Post-Match Thread and Ratings Southend United 1-0 Southport

[CanveyCastle]

Our secret weapon is surprise, fear and ruthless efficiency,

John, no-one expects the Shrimper Inquisition

 

[SHRIMPERPETER]

My take on today.

If we want to move forward then bonne and Waldron need moving on.

Harsh on Waldron but he just isn't at the standard required to be EFL..

Bonne is a complete waster and had a first half chance put in a plate for him by bridge and didn't even attempt to get on the end of it. Then dug bridge out. He has had plenty of chances and he isn't going to cut it. End of story.

KAF deserves a chance. Really good effort, great first touch and gets a goal, although it seemed a little contentious and possibly a keeper OG after hitting the post and rolling along the line. He gets forward well.

I also thought gubbins and Coker had decent games and passed the ball well.

Wind has so much pace and didn't really try and beat his marker at any point.

Southport fans were a credit to their club. Decent numbers and voice and were annoyingly loud in the railway before the game. Good luck to them, although in truth we should have created much more against their team and 1-0 seems to be kevs mantra.

The northbank. Not for me.

Thought the atmosphere wasn't great, the entrance and exits were cramped. I loved the north back in the day when it was a proper terrace, but this just isn't the same, although the toilets are vastly improved. I'll stay in the west. Also, the queue for the burgers was crazy and cash only for beers as the machine was broke.

Another dull and uninspiring game which we scrape through. 3 wins on the bounce against very poor sides.

Things need to be so much better in the final third and I'm still dubious that Kev is the right man for the job.

For now though. We are in the next round and I hope we get another home draw against a lower league side.

Agree about Bonne

 

[Sherif H]

I must be in the minority then. I thought it was poor

So depressed are my expectations that I was genuinely beaming with happiness to experience a toilet with hot running water and a food outlet which served hot chocolate powder which didn't taste like it had come out of a Chernobyl ration pack.

 

[40yearsafan]

A win is a win and we still have a chance of Wembley, but that was uninspired. I'm sure it's easier from the stands but so many times there looked to be a forward pass on and we chose to go sideways. I have previously defended Bonne but feel he's had his chance and can't fit with our style of play. I was also a bit disappointed how easily a set of robust NLS defenders were able to shut Bim out. If Luton were watching, I suspect the chances of him staying with us have improved.
The North Bank with seats is so different to standing in the 70s and 80's. Not for me, looking forward to being back in South Upper for the next game.

 

[Crowstone Crevette]

I would say we are more than 6k up , you have to take todays paying crowd into it.

@Cricko This match wouldn't have been included in the Season Card so everyone was paying today, is that right? How are the gate receipts split does anyone know?

 

[Jai]

Was like a training game attack vs defence. To their credit, they defended very well, but was only one team in it really. Should have scored a few more, but in the next round and that is all that matters. Three wins from three, no goals conceded, yes please.

 

[Sufc.2008]

Thought Morton and KAF played well. Morton bossed the midfield which was so clearly lacking at Braintree.

I wasn't particularly impressed with Wind today, and also think Ralph and Pepple had rare off days.

I feel a little sorry for Bonne. Thought he was better in the second half and put a shift in. He's a striker that needs service and balls played to feet... which I'm not sure we managed for either of the forwards much today.

 

[Leeboy]

As Cricko pointed out in post 1 the East seats were not for I for the same reason so it was three rows back in the North Bank for me.

Nice view first half but second half it was sometimes difficult to decipher space and angles - we’re shouting ‘shoot’ when we were probably on the half way line

They’d obviously done their homework on Bim as he was man-handled pretty much the whole game, but I thought KAF Cokes and particularly Morton all had good games, Morton probably my MotM.

Gotta feel for Bonne though just ain’t getting the service or the breaks

 

[Evening Echo]

SOUTHEND United boss Kevin Maher thought his side were comfortable winners against Southport – despite the narrow scoreline.




Help with Echo links
SOUTHEND United boss Kevin Maher thought his side were comfortable winners against Southport – despite the narrow score-line.


A second half header from Shrimpers midfielder Keenan Appiah-Forson secured the hosts a 1-0 win in the fourth round of the FA Trophy.

And Maher considered it a case of job done at Roots Hall.

“The most important thing in a cup game is to win it and we’ve done that pretty comfortably,” said the Southend boss.

“I’m really pleased with how the lads played.

“We’d have liked more goals but the way it went this morning and this afternoon in terms of injuries it’s all credit to the players.”

