hour before kick-off, but conditions did suffice for old favourite Spencer Prior to make his return to Shrimpers colours at the heart of the defence. Andy Edwards nodded against the crossbar after just seven minutes and Drewe Broughton wasted numerous chances against the part-timers to allow the hosts to come through the first half-an-hour unscathed.

Finally, after 34 minutes, Judge slotted the ball through to Mark Gower and the creative talent slotted underneath goalkeeper Glenn Knight to open the scoring. Ten minutes later captain Kevin Maher slotted the ball through to Jimmy Corbett and the one-time Blackburn Rovers youngster stabbed home from six yards.

There were eleven changes at half-time as Tilson tried his best to emulate England boss Sven Goran Eriksson, youth-teamer David Bryan being one of those to be handed his chance. It was established striker Tesfaye Bramble who made the first impression of the second period with a mis-hit 25-yard shot that was misjudged by Knight and dribbled into the bottom corner of the net.

Wayne Gray, a summer signing from Wimbledon, then notched a quickfire brace, first eluded Anthony Henry after good work from Bramble to fire into the net and then heading home an immaculate right-wing cross from the former Chelmsford City striker. Michael Husbands was the next to benefit from a Bramble pass to complete a deadly fourteen-minute spell.

18-year-old professional Michael Kightly smacked a free-kick against the inside of a post and watched the ball roll out, whilst Mark Bentley suffered an injured ankle after a savage tackle in the right-hand corner, but the seventh goal arrived four minutes from the end when Lee Burns sliced a Nicky Nicolau cross into his own net.

19/07/04 Canvey Island (h) W2-1

Maher (pen), Gray

Captain Kevin Maher slotted home a first half penalty

Kevin Maher, Lewis Hunt and Tesfaye Bramble came closest to completing ninety minutes as the Shrimpers again played almost two separate teams in each half. It was Bramble that posed the early problems for the second match in succession as he firstly bounced a middle-distance shot past Danny Potter's post and then beautifully set up Jimmy Corbett, who drilled a shot from inside the six-yard box straight at the goalkeeper.

Darryl Flahavan tipped a Lee Boylan effort around the post, but on the half-hour he was beaten by the diminutive striker's penalty kick. This was awarded after referee Mike Thorpe had spotted a dubious shove on Ben Chenery by Hunt as the big defender nodded a Jeff Minton corner off target.

There was less doubt at the other end just seconds from the break when the official was given the chance to level matters up. Mark Gower's rangy run was brought to an end by a poorly-timed John Kennedy tackle, and skipper Maher was the man nominated to beat Potter from twelve yards.

Potter had to be alert shortly after the break when another set-piece by Maher – this time a twenty-yard free-kick – was held low to his left and then he had to clutch a rare Hunt volley. Wayne Gray kept up his good form with a strike soon afterwards as he latched onto Duncan Jupp's swinging right-wing centre and darted through the defence to touch under the unfortunate custodian.

Potter made further saves from Michael's Kightly and Husbands, and big Dutch shotstopper Bart Griemink proved that he was capable of making good saves as he denied Minton and, more spectacularly, Kennedy with one-handed efforts.

21/07/04 Millwall (h) L0-2

Michael Husbands was one of the pluses against Millwall

Only two minutes had passed when highly-rated midfielder Paul Ifill was allowed to waltz his way through the Shrimpers defence and then dribble around Bart Griemink before stroking into an empty net. In a relatively disappointing first half display, Daniele Dichio lobbed a shot over the crossbar before Mark Gower finally produced a fine effort that tested Andy Marshall minutes before the break.

Darryl Flahavan, on at the break for Griemink, acrobatically parried a Neil Harris header before the consistent forward later told the Southend Evening Echo that he would like to link up with the Seasiders. Michael Husbands, who was one of the plus points of the performance, crossed for Lewis Hunt to drive wide of the target.

Midway through the second half, the Lions made it 2-0. Ifill was against afforded too much room to manoeuvre a good position, and he split the defence with a fine through-ball that allowed Jody Morris to tap past Flahavan with a neat finish. Husbands was the only man to threaten Graham Stack's goal, firing inches over the bar in the last meaningful action of the game.

