CHAIRBOYS IN SMASH AND GRAB RAID
The fbm match report

On a sunny Roots Hall afternoon in front of over 4000 fans, Southend yet again managed to somehow snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and possibly give a taste of things to come for the coming season.

This writers slight anxiety at having no sub keeper on the bench was tempered by the four attacking players of Drewe Broughton, Wayne Gray, Jim Corbett and Michael Kightly so obviously if things didn’t go to plan then there were plenty of options for Steve Tilson to change things about.  From my position in the RBS stand there was a definite absence of any “kazoo” music but there was a drum beating down in F block and plenty of singing from both sets of fans.

Southend United started the brighter of the two sides and after a scrappy opening 10 minutes started to create chances.  The Wycombe midfield started to give the ball away and although they were well organised and strong, they really didn’t seem to be all that good.  Certainly there was nothing to support their lofty league position.

Tes Bramble looked hungry and caused Wycombe problems.  He combined with Lewis Hunt on 14 minutes and played a one-two which sent Hunt into the box but the experienced Frank Talia gathered at his feet.  He then launched a ball into the Shrimpers half to set up a counter attack which came to nothing, but this showed that Wycombe were going to be quick on the break.

Chances continued to be created by the Shrimpers and Tes scuffed a shot from 25 yards out before a fantastic sustained spell of pressure from Southend saw several crosses and moves that very nearly produced a goal.  The best of these came after some hard work by the midfield and a great run down the left wing by Mark Bentley, who took the ball to the by-line, pulled it across the goal and it just evaded the incoming Carl Pettefer on the goal line by centimetres.  Wycombe failed to clear properly and more tackling and hard work saw Lawrie Dudfield get to the by-line on the right and put a cross in, only for Talia to leap out and palm the ball to safety before the ball got to Bramble at the back post.

The Shrimpers were in total command and I don’t think Darryl Flahavan, making his first start of the season, touched the ball more than about twice.  The travelling army sat in stunned silence as the Shrimpers midfield chased, harried and bossed their Buckinghamshire visitors and surely a goal was only a matter of time.  Sure enough, just before half time, a rare foray by the visitors down their left ended with Duncan Jupp winning a tackle and feeding Pettefer who played a one-two with Bramble on the touchline. Petts took the ball into Wycombe’s half and played the ball into the channel for Dudfield, who was challenged on the edge of the box.  The ball ran free and Pettefer, who had continued his run, got to the by-line and crossed for Bentley to head home from four yards.  A truly tremendous goal and no more than the Shrimpers deserved.

Southend nearly created two more chances before the break to extend their lead but the half finished with home side going off to a standing ovation and Wycombe looking very miserable.

The Blue Belles were in fine form at the break (and in fine dress!) and this surely was just the warm up to a second half which would hopefully see Southend consolidate and extend their lead. Again Wycombe started slowly and the Shrimpers continued where they left off.  A Jupp cross from the right was flicked on by Bentley to an unmarked Mark Gower who, with the goal at his mercy, sliced his shot wide from 10 yards.

Surprisingly Wycombe made an early substitution bringing on the enormous Savage for one of their defenders.  This didn’t initially give Southend too many problems and they continued to create chances. Dudfield, who had run himself into the ground all afternoon, made a sweet turn and got to the by-line before pulling it back fractionally behind Gower.  Blues forced three corners on the trot and after more sustained pressure, Dudfield cut across goal from the right and hot a left foot shot narrowly over.

If it sounds as though I’m only talking about Southend’s chances, then please bear in mind that up to this point (60 minutes or so) Wycombe just HAD NOT BEEN IN THE GAME!  They had not mustered a shot, a corner, or in fact anything remotely threatening. Then, completely out of the blue, Nathan Tyson sprang the Shrimpers offside trap and raced clear in the right channel and into the box.  He finished coolly in the far corner and suddenly it was 1-1.  Wycombe had scored with their only attempt at goal.  There was some talk of offside but I personally think it was a well timed run.

Southend were shocked and Wycombe took advantage with a period of sustained pressure during which they forced three corners in succession.  Then, after a Gower run and pass to Dudfield who couldn’t capitalise, the ball was played out and Adam Barrett half slipped on the centre line allowing Tyson another free run.  Spencer Prior made up tremendous ground and tried to make a tackle, but Tyson had already shot goalwards.  It was therefore left to Flahavan to make an excellent save down low to his left. Tyson again broke clear on the left and this time was miles offside but the linesman AGAIN didn’t flag. Fortunately for Southend Tyson trod on the ball in the box and the attack petered out.

