Official Match Thread Southend United v Aldershot Town

[The Big Dady]

The Official Match Thread brought to you by ShrimperZone.com

So here we are, our twentieth home game in the Vanarama National League of the 2022/23 season. This is the Dream Team’s 41st home game in charge since Kevin Maher and his management team were appointed at the Mighty Shrimpers.

Our 20th home game is against Aldershot Town





It is now time for ALL of us to get behind him and the team whether you are at Roots Hall, listening on the radio, listening on Blues TV, or watching on National League TV Stream, you can all still make that famous "Roots Hall Roar”.

Our 20th Southend United Vanarama National League Home Team of the 2022/23 season



The Roots Hall pitch is ready for action at 15.00 pm Saturday 18th March 2023 against Aldershot Town. It looks like we will have light rain for this afternoon’s game with gentle breeze at Roots Hall. The temperature will be around 12°C but feel like 11°C.





Here is the weather forecast for this afternoon’s game at Roots Hall



Current League home record after 19 home games

Won 9
Dawn 4
Lost 6
Goals scored 25
Goals conceded 16

League Positions Last Season

13th (2021/22 Season) Vanarama National League Southend United
20th (2021/22 Season) Vanarama National League Aldershot Town

League Positions Current Season

9th (2022/23 Season) Vanarama National League Southend United
17th (2022/23 Season) Vanarama National League Aldershot Town

Recent League Position Change



Previous Meetings

Aldershot Town 2-0 Southend United (Vanarama National League 26/11/22 Att. 2,345)
Aldershot Town 1-1 Southend United (Vanarama National League 25/01/22 Att. 2,141)
Southend United 2-3 Aldershot Town (Vanarama National League 14/09/21 Att. 5,004)
Aldershot Town 0-2 Southend United (League Two 16/04/13 Att. 2,568)
Southend United 1-2 Aldershot Town (League Two 23/10/12 Att.4,225)
Southend United 0-1 Aldershot Town (League Two 20/03/12 Att.4,580)

Head to Head record

Note: Aldershot Town were founded in 1992, prior to that we were playing Aldershot until they folded in 1992

Southend United Wins: 1
Draws: 2
Aldershot Town Wins 6

Current Form

Southend United L W L L L L
Aldershot Town D L L L D D

Current Form Table (Last 6 Games)



Come On You Blues!​

 

[The Big Dady]

Managers Pre-match Views​

Aldershot

Aldershot manager Ross McNeilly Youtube pre-match interview travelling over to Roots Hall for this afyernoon’s game

Aldershot Manager Ross McNeilly

​

Southend United

Keven Maher speaks to the Southend United BluesTV before this afternoon’s game with Aldershot

Southend United Manager Kevin Maher during interview​

Link to interview
Link

Keven Maher spoke to the Chris Phillips at the Echo before this afternoon’s game with Aldershot

Keeping his belief – Southend United boss Kevin Maher​

Southend United boss Kevin Maher has urged his side to keep their belief ahead of Saturday's clash with Aldershot Town at Roots Hall.

The Shrimpers go into the game having been beaten in their last four outings.

But, despite the defeats, Maher feels there is not a lot wrong with Blues and wants that to soon result in them getting back on track.

“I’m not naïve, I know it’s always about results and we’ve got to add points,” said Maher.

“We went through a difficult period earlier in the season but we knew the things we were doing were right and we still believe that now.

“There’s not a whole lot wrong.

“I know we’ve lost games but they’ve been tight.

“It’s fine margins and just because the results haven’t gone our way it doesn’t mean we don’t look at what we’ve done right.

“We’ve got to keep that belief.

“The players have trained well and we look forward to Saturday.”

The Shrimpers were beaten 1-0 at Boreham Wood last time out.

But, having watched the game back, Maher still felt there were plenty of positives.

“We lost in a game we felt we played well in for large parts,” said the Blues boss.

“We had our chances and if we take one of them it’s a different game.

“The performance was good and we’re a penalty kick away from getting a good point away from home against a play-off rival.”

Blues now sit ninth in the table, seven points below the play-off places.

And Maher is predicting another tough test against Aldershot tomorrow despite Ross McNeilly’s side having fallen to 17th in the standings after going seven games without a win.

“It’ will be a tough one,” said the Shrimpers chief.

“We had a disappointing result at their place in a period where we lost a couple of games.

