Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 0 - 0 Bristol Rovers

[Evening Echo]

Match report: Southend United 0, Bristol Rovers 0

SOUTHEND United ended their League One season with a drab 0-0 against Bristol Rovers – despite the Pirates playing the entire second half with 10 men.

More...

 

[RHB]

Last game of the season, we surely can't leave it to the Echo alone to post a match report. Get it here as they say.

 

[Shrimpergarry]

A game that started brightly but was ruined by us losing both central midfielders to injury in the first half (and having none on the bench to replace them) and Rovers shutting up shop and time-wasting after having one of theirs sent off before half time.

We huffed and puffed but didn't have many decent shots on target. Had we kept Mantom and Yearwood for the whole game we'd have probably strolled it, but effectively at one point we had 5 players whose first choice position is full back, 3 strikers and 2 wingers as our outfield players and frankly in showed!

6/10 for everyone,

3/10 for the ref who was fussy when it didn't matter (Kightly's corner being 1mm outside the quadrant) and blasé about things that he should have worried about (excessive time-wasting by their 'keeper)

 

[shrimper-james]

Decent game as goalless draws go. We looked bright but couldn’t take our chances sadly. Red card ruined the game as Bristol then parked the bus and we struggled to break through at times. Still, another clean sheet for Oxley and a pleasing 10th place finish all things considered. Brilliant support as usual today, and a shoutout to the 821 Bristol fans. Great support for a basically meaningless game.
Can’t wait for next season now. Let’s hope it’s one to remember.



And don’t get me started on that ref....

 

[Lord Football]

Tra

End of season games with nothing to play for have a tendency to be drab affairs. Occassionally however, teams don't bother with defending and you get a decent send off. Sadly, this was the former.

First half wasn't too bad. We played some lovely stuff. Dru looked imperious in midfield, and seems to have developed a cracking partnership if Mantom. We played the ball around with some aplomb. Some lovely interplay got players in decent positions, but fair play to Rovers, they defended manfully. Cox hit the bar, Robinson shot softly and Dimi went wide with a cross/shot. Rovers offered little going forward, instead spending most of their time kicking lumps out of our players. However, it wasn't a Rovers boot that resulted in Dru going off with an injured.

Without Wordsworth or Wright or Timlin on bench, Dimi moved into midfield with Coker moving into left back. The game changed permanently when Clarke was sent off for a second caution (though it took the referee a while to realise he'd booked him before) after a foul on Mantom. Not only did it take Mantom out of the game it "inspired" Rovers to implement the most negative tactics we've seen all season.

Second half, with a central midfield pairing of Cox and Dimi, we came up against a wall of checkered shirts with no desire to attack and we simply couldn't find our way through or around them. They however hit the post with their only meaningful attempt on target. The only entertainment was watching the clown in purple making himself look completely ridiculous when attempting to make Kightly move the ball, that didn't need moving, at a corner.

So, the last game of the season petered out into a disappointing anti climax.... which I suppose was appropriate given the massive amount of hype and hope back in August.

 

[RHB]

There wasn't a lot in that game that will stay in my memory for very long and I think Shrimpergarry has called it about right. One thing that I think is worth a mention though was John White's charge into the Bristol penalty area early in the first half. JW got the ball and in the style of Alan Hanson off he went,.......and went.....and went. By the time he hit their six yard box I thought we were going to see a JW goal of the century, not to be sadly, as he disappeared into a flock of Bristol defenders, but well tried anyway John. I also thought that their number 9, Harrison, was probably one of the most awkward and annoying forwards I have seen at the Hall this season, and at times he was a dirty bugger, but you had to give the guy his due, he kept at it the whole game. It should be mentioned that we kept another clean sheet in case you hadn't noticed, And that, fellow Zoners, is it for this season.

Ooops....I forgot to mention Sam Mantom. I was highly impressed with his determination to carry on after his injury. I fully expected him to stay gone after Ben walked him off, but no, back he came. It sort of made me wonder whether he wants to stay on a permanent basis, that would be nice, wouldn't it?