Southend, having weathered the storm, came back into the game and Dudfield had a break which he couldn't convert into a proper chance.  Then, Pettefer cut inside and hit a superb curling shot that hit the angle of post and bar before being cleared to safety. It was end to end now but with about ten minutes to go the inevitable happened.  Lewis Hunt and Bentley gave far too much time to their midfield counterparts and allowed the ball to be played square about 25 yards out.  Gower was caught ball watching and failed to intercept the Wycome No. 7 Danny Senda, who picked up the ball and shot into the roof of the net from 25 yards.  Unfortunately, although Flahavan could not be blamed, we have again paid the price for his lack of height as the ball went straight over his hands.

Tilson then made two changes but it was far too late.  Drewe came on for Tes and Gray for Gower.  Why then, with two wide players on the bench, did we opt for the “through the middle” ploy?  Surprise, surprise! It didn’t work and the only other incident was when Tyson again broke clear on the left and launched himself into Jupp.  Both players needed lengthy treatment and whilst Jupp was being substituted for Andy Edwards, the referee saw fit to book him.  The Shrimpers now had no shape at all and Wycombe played out the game with Southend failing to muster a further shot.

Finally, before the ratings, a word on the two enforced team changes.  Kevin Maher, in my opinion, was not missed today.  In fact Lewis Hunt worked tirelessly and played several good balls into the channels.  We got to the by-line on more occasions in this game than in the previous ten years collectively and looked dangerous every single time.  Having said that, just before their second goal, I did comment to my mate that Maher would have probably been closer than Hunt was to their midfielder.

Darryl Flahavan came out for a cross today and threw the ball out quickly twice.  He made one cracking save.  He did not make any mistakes.   Yet we still conceded two goals at home – again – and lost the match.  Griemink almost certainly would have tipped their second one over because he is so much taller. I'm sorry but Darryl cannot change his height and we will NOT go anywhere with him in the goal on a regular basis.

The fbm Ratings

Flahavan -  6.  See above

Jupp – 7.  Great tackling and crossing.  Very unlucky IMHO to be booked.
Wilson – 7.  Steady and some good crosses as well.
Prior – 8.  Didn’t do much wrong.
Barrett – 8. Captains performance and made some brilliant challenges.

Pettefer – 8.  Excellent performance and could have had two goals.
Hunt – 8.  Filled in the holding role and played balls into the channels which gave the Shrimpers more options going forward.
Bentley – 8.  Scored his first of the season and battled well.
Gower – 7.  Better than I’ve seen him but still needs to improve further.

Dudfield – 8.5 – MOTM.  Ran tirelessly and was unlucky not to have scored.  Linked up well with Bramble.
Bramble – 7.  Worked hard and caused problems but match fitness is still short.  He tired badly at the end of the first half and should really have been taken off after 70 minutes.

Subs – None did anything at all due to lack of time and opportunity.

What the fans thought ...

To follow ...

What the managers thought ...

STEVE TILSON (SUFC) :
"I'm disappointed with the linesman for the first goal. I felt we totally dominated the match from start to finish, a bit like the Bristol Rovers game. But we have to finish teams off when you go 1-0 up. We had decent chances but we have been done by bad decisions. That first goal knocked the stuffing out of us.We played ever so well. I said at the end of the game that we have to kill teams off. We got punished for not finishing them off. It was a great build up to our first goal, Petts put in a great cross and Beno has got into the correct area to finish it off. He's been second to none this season and keeps getting into the box so he deserved that today.There were lots of examples where out luck isn't going for us Pettefer has hit the woodwork and if that had been them it would have gone in. Wycombe have gone top now, we are that close from being a top six side but we need to bury our chances otherwise we will always be fighting to win games."

TONY ADAM (WWFC) :
"It was good to get a result from a match where we weren't at our best. What I was particularly pleased about was the manner in which we defended with Stuart Nethercott and Mike Williamson very strong and Frank Talia commanding throughout the 90 minutes. We needed to talk things through at half-time as we had given them too much possession, especially down the flanks with Gower and Dudfield. When we finally got Nathan Tyson in, he did what he does best and finished in style to give the team something to work on. The winning goal from Danny Senda was a bit special and it was possibly the only time in the game that he managed to get a second touch on the ball. I don't want to talk too much about being top as I would rather have that situation with three games of the season left. There is still a very long way to go and we just have to concentrate on developing the team, rather than worrying about where we are in the table."