“It’s a tough challenge and anyone coming to Roots Hall makes it difficult for us.

“They might have been on a difficult run lately but in this league it’s about who turns up on the day.

“You’ve got to perform to your limits and hopefully if you keep doing that results will come our way.”

Blues have been frustrated by controversial decisions going against them in their last two games.

But Maher wants the Shrimpers to do more to ensure the officials do not exert so much influence on the game.

“It’s frustrating and they’re big decisions but I want to take that out of the equation,” said Maher.

“We need to be so good the decisions don’t matter. That’s something we’ve got to do going forward.

“Apologies don’t get us anywhere, we’ve got to win football matches.”

And Maher is also keen to make that happen for the club’s loyal supporters.

“The numbers we took to Wrexham and Boreham Wood were unbelievable and the noise they made was incredible too,” said Maher.

“It’s nice to be back at home and hopefully we’ll be in front of another big crowd.

“We want to get points for them because they’ve been right behind us all season.

“We need that support, we’ve got 10 games to go and there’s a lot of points still to play for.”

Link to story
Link

Big Preview

Southend United v Aldershot

​

Overview

Blues move into the final 10 games of the season on Saturday, seven of them against teams currently in the bottom half of the Vanarama National League.

The run kicks off with a home clash against Aldershot Town, as Kevin Maher’s men look to put an end to this four-match losing streak.

All four of those matches have been against top-six clubs and the losses have all been by a solitary goal, so the hope will be for a change in level of opponent to bring about a change in results.

The gap to the play-offs is now seven points. Last season, 74 points was enough for a play-off berth, so seven wins from the last 10 to propel Blues up from the current tally of 53 points may be enough to ensure an extension to the season.

The opposition

At the start of February, Aldershot were just four points off the play-offs, but are now much closer to the relegation zone and are in some danger of playing in the sixth tier for the first time since 2002/03.

After beating Dorking 2-0 six weeks ago, the play-offs were a realistic aim for the Shots, although they had played more games than the teams around them at that point. Since then, Ross McNeilly’s men haven’t won in their six league games and have dropped five places as other teams have caught up on rearranged fixtures.

They did come close to taking a point from Wrexham a month ago, as a Jordan Tunnicliffe own goal appeared to have earned a 3-3 draw, but Sam Dalby won it for the Dragons in the 96th minute.

The Shots also conceded four goals against Barnet recently, and were knocked out of the Isuzu FA Trophy at the quarter-final stage last weekend, by FC Halifax Town.

Some of the names in their current squad include former Southend players Tyler Cordner and Michael Klass. Inih Effiong was their top scorer before he departed for Dagenham & Redbridge, and the attempted replacement is ex-Woking hotshot Tahvon Campbell.

Remarkably, centre-back Cordner is the joint-second highest goalscorer this season among the players currently at Aldershot.

Previous meetings

There have been nine games between the two clubs, the majority of them coming while Aldershot were in League Two.

Southend and the Shots shared that division between 2010/11 and 2012/13, and the only win Blues picked up in that time was the last of the six meetings – a 2-0 away win with Barry Corr and Britt Assombalonga on the scoresheet.

In the reverse fixture in November, goals from Justin Amaluzor and Corey Jordan were enough for three points for the Hampshire club.

The overall record reads six Aldershot wins, one Southend win and two draws.

From the boss

"I’m not naïve, I know it’s always about results and we’ve got to add points," said Maher.

"We’re pretty consistent with our level of performance, obviously we’re disappointed to lose, but the performances have been good. We’ve got to add points now, especially at this time of the season.

"There’s not a whole lot wrong. It’s fine margins and just because the results haven’t gone our way it doesn’t mean we don’t look at what we’ve done right. We’ve got to keep that belief.

"The players have trained well and we look forward to Saturday.

"It’s a tough challenge and anyone coming to Roots Hall makes it difficult for us.

"They might have been on a difficult run lately but in this league it’s about who turns up on the day."

Team news

Noor Husin will miss the match with the ankle injury he picked up on Tuesday night at Boreham Wood.

Jake Hyde joined in with training on Thursday and he will be be assessed on Friday to decide if he is fit enough to return.

Ref watch

Scott Simpson is the man in the middle for this one, as he takes charge of his 43rd National League fixture. He has previously refereed Blues games against Stockport County and Altrincham, and has so far shown 51 yellow cards and one red in 15 games this season.

