The Shrimpers have only won three of the fourteen meetings between the two clubs since dropping back into the Football League’s basement division, and the last of those, a 1-0 triumph in March 2002, was the only one to have come at Roots Hall in seven attempts. Mark Salter’s fifth-minute strike sealed the points that day but did not save manager Rob Newman’s job, tonight John Mackie’s looping header was enough to reverse that scoreline.
The result also meant that Blues lost their first League match in fifteen following a 2-0 York Street defeat to Boston United, and in conceding just their second League Two goal at the Hall in 2005, they also slipped to a first home loss since December 28th, when Mansfield Town returned to Nottinghamshire with the same score.
Referee Phillip Dowd, a man more used to the vast confines of Anfield or Old Trafford as part of the select group of officials, has come under fierce criticism from Blues boss Steve Tilson, but aside from a couple of contentious bookings and a horrendous tackle on Wayne Gray just outside the penalty area that went unnoticed, the Staffordshire man had a reasonable night.
Tilson kept faith with the side that lost 2-0 to Wrexham in the final of the LDV Vans Trophy five days earlier, with the only change on the substitutes’ bench. Nick Morgan, the six-foot eight-inch tall goalkeeper, replaced Craig Holloway, who has returned to Nationwide Conference club Farnborough Town after their curtailed his loan period with the Seasiders.
Orient, who had not won away from Brisbane Road for twelve matches, a run stretching back to a late November single-goal triumph over Mansfield at Field Mill, made three changes from the starting eleven that lost 2-0 at Rochdale last weekend. Lee Harrison came in for Glenn Morris between the sticks and youngster Derek Duncan replaced Brian Saah in midfield.
The biggest switch came on the left-hand side as Matthew Lockwood, Rochford-born and subject of transfer speculation linking him to a summer switch to his hometown club, was reintroduced to the side at the expense of Aiden Palmer. Lockwood was jeered and taunted by the home support and widely acclaimed by the visitors after being substituted midway through the second half.
The match was typically tense from the very start. It took eight minutes before either side registered a shot on goal, and that eventually came from Mark Gower, cutting inside from the left-wing onto his favoured right foot before blasting an effort into Mackie from close range. Half a minute later, Freddy Eastwood followed it up with a swirling, dipping drive that Harrison did well to palm around the left-hand post.
A glimpse of the dangers to follow arrived on the quarter-hour mark when ex-Port Vale midfielder Daryl McMahon was allowed space to roam and his wicked shot from thirty yards spun ferociously away from namesake Flahavan in the Southend goal, the Southampton-born shotstopper hopeless as the ball cannoned against the underside of the crossbar and bounced away. At the other end, Kevin Maher’s free-kick was stabbed wide of the post by Adam Barrett on the stretch.
The defender, who had been in the clear, was left to rue that opportunity as on 21 minutes the O’s struck. All of Barrett’s ten goals this season have come from his head, and it was in such a manner that the opposition got theirs. Lockwood’s inswinging corner from the right-wing was met by Mackie, using Spencer Prior as leverage, and he looped his aerial attempt over Flahavan and into the centre of the goal. (0-1)
There were but a couple of chances in what became a disjointed remainder of the half. Both came from Lockwood’s flag-kicks, one on either flank, and whilst the first header from Gabriel Zakuani was nodded off target leaning backwards, the second was much further from goal as the same central defender skewed his header away from goal when left unmarked at the far post.
The half ended with the first two of what was to become six bookings as Dowd finally lost patience with a match that was gently sliding out of his control. First Michel Simpson was cautioned for shoving his hand in Mark Bentley’s face, and then Maher followed his fellow midfielder into the book for a foul on McMahon in stoppage time.
Half-time: Southend United 0 Leyton Orient 1
Within two minutes of the restart, the Shrimpers had registered another shot off target, with Bentley holding the ball up for Gower to square to Eastwood and the forward to curl inches over the angle with Harrison always aware of the ball’s position. At the other end, Donny Barnard, who was by now operating as a right wing-back, crossed for McMahon to direct poorly wide of the right-hand post.
Balls down the centre of the Orient defence appeared to be causing problems as the three centre-backs did not know who to pick up, and when Che Wilson won an important challenge with Lee Steele, he immediately set Wayne Gray free. The striker’s first touch was exceptional, but the second was heavy, and although he managed to get past Harrison, a slightly unfair tackle by Zakuani inside the penalty area went unpunished.
Seconds later, it was Mark Gower’s turn to play the killer pass as ex-Dagenham & Redbridge midfielder Bentley accelerated through the Londoner’s back-line. Unfortunately the 26-year-old lacks a little confidence when one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and Harrison was able to get a strong hand to a weak sidefooted effort.