 

[OldBlueLady]

For a game with nothing riding on it how hard did they play for a draw, and a nil nil one at that?! Dirty tactics that went unpunished, lots of elbows being thrown and at least three incidents of our players being held round their necks (Theo, Cox and Fortuné). Some really shocking tackles, one on Macca I remember as well as the one on Mantom. I didn't see what happened when Dru went down so can't comment on that.

Similar in start to our first half last week and hoped for a similar second half but that all went to pot when we were forced into two changes, losing both centre midfielders (hugely ironic). Made absolute sense to bring Coker on as Elvis was being properly got at. The Rovers centre forward was a determined character and causing problems, our youngsters at the back knew they'd been in a battle.

Some chances we probably should have put away, and it was a real shame for us to end the season with no goals. Was surprised at Coxy's MOTM, felt John White gave another strong performance, certainly enough to win the MOTM.

Enjoyed the walkabout, the awards were quite predictable, what on earth is "save of the season" all about though?! :unsure:

Ref was shocking, showed all his inexperience. Totally out of his depth.

Ooops....I forgot to mention Sam Mantom. I was highly impressed with his determination to carry on after his injury. I fully expected him to stay gone after Ben walked him off, but no, back he came. It sort of made me wonder whether he wants to stay on a permanent basis, that would be nice, wouldn't it?

I think he would like to, certainly was liking his time here when we spoke to him at the sponsors evening.

 

[buffalowolf]

Despite the result ,i think in January everyone of us on here would have given his back teeth for us to finish tenth,well done to SCP and his staff and too the players for getting behind him and finishing the second half off the season so strongly. Now we wait on the transfer window etc , reckon this off season is going to be exciting,wouldnt be surprised one bit if SCP already has players lined up.

 

[Barling Magna]

So that's the way it ends, not with a bang but a whimper. I hope the lads have more luck next season, more draws like that will send fans up the wall........

Let's buy a couple of useful players in the close season and start positively in August. Have a great summer everyone.

 

[fbm]

Not much to add. Knew it would be 0-0 when we lost both midfielders and they parked the bus. Credit to their no 9, horrible, nasty player and can we have him please?

Poor today from Demi, Elvis and Theo (save one superb bit of chasing down in front of the South East corner). Some dutch guys sat behind had come over to watch; called Kightly as MOM. Said we had no style over here and we only looked like we were trying late on. Interesting how they saw it.

Roll on next season. Am encouraged by Oxleys words; he will be the best signing we make. I think there will be a few on their way otherwise.

 

[SHRIMPERPETER]

Would love Mantom to sign permanently, Wordy and Wright going if true, couldn't give a toss! Hopefully something gets sorted with Oxley though , he's turned into a true no1:thumbsup:

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

Ooops....I forgot to mention Sam Mantom. I was highly impressed with his determination to carry on after his injury. I fully expected him to stay gone after Ben walked him off, but no, back he came. It sort of made me wonder whether he wants to stay on a permanent basis, that would be nice, wouldn't it?

I hear Mantom is going back to Scunthorpe and will be available for their play off matches. I doubt he would go back in the starting 11 but could be on the bench if fit.
I think he still has 1 year on his contract so it will be interesting to see if we put in an offer.

 

[greyerfox]

It has largely been said above but would add that we did have some very presentable chances which we failed to put away, notably Theo who had three. Generally our shooting boots were left in the dressing room. Despite the loss of our two midfielders we could and should have won. Ox made one very sharp save second half to emphasise his value. Kyp was beaten in the air so often that it made one realise the need for a truly dominant CB. Thought JW put in a real shift and should have got MoM.
The day did end on a happy note when some very kind soul in the East picked up and handed back to me two twenty quid notes which I had dropped when pulling out my mobile to see how my Oldham supporting brother-in-law's team had fared. (He will be inconsolable in his holiday hotel in Crete and very much the worse for wear this morning). Thank you sir for your kindness and sharp eyes, which made the journey back to Norfolk a happy one.
Lots to look forward to this summer, and with Chris at the helm we should be optimistic. A reasonable expectation now would be a play off place this time next year. Have a great summer everyone. And thanks for the posts on here which are a source of real wit at times. Yes, I said wit, although others might use a different but rhyming word......

