This has been designated a FAMILY DAY match by the club. Full details here: www.southendunited.co.uk/page/TicketNewsDetail/0,,10444~1522003,00.html
Southend's Peter Clarke returns after suspension and Alan McCormack is back after a groin injury.
James Walker (hamstring), Francis Laurent (fractured ankle), Alex Revell (broken leg), Dougie Freedman (thigh - though he has started running so maybe Tuesday), and now add Anthony Grant after picking up a hamstring problem.
So what's the team then? Leeds picked itself but now players are back, though is Barnard going to be fit, and what about the giant Dorian Dervite. is this the end of the Clarke/Barrett axis? (More about our latest Frenchman here if you were in meetings all of yesterday: www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=429642
Having had my £25 spent on helping to sponsor the Moose justified over the last few weeks, do I now think Tilly should drop him. He's certainly looked more in form than Christophe, who does not seem to be the same player since he rejoined us after injury.
Nice problem for Tilly to have again, depending on that forward situation. While Rovers are arguing about if they should play all three of their relatively in-form strikers, one on 20, we don't know f our top scorer is fit to play, the good Lord having scored, er, five!
How the Blues boss shuffles the cards at his disposal and how that team performs will have a major influence on the rest of the season and Tilly's standing with the home faithful.
Tilly on the importance of the game: "Being at home this is a match we can win and it's a massive few days for us. We have Scunthorpe at home on Tuesday as well so it's an important time. We would love to go into that match on the back of a win and, although things are hard at the moment, we can definitely do that."
OPPOSITION
Rovers defender Steve Elliott (knee) and top scorer Rickie Lambert (groin) are expected to overcome minor knocks (shame).
Long-term absentee Danny Coles remains a few weeks away from playing, while midfielder Richard Langley limped out of a reserve game (knee) last week.
12 | 26 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 23 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 45 | 41 | 33 | +4 | |||||
13 | 27 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 38 | 36 | 33 | +2 | |||||
14 | 26 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 30 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 39 | 42 | 33 | -3 | |||||
15 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 36 | 39 | 32 | -3 | |||||
16 | 27 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 27 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 37 | 44 | 32 | -7 | |||||
17 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 33 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 31 | 44 | 31 | -13 |
Darryl Duffy has issued a reminder of his talents by coming off the bench to score in two of the Pirates' last three games. And Trollope will not rule out finding a way to draft the Scot into his line-up alongside leading scorer Rickie Lambert and current first-choice partner Jo Kuffour.
Speaking to the Western Daily Press Trollope said: "That was probably the intention when we got them all together. If things go well, it may be something we see in the next few weeks. We are pleased with Rickie's total, but also with the fact that Darryl has scored a couple after coming off the bench and Jo has a few to his name as well. It's important we chip in with goals from other areas and we seem to be doing that."
Rovers take on the Shrimpers on Saturday with Lambert back in scoring form after his midweek double took his tally for the season to 20.
Trollope believes the Scouser's reputation helps those around him: "Rickie's two goals against Cheltenham were both quality finishes and I was pleased for him because people had been talking about him going through a drought. People are wary of him because they know they have to get close to him to stop him - and sometimes that frees up room for other players. It was similar here a few years ago because the fact we had Junior Agogo in the side really helped Richard Walker, who was allowed time and space to score goals. We have reverted to a traditional midfield four after using Stuart Campbell in front of the defence and that has freed up David to return on the right again. He gave a good account of himself. Craig was disappointed to be left out but showed a perfect reaction when he came off the bench and was instrumental in us getting back in the game."
However, he accepts that Blues will still carry a threat: "Their results recently have not been great, but this is a home game so they will be ready and up for it. Set pieces are going to prove crucial . They have good movement from theirs and Adam Barrett is a threat, but they also conceded from two corners against Leeds in midweek which is hopefully something we might be able to exploit."
PREVIOUSLY
We will of course never forget those two legs in the LDV Vans trophy in Feb. and March 2005 which took us to Cardiff for a second season in a row.
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REF
The man in the middle is Gavin Ward from Oxted.
FIXTURES
Saturday, January 31st 2009; (all 15.00 kick-off): Brighton v Hartlepool, Carlisle v Colchester, Cheltenham v MK Dons, Crewe v Tranmere, Huddersfield v Peterborough, Leyton Orient v Yeovil, Millwall v Scunthorpe, Northampton v Leicester, Oldham v Swindon, Stockport v Hereford, Walsall v Leeds United.
Tuesday, February 3rd 2009; (all 19.45 kick-off): Brighton v Peterborough, Carlisle v Hereford, Cheltenham v Tranmere, Crewe v Yeovil, Huddersfield v Hartlepool, Leyton Orient v Leeds United, Millwall v Colchester, Northampton v Swindon, Oldham v Bristol Rovers, Southend v Scunthorpe, Stockport v MK Dons, Walsall v Leicester.
BET
Southend (11/8) Draw (12/5) Bristol Rovers (11/5)
For all the footy odds go here: www.oddschecker.com/football/english/league-one.
HISTORY
The club was formed following a meeting at the Eastville Restaurant in Bristol in September 1883. They initially went by the name Black Arabs F.C., the name coming from the Arabs rugby team and the predominantly black kits in which they played. This name only lasted for the 1883-84 season, and in a bid to draw more fans from the local area the club was renamed Eastville Rovers in 1884.
The club played only friendly games until the 1887-88 season, when they took part in the Gloucestershire Cup for the first time. They first joined a league in 1892, when they became a founder member of the Bristol and District League, which three years later was renamed the Western League. In 1897 Eastville Rovers joined the Birmingham and District League, and for two seasons played in both this league and the Western League. At the beginning of the 1897-98 season, the team turned professional and changed their name to Bristol Eastville Rovers, and on 17 February 1899 the name was officially changed to Bristol Rovers.
In 1899 Bristol Rovers joined the newly-formed Southern League, where they remained until 1920. For the 1920-21 season, the Southern League teams were moved into the new Football League Third Division, which became the Football League Third Division South the following season. They remained in this division for over 30 years, before winning the league, and promotion in the 1952-53 season.
Promotion has been won by the team on three other occasions, in 1973-74 from the Third Division to the Second Division, again in 1989-90 as Division Three champions and also in 2006-07 to the Football League One. The team have been relegated four times in their history - in 1961-62, 1980-81, 1992-93 and most recently at the end of the 2000-01 season, when the team were relegated to the fourth level of league football for the first time in their history.
The only major cup competition won by Bristol Rovers is the 1972 Watney Cup, when Sheffield United were beaten in the final. The club also won the Division Three (South) Cup in 1934-35, as well as winning or sharing the Gloucestershire Cup on 32 occasions. The team have never played in European competition, the closest they came was when they missed out on reaching the international stage of the Anglo-Italian Cup in the 1992-93 season on a coin toss held over the phone with West Ham United. They have twice reached the final of the Football League Trophy, in 1989-90 and 2006-07, but finished runners-up on both occasions.
(Thanks to the usual suspects for their help with this article.)