When Gray was seemingly hauled down by a savage tackle by Mackie when just feet away from being clean through on goal, Dowd waved play on and Bentley was yellow-carded for the eleventh time this season for his protests. Blues were almost caught out as Barnard’s opportunist lob set Steele away, and he hung the ball up to the far post, where Gary Alexander was denied by a sprawling Flahavan, clawing away the target man’s initial header and then clinging onto the rebound.
From then on, it was one-way traffic towards the South Stand as Southend tried desperately to grab the equaliser that would take them a point clear of Swansea City in clear second place in the table with just four games remaining. Eastwood, receiving the ball from Bentley wide on the right, cut inside again, feigning to shoot twice before Harrison parried his well-struck effort away from goal. He ten burst through in the inside-right position, but his shot only made the net ripple as it slide along the ball and deflected off of the advertising hoardings.
Lawrie Dudfield was introduced at the expense of the ineffectual Carl Pettefer with just a tad under 20 minutes left, but it was Gower who fired the next salvo, a low effort saved easily by Harrison. The custodian was getting ever more confident, and Alan McCormack came on for Gower as Blues reverted to a 4-3-3 shape. A rampant run from Barrett ended in the defender striking viciously over the crossbar from 25 yards.
Gray showed the desperation in the ranks to atone for the defeat in Wales and earn a point as a bicycle kick from the edge of the penalty area drifted wide of the goal. Zakuani seemed to handle a long Duncan Jupp free-kick into the area, but it would have been a harsh decision on the impressive centre-back. In a final throw of the dice. Eastwood turned Mackie after Barrett had nodded down Jupp’s free-kick, but his shot dribbled wide of the right post. As so often against Orient, it was not to be.
Full-time: Southend United 0 Leyton Orient 1
0 CCL2 1 4-4-2 TEAMS 3-5-2 Darryl FLAHAVAN Lee HARRISON Duncan JUPP John MACKIE Spencer PRIOR Gabriel ZAKUANI Adam BARRETT Justin MILLER Che WILSON Donny BARNARD Carl PETTEFER 71 Daryl McMAHON Mark BENTLEY Michael SIMPSON Kevin MAHER Derek DUNCAN Mark GOWER 81 67 Matt LOCKWOOD Freddy EASTWOOD Gary ALEXANDER Wayne GRAY Lee STEELE Nick MORGAN Glenn MORRIS Andy EDWARDS Wayne CARLISLE Lawrie DUDFIELD 71 Brian SAAH Alan McCORMACK 81 67 Aiden PALMER Luke GUTTRIDGE Efe ECHANOMISOUTHEND UNITED
LEYTON ORIENT
9189
John Mackie 22
SUBS
Match Statistics |
Southend United (0)…0 Leyton Orient (0)…1 @ Roots Hall, Southend-on-Sea in Coca-Cola League Two on Friday 15/04/05 |
Goal: Leyton Orient: Mackie 22 (looping header from Lockwood corner; inside area; timed at 21:27). |
Bookings: Southend: Maher 45+1 (foul), Bentley 59 (dissent), McCormack 88 (dissent), Prior 90+2 (foul); Leyton Orient: Simpson 43 (ungentlemanly conduct), Palmer 78 (unsporting behaviour). |
Sent-off: none |
Total Goal Efforts | Shrimpers 14 Orient 10 |
Shots/Headers On Target | Shrimpers 7 Orient 3 |
Shots/Headers Off Target | Shrimpers 6 Orient 4 |
Blocked shots | Shrimpers 1 Orient 2 |
Hit Woodwork | Shrimpers 0 Orient 1 |
Corners | Shrimpers 5 Orient 7 |
Free-kicks | Shrimpers 25 Orient 7 |
Offsides | Shrimpers 9 Orient 4 |
Sundries |
Match Time | 95:41 (First half: 47:26, Second half: 48:15) |
Indicated Stoppage Time | First half: 2 minutes, Second half: 3 minutes. |
Actual Stoppage Time | First half: 2:26, Second half: 3:15. |
Referee: Phillip Dowd (Staffordshire FA) 7 out of 10 (general control 3/5, application of laws 2/3, appearance and personality 2/2) – major wrong decision was the foul on Gray, plus another couple of half-appeals in the penalty area that would not have been complained about had Blues been one-up. Dished out cards unashamedly. |
Attendance: 9189 (approximately 1,600 away fans) |
Programme Cover: Alan McCormack gutted as Juan Ugarte wheels away in delight in Cardiff. |
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com