Whereas over 18,000 have made the exodus from southeast Essex to south Wales in the past, this time only a third of those LDV Vans Trophy followers were in attendance, but it made little difference as goals from leading scorer Freddy Eastwood – with his 24th of the season – and Duncan Jupp secured Blues’ spot in next season’s Coca-Cola League One.
Indeed, United had gone 315 minutes before former Grays Athletic frontman Eastwood netted Southend’s first-ever goal at the Millennium Stadium, and instead of Lincoln City, appearing in their third consecutive play-off campaign, making it third time lucky, it was Steve Tilson’s men who prevailed after two failed attempts, albeit against higher division opposition in Blackpool and Wrexham in the LDV Vans Trophy.
In the process, the Seasiders became the inaugural winners of the League Two Play-Off trophy, almost an exact copy of the championship-winning prize for the same division. They were also the 83rd team to compete in the end-of-season game of Russian Roulette, and like Wycombe Wanderers (who remain the only side to hold a 100% play-off record) in 1994, Southend went through the final three games unbeaten.
Tilson made just a solitary change to the starting line-up, recalling striker Wayne Gray in place of the unfortunate Lawrie Dudfield. Mark Bentley’s wrist injury, noticeable for the heavy strapping on his left arm, was deemed inconsequential enough for him to start, whilst there was not even enough space on the substitutes’ bench for fit-again Tesfaye Bramble.
Red Imps coach Keith Alexander retained an unchanged side from the outfit that drew 1-1 at Macclesfield Town to secure a 2-1 semi-final victory over the Silkmen. The man who had stated after the clash at Sincil Bank in August that Southend would not be “there or thereabouts” come May prevailed with his well-organised 5-3-2 formation.
In sunny, if desperately windy, conditions in Cardiff, the early stages saw the Lincolnshire side carve open the better chances. Only three minutes were on the clock when Gareth McAuley’s long throw into the penalty area was nodded wide of the right-hand post by Francis Green. At the other end, good work on the left from first Nicky Nicolau and then Che Wilson culminated in the latter crossing for Carl Pettefer at the back post, with Paul Morgan having to make a good block to stop the midfielder from netting.
City enjoyed the greater possession, but Blues appeared threatening on the break, and a fine Pettefer pass to Jupp saw the right full-back deliver a pinpoint centre that Jamie McCombe courageously cleared inside his own six-yard box. Nicolau then drove wide from twenty yards when well-placed to look for support.
As the half-hour mark approached, Southend were almost punished for their inability to retain possession. A Simon Yeo effort was ruled out for offside, although subsequent television replays suggest that the 23-goal hit man may have beaten the trap. Then Richard Butcher’s long thrown caused Darryl Flahavan to panic and he punched the ball onto McCombe’s head. Mark Bentley saved the day with a full-length stretch to hook off of the line with Green ready to pounce.
Freddy Eastwood put Kevin Maher under pressure, and the club captain, who flew out quickly after the celebrations to be with his brother, Martyn, who was married in Limerick, Eire, allowed Yeo to steal away. He raced to the other end, but when Gary Taylor-Fletcher was set-up, he smacked his effort straight at Yeo, who was struck in the face. A succession of flicked headers then allowed the diminutive forward to set-up Butcher, who acrobatically sent the ball flying over Flahavan’s crossbar.
Half-time: Lincoln City 0 Southend United 0
If the first period did little for SKY Sports’ viewing figures, both teams then proceeded to make the second a much more entertaining match-up. Five minutes after the interval, Green timid 30-yard effort was the first shot on goal by either side. A minute later, Eastwood shanked a shot from similar range well wide for a goal-kick, and then Maher assisted Gray with a beautifully slighted 40-yard pass that was laid off for Eastwood, who hit McCombe with his shot.
Bentley, who picked up his fourteenth caution of the season and therefore narrowly avoided missing the first three matches of 2005/6 as well as appearing before a Football Association disciplinary commission, shot wide to the right from twenty yards, and then when the former Aveley midfielder and Nicky Nicolau were both denied by last-ditch challenges on the edge of the penalty area, Eastwood skewed wide to the left.
Kevin Sandwith’s reverse pass then brought about Lincoln’s best effort on goal of the afternoon. Yeo was the recipient, but his stinging ten-yard shot from the left was wonderfully parried by Flahavan at his near post. Pettefer moped up, and soon afterwards Eastwood was able to tee Bentley up to calmly drift a right-footed curling attempt straight into Alan Marriott’s gloves.
A Flahavan error could have proved costly midway through the second half. Sandwith’s right-wing corner was swung underneath the Shrimpers’ crossbar, and the goalkeeper flapped at the ball. It fell to beanpole Ben Futcher, and he dribbled around Flahavan before setting up Green, whose weak shot was cleared off of the goal-line by Wilson.
Another Sandwith flag-kick caused mayhem as McAuley was left to nod unmarked at the custodian, and after Maher’s fantastic low cross was just touched off of the boot of Mark Bentley by Futcher, it was the defender’s lob that was met by a Green bicycle kick. Flahavan brilliantly palmed off of the head of Yeo.