Simpson’s assistants are Harley McKittrick and Robert Evans, and the fourth official is Michael Scott.

Tickets

To get your tickets, the best way to purchase is online here. You can also buy in person at the ticket office or by calling 0344 477 0077 and selecting option one. Ticket office opening hours are here.

Tickets cost £18 for adults, £13 for concessions (60+, 17-22, emergency services, disabled, students), £8 for a junior (9-16) and £3 for a child (8 and under). Prices increase by £2 on matchday.

Elsewhere in the National League

All 24 Vanarama National League teams are in action on Saturday, starting with BT Sport’s live offering – Woking v Chesterfield.

Wrexham and Notts County are both on the road to play-off contenders (Bromley and Barnet respectively), while there’s a huge game at the bottom between Gateshead and Torquay United.

Solihull Moors could close the gap to the play-offs when they host Boreham Wood.

Woking v Chesterfield (Saturday 12:30)
Barnet v Notts County
Bromley v Wrexham
Dagenham & Redbridge v Oldham Athletic
Eastleigh v Altrincham
FC Halifax Town v Yeovil Town
Gateshead v Torquay United
Maidenhead United v Maidstone United
Scunthorpe United v Wealdstone
Solihull Moors v Boreham Wood
York City v Dorking Wanderers

How to follow

Blues fans unable to attend Roots Hall will be able to follow all the live action by subscribing to Blues TV where you’ll get live match commentary from the BBC Essex team from all first-team matches this season.

Blues TV costs £4.49 per month or a one-off cost of £45 for the season, with your subscription not only giving you match commentary, but also exclusive access to extended match highlights, full pre-match press conferences, interviews, features and more.

Another option is to follow live minute-by-minute updates on social media via the club’s official Twitter account by following @SUFCRootsHall, which will ensure you get all the latest news and more throughout the 2022/23 season.

National League TV streaming is available outside the UK here.

Matchday programme

The matchday programme will be available to buy from programme sellers outside the stadium at the programme hut, main gate off Victoria Avenue and the West Stand entrance.

Gus Scott-Morriss features in this edition, along with all the usual content on the opposition, Academy, and Community!

Link to story
Link



BBC Essex Radio Link

BBC Essex Link



Watch on Vanarama National League TV Live Stream

Register and sign up below, "International" Match Pass £9.50

National League TV

​

Previous Meeting

Come On You Blues!​

 

[The Big Dady]

Aldershot Town Team

 

[Harry Bullocks]

Managers Pre-match Views​

Aldershot

Aldershot manager Ross McNeilly Youtube pre-match interview travelling over to Roots Hall for this afyernoon’s game

View attachment 25583

Aldershot Manager Ross McNeilly

​

Southend United

Keven Maher speaks to the Southend United BluesTV before this afternoon’s game with Aldershot

View attachment 25584

View attachment 25585
Southend United Manager Kevin Maher during interview​

Link to interview
Link

Keven Maher spoke to the Chris Phillips at the Echo before this afternoon’s game with Aldershot

View attachment 25586
Keeping his belief – Southend United boss Kevin Maher​

Southend United boss Kevin Maher has urged his side to keep their belief ahead of Saturday's clash with Aldershot Town at Roots Hall.

The Shrimpers go into the game having been beaten in their last four outings.

But, despite the defeats, Maher feels there is not a lot wrong with Blues and wants that to soon result in them getting back on track.

“I’m not naïve, I know it’s always about results and we’ve got to add points,” said Maher.

“We went through a difficult period earlier in the season but we knew the things we were doing were right and we still believe that now.

“There’s not a whole lot wrong.

“I know we’ve lost games but they’ve been tight.

“It’s fine margins and just because the results haven’t gone our way it doesn’t mean we don’t look at what we’ve done right.

“We’ve got to keep that belief.

“The players have trained well and we look forward to Saturday.”

The Shrimpers were beaten 1-0 at Boreham Wood last time out.

But, having watched the game back, Maher still felt there were plenty of positives.

“We lost in a game we felt we played well in for large parts,” said the Blues boss.

“We had our chances and if we take one of them it’s a different game.

“The performance was good and we’re a penalty kick away from getting a good point away from home against a play-off rival.”

Blues now sit ninth in the table, seven points below the play-off places.

And Maher is predicting another tough test against Aldershot tomorrow despite Ross McNeilly’s side having fallen to 17th in the standings after going seven games without a win.

