TLG Stat-Pack – The Shrimpers vs. The Iron
Last updated : 01 April 2004 By Robert Craven
 | Martin Carruthers will not be around to haunt the Shrimpers this season |
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In the last of the previous three meetings, however, a point was enough to send the travelling band of Shrimpers home delighted. For that was the first time that Southend had come home from any away match with an ounce of reward, having suffered thirteen straight defeats on the road since defeating Shrewsbury Town 1-0 in January 2003. Leon Constantine scored a second half equaliser to cancel out Steve MacLean’s early opener – Leon Cort also found the back of the net but had it disallowed for very little reason.
The previous trip to Glanford Park, though, was not such a happy occasion. Indeed, it was where that away run started all the way back in January as Martin Carruthers found himself amongst the scorers in a 4-1 demolition of the Shrimpers – despite the visitors actually playing some nice football at times. Blues fell asleep four times, and were punished on four occasions. It was Daniel Gay’s last game for the club.
The last Roots Hall meeting also saw the Seasiders dominate the game but fail to gain any reward. Leon Cort gave Southend the lead in the first half, heading home a Kevin Maher corner, but the Southend skipper contrived to miss a penalty – no real surprise there – and on the breakaway, ex-Shrimper Carruthers dashed up the other end to score. Steve Torpey added a winner six minutes later.
The Shrimpers last win against Scunny was in March 2002, when Leon Cort and unlikely forward Rob Newman were on the scoresheet within 25 minutes of the start. Player-manager Newman hit the back of the net with a sublime volley, playing alongside the later discarded Barrington Belgrave. Southend have won two and lost two of the five games since dropping to Division Three at home.
Overall, the home record is pretty good, although at Glanford Park it is a different story – Blues are almost as likely to win at Carlisle as they are on Humberside. Scunthorpe have managed six wins at Roots Hall to Southend’s eight, with five draws comprising the nineteen meetings to date in Essex. There have, as yet, been no cup games between the two clubs.
Last Meeting
Scunthorpe United | 1-1 (Attendance: 3,390) | Southend United
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Steven MacLean 6 | Referee: Mark Atkinson Match Time: 94:37 1st half: 46:01, 2nd half: 48:36 | Leon Constantine 69 |
Sam Russell
Nathan Stanton
Jamie McCombe
Clifford Byrne
Andy Butler
Kevin Sharp
Matthew Sparrow
Richard Kell
Peter Beagrie
Steven McLean
Steve Torpey | 6
7
6
6
5
7
7
6
6
8
6 | Darryl Flahavan
Duncan Jupp
Jamie Stuart
Leon Cort
Mark Warren
Kevin Maher
Leke Odunsi --
Jamie Fullarton --
James Corbett
Mark Gower
Leon Constantine | 7
6
8
7
5(64)
7
6
8
5(55)
6
8 |
Tommy Evans
Wayne Graves Paul Hayes
Terry Barwick
Lee Featherstone | -
-
-
-
- | Ryan Robinson
Tesfaye Bramble
Drewe Broughton
Neil Jenkins
Jay Smith | -
8(55)
-
7(64)
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Match Report By Mark Wallis |
SOUTHEND United finally put an end to their terrible run of away results at Glanford Park on Saturday afternoon, coming from a goal behind to draw with Scunthorpe United…
It was on Tuesday, January the fourteenth when Southend United last picked up a positive result away from home; it was all three points on that occasion as Shrewsbury Town were defeated by a single Jay Smith goal on a cold night at Gay Meadow, and almost eight-and-a-half months later the Shrimpers have put an end to a dismal sequence of results which featured a Club record of thirteen straight away day reverses.
This single point could however have been so much more as Steve Wignall's side dominated the match for long periods and were undoubtedly the better of the two sides on the afternoon.
The Shrimpers chief made three changes from the side which squandered a two goal half time lead against Carlisle United seven days earlier at Roots Hall. Goalkeeper Andy Petterson, it seems, has had his registration retained by Irish League side Derry City and is therefore unavailable to play, he has returned to Rushden & Diamonds and in his place, low and behold, came Darryl Flahavan, returning to the Shrimpers side having been released by Wignall at the end of last season.
David McSweeney missed out with a one-match suspension following the harsh sending-off he received at Hull City a fortnight previously and his place at left back was taken by Jamie Stuart whilst Wignall opted to use leading-scorer Leon Constantine as a lone striker with Jamie Fullarton stepping into midfield to make his long-awaited debut at the expense of front man Tesfaye Bramble who dropped to the bench.
Indeed, it was the visitors from Essex who created the first opportunity of the match on just four minutes, Duncan Jupp nodding a Mark Gower cross just over the top, but the Shrimpers were dealt an early set back with Scunthorpe grabbing the opening goal just two minutes later. A long ball forward from veteran midfielder Peter Beagrie was a hesitant Mark Warren fail to clear and pacy striker Steve MacLean, on loan from Glasgow Rangers, was left with the reasonably easy task of lobbing the ball over the head of the advancing Flahavan and into the net.