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

4th clean sheet in a row. We ought to have won but then again, another time and we would have been sucker punched and lost!
Poor ref.
Pitch looked best it has all season, will it get dug up now it is rooting? or is the lack of watering an indication that it can't be saved? it produced some odd bounces and the ball didn't seem to roll true on it so maybe some little excuse for the too often off target shots.
Dru seems to have hamstring injury, not serious and great for next term.
Mantom had best half game I have seen from him.
The injuries showed proper midfielders are required on the bench.
With the changes I thought Elvis was better on the right, John White gave good account, Cox was tireless.
Lovely to see the families and children (& Dru's mum) doing the lap.

Now for a good set of fixtures please.

 

[RHB]

It has largely been said above but would add that we did have some very presentable chances which we failed to put away, notably Theo who had three. Generally our shooting boots were left in the dressing room. Despite the loss of our two midfielders we could and should have won. Ox made one very sharp save second half to emphasise his value. Kyp was beaten in the air so often that it made one realise the need for a truly dominant CB. Thought JW put in a real shift and should have got MoM.
The day did end on a happy note when some very kind soul in the West picked up and handed back to me two twenty quid notes which I had dropped when pulling out my mobile to see how my Oldham supporting brother-in-law's team had fared. (He will be inconsolable in his holiday hotel in Crete and very much the worse for wear this morning). Thank you sir for your kindness and sharp eyes, which made the journey back to Norfolk a happy one.
Lots to look forward to this summer, and with Chris at the helm we should be optimistic. A reasonable expectation now would be a play off place this time next year. Have a great summer everyone. And thanks for the posts on here which are a source of real wit at times. Yes, I said wit, although others might use a different but rhyming word......

Good post greyerfox although on your highlighted sentence I would say you're probably only half right.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Huge kudos to four of our players who remembered and carried out promises made to Junior Blues recently, Anton Ferdinand, Jason Demitriou, Simon Cox and Harry Kyprianou. Four very happy Junior Blues all now have shirts from their favourites, and two of them got to walk around the pitch with them too. :clap:

Moments like that give you an unbreakable bond and seal you as a fan for life, so well done to them.

 

[rayleigh dan]

The loss of Dru and Mantom hampered us massively, Cox did okay in midfield but Demi looked lost. We probably still should have won but unlike in recent games our final ball was poor, we also didn't take the chances when they did come along, Theo wasted a couple of decent opportunities.

To end on a positive note, four clean sheets in a row is impressive, especially given our dire defensive form a few months ago. I'm really happy with finishing 10th and I'm excited to see what next season will bring when Powell has a chance to bring some new players in. Many thanks for saving our season CP, onwards and upwards :happy:

 

[RHB]

In the midst of the match reports and comments I forgot to mention the appearance as a sub of Ben Coker. Great news that he will be ready for next season and a special word of praise for Ben Clarkson who has worked wonders again getting players back and playing. As for the Bristol fans giving you stick Mr Clarkson, it was fitting that they had a player sent off and had about a 175 mile drive home on a Saturday night.

 

[ms brush]

A predictably none-event yesterday, given we had very little, apart from league position to play for. Still, I enjoyed the game, and useful to see how we fared against the proverbial double decker bus left there by Bristol! Very few teams are that negative, and I haven't seen such a good version of bus parking since league 2! That said, we played some very good stuff, even our shaky defence from earlier in the season held tight, which was good to see. We really thought it would just take a goal to open the game right up, so just a shame we could put those first half chances away. Then, the sending off changed the game and there was almost no way through after that.

