TLG 2004/5 Season Review – September

04/09/04 Rushden & Diamonds (a) W4-1

Dudfield 2 (1 pen), Bramble, Bell (o.g.)

Bramble heads in the third

Club captain Kevin Maher was inspirational in the opening stages, setting up Lawrie Dudfield and Mark Gower to stab shots at goalkeeper Billy Turley, later suspended by the Football League for drug abuse. The custodian then tipped a Maher free-kick around the upright to avert the opening of the floodgates.

On 18 minutes, the Shrimpers were in front. Gower this time was the provider with a pinpoint corner, and Adam Barrett rose to nod into the path of Dudfield, who reacted quickest in the melee to convert from close range. After Tesfaye Bramble directed a header at Turley, United suffered a regulation sticky period, Bart Griemink bravely denying David Bell, although he had to be replaced by Darryl Flahavan for his brilliant block.

However, the former Woking shotstopper had no chance when centre-half Spencer Prior dallied in possession and allowed highly-rated striker Andy Burgess to drill home from just inside the area. It could have spelt a difficult time for the visitors, but when Dudfield raced away on the break, he was savagely scythed down by former Seasiders trialist Rob Gier, who was shown his marching orders. Dudfield exacted the ultimate revenge by stroking home from the penalty spot.

Dudfield twice went close to claiming a hat-trick, but it was his attacking partner Bramble who netted next, rising imperiously to head a Maher flag-kick past Turley. And Diamonds’ misery was compounded as, after Burgess had to limp off to leave the team with just nine men, Bell kneed the ball into his own net from a swinging Maher set-piece.

11/09/04 Wycombe Wanderers (h) L1-2

Bentley

Mark Bentley’s first goal of the season should have seen the Shrimpers claim at least a point from this encounter, and even record a third consecutive triumph, but instead a dubiously offside finish from former England Under-21 striker Nathan Tyson and a fantastic piledriver courtesy of Danny Senda made sure that it was the Chairboys that rose to the top of the table.

Bart Griemink was out through injury and Kevin Maher had already racked up enough cautions to miss a match due to suspension, so it was left to Darryl Flahavan and Lewis Hunt to impress. One of Hunt’s midfield cohorts, Carl Pettefer, was by the best player on this particular afternoon.

In a game that did little to showcase the talent that is on offer in the Football League’s basement division, Blues took the lead with virtually the first chance of the game, three minutes from the half-time whistle. A magnificent move from the hosts saw Tesfaye Bramble pick out Pettefer on the right flank, and his accurate centre was nodded past Frank Talia by Bentley.

Hunt was next to threaten the goal, dipping a free-kick inches over the crossbar, but Tyson was the man to put his name on the scoresheet just after the hour when he eluded the offside trap, suspiciously illegally, to tuck past Flahavan.

The fixture turned when Pettefer, from nowhere, sent a right-footed rocket against the angle of post and crossbar with Australian ‘keeper Talia clasping at thin air. A similarly speculative, and spectacular, effort from Senda beat Flahavan, and the super strike settled the score.

18/09/04 Notts County (a) W2-1

Barrett 2

Adam Barrett was at it again at Meadow Lane

This time it took half-an-hour for United to establish an advantage. Lawrie Dudfield was guilty of driving wide of the upright minutes earlier, but Barrett made no such mistake when he was enticed by a floating Kevin Maher free-kick, diverting the ball into the net via the left-hand upright and the palm of goalkeeper Wayne Henderson.

A shot from Youssef Sofianne was tipped around the post by Darryl Flahavan before Barrett rose highest again. Maher’s corner was looped into the box and the Dagenham-born centre-back lobbed an aerial effort over Henderson as his defenders made desperate attempts to nod off of the line.

Dudfield failed to connect cleanly with a Gower centre with the goal gaping and allowed David Pipe to hack off of the line, and substitute Wayne Gray also missed two good chances, either side of Hurst’s scrappy consolation, which caused more nervous moments than were necessary.

25/09/04 Kidderminster Harriers (h) W1-0

Gower

The 4,087 fans who flooded into Roots Hall were once again bemused at the authority of the Southend performance, and how it was not rewarded by a more comfortable triumph. In the end, Mark Gower’s sole strike was enough to collect the three points, but it simply should have been more, especially considering the lesson that United had been dealt by Wycombe.

Gower was the instigator of much of the Shrimpers’ good work in the first half, and his heavily deflected effort brought about a fine save from John Danby inside the first quarter-of-an-hour. The winner, as it was, arrived on 27 minutes, Mark Bentley’s breakaway completed with a slide-rule pass and stinging finish by recipient Gower.

The mercurial midfielder also shot wide of the post, and Lawrie Dudfield hit the sidenetting before the latter was lashed out at by Abdou Sall and the inadequate defender was sent off by Grant Hegley. After the break, the Hertfordshire official could have awarded Kevin Maher a penalty when Richie Appelby appeared to handle his fierce shot.

The closing stages saw more Shrimpers denied by young goalkeeper Danby, with Tesfaye Bramble, Che Wilson and Carl Pettefer all guilty of failing to add to the Seasiders’ goal difference at the hands of the highly-rated custodian.

29/09/04 Colchester United (a) D1-1 (won 5-3 on pens)

Bramble

Bramble also scored in the important LDV success at Layer Road

Tesfaye Bramble was the main threat to Aidan Davidson’s goal, and he twice warmed the shotstopper’s gloves before finding his range from the edge of the penalty area just five minutes before half-time. Mark Gower’s cross was not cleared sufficiently, and Bramble’s drilled finish nestled into the bottom left-hand corner.

Gower then clipped a post with a long-range effort of his own, before referee John Robinson took his toll with two very strange free-kick decisions. Duncan Jupp was the second man penalised, and Joe Keith resultant set-piece was headed home, unmarked, by Richard Garcia.

Mark Bentley headed over when he should have done better, and Wayne Gray smacked an effort against the base of the post after rounding Davidson in a frenetic closing, during which Blues could have been awarded three penalty kicks.

There were more heart-stopping moments as Neil Danns brought a fine fingertip save from Flahavan, and Bentley did likewise from Davidson. Unfortunately, the midfielder was then ridiculously sent off after evading Kevin Watson’s career-threatening challenge.

Penalties were called, and after the woes of 2003/4 from the spot, and a record of played one, lost one in shoot-outs, Southend supporters were resigned to defeat. Wayne Gray, Lewis Hunt, Kevin Maher and Drewe Broughton converted from twelve yards, Wayne Brown, the U’s skipper, tamely shot wide, and Jimmy Corbett put his name in the history books by slotting confidently past Davidson.