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Boss plays big guns in Trophy
25th January 2005
ANDY KING will field his strongest possible side at Roots Hall with the manager challenging his players to add ‘medal winner’ to their CV.
While fringe players have been used in previous rounds and indeed previous seasons, the manager will thrust all his big guns into action.
The only omission will be Steve Jenkins who is cup-tied after playing in an earlier round for Peterborough.
On the plus side Derby County have granted Lee Holmes permission to play and club captain Matt Hewlett’s neck injury has recovered sufficiently for him to be included in the squad.
King said: “No-one will be rested. I’m not going to play a weakened side if I want to win a football match.
“There is a lot at stake. Obviously it is important financially to the directors but my players haven’t tasted success here so I’d imagine it’s massively important to them.
“I think it’s very important to have some success on your CV. You want to say you’ve played in a cup final and to have played at Cardiff.
“They have got to be up for it. It is a football match we need to win.”
As for tonight’s opponents, King has run the rule over the Shrimpers once this year and despatched Steve Robinson to Field Mill to watch Southend at Mansfield on Saturday.
He said: “I sent Robbo to watch them, it’s a good education for him, and he came to the same conclusions as me.
“Southend are a very, very good footballing side. There isn’t a great divide in terms of division. They’re right up there in their league.”
King reiterated his belief that success in the LDV was not at the detriment of the play-off quest.
The manager still maintains his team can produce a consistent run to help them climb an inconsistent league.
He said: “I’m so frustrated that we can’t put a run together.
“We are 11th in the league, it hasn’t been fantastic, I admit that as the manager. But it isn’t a total disaster.”
King has analysed the situation and feels Town have struggled to find either of the necessary formulae for success.
He said: “We had two goalscorers last season and that obviously hasn’t been the case this time.
“Sam Parkin has done his bit again but the goals haven’t come from elsewhere. I think Andy Gurney had scored seven or so by this stage last year. We haven’t had that this time.
“You can have more clean sheets, which means you’re hard to beat, or you can score more goals than anyone else.
“We’ve fallen between the two categories.”
Rory Fallon could be handed another opportunity tonight and King insists the most effective way for his forwards to keep their place is to do what they are paid for.
He said: “Go in there, stay in the box, score goals and you stay in the team.”
25th January 2005
ANDY KING will field his strongest possible side at Roots Hall with the manager challenging his players to add ‘medal winner’ to their CV.
While fringe players have been used in previous rounds and indeed previous seasons, the manager will thrust all his big guns into action.
The only omission will be Steve Jenkins who is cup-tied after playing in an earlier round for Peterborough.
On the plus side Derby County have granted Lee Holmes permission to play and club captain Matt Hewlett’s neck injury has recovered sufficiently for him to be included in the squad.
King said: “No-one will be rested. I’m not going to play a weakened side if I want to win a football match.
“There is a lot at stake. Obviously it is important financially to the directors but my players haven’t tasted success here so I’d imagine it’s massively important to them.
“I think it’s very important to have some success on your CV. You want to say you’ve played in a cup final and to have played at Cardiff.
“They have got to be up for it. It is a football match we need to win.”
As for tonight’s opponents, King has run the rule over the Shrimpers once this year and despatched Steve Robinson to Field Mill to watch Southend at Mansfield on Saturday.
He said: “I sent Robbo to watch them, it’s a good education for him, and he came to the same conclusions as me.
“Southend are a very, very good footballing side. There isn’t a great divide in terms of division. They’re right up there in their league.”
King reiterated his belief that success in the LDV was not at the detriment of the play-off quest.
The manager still maintains his team can produce a consistent run to help them climb an inconsistent league.
He said: “I’m so frustrated that we can’t put a run together.
“We are 11th in the league, it hasn’t been fantastic, I admit that as the manager. But it isn’t a total disaster.”
King has analysed the situation and feels Town have struggled to find either of the necessary formulae for success.
He said: “We had two goalscorers last season and that obviously hasn’t been the case this time.
“Sam Parkin has done his bit again but the goals haven’t come from elsewhere. I think Andy Gurney had scored seven or so by this stage last year. We haven’t had that this time.
“You can have more clean sheets, which means you’re hard to beat, or you can score more goals than anyone else.
“We’ve fallen between the two categories.”
Rory Fallon could be handed another opportunity tonight and King insists the most effective way for his forwards to keep their place is to do what they are paid for.
He said: “Go in there, stay in the box, score goals and you stay in the team.”
