To progress, Steve Tilson’s men only require to beat the Cobblers at Roots Hall, a feat that they have already achieved with a 2-1 triumph over Northampton during the normal League season. That said, the Shrimpers defeated Town twice at Sixfields, once in the League and once in the LDV Vans Trophy area quarter-finals prior to this summer fixture.
However, Southend will have to put to bed a hoodoo that has seen them defeated in three of the last four televised clashes, and having failed to score in over 360 minutes of action. A victory would also represent a first win in five matches for the Seasiders, who at least claimed a second successive draw after the 1-1 finish at Grimsby Town eight days earlier.
From that match, Tilson made just one change, replacing Wayne Gray with the returning Tesfaye Bramble, the Monserrat international who scored the last goal in Cambridge United’s 35-year Football League history a fortnight earlier. Freddy Eastwood retained his place in the starting line-up, with strikers Gray and Lawrie Dudfield both named on the substitutes’ bench.
In a tentative start, a Mark Gower free-kick flicked off a Northampton head and produced a corner that Bramble directed straight at former Arsenal trainee Lee Harper in the hosts’ net. Soon afterwards, at the other end, Lee Williamson darted in from the right-hand side and set up Scott McGleish, who miscued his shot completely from twelve yards.
Seconds later, a Charley Hearn corner was flicked onto the roof of the net by Cobblers captain Chris Willmott, who remained an aerial threat throughout the encounter. This was the only time, though, that he really got the better of man-of-the-match Spencer Prior at the heart of the Southend back-line.
In baking-hot spring sunshine, and with the obvious pressure of a Cup final-atmosphere, neither side was able to recreate the expansive football that had earned them a place in the top seven of Division Three. Instead it was left to the side’s renowned front men, Andy Kirk for the homesters and Freddy Eastwood for the visitors – who between them have bagged fifty goals this season – to feed on the scraps that were left.
Midfielder David Rowson won an important header at the expense of Prior on the edge of the penalty area, and Kirk found ex-Colchester United hitman McGleish running into the inside-right channel. His shot was low and true, but Darryl Flahavan made the first real save of the match.
It was Adam Barrett’s rampaging runs that perplexed Colin Calderwood’s side when they came, and just before the half-hour mark, the Professional Footballer’s Association Division Three Player-of-the-Year held off right-back Sam Togwell to cross for Eastwood, who blasted to the left of the goal. A similar run from Bramble five minutes later coaxed a tug from Willmott, who was booked for his unsporting behaviour.
Unfortunately, 34-year-old referee Lee Mason then got caught up in the occasion and the SKY cameras and produced further cautions for Duncan Jupp’s innocuous challenge on Williamson and Che Wilson, astoundingly having not touched Town’s record signing Josh Low. In between, Mark Bentley exchanged passes with Mark Gower and nodded low but straight at Harper from eight yards and Williamson’s fierce drive from 25 yards was brilliantly parried away by an unsighted Flahavan after Low’s free-kick had been cleared.
Half-time: Northampton Town 0 Southend United 0
At half-time, Bramble’s hamstring tightened up and he was replaced by former Town hero Lawrie Dudfield in a like-for-like change. Initially it was the away side that threatened most in the second half, with Bentley heading wide to the right of goal from a Gower corner. Barrett also missed the target, this time after Bentley had headed into his path thirty yards out.
The ineffectual Gower was taken off on the hour, with diminutive Luke Guttridge coming on. Colin Calderwood also made a switch, with Williamson brought off and danger man Martin Smith his replacement. Still Southend had the better of the half-chances, with Dudfield held by Willmott and skipper Kevin Maher’s free-kick being headed over by Eastwood after he had clambered above Rowson.
Maher also shot well wide, whilst Bentley was added into the referee’s notebook despite seemingly being assaulted by Fred Murray on the left. Smith dispossessed Guttridge on the left flank and crossed for McGleish, who nodded over the crossbar with a diving effort. Another dangerous moment arrived a quarter-of-an-hour from the end when Kirk dribbled past Barrett, but his shot bounced invitingly for Flahavan.
