Page 12 - All at Sea Fanzine Issue 68

12
All At Sea Issue 68
Ia cast-iron start
WAS not in tip-top condition for the o the post in front of the South Stand.
long-awaited start of the post-Brown
era. An all-day binge in Ramsgate with a fellow Shrimpers fan had rendered me tired, hungover and in possession of a headache so mean it had tried to get my
dinner money o me twice.
As a result, my pre-match Railway
session began with a tap water, but even an hangover like this couldn’t dull the excitement of Chris Powell’s rst game. Would he go with 4-4-2? Who would play in mid eld? Would he blood Wabo?
Given that Brown’s last game in charge featued ve at the back, two left backs and two right backs on the eld at the end, and Michael Kightly playing a protector role in front of the back line, it was refreshing to see Chris Powell name a 4-4-2, with players actually playing in their correct position. Against a side fourth in the standings, he put his trust in Dru Yearwood, still 17, to partner Michael Timlin in the centre of the mid eld, a boost for the youngster who had been having a tough time recently under Brown.
It was a lthy day on the Essex riviera, wind and rain added to our permanent pudding of a pitch meant it was never going to be a day for delicate, passing football. The atmosphere built inside Roots Hall and, following an enthusiastic minute’s applause for a true Southend United hero in Ray Davy, there was a cacophonous welcome for the new manager as he gave an understated wave to the crowd just prior to kick o .
Blues started brightly, looking for Kightly and McLaughlin on the wings and tossing a few dangerous balls into the box. However, it took just 12 minutes for reality to bite – four days in charge was never going to be enough for Powell to x the old defensive problems and as Southend were slow to clear the ball, Kevin Van Veen had too much room to oat a ball to the back post, where Jason Demetriou’s attempted hook away made only enough contact to serve the ball up nicely for Tom Hopper, he of the Leicester Thai brothel scandal a few years back, to nod the ball in
It was a familiar feeling of desperation inside the ground, but to the credit of the supporters they carried on singing, and the players found heart and continued to ask questions of the Iron defence.
Blues were having most joy down the left where Coker and Kightly combined well. Simon Cox nodded wide following a ne cross, and Stephen McLaughlin brought the best out of young visiting goalkeeper Rory Watson, who not only had to dive full length to his left to stop a erce half-volley, he also got up to block Kightly’s close-range rebound.
However, Kightly was not to be denied for long, and he got the better of Watson on 37 minutes in bizarre circumstances. A deep inswinger from close to the left touchline was caught by the wind and completely deceived the custodian, striking the far post and eventually nestling in the opposite corner of the net. Kightly turned to the West Stand and, rather than smiling bashfully at a clear uke, pumped his st in frenzied celebration – something that has rarely been seen from the winger this year. He was a constant menace and had his best game since his return.
A buoyant crowd had not been accustomed to seeing their side ght back from adversary. It was just Southend’s sixth equalising goal of the campaign.
After the break, Blues piled more pressure on Scunthorpe defence with Simon Cox not giving them a moment’s peace. He chased down a miscontrolled clearance and was chopped down by Cameron Burgess for a yellow card. Soon after, he was fouled on the edge of the box, giving Stephen McLaughlin, who had stood by while Kightly had wasted a previous free kick, the chance to take his turn. He went low, ri ing the ball under the wall at such a pace that Watson could only glove it into the net.
Roots Hall was rocking now, and chanting was even heard from the East Stand. The lead however did not last long as once again Southend’s defensive frailties were exposed. A corner was not cleared and the ball ran loose to Van Veen eight yards out but at