Indeed, this most exciting of usually dour First Round ties did not finish until almost eleven o’clock in the evening, but it finished with South Essex returning home jubilant from their North Essex rivals for the second time in just over seven months.
Shrimpers boss Steve Tilson decided not to risk central defender Spencer Prior and striker Lawrie Dudfield, both of whom were suffering from slight knocks, with Andy Edwards and Wayne Gray, respectively, coming into the starting line-up.
Unfortunately, Southend ended the evening after Mark Bentley received the world’s most ridiculous sending off from the worlds most ridiculous referee. We name and shame him here – Mr John Robinson of Humberside. For the record Bentley was dismissed, a straight red card, for jumping out the way of Kevin Watson’s career threatingly bad challenge. No, we couldn’t believe it either, and as a result the inspirational midfielder, undoubtedly Blues man-of-the-match will receive an instant three-match ban, starting on Saturday at Darlington.
A first glimpse of Robinson’s ‘authority’ was seen when Southend turned out wearing the nevy blue change shorts of their opposition. Trust me, seeing ten Shrimpers with that badge on their shorts was rather disturbing.
The penalty shoot-out which eventually ending proceedings, after we had been locked at one-one after ninety minutes, and still after extra time, was only the Shrimpers second in first team football, the previous ending in defeat at Notts County in the English Final of the Anglo-Italian Cup, and dashed our hopes of a Wembley Stadium outing back in February 1994.
Right from the start of proceedings, it was Southend who were mainly in the boss seat, especially so in a first half which did see Colchester get into the Shrimpers final third, but the U’s severly lacked firepower and never really threatened Darryl Flahavan between the sticks.
It was on six minutes that the Seasiders grabbed their first opportunity, Tes Bramble testing experienced custodian Aidan Davison from long range before the same player zipped an effort over the top some five minutes later.
Gray, impressing on his return to the side, nodded a Mark Gower centre over the crossbar before a rare Colchester chance saw Flahavan easily deal with Bobby Bowry’s shot.
The lead arrived, in spectacular fashion, on 40 minutes. A poor Gower cross had caused unnecessary havoc on the home penalty area, and an attempted clearance dropped only as far as Bramble who’s thunderous 20 yard half volley into the bottom left hand corner gave Davison absolutely no chance. (0-1)
Half-time: Colchester United 0 Southend United 1
The second half brought a slightly different story, Southend started well, and a curling effort from Gower clipped the post before drifting inches wide, but as soon as referee Robinson really lost the plot, the Shrimpers began to struggle and conceded a leveller on 63 minutes.
Robinson had already awarded Colchester a free kick simply because Brown had taken an accidental knock the head, despite Southend being on the attack, and from that another baffling decision immediately followed when Duncan Jupp, we think, was the innocent party. From the resulting Joe Keith free kick Richard Garcia headed home, unmarked, at the back post. (1-1)
The only remaining action of the second half saw furious Southend supporters behind the goal see incompetent Robinson deny their side three virtually blatant penalty appeals.
The first incident saw Carl Pettefer barged to earth by Brown as the ex-Portsmouth man attempted to cut a ball back into the danger area. The next two were both for blatantly obvious handballs, one against Brown and the other Pat Baldwin, however from the latter Bentley nodded over the top when maybe he should have hit the net, and the former, Gray hitting the bottom of the post having rounded Davison.
Full-time: Colchester United 1 Southend United 1
With both sides nervously attacking, despite neither the ‘golden goal’ or ‘silver goal’ rules existing anymore – it’s now thirty straight minutes as normal – extra time, despite being exciting, did not produce an awful lot in the way of goalscoring chances.
Flahavan did well to push a Neil Danns shot, following a through run, around the post, before a rasping effort from Bentley brought the best out of Davison.
Southend were then denied yet another penalty by Robinson when Bentley was chopped down by Keith before the icing on the cake arrived when the former Dagenham & Redbridge man was given his marching orders despite having done absolutely nothing wrong.
Afterwards, with substitute Drewe Broughton, on for the tiring but impressive Bramble, the lone man up front as Gray dropped back to the right flank the South Essex visitors didn’t, to be honest, really look like grabbing another goal with skipper Kevin Maher’s chip towards goal the only thing either side could muster as the game came down to penalty kicks.
Full-time: Colchester United 1 Southend United 1
Needless to say the chances of Robinson bringing the shoot-out down to the Layer Road End, where the majority of travelling fans were situated, were less than zero so with no consultation we were at the home end, although there were still some Shrimpers followers tucked in the corner in the seats.
Southend won the toss and took first, Gray converting with some aplomb. Indeed, rather contradictory to last season’s penalty woes, Tilson’s men, courtesy of Lewis Hunt, Maher, Broughton and finally Jimmy Corbett, who we believe didn’t touch the ball having arrived three minutes from the end but scored the winning penalty, scored all five of their penalties whilst the tie was won when U’s captain Brown dragged his spot kick woefully wide of the post.
There was no need for the home sides final spot-kick, as Southend had already sealed their second round spot, and their first ever shoot-out victory, as the players all sprinted towards Corbett before gleefully applauded the away support at both ends of the ground.
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Mark Wallis
www.thelittlegazette.com