Southend United v Oldham Athletic

"If we want to make the play-offs we have to win this game." pontificated your editor before the Oldham game last December. We lost 1-0, drew the next, then lost 1-0 again at home, this time to Bristol Rovers. We made the play-offs!

So no long term predictions this time but it is a very important match to both sides with three very important points on offer, don't be surprised if both sides end up with one each but if it has to be 1-0 again, let it be Southend!

Blues boss and five year man Steve Tilson is still striving to complete a signing before Saturday's home clash with Oldham Athletic, especially without a left-sided wide player, but has been boosted ahead of the game by the news that both Alex Revell and Lee Barnard will be fit.

The Shrimpers were missing five forwards for the midweek FA Cup victory over AFC Telford United yet Tilly will now be able to pick two out of three for the central forward positions. It is likely that midweek goal scorer James Walker will miss out as new loanee Robert Milsom fits into the HRK spot. This at least would mean a formation the players can cope with even if it leaves James pissed off.

Tilly himself stating that: "The players who came in probably haven't taken the opportunity if I am honest. Tuesday was a fantastic result but a poor performance. There weren't too many positives to take from the game except Steve Mildenhall's display."

So he'll face a choice between goalkeepers Steve Mildenhall, MOM against Telford, and Adam Federici, MOM against Tranmere and presently his last game on loan. As long as the return trip to Brisbane, where he sat on the bench in the Aussies 1-0 World Cup Qualifying win over Bahrain, has not taken too much out of him, my money's on The Oz No. 2. (Fourth choice keeper Clarke Masters has gone to Blue Square South Welling on a two month loan)

Dougie Freedman (thigh) and Francis Laurent (suspended) are definitely still out, while Paul Furlong is also still struggling with a hip problem, well at his age, what do you expect!

On the anniversary which, along with assistant Paul Brush, has seen us to two promotions, a play-off semi-final, two LDV Van Trophy Finals, and a famous Carling Cup victory over Manchester United, Tilly, speaking to Blues World, said: "The five years has flown by but getting successive promotions was a fantastic feelings. From where we were it's been a big turnaround and that's down to a lot of hard work from everyone at the club."

Not joking there Steve as non-league football was staring us in the face, however he had not planned anything: "I had only been a youth coach for a short time when the job came up so I hadn't planned to become a manager and it really just landed in my lap. It's a stressful job with long hours but when your successful it's enjoyable."

Even so, no time to celebrate as Tilly wants a win on Saturday above all else: "They are a good side who have been on a good run. It will also be nice to see Kevin Maher as well; he hasn't had too many starts this year but is in the side at the moment, but we just need to concentrate on getting the three points."

Full-back Simon Francis, struggling for form himself, believes the start of Saturday's match with Oldham Athletic could prove crucial. The two teams are both pushing to get into the League One play-off places making this game at Roots Hall hugely important.

"This is our biggest game of the season so far," said the right-back. "It's getting that way each week now but Oldham are up there with us and that means it's very important we win. To do that I think we need to start the right way and that will help us to improve the good run of results we've been having since losing at Bristol Rovers."

Francis will also go into the game after celebrating his 100th game for the club in style. He scored the opening goal in Blues' 2-0 FA Cup replay win, but he was more delighted by his team's defensive work: "First and foremost I'm in the team as a defender so I was more pleased with the clean sheet than the goal. Steve Mildenhall kept us in the game though and he's given the manager a tough choice for Saturday because Adam Federici has also been brilliant."

As for the returning Revell: "I trained yesterday and my calf felt fine so I'm confident of being able to play in what is a big game for us. Oldham are just above us in the table and if we win then we move above them so that's certainly the plan. We couldn't be playing them in a better frame of mind after our recent results and we want to keep this good run we're on going."

Blues have now lost just one of their last 13 matches and are eighth in the League One standings. This will be their first outing in the league since on loan duo Lee Sawyer and Hal Robson-Kanu returned to their parent clubs.

However, Revell insists the Shrimpers are strong enough to cope: "We've got Alan McCormack to come in and everyone knows what he's about," said the 25-year-old. "James Walker started the another night too and scored so it goes to show what we have. People may say we struggled against AFC Telford but the lads got the right result and getting through is what matters the most in those games. Oldham are a strong side and are quite similar to Tranmere. We have to be ready for that and we need a performance like we produced against Leeds."

The former Brighton man is again hoping to hit the back of the net. He netted in his last outing at Tranmere and is now seeking his fourth goal of the season.

"It would be great to get that but I need to work on the celebration side of things a bit," said Revell. "I'm not entirely sure what I was actually doing at Tranmere and when you do score it's such an unreal feeling that sometimes that happens. I ended up just falling over. Maybe I just start doing the flicks like Obafemi Martins at Newcastle." (Er, yes Alex.)

OPPOSITION

During the summer the editor of our sister site Iron.Bru.com asked the editors of all League One clubs their thoughts for the season. Here's the views of the Latics Mad editor on how he felt the season would shape up for the season. Appreciate the play-off spot mate!

How did you fare last season?
We were very inconsistent as we didn't have the strength of squad needed to keep up. We also suffered a lot with injuries which could have been a blessing as we got to see some of the younger players progress. With a bigger squad we could have gone up but we still managed to finish a creditable eighth.

The best moments were definitely Leeds and Everton away! Absolute quality! The worst moments were the inconsistency, poor performances and the Huddersfield Town cup defeat.

How do you think you'll do this season?
I'm very optimistic as I think and hope that Sheridan is going to get it right this year and everything is going to click. Shez just has to deliver, so we're going up! Not bothered where we finish as long as we go up!