Eastwood again shot wide after Jupp had set him free, and Butcher gave a reminder of his ability with a fierce right foot as he blasted inches wide of the left-hand angle. But it was Blues who came closest to breaking the deadlock in the closing stages as Bentley was blatantly shoved over in the penalty area. West Riding FA official Mark Atkinson failed to award a spot-kick, but a lack of a card for Bentley underlined his sympathy.
End of normal time: Lincoln City 0 Southend United 0
From then on, Steve Tilson’s troops, suitably rallied by the gaffer at the break, were on top against a tiring Lincoln side as they sent waves and waves of attacks forward in extra time. Seven minutes in, Eastwood had a dubious claim for a spot-kick turned away as he hit a fierce shot at McCombe’s right arm from point-blank range.
Another attempt from the ex-West Ham United trainee smashed into Bentley but fell for Nicolau, although the man-of-the-match in the previous clash directed his fifteen-yard shot wide of the left-hand upright. Substitute Lawrie Dudfield, who had replaced Gray with eight minutes of normal time remaining, then crossed for Bentley to whack wide. Pettefer’s hard work on the right was also unrewarded as he Nicolau fired wide.
The goal was coming, and it finally arrived during stoppage time in the first period of extra time. Nicolau alternated with Maher all afternoon, but it was the left-footer’s cross that was met by Spencer Prior. The lumbering centre-half headed goalbound, but Matthew Bloomer, another replacement, was on hand to divert away. Thankfully, Southend’s sharp-shooting striker was on hand to convert from close range. (1-0)
Half-time in extra time: Lincoln City 0 Southend United 1
There was only one chance in the whole of a tense extra time, but it was all Blues needed to extend their advantage to two and make sure that the Play-Off trophy was heading Essex-bound. Eastwood battled hard with Morgan on the halfway line, and he was able to outpace the Red Imps defence. Dudfield made a decoy run and Marriott had to commit, so Eastwood was able to spread the play to Jupp on the overlap. The Scottish Under-21 international slipped the ball underneath Marriott and into the bottom left-hand corner to cement the triumph and net his first professional goal for ten years. (2-0)
Full-time after extra time: Lincoln City 0 Southend United 2
The last two times Southend have travelled to the Millennium Stadium, it has finished in a 2-0 defeat, but this time the scoreline was reversed. It was a first League win over Lincoln in seven attempts, but the bare statistics say nothing. Southend United will play Nottingham Forest next season, and also local sides Colchester United, Brentford and Gillingham. No wonder the faces of those 6,500 supporters at the end of the game oozed delirium. League One here we come!
0 CCL2 2 SOUTHEND UNITED (aet)19653 Freddy Eastwood 105+1 Duncan Jupp 110 5-3-2 TEAMS 4-4-2 Alan MARRIOTT Darryl FLAHAVAN Gareth McAULEY Duncan JUPP Jamie McCOMBE Spencer PRIOR Paul MORGAN Adam BARRETT Ben FUTCHER Che WILSON Kevin SANDWITH Carl PETTEFER Francis GREEN 108 Kevin MAHER Richard BUTCHER Mark BENTLEY Peter GAIN 121 Nicky NICOLAU Simon YEO 90 119 Freddy EASTWOOD Gary TAYLOR-FLETCHER 95 82 Wayne GRAY Simon RAYNER Bart GRIEMINK Lee BEEVERS 108 119 Andy EDWARDS Matthew BLOOMER 95 121 Mark GOWER Ritchie HANLON 82 Lawrie DUDFIELD Derek ASAMOAH 90 Luke GUTTRIDGELINCOLN CITY
SUBS
Match Statistics |
Lincoln City (0)…0 Southend United (0)…2 (after extra time) @ the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff in the Coca-Cola League Two Play-Off Final on Saturday 28/05/05 |
Goals: Southend: Eastwood 105+1 (tapped in from close range after Prior header blocked; inside area; timed at 105:23), Jupp 110 (slotted underneath Marriott from Eastwood pass; inside area; 109:54). |
Bookings: Futcher 120+1 (foul); Southend: Bentley 29 (foul). |
Sent-off: none |
Total Goal Efforts | Red Imps 16 Shrimpers 16 |
Shots/Headers On Target | Red Imps 5 Shrimpers 3 |
Shots/Headers Off Target | Red Imps 9 Shrimpers 8 |
Blocked shots | Red Imps 2 Shrimpers 5 |
Hit Woodwork | Red Imps 0 Shrimpers 0 |
Corners | Red Imps 6 Shrimpers 10 |
Free-kicks | Red Imps 9 Shrimpers 20 |
Offsides | Red Imps 6 Shrimpers 4 |
Sundries |
Match Time | 127:20 (First half: 46:16, Second half: 46:10, First half extra time: 16:22, Second half extra time: 18:32) |
Indicated Stoppage Time | First half: 1 minute, Second half: 1 minute, First half extra time: 1 minute, Second half extra time: 2 minutes |
Referee: Mark Atkinson (West Riding FA) 6 out of 10 (3/5 General Control, 1/3 Application of the Laws of the game, 2/2 Appearance and Personality) – gave a number of needless free-kicks to Southend whilst ruling out the most important one of Bentley’s penalty claims – Yeo’s ‘goal’ has subsequently proven to be ‘onside’ according to TV replays, but Blues may have defended it better. |
Attendance: 19653 (approximately 6500 Shrimpers) |
Programme Cover: Gareth McAuley and Adam Barrett |
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com