That goal however was in fact the only effort that the home side could muster on target throughout the entire match whilst Flahavan, helpless for the goal, was handed the most simplest of returns.
Matthew Sparrow did come close for the Iron just after the quarter hour mark when his rasping free kick deflected just wide off Gower, and MacLean had another chance minutes later, but dragged his shot off target after his twisting run and gone virtually unchecked by the Southend defence.
The Shrimpers soon began to create decent chances of their own however and a Gower corner, taken short to the near post saw a firm header from Stuart well held by young custodian Sam Russell before Southend were denied what looked like a perfect equaliser on 30 minutes. With already their fifth corner of the match Gower's pinpoint delivery found Leon Cort who's impressive header flew past Russell into the bottom left hand corner, but as Southend players fans celebrated alike, fussy referee Martin Atkinson spotted an infringement and awarded a free kick to the hosts.
It was into the second period before we were enlightened with any further action, and on 56 minutes, and in the home sides best spell of the match, Scunthorpe hit the crossbar when MacLean got his head to a Kevin Sharp centre.
Southend were let off the hook when MacLean twice shot wide of the left upright having been played through by first Nathan Stanton and then Beagrie.
Those misses appeared to effect the home side however as the Shrimpers completely dominated proceedings from then on. United could have had their fourth spot-kick in as many matches when nineteen-year old defender Andy Butler pulled substitute Bramble all over the place in the area before a great stop by Clifford Byrne denied Jupp when one-on-one with Russell.
Gower sent a shot zipping over the top from the edge of the area before, on 69 minutes, the leveller eventually arrived and it was certainly worth waiting for. Constantine, bang on form and brimming with confidence at the moment, was fully fifty yards from goal when he embarked on a fantastic solo run which resulting a great low drive which flew past Russell and into the bottom left hand corner from 25 yards.
Southend continued to seek a winner, Jupp again headed a Gower cross just inches over the top but the match petered out in to a draw which the Shrimpers will be more than grateful to accept. Maybe the performance merited more, but having experienced such a torrid time on the road, a point is a good way to get things back into shape.
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Last Five Meetings
27th September 2003 – Scunthorpe United 1 (Steven MacLean 6) Southend United 1 (Leon Constantine 69) – League Division Three 25th January 2003 – Scunthorpe United 4 (Martin Carruthers 11, Ian Kilford 36, Alex Calvo-Garcia 43, Paul Hayes 70) Southend United 1 (Jay Smith 17) – League Division Three
29th December 2002 – Southend United 1 (Leon Cort 39) Scunthorpe United 2 (Martin Carruthers 75, Steve Torpey 81) – League Division Three
23rd March 2002 – Southend United 2 (Leon Cort 17, Rob Newman 26) Scunthorpe United 0 – League Division Three
23rd October 2001 – Scunthorpe United 2 (Martin Carruthers 61, Peter Beagrie 88) Southend United 0 – League Division Three
The Complete Head-to-Head Record
2003/4 – A1-1 (League)
2002/3 – H1-2 A1-4 (League)
2001/2 – H2-0 A0-2 (League)
2000/1 – H1-0 A1-1 (League)
1998/9 – H0-1 A1-1 (League)
1989/90 – H0-0 A1-1 (League)
1986/7 – H3-1 A0-3 (League)
1985/6 – H2-1 A0-2 (League)
1984/5 – H1-1 A1-2 (League)
1983/4 – H0-0 A6-1 (League)
1980/1 – H2-0 A1-2 (League)
1977/8 – H2-0 A2-1 (League)
1976/7 – H1-1 A0-1 (League)
1972/3 – H1-0 A0-0 (League)
1971/2 – H2-3 A1-1 (League)
1970/1 – H2-2 A0-3 (League)
1969/70 – H3-0 A0-2 (League)
1968/9 – H0-3 A1-4 (League)
1965/6 – H0-0 A0-1 (League)
1964/5 – H0-1 A1-2 (League)
Summary
Overall |
Matches: 39 Southend United wins: 10 Scunthorpe United wins: 17 Draws: 12 Southend United goals: 41 Scunthorpe United goals: 51 Biggest Southend United win: 6-1 (away; 1983/4) Biggest Scunthorpe United win: 4-1 (home; 1968/9, home; 2002/3) |
In The League |
Matches: 39 Southend United wins: 10 Scunthorpe United wins: 17 Draws: 12 Southend United goals: 41 Scunthorpe United goals: 51 Biggest Southend United win: 6-1 (away; 1983/4) Biggest Scunthorpe United win: 4-1 (home; 1968/9, home; 2002/3) |
At Roots Hall |
Matches: 19 Southend United wins: 8 Scunthorpe United wins: 6 Draws: 5 Southend United goals: 23 Scunthorpe United goals: 17 Biggest Southend United win: 3-0 (1969/70) Biggest Scunthorpe United win: 3-0 (1968/9) |
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com