Southend United v Plymouth Argyle

  v  

SHRIMPERS

What a great win on Tuesday evening in the circumstances, I couldn't see beyond a goalless draw and with three minutes left and down to ten-men that fiver bet looked good, until goal-machine Mark Phillips headed home that Ryan Hall corner, just how many assists has that guy given his team mates now? Amazing.

Of course, it's hard to see beyond a Shrimpers win this weekend which is always dangerous, but the bookies are not in business to give money away and just look at those odds!

And if you go over some of Argyle's goals given away on the highlights, many are just plain comical, must be a chance for the Plymouth old boys, especially a returning Liam Dickinson, and maybe even Blair, to put one over a dispirited and unpaid squad, see Ron what can really happen!

As Neil Harris has confirmed in his weekly Echo column, and we've noted above, there is a real reunion thing going on here, led by Blues boss Paul Sturrock, with David Smith winning promotion with both clubs, while the 'inside-forward' David Bone Nightingale Jack, wonderful, played in green during the 1919/20 season, and managed us 1934 to 40, history lesson continues below! 

Bilel shouldn't be missed here, the players will appreciate the quiet, and Lee Sawyer continues to nurse a groin injury.

A word for keeper Morris, superb against the Gills after the odd error in previous games that were getting the fans talking, if he can keep that sort of form up, the talking willl be for the right reasons.

So no change except the obvious one up front, Bomber hopefully making the subs bench.

This is my last game before a week's break in Greece, someone's got to help them out, so three points and a position in the play-off zone would be a very nice seeing off present indeed.

Possible Southend United: Morris, Clohessy, Phillips, Barker, Gilbert, Ferdinand, Timlin, Grant, Hall, Sturrock, Dickinson.

Subs: Bentley, Prosser, Kalala, Johnson, Harris.

COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!

OPPOSITION

You have to feel sorry for Pilgrims boss Peter Reid as he tries to get to grips with the Home Park disaster, but it's another game and if you look at the highlights of their last game it's obvious they have major defensive problems.

Plymouth will have defender Ladjie Soukouna back after being sent off late on in their 2-0 home defeat to Port Vale last Saturday for a trip on Vale's Rob Taylor and sitting out a one-mach ban in the defeat away to Barnet, again 2-0.

On-loan Gilligham centre-back Simon King is fighting to be fit after missing the midweek defeat to Barnet with a hip-flexor injury.

But another borrowed player, midfielder Jamie Griffiths, is likely to start after impressing on his full debut on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old striker Matt Lecointe came on a sub at Underhill after previously impressing on debut against the Valiants and may be given another go at Roots Hall on Saturday.

Reid told www.pafc.co.uk: "I decided to give (Lecointe) a go at home, and I thought he did alright. It was difficult for him. I think he was feeling it a bit, which he is likely to do considering his age. To be fair to him, I think he can be really pleased with what he did."

But it that defence that's getting him concerned.

Reid continued: "At the back we are continuing to make simple mistakes and they will cost you whatever the level you play at. That's the third or fourth goal already this season that we have conceded from a long throw, we're making it far harder for ourselves than it needs to be."

Now, who can throw it in the box for us?

Local blog: http://green-army.blogspot.com/

Last Time Out

(played on Tuesday, September 13th): Report: www.pafc.co.uk

Beeb highlights: http://news.bbc.co.uk

Player to watch

PREVIOUSLY

REF



The man in the middle is Michael Naylor from South Yorkshire.

His assistants are Ian Cooper & Gary Evetts; The fourth official is Warren Atkin.

FIXTURES

League Two

Saturday, September 17th; (kick-off's 15.00, unless stated): Port Vale v Shrewsbury, (13:00), AFC Wimbledon v Cheltenham, Accrington Stanley v Crewe, Barnet v Oxford Utd, Bristol Rovers v Aldershot, Burton Albion v Swindon, Crawley Town v Bradford, Dag & Red v Morecambe, Hereford v Gillingham, Macclesfield v Northampton, Southend v Plymouth, Torquay v Rotherham.

BET

Southend (to win) - 4/7, Draw - 16/5, Plymouth (to win) - 6.

For all the footy odds go here: www.oddschecker.com/football/english/league-two/

HISTORY

A history that included three men who have managed both Plymouth Argyle & Southend United!

The club was founded in 1886 as Argyle Football Club, the first match taking place on 16 October 1886 against Caxton, a team from Cornwall and saw the Pilgrims lose 2–0. Later that week Argyle won for the first time–beating Dunheved College (now Launceston College) in Launceston (where many of the club's first members had been educated) 2–1.

They played several friendlies against Plymouth United, but poor performances on the pitch led to the club going out of existence in 1894 before being resurrected in 1897 as one part of a general sports club, the Argyle Athletic Club. In 1898, Argyle F.C. produced its first rulebook. The club's ground was given as Marsh Mills, an area on the edge of the city of Plymouth, which still hosts sports.

Much speculation surrounds the origin of the name Argyle. One explanation is that they were named after the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, an army regiment with a strong football side of its own. Another theory is given the respective geographical placements–suggests the name comes either from the nearby public house, The Argyle Tavern, where the founder members may have met, or the local street named Argyle Terrace.

The club adopted its current name when it became fully professional in 1903 joining the Southern League, under the management of Bob Jack. Argyle's first professional game was on 1 September 1903 against West Ham United resulting in a 2–0 win for Argyle with the first goal being scored by Jack Peddie.

In 1928, David Jack, who also went on to manage the Shrimpers between 1934 and 40, began his career with Argyle in 1919 but left in 1920, joined Arsenal F.C. from Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £10,890 – which made him the most expensive player in the world at the time. He was also the first player to score at Wembley Stadium.

We also had David Smith in common who was boss when Southend got promoted in only his second season in charge as runners-up to Watford in 1978, he did see the club relegated but won the 1980 Fourth Division Championship and stayed in Essex for seven years before a takeover saw him in the wilderness, selling insurance for three years, until joining Argyle btween 1984 and 88.