“It’ will be a tough one,” said the Shrimpers chief.

“We had a disappointing result at their place in a period where we lost a couple of games.

“It’s a tough challenge and anyone coming to Roots Hall makes it difficult for us.

“They might have been on a difficult run lately but in this league it’s about who turns up on the day.

“You’ve got to perform to your limits and hopefully if you keep doing that results will come our way.”

Blues have been frustrated by controversial decisions going against them in their last two games.

But Maher wants the Shrimpers to do more to ensure the officials do not exert so much influence on the game.

“It’s frustrating and they’re big decisions but I want to take that out of the equation,” said Maher.

“We need to be so good the decisions don’t matter. That’s something we’ve got to do going forward.

“Apologies don’t get us anywhere, we’ve got to win football matches.”

And Maher is also keen to make that happen for the club’s loyal supporters.

“The numbers we took to Wrexham and Boreham Wood were unbelievable and the noise they made was incredible too,” said Maher.

“It’s nice to be back at home and hopefully we’ll be in front of another big crowd.

“We want to get points for them because they’ve been right behind us all season.

“We need that support, we’ve got 10 games to go and there’s a lot of points still to play for.”

Link to story
Link

Big Preview

Southend United v Aldershot

View attachment 25587​

Overview

Blues move into the final 10 games of the season on Saturday, seven of them against teams currently in the bottom half of the Vanarama National League.

The run kicks off with a home clash against Aldershot Town, as Kevin Maher’s men look to put an end to this four-match losing streak.

All four of those matches have been against top-six clubs and the losses have all been by a solitary goal, so the hope will be for a change in level of opponent to bring about a change in results.

The gap to the play-offs is now seven points. Last season, 74 points was enough for a play-off berth, so seven wins from the last 10 to propel Blues up from the current tally of 53 points may be enough to ensure an extension to the season.

The opposition

At the start of February, Aldershot were just four points off the play-offs, but are now much closer to the relegation zone and are in some danger of playing in the sixth tier for the first time since 2002/03.

After beating Dorking 2-0 six weeks ago, the play-offs were a realistic aim for the Shots, although they had played more games than the teams around them at that point. Since then, Ross McNeilly’s men haven’t won in their six league games and have dropped five places as other teams have caught up on rearranged fixtures.

They did come close to taking a point from Wrexham a month ago, as a Jordan Tunnicliffe own goal appeared to have earned a 3-3 draw, but Sam Dalby won it for the Dragons in the 96th minute.

The Shots also conceded four goals against Barnet recently, and were knocked out of the Isuzu FA Trophy at the quarter-final stage last weekend, by FC Halifax Town.

Some of the names in their current squad include former Southend players Tyler Cordner and Michael Klass. Inih Effiong was their top scorer before he departed for Dagenham & Redbridge, and the attempted replacement is ex-Woking hotshot Tahvon Campbell.

Remarkably, centre-back Cordner is the joint-second highest goalscorer this season among the players currently at Aldershot.

Previous meetings

There have been nine games between the two clubs, the majority of them coming while Aldershot were in League Two.

Southend and the Shots shared that division between 2010/11 and 2012/13, and the only win Blues picked up in that time was the last of the six meetings – a 2-0 away win with Barry Corr and Britt Assombalonga on the scoresheet.

In the reverse fixture in November, goals from Justin Amaluzor and Corey Jordan were enough for three points for the Hampshire club.

The overall record reads six Aldershot wins, one Southend win and two draws.

From the boss

"I’m not naïve, I know it’s always about results and we’ve got to add points," said Maher.

"We’re pretty consistent with our level of performance, obviously we’re disappointed to lose, but the performances have been good. We’ve got to add points now, especially at this time of the season.

"There’s not a whole lot wrong. It’s fine margins and just because the results haven’t gone our way it doesn’t mean we don’t look at what we’ve done right. We’ve got to keep that belief.

"The players have trained well and we look forward to Saturday.

"It’s a tough challenge and anyone coming to Roots Hall makes it difficult for us.

"They might have been on a difficult run lately but in this league it’s about who turns up on the day."

Team news

Noor Husin will miss the match with the ankle injury he picked up on Tuesday night at Boreham Wood.

Jake Hyde joined in with training on Thursday and he will be be assessed on Friday to decide if he is fit enough to return.