The dangerous incidents were now occurring away from the 1,000-strong Shrimpers faithful, and Smith again caused problems when he wriggled free of Duncan Jupp and shot towards goal, the ball appearing to hit Guttridge as he tracked across the penalty area.
In the final twelve minutes, both teams missed their best opportunities in what was a forgettable match. Firstly Eastwood, who had not imposed himself on the game, finally beat Crystal Palace-loanee Togwell in the Northampton right-back role, and crossed for Guttridge, who somehow managed to find the supporting post behind the goal whilst unmarked six yards out at the back post.
His next attempt on goal was headed away by McGleish, and Dudfield also tapped a shot at Harper after a raking fifty-yard pass from left-back Che Wilson. Then, in the final minute of the game, Town wasted the chance to take a 1-0 lead into the second leg. Hearn found Kirk in behind the ageing Prior, and the Northern Ireland international was denied by a stretching Flahavan, who turned his goalbound effort around the right-hand upright. It was to prove a match-saver, and means the sides return to Essex next Saturday evening with the tie all-square at 0-0.
Full-time: Northampton Town 0 Southend United 0
NORTHAMPTON TOWN | 0 | D3 | 0 | SOUTHEND UNITED |
6601 | ||||
4-4-2 | TEAMS | 4-4-2 | ||
Lee HARPER | Darryl FLAHAVAN | |||
Sam TOGWELL | Duncan JUPP | |||
Luke CHAMBERS | Spencer PRIOR | |||
Chris WILLMOTT | Adam BARRETT | |||
Fred MURRAY | Che WILSON | |||
Lee WILLIAMSON | 58 | Carl PETTEFER | ||
David ROWSON | Kevin MAHER | |||
Charley HEARN | Mark BENTLEY | |||
Josh LOW | 73 | 60 | Mark GOWER | |
Scott McGLEISH | 87 | Freddy EASTWOOD | ||
Andy KIRK | h-t | Tesfaye BRAMBLE | ||
SUBS | ||||
Mark BUNN | Bart GRIEMINK | |||
David HUNT | Andy EDWARDS | |||
Marc RICHARDS | h-t | Lawrie DUDFIELD | ||
Eric SABIN | 73 | 87 | Wayne GRAY | |
Martin SMITH | 58 | 60 | Luke GUTTRIDGE |
Match Statistics |
Northampton Town (0)…0 Southend United (0)…0 @ Sixfields Stadium, Northampton in the Division Three Play-Offs Semi-Final First Leg on Sunday 15/05/05 |
Goals: none |
Bookings: Northampton: Willmott 35 (foul), Hearn 67 (foul); Southend: Jupp 37 (foul), Wilson 45+1 (foul), Bentley 69 (foul). |
Sent-off: none |
Total Goal Efforts | Cobblers 10 Shrimpers 12 |
Shots/Headers On Target | Cobblers 3 Shrimpers 3 |
Shots/Headers Off Target | Cobblers 5 Shrimpers 6 |
Blocked shots | Cobblers 2 Shrimpers 3 |
Hit Woodwork | Cobblers 0 Shrimpers 0 |
Corners | Cobblers 10 Shrimpers 3 |
Free-kicks | Cobblers 20 Shrimpers 15 |
Offsides | Cobblers 1 Shrimpers 2 |
Sundries |
Match Time | 94:40 (First half: 46:22, Second half: 48:18) |
Indicated Stoppage Time | First half: 1 minute, Second half: 3 minutes |
Referee: Lee Mason (Cheshire FA) 6 out of 10 (3/5 General Control, 1/3 Application of the Laws of the game, 2/2 Appearance and Personality) – started off well, but after he had booked Willmott for Northampton, he quickly lost control, and failed to regain it. Failed continually to spot Togwell’s foul throws and gave some suspicious free-kicks. |
Attendance: 6,601 (approximately 1,050 Shrimpers) |
Programme Cover: Andy Kirk, Josh Low and Fred Murray celebrate a goal |
Robert Craven