Oxley - not much to do, but kept us in it with a couple of decent saves.
Elvis - cracking game, showed his versatility and potential by starting on the left and moving across to the right back position. Moved around with great confidence, glad to see him taking his chances. This young man is a hot prospect!
White - absolutely must keep here next season. Probably one of the most underrated players we have ever had, he has been awesome all season.
kyps - did well, didn't look phased by anything. Will need more game time, but I think that will happen next season.
Demitriou - a class act, thought he did a very credible job in midfield when we were forced to make the shift through injuries. Makes me think we won't really miss Wordsworth or Wright, as Jason can fill this role, and he can play in the back four.
Manson - grown on me, I think he is an upgrade on Timlin. Whether he stays or not (or if he stays fit) would be happy to see him next season.
Dru - grown significantly into the very large Lenny-shaped void in the last few months. Another very hot young prospect. I suspect other clubs are sniffing around to see if he can be enticed away. I sincerely hope not!
McLaughlin - some excellent runs, unlucky with a couple of chances.
Kightly - awesome. End of.
Cox - unlucky not to score, that effort that hit the bar had everyone beaten! On fire yesterday, a worthy mom. Must also keep!!
Robinson - just couldn't get through. So glad he stayed, I think he is our goal scorer next season!

subs -
Fortune - watched him on the touch line warming up, he did a tougher warm up than most of us would consider a full workout! If he is prepared to stay, to work with some of the youngsters and play when needed, I would definately keep him on. Caused Bristol a lot of problems.
Coker - was very surprised he was even on the bench, and he looked pretty good when he came on. Full credit must go to Ben Clarkson, as he has worked miracles all season to get players back.


And the post-match stuff

predictable end of year stuff, always lovely to watch the players kids with their Dads. Baby Ferdinand was toddling round, with his other kids, Theo's little girl is adorable, and collectively they are a bunch of little terrors (in a lovely way)! I loved how they all seemed to know one another, which shows that the lads are together as a squad.

fantastic idea for a Sir Chris to take the Mic, classy and heartfelt message from a very classy manager! What I loved, was he gave credit to everyone, and acknowledged the support all us fans gave to 'his' / 'your' players... this man, this manager, is the stuff legends are made from. Can't wait till next season!

 

[LBBlue]

The game started lively enough - nothing like a end of season game with both sides committed and sprinting everywhere and competing for everything. Then we saw the nasty side to Rovers with Clarke taking out John White very late and then lifting his foot going into a tackle with Sam Mantom. At least Coggins got those decisions right and ultimately gave Clarke the red he deserved.

Sam stayed on but after one long range shot just before half time that clearly hurt it was no surprise that he didn't come out after half time.

Dru had already gone off when he appeared to slide off the end of the pitch defending which was a shame as he was troubling them running at them.

Despite us having no central midfielders they decided to shut up shop, keep their two rows of four in their own half blocking everything and just relying on the ever willing Harrison to chase everything up front.

However we still had enough decent chances to have won 4-0. 19 shots but only 5 on target and those that were seemed to go straight to their keeper. Another day we would have had a couple but we saw why Theo is Theo and not Freddy and too many shots just sailed over the bar when they could have been kept down. Even in the first half Cox was too deep and no one anticipates and moves in the 6 yard box. Wordsworth was good at that when he played.

For a fussy ref who was a complete pain it was criminal that he did nothing about their blatant time wasting.

John White was easily MoM - I bet he wishes he moved to centre half years ago.

5.30 kick offs - a nonsense - once in the second half with the sun so low and in his eyes Demi was blinded into making a pass that was 20 yards from our nearest player. The light looking from the East in the second half was eerie.

Their right winger Mensah looked useful - they signed him from Aldershot in January -there are still nuggets in non league.

Oh and the ten minutes from our Harrison showed that he could be a tricky skilful player. I think he is out of contract at Spurs. I wonder what they will do with him.

So I suppose predictably the game ended as a draw - the fifth successive home league draw with Rovers totalling 3 goals each. If we had won it would have left us just 6 points behind 6th place Charlton - oh so close from where were after the Fleetwood game -Coggins last appearance at Roots Hall! At least we end the season knowing we can't win every game.