24/07/04 Dagenham & Redbridge (a) D3-3

Broughton, Gray 2

Drewe Broughton got off the mark against Dagenham

Jimmy Corbett was another to be profligate in front of goal, although to his credit former Welsh international goalkeeper Tony Roberts did make a couple of good saves from the ex-Gillingham man. Michael Kightly was another to waste a good opportunity before the break, Roberts cutting an imposing figure as he advanced off of his line to force the teenager to chip over the crossbar.

Wayne Gray, on as a second-half substitute, made an immediate impression by testing Roberts, and Tesfaye Bramble was denied a blatant penalty when knocked to the ground by ex-Bristol Rovers defender Anwar Uddin. United fans did not have to wait long, though, for the net in front of them to be rippled as Gray rifled a Che Wilson pass in from ten yards on 53 minutes.

The 23-year-old then doubled his tally just two minutes later, whacking the loose ball into the goal after pressure from the powerful Bramble forced Roberts to drop a Gower free-kick. It was not an adequate advantage as the Daggers, led by former Blues' youth-teamer Tony Boot fought back.

On 75 minutes, he took toll of hesitancy in the Shrimpers penalty area to convert a Mark Janney cross, and only four minutes later Lee Goodwin capitalised on some more indecision from another Janney ball. Boot, again, and Craig Mackail-Smith could have levelled before Jake Leberl's deflected strike, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, completed the comeback.

26/07/04 Billericay Town (a) D1-1

Broughton

Nicky Nicolau hit the crossbar from distance

Only four minutes were on the clock when the Shrimpers scored their only goal of the game. Che Wilson fought hard to win the ball twice on the halfway line before his nonchalant through-ball was received by Drewe Broughton, who netted for the second game in a row with a confident chip over David McCarthy in the ‘Ricay goal.

Bradley Allen, a man linked with the Shrimpers during the summer, headed just off target with fellow forward Danny Hockton forcing Bart Griemink into a good save. At the other end, Lawrie Dudfield, playing for the first time after injuring himself on the hard ground of Gloucester Park in Basildon, made McCarthy effect a good save and also hit the side-netting.

In a sign of things to come Kieran Gallagher nodded a Neil Cousin's centre over the bar whilst alarmingly unmarked, but Nicky Nicolau also hit the woodwork at the other end with a speculative lob. Broughton was then forced out of the game after a typically combative attempt to retrieve the ball, colliding into the adverising hoardings.

Adam Barrett saw a powerful header blocked, but twenty minutes from the end, McSweeney arrived to plant a Danny Jones corner somehow between Darryl Flahavan and the underside of the crossbar. Jimmy Corbett twice also beat McCarthy in the final fifteen minutes, but he was just unable to beat the Ryman League Premier Division goalkeeper.

28/07/04 Brighton & Hove Albion (h) D0-0

Lews Hunt followed suit at home to Brighton

Mark Bentley, back for the first time since the East Thurrock match, and Carl Pettefer, returning from the injury sustained at the end of the 2003/4 campaign, came into the reckoning, along with Spencer Prior, who had only just signed a new two-year deal with the Blues. Both of the injured players fired over when well-positioned in the first half-an-hour.

Wayne Gray and Hungarian Kerekes Zsomber brought saves from Michael Kuipers and Darryl Flahavan at either end before Lewis Hunt, again in an attacking role, rattled a shot against the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area. David Lee hit a free-kick off target for the Seagulls and Leon Knight was denied by both Nicky Nicolau and Flahavan, but it was Tesfaye Bramble who came closest to scoring in the dying seconds as his goalbound header was hacked off of the goalline.

31/07/04 Grays Athletic (a) D0-0

Lawrie Dudfield was one of those denied by Carl Emberson at Grays

Midway through the first half, Mark Gower rounded lumbering ex-United goalkeeper Carl Emberson but inexplicably fired his shot into the sidenetting, and Lawrie Dudfield forced the former Luton Town and Colchester United custodian into a fine save, tipping his effort around the post in a dreadful opening period.

Vil Powell, who later scored against Southend's reserves in a 5-4 friendly win for Cambridge United, twice directed shots off target early in the second half, whilst Emberson made more saves, this time from Lewis Hunt and Andy Edwards. Jimmy Corbett again wasted good chances in front of goal, blasting over and seeing another shot hit defender Steve Robinson, but it was one-time Shrimpers reserve team captain Stuart Thurgood that brought a dissatisfactory ninety minutes to a close by dragging off target. Surely the season to follow had to be better than this…