The month began with Blues sitting in a lowly 22nd, just three points ahead of Darlington in the second relegation spot following a 1-0 home reverse to table-toppers Oxford United. However, to start the 31-day period, there was a January 3rd clash in the third round of the FA Cup against Nationwide Conference outfit Scarborough.
This should have represented a good chance for United to progress to the fourth round for the first time in eleven years, and nearly 7,000 barged into the Hall to see Jay Smith put the Shrimpers in front ten minutes in after Leon Cort nodded down Mark Gower’s corner. However, the Seadogs fought hard, and Ashley Sestanovich had a goal disallowed when he nodded out of Darryl Flahavan’s hand just after the break. Drewe Broughton missed a sitter, and Sestanovich and Clint Marcelle combined to help Scott Kerr earn ‘Boro a replay.
Two days later, the draw pitted Blues against Chelsea should they defeat the northerners at the McCain Stadium on the 14th January. Before that, Southend had the chance to move ahead of Cheltenham Town in a Friday night fixture at Whaddon Road. Leon Constantine hit a post early in the second period, but it was Drewe Broughton’s first League goal for the Seasiders that sent the travelling support into delirium. Three minutes from the end it was rendered virtually valueless, though, as Leon Cort put Paul Grayson’s cross past Flahavan to make it 1-1, and leave United precariously close to the drop zone.
The long trip to the northeast Yorkshire coast awaited five days later, with the visit of Claudio Ranieri’s Premiership stars the prize. As it transpired, Blues lost out on an estimated half-a-million pounds a Scarborough earned the right to host Chelsea with a hard-fought 1-0 win. Neil Jenkins forced Leigh Walker to palm a shot onto the crossbar, and Tesfaye Bramble acrobatically sliced wide, but it was only in that five-minute spell that Southend threatened, and a lacklustre display was rightfully punished when Mark Hotte found Sestanovich, who beat Lewis Hunt and squared for Mark Quayle to complete the simplest of finishes. The dream was over for another year.
Steve Tilson reacted by bringing in Mark Bentley, an as yet unproven central midfielder who had impressed with Essex neighbours Dagenham & Redbridge in the Conference. The former Aveley and Enfield player was booked on his debut, a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers. The match against the to-be-promoted South Yorkshiremen was over after just seven minutes – Leo Fortune-West turned in a Michael McIndoe corner before the provider turned finisher from a quickly-taken John Doolan and Gregg Blundell free-kick.
Third-year scholar Daryl Plummer was the first of that batch to be released on the ensuing Monday, joining up with ex-Boots & Laces boss Ricky Duncan at Cambridge United before moving on to Southern League Division One East side Aveley for the 2004/5 season. His restricted first-team appearances had long since dried up, but it was down to the likes of Steven Clark and Drewe Broughton, also out of the picture, to overcome the threat of Queens Park Rangers the next day in the area semi-final of the LDV Vans Trophy.
A 3-0 win over Luton Town in the area quarter-final gave supporters great hope for the clash against QPR, still in the promotion spots in the Second Division despite a dip in form. Rangers brought their full 2,700-allocation, but they were stunned as early as the twelfth minute when Leon Constantine spun and shot past Chris Day.
Midway through the second half, a wonder goal, started by a Broughton header on the line and extended when Mark Gower pinged a fifty-yard ball to Clark, was completed as the mercurial winger raced forty yards himself before firing past Day. Broughton himself scored the last two, heading in crosses from Gower and Kevin Maher respectively. The Hoops’ supporters were, by now, well on their way back to west London.
The other semi saw Colchester United prevail, and so a first meeting for fourteen years between Essex’s only two Football League clubs was set up. On the Saturday, the draw on SKY television’s Soccer AM gave Southend the pleasure of travelling to Layer Road first of all.
Supporters, though, were on their way to Field Mill by that stage for another vital Third Division encounter against Mansfield Town. An Iyseden Christie hat-trick had earned the Stags a 3-0 win at Roots Hall in August, and the striker was the centre of attention again, blatantly diving, although referee Eddie Evans was duped and awarded the spot-kick. Wayne Corden confidently slotted home the twelfth-minute penalty, and that was enough to send Southend to a 1-0 defeat.
The matches were coming thick and fast as a result of United’s excellent Cup runs, and a rearranged clash with York City was the Tuesday night fixture. Unfortunately, in front of a paltry 2,900-strong crowd, the two sides battled out a 0-0 draw, with neither side seemingly interested in snatching a winner. For the Minstermen, it was the first of just five points from the last twenty matches, a run that saw them eventually relegated after winning their opening four games of the season.
For their part, Southend finished the fixture just four points off of the drop zone, still inhabited at that stage by Darlo and the ever-present Carlisle United. A trip to Bury and Gigg Lane was postponed until later in the season after the Greater Manchester club’s pitch fell foul to an extremely cold snap, and Steve Tilson’s men had some extra time to regroup ahead of a vital clash against East Anglian rivals Cambridge United.
Newsround (click on headline for full story):
Mon 5 Jan | FA Cup Fourth Round Draw
Thu 15 Jan |Blues Back Bentley
Mon 19 Jan | Plummer Joins U’s
Thu 22 Jan | LDV Vans Trophy area final details revealed
Thu 29 Jan | Bury Match In Doubt
Sat 31 Jan | Shakers vs. Shrimpers Off
Results Service (click on match for TLG report)
Sat 3 Jan | Scarborough | D1-1 | 6902 | Jay Smith
Fri 9 Jan | Cheltenham Town | D1-1 | 4451 | Drewe Broughton
Wed 14 Jan | Scarborough | L0-1 | 4859
Sat 17 Jan | Doncaster Rovers | L0-2 | 4308
Tue 20 Jan | Queens Park Rangers | W4-0 | 5824 | Leon Constantine, Steven Clark, Drewe Broughton 2
Sat 24 Jan | Mansfield Town | L0-1 | 4292
Tue 27 Jan | York City | D0-0 | 2943
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com