SHRIMPERS
As the team travelled up to Tranmere a couple of weeks ago the belief was after the important in over the Franchise points were needed against the bottom of the table club as Norwich and Charlton could leave the team in a dangerous position if the Blues failed to do so.
They did, and we are.
A defeat at home to the Monkey Hangers on Friday, who are no mugs as last week's win over Millwall shows, and though away from the Victoria Ground has not been too hot they have a 2-0 win at Swindon on the record, could leave the Shrimpers staring at the bottom four.
Nothing wrong with the last two displays that an early goal, Barney had great chances on both occasions, might have led to a different result, probably not in the Norwich case.
Enough has been written now about the 'dead men walking' in the team, even Captain Adam's concentration has started to lapse as matches have entered the final third, it was his channel that the first two Canary goals were scored.
However, good to see Macca look back to something like his old self at the Valley, maybe playing against Bailey geeded him up, while the two loanees, especially Morrison look good.
We will miss the crosses and dead ball kicks of Simon Francis, suspended for reaching five yellows, which will see Jean Michael Christophe return to midfield and Anthony Grant can fir in at right-back.
I just hope the team have had some shooting practice, lower and harder
lads, not higher and wider.
All that with the Moose finding some form and we can get a very vital three points indeed and the league table around five to five might not read like a Stephen King novel.
Possible Southend United: Mildenhall, Grant, Morrison, Barrett, Malone, Laurent, Christophe, McCormack, Barnard, Ibehre, Moussa.
Subs: Joyce, O'Keefe, Scannell, Freedman, Walker, Asante.
OPPOSITION
Monkey Hangers boss Chris Turner will continue to do without striker Colin Larkin who has a hamstring problem.
However, midfielder Ritchie Jones, who played five times for Manchester United, will return after an illness forced him out of last week's surprise 3-0 victory over Millwall just before the kick-off.
Young defender Dylan Purvis, who has just been given a squad number, will travel down with the rest of the team.
| 11 | Hartlepool United | 20 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 25 | 26 | +1 | ||||
| 12 | Carlisle United | 20 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 27 | 30 | 24 | -3 | ||||
| 13 | Yeovil Town | 20 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 24 | 28 | 23 | -4 | ||||
| 14 | Southend United | 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 26 | 23 | -4 |
Last Time Out: Hartlepool United 3 Millwall 0
Impressive Hartlepool United ended a run of three successive defeats with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Millwall.
After surviving an early scare when Scott Flinders' clearance was blocked onto his own crossbar, Pools enjoyed one of their most one-sided games of the season where Chris Turner's side could easily have won by a greater margin.
Peter Hartley got the ball rolling with his second goal for his hometown club when he found the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
Adam Boyd pounced on Andy Frampton's weak backwards header to double Pools' lead with his seventh of the season before Armann Bjornsson made it two in two before half-time.
Millwall put Pools under more pressure in the opening exchanges of the second half but Pools comfortably held on to end their losing streak.
Pools were forced into a late change to the starting line-up after Ritchie Jones pulled out in the warm-up with an illness.
Leon McSweeney took his place in the starting XI with Chris Turner reverting to the same side which lost 3-2 at Carlisle in midweek.
Scott Flinders had a massive dose of luck in the eighth minute after only the woodwork spared the Pools keeper's blushes. Flinders took far too long to clear Sam Collins' back pass, allowing lone Millwall striker Steve Morison to block the stopper's clearing kick. The ball crashed off Morison then smacked off the underside of the crossbar before bouncing on the line and away.
Three minutes later, it was Pools who took the lead after Collins' cross from the right was only cleared as far as the edge of the area. Peter HARTLEY was left in acres of space to try his luck and the left-back struck a half-volley with his weaker right foot which bounced just before Millwall keeper David Forde and into the bottom corner.
The crossbar saved Pools again in the 13th minute as Millwall almost managed an instant reply. Morison met Chris Hackett's cross from the right with a powerful glancing header from 15 yards out which looped over Flinders before again crashing off the underside of the bar.
