Exeter City 1 Southend United 0

With Southend having nothing to play for it perhaps seemed inevitable that the home side would strongly fancy themselves to pick up the crucial victory and as is often the case in the Club's moment of need the entire City of Exeter was behind their team. The Exeter programme indicated that the current capacity of St James Park is 9,036, indeed the crowd was announced as just that - 9,036 - with many, many more locked out once the game had kicked off fifteen minutes late. It was Exeter's biggest crowd for 21 years and those supporters, aswell as the hundreds standing on top of walls and houses to try and get a view of action, roared their side onto victory.

Unfortunately Swansea delievered the goods aswell, beating Hull 4-2, and thus Exeter were relegated long before Steve Flack scored the winning goal in injury time. The Grecians joined the Football League at the same time as Southend, entering Division Three (South) in 1920 and no other side has ever dropped out of the League aftere such a long - 83 years - stay in the League. Many tears of sorrow were shed all around the capacity crowd.

Onto the match however, and although we have seen worse performances by a long way this season, it was still hardly pretty stuff from Southend who have not only ended their season with three straight defeats, but also nine consecutive away reverses. A total of 26 defeats - a record ten at home - is the highest in Division Three.

This match however could have been so different had Tes Bramble converted a sixth minute penalty awarded foillowing a foul on Brett Darby by Carl Pettefer, but the strong striker saw his low shot pushed away by goalkeeper Kevin Miller. It got worse for 19-year old winger Darby five minutes later when, after an innocuous challenge with Kwame Ampadu, he was carried off with what looked very much like a broken leg.

The match was viod of chances until Steve Flack lobbed an effort over the top on 22 minutes before James Coppinger fired a low effort into the arms of Darryl Flahavan.

Mark Rawle volleyed a fierce shot straight at Miller before Flahavan did well a minute before the break the bravely smother the ball at the feet of the onrushing Flack.

The second half opened with Pettefer firing a shot at Flahavan from close range when he probably should have found the net before Flack nodded an Ampadu ceross into Flahavan's grasp.

With five minutes remaining Bramble haded a Gavin Strachan centre just over the bar before, at the other end, a Petterfer knock back found Ciaran Kilheeney who blasted an effort straight at Flahavan.

It was in injury time though that the match sprung into life, a twisting run by 17-year old debutant Michael Kightly saw the nippy winger tripped in the box by Phil Baker but instead of giving the Shrimpers another spot kick referee Mick Fletcher played on and incredibly the United defence, seemingly half asllep left Flack completely unmarked and as Flahavan came, and then fatally stopped, the tall frontman ran past the Shrimpers keeper and slipped the ball into an unguarded net.

It was just a shame that Exter's celebrations were rather dampened by the circumstances as they join Shrewsbury Town in the Conference next season with Yeovil Town plus one of Dagenham & Redbridge, Morecambe, Doncaster Rovers and Chester City - who are fighting it out in the play-offs - taking their League places.

As for Southend, well if we don't want to be one of those relegation threatened sides next season, thing must start to change!

We'll see you all again on Saturday, August 9th for the start of the 2003-04 campaign. We can't wait!

EXETER CITY (4-4-2):- Kevin Miller; Chris Todd, Carl Pettefer, Santos Gaia (Ciaran Kilheeney 70), Phil Baker; Kwame Ampadu (Glenn Cronin 78), Justin Walker, James Coppinger, Scott Hiley; Steve Flack, Sean Devine. Unused subs - Andy Roscoe, Barry McConnell, Stuart Fraser.

SOUTHEND UNITED (4-4-2, with ratings out of ten):- Darryl Flahavan 7; Mark Beard 6, Damon Searle 6, David McSweeney 8, Leon Cort 7; Gavin Strachan 4, Kevin Maher 5, Brett Darby (Stuart Thurgood 11, 4), Neil Jenkins 6; Mark Rawle 5 (Michael Kightly 87), Tes Bramble 6. Unused subs - Ronnie Henry, Mark Salter, Daniel Gay.

TLG MAN OF THE MATCH: David McSweeney.
Twenty-one-year old McSweeney has excelled at centre half in recent weeks and this was perhaps one of his best displays. For a youngster he never appeared nervous of what was a vitally important occassion and did his job very well agfainst a potentially dangerous front pairing..

Attendance: 9,036 (approx 225 away fans).
Referee: Mick Fletcher (Worcestershire) 6 out of 10.

Mark Wallis
www.thelittlegazette.com