Ref watch

Scott Simpson is the man in the middle for this one, as he takes charge of his 43rd National League fixture. He has previously refereed Blues games against Stockport County and Altrincham, and has so far shown 51 yellow cards and one red in 15 games this season.

Simpson’s assistants are Harley McKittrick and Robert Evans, and the fourth official is Michael Scott.

Tickets

To get your tickets, the best way to purchase is online here. You can also buy in person at the ticket office or by calling 0344 477 0077 and selecting option one. Ticket office opening hours are here.

Tickets cost £18 for adults, £13 for concessions (60+, 17-22, emergency services, disabled, students), £8 for a junior (9-16) and £3 for a child (8 and under). Prices increase by £2 on matchday.

Elsewhere in the National League

All 24 Vanarama National League teams are in action on Saturday, starting with BT Sport’s live offering – Woking v Chesterfield.

Wrexham and Notts County are both on the road to play-off contenders (Bromley and Barnet respectively), while there’s a huge game at the bottom between Gateshead and Torquay United.

Solihull Moors could close the gap to the play-offs when they host Boreham Wood.

Woking v Chesterfield (Saturday 12:30)
Barnet v Notts County
Bromley v Wrexham
Dagenham & Redbridge v Oldham Athletic
Eastleigh v Altrincham
FC Halifax Town v Yeovil Town
Gateshead v Torquay United
Maidenhead United v Maidstone United
Scunthorpe United v Wealdstone
Solihull Moors v Boreham Wood
York City v Dorking Wanderers

How to follow

Blues fans unable to attend Roots Hall will be able to follow all the live action by subscribing to Blues TV where you’ll get live match commentary from the BBC Essex team from all first-team matches this season.

Blues TV costs £4.49 per month or a one-off cost of £45 for the season, with your subscription not only giving you match commentary, but also exclusive access to extended match highlights, full pre-match press conferences, interviews, features and more.

Another option is to follow live minute-by-minute updates on social media via the club’s official Twitter account by following @SUFCRootsHall, which will ensure you get all the latest news and more throughout the 2022/23 season.

National League TV streaming is available outside the UK here.

Matchday programme

The matchday programme will be available to buy from programme sellers outside the stadium at the programme hut, main gate off Victoria Avenue and the West Stand entrance.

Gus Scott-Morriss features in this edition, along with all the usual content on the opposition, Academy, and Community!

Link to story
Link

View attachment 25588

BBC Essex Radio Link

BBC Essex Link

View attachment 25589

Watch on Vanarama National League TV Live Stream

Register and sign up below, Match Pass Beta £9.50

National League TV

​

Previous Meeting

Come On You Blues!​

Quality Big Dady

 

[Holy Joe]

Unchanged starting 11?

 

[Harry Bullocks]

A rare event indeed

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Unchanged starting 11?

Edit: nope 1 change as others have spotted

There’s plenty of goal creating and goal scoring ability in this team, just very very little recent form where goals are concerned! If we can get a couple of these firing and staying fit the playoffs may yet be achievable.

We won’t go up, but it would be a fantastic achievement for the team and management just to finish in the playoffs and they absolutely deserve to.

 

[The Big Dady]

Dan Mooney has been recalled in place of the injured Noor Husin

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Unchanged starting 11?

No. Husin out injured

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

So just Mooney in for Noor.
No Hyde, Sandat or Collin on bench

Need a fast start AND some shooting boots.

Oh, and a few reasonable free kicks, corners.

A decent ref too!

#fingerscrossed

 

[The Big Dady]

Hey - Have you heard Ron is selling the club, what more motivation do you need lads?

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

OTS's when you can please BIg Daddy.

 

[SeldomSeenShrimper]

Anyone's radio link working?

 

[Ipswhrimp]

That looks like a strong side for us.

 

[The Big Dady]

OTS's when you can please BIg Daddy.

Here you go

 

[Shrimper]

Must win

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Here you go

View attachment 25607

Cheers Squire.

 

[pete boss]

100% win today.... should have won tues.. if they play with the same tempo the forwards will score a few today...100% or i owe you all a pint...

 

[Shrimpet steve]

Can't see anything other then a win after yesterday's announcement.

 

[Holy Joe]

No. Husin out injured

Ah yes - forgot he's been on the pitch last few games!

Let's hope Mooney can offer that more attacking threat from Midfield that we're looking for