Shrimpers Rammed At Pride Park – Derby County 3-0 Southend United

For travelling Southend fans, the occasion seemed promising. Afterall, another impressive stadium to visit were the Blues would undoubtedly be underestimated and the highly-rated Gary Hooper made was making his first league start for the Shrimpers, and Michael Ricketts was on the bench again, not to mention the fact that prior to the game Derby hadn't won at home all season. However, we hadn't won away from Roots Hall either.

Having polished off my tasty meat and potato pie (something I love doing prior to the match), I took my seat and was delighted at the view of the playing surface from where I was situated. I thought to myself, “two years ago at Grimsby, there seemed more pillars than seats – two years later and theres not one in the entire ground”, however, on the basis of the Blues second half performance, I wished the pillars were impeding my view for once.

As negative as I appear in my opening two paragraphs, it wasn't a bad start by any stretch of the imagination and some free-flowing, confident passing was evident from the away side. This eventually lead to former County player Lewis Hunt providing a superb driven cross that was just too far in front of Freddy Eastwood to convert.

Derby also had their chances, but to be honest were just plain wasteful throughout the first half. Morten Bisgaard should really have hit the target after a well planned free-kick routine gave him space to line-up a shot from the edge of the box, but the midfielder curled wide of the post with Darryl Flahavan in no trouble at all.

Arturo Lupoli then somehow scuffed his left footed shot wide following Ryan Smith's cross from the left before Steve Howard headed over after a cross from the right.

Southend eventually found another shooting opportunity in the unlikely form of Kevin Maher, the Shrimpers longest serving player was agonisingly close to opening the scoring. After some neat build-up play that started with Peter Clarke, Mark Gower played a ball to Steve Hammell on the left wing and his low cross went all the way to the edge of the box where Kevin Maher stabbed a side-footed shot towards Lee Grant's bottom corner. Just as the ball looked to be in the net, Grant somehow pushed the ball away for a corner and Southend's best chance of the game – bar maybe one other- had gone.

Steve Howard, who had missed a sitter just moments before Maher's opportunity managed to miss again, this time volleying another excellent delivery over the bar from just six yards out. Howard was mocked for his miss by the Southend faithful, but they were soon silenced, albeit momentarily, moments later.

With 40 minutes played, Howard's knock down was collected by former Southampton midfielder Matt Oakley, who's precise through ball set Lupoli away and past Adam Barrett after he had got the wrong side. Darryl Flahavan did well to make an original block at Lupoli's feet, but as Flahavan got to his feet and tried to guard his near post, Lupoli blasted the ball in the near post at an acute angle. It was certainly a game-changing moment and the last thing that the Southend players needed.

Perhaps still shaken confidence-wise following the goal, the Seasiders barely had a chance to try and grab an equaliser before Derby had doubled their advantage. After Steve Hammell upended Ryan Smith on the edge of the penalty area, the resulting free-kick was allowed to reach the far post through a lack of communication between Flahavan and the rest of the defence, and an unmarked Michael Johnson easily headed in Derby's second.

Arguments were visible between the Southend players whilst Derby celebrated, as everyone appeared to be blaming someone else for the goal and not taking responsibility individually and collectively for it.

At this stage in the game, some five minutes into the second half, Southend had to either step up their game altogether, or otherwise face taking a heavy and embarrassing defeat. Well that's how I saw it anyway. I explained to my mate beside me that I thought the next goal would decide one of those two fates.

It looked for a moment like Southend had got the goal they desperately needed to get themselves back into the game. Five minutes after Derby's second goal, Simon Francis headed down the right wing and delivered a pin-point cross to the back post, and after Freddy Eastwood had lost his marker, he volleyed the ball into the side netting, with the angle proving ultimately to tight.

The miss proved critical as Derby scored a third goal just after the hour mark. Another well placed thorugh pass from the Rams midfield, this time Bisgaard, was raced onto again by Lupoli and the result was the same – a driven shot past Flahavan and into the net, the only difference being it Lupoli used his right foot to score this time.

Steve Tilson made a couple of changes that probably should have come earlier – Gary Hooper was replaced by Michael Ricketts and Jamal Campbell-Ryce came on for Simon Francis a while afterwards.

Once the substitutes were made, the effort and urgency suddenly appeared increased, and those spectators ready to make an early get-a-way stayed still for a minute. It even looked as though Michael Ricketts had got the Blues a consolidation goal, his header at the back post forcing an excellent save out of Lee Grant. Freddy Eastwood had a shot cleared off the line from the resulting corner.

However, despite the Blues battling spirit in the last ten minutes, the game was more than over at that stage and the result put the Blues into the relegation zone for the first time this season, and sent the Shrimpers fans home disappointed for not the first away game this season!

Adam Duffill
www.thelittlegazette.com