What's your squad like?
It's starting to build into a good looking blend of youth and experience with the depth that we craved for and lacked last season. The final piece of the jig-saw will be a good left sided player. If Lee Hughes stays fit we will have the leading scorer in the league.

Which youngster will make the biggest impression in your team this season?
Lewis Alessandra is really rated by the fans as he has great technical skills and can bag goals. Also watch out for the promising Paul Black.

What's your manager like and will he still be there at the end of the season?
He's doing great considering his budget etc. He needs to learn from his previous mistakes and his experience should be enough to help make Athletic push on in the continual rebuilding of the club. If he delivers he'll still be at Boundary Park.

Are you happy with your chairman/backroom staff?
Definitely. Oldham as a town should thank the owners (TTA) for saving the club from extinction. I trust them to always act in the best interests of the club and fans, and sincerely hope that they find some corporate sponsors soon to help their cause.

Which team do you want to beat the most and why?
Tranmere, Leeds, Huddersfield, Stockport, (whoops 1-3), and Leicester. It's always good to give a local team a good stuffing. Leeds and Leicester are 'big time Charlies' so it's good to bring them down to earth. The Tranmere game is obvious - Ronnie Moore who imposes hoof-ball on fans and then blames everyone else for his failings. If Mourinho is the 'Special One' Moore is the 'Blameless One.'

Predict your champions and runner up, the four play-off teams and the four to go down
Champions: Leeds
Runners-up: Oldham.
Play-offs: Leicester, Peterborough, Southend, Huddersfield
Relegated: Stockport, Yeovil, Cheltenham, MK Franchise

Though Oldham were surprisingly knocked out of the F.A. Cup at home to Cheltenham, here's a report from the Oldham Advertiser on their 1-0 League One away win at Northampton last Saturday, which ended the Cobblers unbeaten home record and has more relevance to this weekend's game.

A debatable red card for Lee Hughes almost overshadowed a professional performance which saw Athletic end Northampton's unbeaten home record this season.

The striker collected his second booking in stoppage time for what looked an innocuous challenge on Kyle Walker, having been cautioned during the first half for kicking the ball away. Although contact with Walker appeared minimal, referee Paul Taylor decided enough was enough and dispatched Hughes from the field. It capped an eventful afternoon for the striker who had seen two goals disallowed for offside, hit the post and also won the penalty from which Andy Liddell slotted home his sixth of the season. (Oh dear!)

Liddell, an eighth minute substitute for Deane Smalley, sent Frank Fielding the wrong way from the spot 14 minutes from time after Hughes had been tripped by Ryan Gilligan.

Having had numerous selection posers ahead of the game, Oldham boss John Sheridan elected to stick with the back four which ended the FA Cup tie at Cheltenham Town - meaning skipper Sean Gregan was on the bench - while Kevin Maher replaced the injured Danny Whitaker in midfield. There were also changes up front where Hughes returned from suspension to partner Darren Byfield, making his debut 24 hours after securing a loan move from Doncaster Rovers.

Although the back four had a few nervy moments early on, Maher kept things simple but effective in midfield, (I think I've written that as well in the past!), while Byfield showed glimpses of the ability that made Sheridan so keen to bring him in.

Both sides took time to settle early on, Latics seeing Smalley depart with a hip injury, while Northampton lacked a cutting edge when it came to creating out-and-out chances. The closest they came was in the 12th minute when Andy Holt headed Walker's centre back across the goal, but Alex Dyer was unable to get sufficient power on his effort and Mark Crossley was able to hold the ball.

At the other end, Chris Taylor was proving Latics' main threat with his direct running giving Walker no end of problems. Twice he cut in from the left-hand side but could only find the 500 away fans behind the goal rather than the back of Fielding's net. It was first-half stoppage time when Athletic thought they had taken the lead when Jones raced into the area and squared for Hughes, only for the post to deny him the opening goal.

The second half was a more one-sided affair as Latics dominated possession and chances with the best ones falling to Byfield. Fielding got down well to deny him at the near post with the hour mark approaching, although Byfield also blotted his copybook by selfishly shooting wide when Hughes and Taylor were better placed six yards out.

However, the crucial moment came when Hughes twisted and turned his way into the area, only to be tripped by Gilligan who saw Liddell keep his nerve from the spot.

With Northampton throwing the big men forward, backs to the wall defending ensured Crossley was not forced into a save of note, and with Gregan coming on for Liddell to bolster the backline, Latics held out for the three points.

Oldham: Crossley, Lomax, Hazell, Stam, Jones, Smalley (Liddell 8), Allott, Maher, Taylor, Hughes, Byfield, Liddell (Gregan 90).
Subs Not Used: Eardley, Fleming, Alessandra.

PREVIOUSLY

Played 27: Won 12 Drawn 7 Lost 8.

Not a bad record against the Latics, but strangely mixed at Roots Hall. We lost the last time they played here on Dec. 21 2007 0-1 and it was Sep. 4 2005 when we last won at home, 2-1, Lawson and Gower the scorers.

It would be nice to repeat our biggest winning win, 6-1 on Feb. 27 1965, the scorers on that day? Bradbury(2), Gilfillan(2), Woodley, Smillie.

REF

The man in the middle will be Phil Crossley, from Kent.

This is his eighth Southend match and we are unbeaten with him in charge, winning five and two draws, but six of the games were at Roots Hall, so let's keep it going Phil!

FIXTURES

Saturday, 22 November 2008 (all 15.00 kick-off): Brighton v Huddersfield, Bristol Rovers v Swindon, Carlisle v Cheltenham, Crewe v Stockport, Hereford v Northampton, Leeds United v Hartlepool, Leyton Orient v Millwall, Peterborough v Colchester, Scunthorpe v Leicester, Walsall v MK Dons, Yeovil v Tranmere.