TLG Review of 2004 – February

Last updated : 25 December 2004 By Robert Craven

Lawrie Dudfield's loan signing produced four goals in five games
With the fixture against Bury having been called off, it was imperative for the struggling Shrimpers to set a new date for the visit to Gigg Lane. Colchester United were proving a stumbling block, however, and the clash had to be rearranged twice due to a misguided opinion at Layer Road that the U’s would still be in the FA Cup following their trip to Brammal Lane and Sheffield United. Once the LDV area final was out of the way, the important journey to the home of the Shakers could take place.


It would also happen with the bolstering of the squad Steve Tilson was desperate to undertake as Blues moved into February. Forward Lawrie Dudfield was the first player to link up with the Shrimpers, initially on a one-month loan deal. The 23-year-old had experience with former Premiership side Leicester City as well as Third Division underachievers Hull City before Northampton Town, who kindly agreed to his switch.


Dudfield made his mark straight away in what was an extremely comfortable 1-0 win over Cambridge United at Roots Hall. 400 minutes of League football had elapsed at the home of football in Essex between Leon Constantine’s last-minute strike in a 4-0 November thumping of Rochdale and Dudfield’s superbly controlled flicked header past Shaun Marshall 43 minutes into the Cambridge clash.


The visitors very rarely came forward at all, with ex-Seasider Daniel Webb missing their best opportunity with a simple header nodded wide, whilst Constantine, Mark Gower and Drewe Broughton all missed good chances at the other end to make sure of things. However, the biggest loss to Blues was Jay Smith, savagely and vindictively taken out by a reckless challenge from defender Warren Goodhind, which ended the former Aston Villa midfielder’s season. He was immediately diagnosed at Southend Hospital with a fractured dislocation of the ankle.


Reinforcements arrived in the shape of Portsmouth youngster Carl Pettefer, a versatile midfielder who had lower League experience with Exeter City in 2002/3. He made his debut in the Layer Road encounter of the LDV area final, with Mark Bentley and Dudfield both cup-tied. Shrimpers supporters feared the worst when Thomas Pinault let fly with a fantastic rising shot from just outside the penalty area on seven minutes, but they hadn’t reckoned on Blues’ response.


First Tesfaye Bramble held off two Colchester defenders before threading Constantine through for a clinical low finish and then, on the stroke of half-time, Drewe Broughton headed home the rebound of a Leon Cort header from a Mark Gower corner. When Bramble’s weak effort was allowed to pass through the legs of goalkeeper Simon Brown midway through the second period, it was 3-1 to the underdogs. Unfortunately, Broughton was sent off for two bookable offences and Wayne Andrews netted a consolation. 3-2, and it would be tough in the return fixture a week later.


First there was the challenge of Kidderminster Harriers at Roots Hall in the League, which represented as big a tie as the clash with Southend’s local rivals. Six minutes in, the Seasiders were given a huge boost as Dudfield, back in the side, headed over and referee Anthony Bates awarded a penalty. Constantine stroked past Stuart Brock as Jan Molby was sent to the stands. Broughton hit a post, and then Cort’s header was handled by Craig Hinton in the box. Constantine stepped up again from twelve yards, before Dudfield’s late finish was deflected in by Hinton. 3-0 did wonders for United’s points tally, and also their goal difference.


The big day arrived, with TLG’s Robert Craven teaming up with the Shrimpers Trust’s Paul Napper to talk to Capital Gold Breeze’s Dave Baker and antagonise some frustrated U’s fans before the match. The real action started the same way as the first leg, with Kemal Izzet this time tucking in with Darryl Flahavan as guilty as Brown had been in the opener. Chances came at both ends, perhaps Craig Fagan missing the best of them for the U’s, and Broughton wasting a series for Blues. Then, with Sam Stockley feigning injury in the Colchester area, the former Brentford player drove past Brown from a Bramble knock-down. If that produced pandemonium, most Southend supporters just didn’t know what to do an hour later when the ref’s whistle blew and signalled the Shrimpers first national final of their entire history.


Carl Pettefer's was a rather more low-key link-up
Unfortunately, a League trip to United’s other local rivals, Leyton Orient, was not quite so fruitful, and the 2-1 defeat meant that Southend dropped once again into the relegation zone. Constantine this time was a villain, watching Glenn Morris palm out his penalty kick, and John Mackie whacked against the underside of his own crossbar. Dudfield did manage to hit the target, nodding in unmarked in first half stoppage time, but his third goal in as many games was rendered worthless as first Darryl Flahavan was beaten by a Drewe Broughton header into his own goal, and incredibly just 13 minutes later by the head of his replacement, Tesfaye Bramble.


There was just three days to recover before that trip to Bury. It did appear as though Blues were finally going to be rewarded for all of their endeavours as Constantine latched on to a weak Danny Swailes back pass before rounding Glyn Garner. Then, a strange policy of sitting back indefinitely allowed the Shakers back into the match. A Duncan Jupp header somehow saw Terry Dunfield awarded a penalty, but Gareth Seddon saw his spot-kick saved by Flahavan. And the coup de grace arrived when, in the fourth minute of injury time, Jamie Stuart made a mistake against his old employers and Seddon atoned for his earlier error.


Blackpool were revealed as the opponents for the LDV Vans Trophy final when they defeated Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 on aggregate at the end of the week, but it was to more important business, and the ensuring that Blues would play in Coca-Cola League Two, as the new Nationwide Division Three would be known in 2004/5, in news disclosed by the Football League, that was at the forefront of Steve Tilson and Paul Brush’s minds.


Macclesfield Town, immediately below the Shrimpers in the League table, were the Roots Hall opposition this time, and yet again it was that man Dudfield that proved the difference between the sides. He forced Steve Wilson into a fine early save low down, and top scorer Constantine was denied when assistant referee Neil Appelby failed to spot that his overhead bicycle kick had crossed the line. Dudfield hit two further efforts at Wilson before finding his range, smashing a weak Constantine cross into the roof of the net to move Southend clear of the drop zone again.


Newsround (click on headline for full story):


Tue 3 Feb | Bury Match Rearranged

Thu 5 Feb | Colchester Clash Moved and Bury Postponed Again!

Thu 5 Feb | Blues Swoop For Dudfield

Mon 9 Feb | Unlucky Smith Out For Season

Tue 10 Feb | Tilly Takes On New Midfielder

Fri 13 Feb | Bury Match Finally Rearranged

Thu 26 Feb | Seasiders vs. Seasiders In Cardiff!

Fri 27 Feb | Football League To Get New Sponsor


Results Service (click on match for TLG report):


Sat 7 Feb | Cambridge United | W1-0 | 4289 | Lawrie Dudfield

Tue 10 Feb | Colchester United | W3-2 | 5401 | Leon Constantine, Drewe Broughton, Tesfaye Bramble

Sat 14 Feb | Kidderminster Harriers | W3-0 | 3716 | Leon Constantine 2 (2 pens), Lawrie Dudfield

Tue 17 Feb | Colchester United | D1-1 (agg: W4-3) | 9603 | Drewe Broughton

Sat 21 Feb | Leyton Orient | L1-2 | 6119 | Lawrie Dudfield

Tue 24 Feb | Bury | D1-1 | 1670 | Leon Constantine

Sat 28 Feb | Macclesfield Town | W1-0 | 4107 | Lawrie Dudfield


Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com