McSweeney forced a save out of Forde in the 17th minute after a slick piece of individual skill. The winger collected Neil Austin's cushioned header on the right, drifted inside Jimmy Abdou before letting fly with his left-foot from 25 yards. The ball was arrowing towards the far corner but it was a comfortable height for Forde and he managed to push it around the post.
Two minutes later, Pools somehow failed to double their deficit after Adam Boyd's drifted ball over the top from the left caused havoc as Armann Bjornsson challenged Forde. The Millwall keeper failed to clear the cross and Bjornsson nodded the loose ball back to Ritchie Humphreys.
An off-balance Humphreys could only scuff his half-volley into the ground but it still got as far as Andy Frampton on the goalline who cleared with his head. But the ball only reached McSweeney six yards out whose diving header was somehow blocked by Frampton before Forde gathered.
Bjornsson flashed a header two yards wide in the 21st minute after Humphreys drifted a ball in from the right.
But Pools' pressure was rewarded within a minute when Millwall failed to competently deal with Collins' free-kick from just inside the visiting half. Frampton eventually headed back towards Forde but there was not enough pace on the ball and BOYD took it around the keeper before rolling it into the empty net.
Pools continued to pile on the pressure and after a break out of defence from McSweeney, Andy Monkhouse let fly with a sweet shot from 25 yards which was straight at the keeper.
The third goal arrived in the 29th minute when McSweeney jinked inside from the right and laid the ball back to Austin. The right-back's deep cross to the far post was again not dealt with properly by the Millwall back four and BJORNSSON headed inside the near post for his second goal in two games.
Flinders produced a smart stop in the 35th minute after Pools were caught out by Hackett's ball over the top down the right-hand channel.
Morison managed to hold off the pressure of Tony Sweeney but Flinders was quick off his line to block the striker's effort from a tight angle.
Millwall boss Kenny Jackett made a double substitution at the interval with Lewis Grabban and Marc Laird replacing Bolder and Hackett.
After surviving a spell of pressure in the opening 15 minutes of the half, Boyd stung the gloves of Forde on the hour mark with a header straight at the Millwall keeper from McSweeney's right wing cross.
Two minutes later, Monkhouse collected Bjornsson's lay-off 25 yards out and hit a skidding half-volley which Forde pushed away low to his left.
Morison tested Flinders' reactions in the 65th minute with a powerful low shot from the edge of the area which the Pools keeper gathered at the second attempt.
Henry then almost managed the spectacular with a dipping shot from the far right-hand side of the box which cleared Flinders' crossbar by a foot.
McSweeney almost got a deserved goal in the 70th minute when he slid in on Paul Robinson's weak backwards header but Forde had spread himself well to block from eight yards out.
Flinders produced a stunning stop with 10 minutes to go when Grabban looked odds-on to reduce the deficit. A slick move down the right-hand side by Millwall culminated in Abdou pulling the ball back to Grabban eight yards out whose snapshot was battered away by the Pools stopper before he pounced on the loose ball to deny the substitute a chance on the rebound.
In the last minute, substitute Jack Smith diverted a clever through-ball from Laird wide of the far post after running onto the pass down the inside left channel of the area.
Hartlepool United: Flinders, Austin, Collins, Liddle, Hartley, McSweeney (Fredriksen 72), Sweeney, Humphreys (Clark 83), Monkhouse, Boyd (Greulich 83), Bjornsson. Subs not used: Cook, Foley, Rowell, Cherel.
Millwall: Forde, Dunne, Frampton (Smith 62), Bolder (Laird 46), Robinson, Schofield, Hackett (Grabban 46), Henry, Ward, Morison, Abdou. Subs not used: Sullivan, Grimes, Fuseini, Price. Booked: Morison (42)
Referee: Jock Waugh (South Yorkshire)
Attendance: 3,153 (261 away)
(Thanks to www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk for the match report)
PREVIOUSLY
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REF
The man in the middle is Phil Gibbs from West Midlands.
