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There was no doubt that this was a cup semi-final, but despite all the action there wasn't really many clear cut chances as a Southend side which saw Tes Bramble and Lewis Hunt return from injury tried their luck against their Second Division counterparts.
However, with the first opportunity of the game the home side, bizarrely playing in their orange change strip whilst Southend wore blue, took the lead. A Karl Duguid corner wasn't fully cleared by the Shrimpers and French midfielder Thomas Pinault's unstoppable shot flew past Darryl Flahavan and into the top right hand corner of the net. However, just as Pinault ran off waving his shirt in the air, Southend had only just started to take control of the tie and didn't let the goal get in their way.
Kevin Maher's shot deflected wide of the target on ten minutes before Mark Gower drove wide after Bramble had intercepted a loose ball minutes later.
The equaliser then arrived on 17 minutes, Bramble fantastically shrugged off the challenge of two U's defenders before slipping a neat ball into the path of Leon Constantine who's decidedly accurate right foot drive zipped past the diving Simon Brown and into the bottom left hand corner.
Brown then did well however to hold onto a Constantine header following a Gower free kick before a Broughton knock down saw Bramble turn and fire a shot inches wide of the post the the edge of the penalty area.
Then, with just three minutes remaining before the interval Southend stole the lead. A Gower corner perfectly picked out the head of Leon Cort who's downward headrer bounced back off the post but only as far as Broughton who nonchantly nodded home the rebound from close range.
The first half then came to a climax with Rowan Vine's volley feom a Paul Tierney cross bobbling wide of Flahavan's upright.
Southend's so far perfect evening even saw young Shrimpers supporters beat their Colchester counterparts in a half time penalty shoot-out, and then in a never-jaggling but virtually action free second period Southend's evening was rounded off with a perfect victory.
Alan White made a good block ti deny a Gower effort following a tricky run from the Blues midfielder before, on 68 minutes the Shrimpers extended their lead in a somewhat fortunate manner. Broughton's neat ball found Bramble in space, but despite the Shrimpers frontman scuffing his shot the ball somehow wriglled through both the hands and legs of Brown before slowly rolling over the line.
Then, with Southend far and away in the driving seat Broughton kicked a ball away on 74 minutes, fussy refere Graham Laws instantly cautioned the Southen frontman, but then azmazingly booked Broughton again and dismissed him. Quire what Laws was playing at no Southend fan really knows.
Unfortunately only seconds after Broughton's dismissal the home side gave themselves a glimmer of hope for the second lag with a second goal, Duguid's corner finding the head of substitute Wayne Andrews who headed into the roof of the net at the far post.
Anyhow, I think we'd all have settled for an away victory at the start of the match...
2-3 (Attendance: 5,411) | Southend United | |
Thomas Pinault 7 Wayne Andrews 75 | Referee: Paul Taylor Match Time: 95:35 1st half: 47:57, 2nd half: 48:38 | Leon Constantine 17 Drewe Broughton 42 Tesfaye Bramble 68 |
Simon Brown Joe Keith Sam Stockley -- Liam Chilvers Alan White Kemel Izzet -- Thomas Pinault Paul Tierney Karl Duguid Scott McGleish Rowan Vine | 5 6 5 5 7 6 7 5(66) 7 5 5 | Darryl Flahavan -- Lewis Hunt Mark Gower Drewe Broughton --- Tesfaye Bramble | 8 7 8 8 8 9 8(86) 7(85) 7 7 8(76) |
Richard McKinney Wayne Andrews Scott Fitzgerald Bobby Bowry Greg Halford | - 6(66) - - - | Carl Emberson Dave McSweeney Steven Clark Che Wilson Carl Pettefer | - - -(85) -(86) -(76) |
8 2 5 1 0 15 8 1 | Total Goal Attempts shots/headers on target shots/headers off target Blocked Shots Hit Woodwork Corners Caught Offside | 10 5 3 1 1 15 5 2 |
Match Stats |
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Mark Wallis
www.thelittlegazette.com