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Greatest comebacks

Since we joined the league in 1920, we had come back to win from 2 goals down on 22 occasions. Here are the details of the games for the most recent ones (last 70 years). How many of these do you remember?

18/03/2017 Walsall (H), 2-0 down after 25 mins
1-2 Ranger 63 mins
2-2 Ferdinand 76 mins
3-2 Cox 83 mins

12/12/2009 Hartlepool (H), 2-0 down after 31 mins
1-2 Laurent 49 mins
2-2 Barnard 56 mins
3-2 Barnard 74 mins

12/04/2004 Darlington (H), 2-0 down after 33mins
1-2 Bentley 46 mins
2-2 Constantine (pen) 73 mins
3-2 Gower 85 mins

26/12/2001 Rushden & Diamonds (H), 2-0 down after 35 mins
1-2 Cort 50 mins
2-2 Belgrave 59 mins
3-2 Bramble 67 mins
4-2 Belgrave 75 mins

02/12/1997 Preston (H), 2-0 down after 11 mins
1-2 Boere (pen) 25 mins
2-2 Gridelet 42 mins
3-2 Gridelet 45 mins

01/04/1988 Wigan (H), 2-0 down after 47 mins
1-2 McDonough (pen) 60 mins
2-2 Ling 70 mins
3-2 Crown 73 mins

16/12/1986 Cambridge (H), 3-1 down after 32 mins
2-3 Pennyfather 74 mins
3-3 Ling 81 mins
4-3 Pennyfather 82 mins
5-3 McDonough 89 mins
5-4 Littlejohns 90 mins

09/12/1977 Newport (H), 2-0 down after 50 mins
1-2 Hadley 75 mins
2-2 D Parker 85 mins
3-2 Fell 87 mins
4-2 Fell 88 mins

10/03/1972 Chester (H), 2-0 down after 12 mins
1-2 Garner 32 mins
2-2 Garner 34 mins
3-2 Moore 43 mins
4-2 Garner 87 mins

05/05/1969 Darlington (A), 2-0 down after 40 mins
1-2 Bentley 54 mins
2-2 Hamilton 55 mins
3-2 Chisnall 65 mins

06/02/1965 Walsall (A), 2-0 down after 65 mins
1-2 Beesley 76 mins
2-2 Smith 78 mins
3-2 Smith 82 mins

01/09/1962 Coventry (A), 3-1 down after 56 mins
2-3 Woodley 64 mins
3-3 Beesley 85 mins
4-3 Beesket 88 mins

23/04/1960 York (A), 2-0 down after 47 mins
1-2 Price 63 mins
2-2 Price 68 mins
3-2 McCrory 77 mins

07/03/1959 Accrington (H), 2-0 down after 30 mins
1-2 McCrory 35 mins
2-2 Houghton 38 mins
3-2 Houghton 44 mins
4-2 Houghton 55 mins

02/05/1958 Northampton (H), 2-0 down after 42 mins
1-2 Price 50 mins
2-2 McCrory 55 mins
3-2 McCrory 59 mins
4-2 Smith 63 mins
5-2 McCrory 65 mins
6-2 Price 66 mins
6-3 Woan 76 mins

27/12/1955 Gillingham (A), 2-0 down after 50 mins
1-2 Baron 59 mins
2-2 Hollis 70 mins
3-2 McGuigan 80 mins
Re the game versus Cambridge in 1986, which I think was a Football League Trophy game, who the devil was Littlejohns who got our winning 5th goal?

Update: Having checked, David Martin scored for us and Littlejohns was a goal scorer for Cambridge.
 
Last edited:
Wembley against Wycombe.

Darlington (I think): 0-2 at home and won 3-2. Mark Gower was on the score sheet.

2003/2004. 0-1 away at Swansea should get an honourable mention given we managed to come away with a 3-2 win having had 3 players sent off.
I've sometimes wondered if any other team has managed to score a goal 8 v 11?
 
FA Cup 2002 , goals from Bramble and Cort in last three minutes to win 2-1 away to Hartlepool. I remember being at a foggy Services on the way back thinking that it had all been a dream.😀
Remember it well, Hartlepool took the lead and sat on it. We thought it was excellent to get a late equaliser taking it to extra time and went wild when we got the lead straight after and won within the 90 minutes.

From memory, Ronald Rat paid for the supporter coaches and we sang all the way home to about 4am in the morning.
 
Wembley against Wycombe.

Darlington (I think): 0-2 at home and won 3-2. Mark Gower was on the score sheet.

2003/2004. 0-1 away at Swansea should get an honourable mention given we managed to come away with a 3-2 win having had 3 players sent off.
Tbh it shouldn’t get just an “honourable mention” it should go down as one of the best results we ever had, especially given the context of the whole situation.
 
Home against Hartlepool in 1984/85.

2-1 down at half time. Richard Cadette scored in the 91st and John Gymer got the winner in the 92nd.

IIRC correctly, the scoring in the 1st half was something like they scored in the 43rd, Richard Cadette equalised in the 44th and they scored again in the 45th.
@londonblue

PEDANT ALERT!!!

It was actually 1985/86 season. Saturday 9th November 1985 to be exact. In front of a rather paltry 2,755.

Southend United Team: Stannard, Stead, Lampard, O'Shea, Westley, Hatter, Pennyfather, Silkman, Cadette, McDonough, Rogers.
Sub: Gymer substituted Silkman
 
@londonblue

PEDANT ALERT!!!

It was actually 1985/86 season. Saturday 9th November 1985 to be exact. In front of a rather paltry 2,755.

Southend United Team: Stannard, Stead, Lampard, O'Shea, Westley, Hatter, Pennyfather, Silkman, Cadette, McDonough, Rogers.
Sub: Gymer substituted Silkman
Perhaps I should have been clearer. I didn't mean season 1984/85. I mean in 1984 or 1985.
 
Remember being 2-0 down at Barnsley at HT in our promotion season to the Championship (2005-6) but storming back in the second half to get a 2-2 draw. Freddy scored a wonder goal from just outside the area to put us on our way and Mark Gower equalised.
Remember that being an important result. Think Barnsley were third or fourth themselves
 
The Rochdale game contained elements of our cup game against Charlton and the second half at home to FGR. We went for it and not only was it a sublime comeback, in an imperative game, it was IMO fully deserved. Charlton we lost, FGR we drew and Rochdale we won. Third time lucky? Naah, we have learned and are beginning to produce the kind of forward football required in this league. The team, despite previous questions about bottle, showed they are able and up for it. Brilliant!
 
Being 1-0 down away at Gills in the 90th mins in a cold December in 1997 under Alvin Martin is not a fun time.
What is a fun time is 2 goals in the last minute from Jeroen Boere and Regis Coulbault to win 2-1.
I love a last minute comeback like that, especially against someone like Gillingham
Ah I remember that fondly. I wasn’t at the game you understand, (we were living in Witham at the time with 2 kids under 3) we were in Tescos Chelmsford and I kept dashing to the front of the store to hear the commentary on a pocket radio- am I think and the wife wasn’t very happy - but I was!
 
1-3 down vs millwall. Came back to draw 3-3. Back in the day when championship games were on the TV. Stan was playing IIRC

1-0 down to Birmingham away. I think they were top and we were near the bottom. We never got a kick in the first half. We scored 3 in the second half. No one saw it coming.
 

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