He gives an interview here: www.refworld.com/referee/184/1/phil-gibbs
FIXTURES
Friday, December 11th, 2009: Brighton v Colchester, 19:45
Saturday, December 12th, 2009: (all kick-offs 15.00); Brentford v Leeds United, Bristol Rovers v Swindon, Carlisle v Wycombe, Huddersfield v Gillingham, Leyton Orient v MK Dons, Millwall v Walsall, Oldham v Exeter, Southampton v Tranmere, Southend v Hartlepool, Stockport v Charlton, Yeovil v Norwich.
BET
To Win:
Southend - 5/4, Draw - 12/5, Hartlepool - 5/2.
HISTORY
In 1905, the amateur team West Hartlepool won the FA Amateur Cup which at the time was considered second only to the FA Cup. Partly as a result of this the opportunity for a professional team arose in 1908, when West Hartlepool Rugby Club went bust leaving their stadium 'The Victoria Ground' vacant.
The stadium was bought and the current club was founded under the name 'Hartlepools United Football Athletic Company', representing both the town of West Hartlepool and the original settlement of Old Hartlepool.
In 1920, the Football League decided to form a third division. However this was based almost entirely in the south, as the new division was created by absorbing virtually the entire top division of the Southern League, with Grimsby Town the only northern representative.
This was rectified the following season when a Third Division North was created with Hartlepools being one of the founder members.
If you wonder why Hartlepool are referred to as the 'Monkey Hangers' then it is because the residents of Hartlepool are famously said to have hanged a monkey that was washed up from a ship that had sunk during the Napoleonic wars, because they thought the monkey was a French spy.
The Club take this to good heart and of course who else would they have as their club mascot? H'Angus the monkey of course!
The most famous person to be associated with Hartlepool United is Brian Clough, who went on to achieve managerial glory with Derby County and to an even greater degree Nottingham Forest. He began his managerial career at Hartlepool in October 1965 before moving on to Derby two seasons later.
Another famous ex-manager is Cyril Knowles, who took over as manager in December 1989 and the following season helped them win promotion to the Third Division.
In 2002, the team's mascot 'H'Angus the Monkey', aka Stuart Drummond, was elected mayor of Hartlepool as an independent, under the slogan "free bananas for schoolchildren".
Even though his candidacy was just a publicity stunt, Drummond has since been re-elected after throwing off his comedy image and identifying himself increasingly with the Labour group on the council.
Danny Wilson was appointed manager on June 13, 2006, after relegating MK Dons who had dismissed him!
Hartlepool had bounced back to League One in 2006/07 after the previous season's relegation, finishing second behind champions
On Jan. 1 2007 Hartlepool United equalled the all-time Football League record of consecutive wins without conceding a goal by beating
The club went on to complete a 23 match unbeaten run which finally ended against the team they last lost to - Barnet.
The Monkey Hangers bounced back to League One at the first time of asking, finishing second behind champions Walsall. This was the club's second promotion in four years and they maintained their League One status for a second successive season by finishing 15th in 2007-08.
Hartlepool fans were shocked at the sudden departure of boss Danny Wilson on Monday December 15. A club statement said he had left the services of the club and thanked the 48 year-old Wilson for his hard work. He ended up at Swindon soon after!
Director of Sport Chris Turner was placed in temporary charge of the first team, now made permanent. His first solo managerial position came at Hartlepool in 1999. Turner took over when Hartlepool were bottom of the Football League, saved them from relegation and turned them into promotion contenders.
They gained promotion at the end of the 2002-03 season but Turner had moved back to his old club Sheffield Wednesday six months before the success was achieved under his successor Mike Newell.
Former Blues reserve coach Colin West, he of the 5-1 defeat in his only game in charge fame, joined Turner as his No.2 in February after only being at Southend for a couple of months!
For a more comprehensive history of the club, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hartlepool_United_F.C.