Craven's Marks Out Of Ten

GK Darryl Flahavan | Minutes on pitch: 90 | Goals Conceded: 2 | Rating: 6

Flavs was making his first start of the season, and throughout much of the match seemed pretty confident. A sight to behold occurred late on when, with Blues 2-1 down, the ex-Woking custodian danced to the very edge of his penalty area to come and claim a high ball. He was left little chance with Nathan Tyson’s goal – the forward was a long way offside and as such was almost one-on-one by the time he reached the area, and he put a neat finish past Flahavan. The second appeared to be almost straight out of the blue, but the ultra-critical would say that Flavs wasn’t on his toes, and that old chestnut about being a couple of inches taller raises it’s head again. Maybe, just maybe those extra centimetres might have allowed him to fingertip the ball away? That would be a harsh assessment.

RB Duncan Jupp | Minutes on pitch: 87 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 5.5

Jupp has had a torrid last couple of home games. Twelve days ago he couldn’t find any team-mates with his passes, whilst today every header he attempted when either straight up into the air or behind him, heaping unnecessary pressure on the rest of the defence. One good cross, but that is easily cancelled out by an extra-late challenge that led to his booking and being carried off, as well as another scrappy tackle that could have seen Bas Savage awarded a penalty.

CB Spencer Prior | Minutes on pitch: 90 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 6.5

Spinner had another decent enough match without being outstanding. He has yet to have a truly brilliant game in his second spell at the club, but the signs are now in place that he has recovered his ‘League Two form’ and adjusted to the differing methods used in the basement division. Prior was perhaps the man caught out when Tyson got through for his goal, but there is no doubt in my and at least 3,000 other fans’ minds at Roots Hall today that the England Under-21 star was offside, and the 33-year-old’s reaction told the story. Futile attempt to get back, but it was a measure of how good his tackling was that the man he marked, Adam Birchall, was almost anonymous.

CB Adam Barrett | Minutes on pitch: 90 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 7

Barrett will more than likely come out of his first game as Shrimpers skipper feeling a little aggrieved that his side did not win, but also that his own display could have been slightly better. He still handled Nathan Tyson, a real livewire, with his typical abrasive defending, but there were a couple of occasions when Barrett missed headers, or just slipped over, when he would not have done in the past. Seemed chuffed to bits to be captain for the day.

LB Che Wilson | Minutes on pitch: 90 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 6.5

Left-back Wilson probably managed to get himself caught out a bit more than he has in his previous couple of games in the first team, especially when Tony Adams threw on Bas Savage and reverted to a 4-3-3 formation. Nonetheless there were a number of occasions when Che got back to cover well as Barrett made forays up front, and all-in-all he had a solid game.

RM Carl Pettefer | Minutes on pitch: 90 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 1 | Rating: 8.5

MotM: Forget all that I have said in the past about Pettefer not being a natural winger – OK don’t forget it all, but there was enough on today’s performance to suggest that he is warming to the role and will be able to start dazzling League Two defences in the coming weeks and months. The former Portsmouth player always seems to come across as a defensive player, but today he was terrorising the Chairboys backline, who in most instances have no answer. It was a mark of how well Petts was playing that Roger Johnson, the man that he was up against, was the man that Tony Adams brought off.

Part of that was, of course, an attacking move in order to get Wanderers back into the game, but another chunk was down to the incessant problems that Pettefer was providing on the right flank. He played well and interchanged with Mark Bentley on a number of occasions, as well as reading Duncan Jupp’s movement to precision. His cross for Bentley to nod home the Southend goal was inch-perfect, and his shot that cannoned off of the left-hand post was so close to being a real contender for goal of the season – it came completely out of the blue. Seconds later, he was tracking back assisting Prior at the back; a fine effort.

CM Mark Bentley | Minutes on pitch: 90 | Goals: 1 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 7.5

I told you all that he would score again. Bentley has the mark of a midfielder that gets forwards, plays box-to-box and will consistently throughout a season get his name on the scoresheet. At last, that time was this afternoon, and he made no mistake for a goal that was laid on a plate, and could not have fallen to a better player. Did not rest on his laurels and carried on his harrying, save for one notable occasion – he let Danny Senda go for his bullet of a shot that won the game for Wycombe, and Bents more than anyone will be disappointed with that.

CM Lewis Hunt | Minutes on pitch: 90 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 6

Solid if not spectacular from the ex-Derby County man itching to make his mark at Roots Hall. Hunt was not quite as energetic as his team-mate in the middle, and failed to really impose himself on the game. It was not a bad ninety minutes, but by the same token it was not the type of game that will say to Steve Tilson that he deserves to keep his place ahead of Kevin Maher. One interesting aspect to his play, though, is that his sitting deeper allows Pettefer and Bentley more freedom roaming forward than Maher’s crab-like movement. One to ponder.

LM Mark Gower | Minutes on pitch: 84 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 6.5

Still not totally 100%, but it looks as if Gower is starting to find his form – if only that came inside the penalty area. Early in the second period the 26-year-old missed a sitter as the ball came to him at the far post, and then after Wycombe had equalised he missed an almost identical chance, except this time the ball bounced up more on the half-volley. Managed a couple of good crosses, but tired easily and his substitution was no surprise.

CF Tesfaye Bramble | Mins on pitch: 83 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 6.5

Bramble was effectively shut out of the game by some bully boy tactics at the back from Wanderers, with Tony Adams no doubt at the heart of their planning. This was typical Adams spoiling tactics as first Michael Williamson, then Stuart Nethercott and then Gus Uhlenbeek all took it in turns to foul the former Chelmsford City man as he looked set to rampage his way into the penalty area. Never being allowed to settle is a situation he should get used to as the man earmarked as dangerous by the opposition, so Tes will have to get his head down and do some hard slog.

CF Lawrie Dudfield | Minutes on pitch: 90 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 8

Quite how Dudfield didn’t manage to get his name on the scoresheet today will be a mystery such was his fine form. On another day we may have seen him net a couple, but in general he was denied a real sight of goal. However, his trickery and lovely touches made a series of half-chances for his team-mates, and his crosses deserved better reward such were their ferocity and intensity. Never gave up and made a number of runs that went unnoticed – one of the most complete forwards in League Two.

CF Drewe Broughton | Mins on pitch: 7 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 6

Brought on with seven minutes left almost as an afterthought and as a desperate measure to try and combat three up front for Wycombe. Missed a couple of flick-ons and didn’t really have a sniff of the ball.

CF Wayne Gray | Minutes on pitch: 6 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 6

Had he been given slightly longer then he may have made a bigger impact. Gray was lively, as you’d expect from a former 10.4 100m sprinter, but again failed to create anything worthwhile.

RB Andy Edwards | Minutes on pitch: 3 | Goals: 0 | Assists: 0 | Rating: 6

Last-gasp sub as a replacement for the injured Duncan Jupp, and organised the defence reasonably well, but had one real header to win and pumped one pass out of play for a goal-kick when a cultured ball was required.