SOUTHEND UNITED | 4 | (4940) | 2 | SWANSEA CITY |
Freddy Eastwood 1, 58, 87 |
Paul Connor 11Adrian Forbes 82 | |||
4-4-2 | TEAMS | 4-4-2 | ||
Ryan Clarke | 5.5 | 4.5 | Willy Gueret | |
Duncan Jupp | 6 | 6.5 | Garry Monk | |
Che Wilson | 6.5 | 6 | Samuel Ricketts | |
Adam Barrett | 8.5 | 6.5 | Alan Tate | |
Spencer Prior | 9 | 6 | Kevin Austin | |
Carl Pettefer | 8 | 5.5 | Bradley Maylett | |
Kevin Maher | 8 | 6 | Roberto Martinez | |
Lewis Hunt | 7.5 | 6 | Kristian O’Leary | |
Mark Gower | 8 | 6.5 | Andy Robinson | |
Freddy Eastwood | 9.5 | 7 | Lee Trundle | |
Wayne Gray | 8.5 | 7.5 | Paul Connor | |
SUBS | ||||
Nicky Nicolau | Brian Murphy | |||
Andy Edwards | Leon Britton | |||
James Corbett (30) | 8.5 | Kevin Nugent | ||
Michael Kightly (90+4) | 6 | 7.5 | (59) Adrian Forbes | |
Nick Morgan | 6 | (71) Scott Fitzgerald |
Match Statistics |
Southend United (2)…4 Swansea City (1)…2 |
Goals: Southend: Eastwood 1 (headed in a Gray cross; inside area; timed at 00:07.64), Prior 42 (headed in a Maher corner; inside area; timed at 41:51), Eastwood 58 (sprinted onto a Gray cross to head in; inside area; timed at 57:08), Eastwood 87 (long range shot took a deflection and deceived Gueret; outside area; timed at 86:07). Swansea: Connor 11 (latched onto a Trundle pass before chipping over Clarke; inside area; timed at 10:37), Forbes 82 (nodded in from close range following a Trundle cross; inside area; timed at 81:14) |
Bookings: Southend: none. Swansea: Austin 44 (foul), Tate 90+3 (foul) |
Sent-off: none |
Total Goal Efforts | Shrimpers 12 Swans 12 |
Shots/Headers On Target | Shrimpers 8 Swans 7 |
Shots/Headers Off Target | Shrimpers 3 Swans 4 |
Blocked shots | Shrimpers 1 Swans 0 |
Hit Woodwork | Shrimpers 0 Swans 1 |
Corners | Shrimpers 9 Swans 7 |
Free-kicks | Shrimpers 23 Swans 13 |
Offsides | Shrimpers 1 Swans 5 |
Sundries |
Match Time | 95:53 (First half: 46:27, Second half: 49:26) |
Indicated Stoppage Time | First half: 1 minute, Second half: 4 minutes |
Actual Stoppage Time | First half: 1:27, Second half: 4:26 |
Referee: Mike Russell (Hertfordshire FA) 7 out of 10 – a decent game in the middle, but a criticism was that Swansea needed a couple more bookings to ‘calm’ them down after some very rash tackles. |
Attendance: 4,940 (approx. 500 away fans) |
Programme Cover: Wayne Gray slips the ball past Nathan Abbey to secure a 2-0 lead for Southend against Boston in the previous match |
AND ANOTHER THING…
**Freddy Eastwood’s strike – timed definitively by TLG at 7.64 seconds – was the second fastest debut goal in League history, with Barrie Jones of Notts County netting after just six seconds against Torquay United in 1962. It shaved two seconds off of Sammy McCrory’s Southend record.
**His hat-trick, completed some 87 minutes later, was the first for Southend since Leon Cort’s at Roots Hall against Boston United in December 2002. Ironically the last Blues forward to bag three in one game was Tommy Mooney, on exactly the same date – October 16th – in 1993, when the Shrimpers defeated Oxford United 6-1.
**It is the first time that a Seasiders talent has bagged a hat-trick on his full debut since Richard Cadette against his old club Leyton Orient in August 1985, over 19 years ago. On that day the United front man bagged four, but he had already appeared as a substitute against Gillingham in the Auto Windscreens Shield.
**It is the first time United have won three home league matches in succession since April 2003, when Leyton Orient (1-0), Darlington (2-0) and Torquay United (3-0) were the unlucky trio.
**Spencer Prior scored his first goal since returning to Southend United – it was his fifth in his Shrimpers career.
**Ryan Clarke made his first start for Southend; Nick Morgan his first time on the bench. Michael Kightly appeared for the first time in 2004/5.
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com