The win was the Shrimpers’ third in succession and Maher is pleased with the momentum being built.

“It ends a good week with three wins and three clean sheets so we’re building momentum,” said Maher.

“We had good control of the game and they were looking for the counter.

“They were in a low block which is the hardest thing to break down so you have to be patient.

“When the moment comes you have to take it and Keenan took it well.

“We had other chances but it was as close to comfortable as it could be without getting the second goal.

“We’re really pleased to be in the hat and it’s something we want to do well in.”

 

[Supershrimper]

Bonne is a complete waster and had a first half chance put in a plate for him by bridge and didn't even attempt to get on the end of it. Then dug bridge out. He has had plenty of chances and he isn't going to cut it. End of story.

Right behind the goal for this.

Bridge was on the edge of the 6 yard box when he crossed it but Bonne was in the middle about 2 yards into the 6 yard box.

If he touched it he would have been offside.

Granted he should of just tapped it in and then see if the lino had kept up with play.

I'd imagine the shouts of Bonne your a **** were ringing in his ears when he scored the offside one in the 2nd half denying Husin a goal.

 

[Exiled Shrimper]

Pleased with another win (three in a row for the first time since April), another clean sheet, despite changes in defensive positions, and another step closer to Wembley, even if we laboured towards it in the end.

I actually thought our tempo and intensity in the opening half-an-hour was really good. On the left-hand side in particular, our rotations were excellent, so Coker and Bridge would make themselves available on the underlap or the overlap, with support from Ralph and Pepple, in a way that we failed to replicate on the right.

Coker picked out Pepple with an excellent pass and he drew a good save from the Southport goalkeeper, and Coker also went close himself with a fierce shot that was tipped wide, but it was Bridge’s opportunity - again set up by a delightful Coker pass - that exemplifies for me why we are frustrating to watch for some.

A confident Bridge would’ve opened up his body and curled the ball right-footed inside the far post himself. It was an acute angle, but on form, he’d’ve backed himself to score from there. Instead, he opted to square for Bonne, and because he too is lacking confidence, he was on his heels and didn’t seem to be expecting the chance to tap in from close-range.

So that chance passed, and along with another effort from Pepple that was saved, we had failed to get ourselves in front when we could’ve been two or three goals up. Coker’s influence faded a little after that and we struggled to break down our lower division opponents. Southport defended pretty well from that point and made it tough, although I wasn’t concerned they would score in the first half.

After the break, our play was perhaps more deliberate, and I didn’t think we exhibited the sharpness we had in the opening half-an-hour. Despite that, we got our noses in front when Appiah-Forson met Morton’s excellent delivery at the far post following a patient build-up and the officials determined it had crossed the line.

Although we had plenty more possession, Southport did have a couple of good chances to equalise, and we were a little fortunate that Hilton and Lloyd were both off-target, the first on the counter-attack and with a two-on-one situation developing.

It was a good run-out for some of the fringe players; Appiah-Forson got the winning goal and is a busy player. He links up well with Wind, although their movement can be predictable at times. Morton got the assist and sprayed the ball about nicely, showing he’s unfortunate not to be in the starting line-up at the moment.

Wind had some good moments, setting up Pepple in the first half and going close with a shot in the second, and I thought he was better defensively than he had been at Brentwood, although he can get dragged out of position. Gubbins was good defensively in the central centre-back role, but his distribution can be wayward, certainly compared to Golding. Jeacock registered a clean sheet, so that’s another positive.

I know there are some that feel we were expected to win the last three games and therefore the achievement is diminished, but we’ve not slipped up, we’ve not conceded in any of those games and we’ve used practically our full squad in the process. Positive momentum is building, even if there’s much work still to do during the second half of the season.

 

[cerbera45]

Unlucky with shot from distance in the 1st half (Coker?) and a Bridge overhit cross-shot (too much power) made both him & Bonne look like a pair of prize plums. Half time could have been very different.

 

[Jai]

Thought Morton and KAF played well. Morton bossed the midfield which was so clearly lacking at Braintree.

I wasn't particularly impressed with Wind today, and also think Ralph and Pepple had rare off days.

I feel a little sorry for Bonne. Thought he was better in the second half and put a shift in. He's a striker that needs service and balls played to feet... which I'm not sure we managed for either of the forwards much today.

Ironically he's the only striker we have capable of winning a header. Would be a key player for those who want us to go more direct.

Was it his goal bound shot who someone nicked on the line only to be flagged off? Just his luck if so, although I have no idea what was going through his head for the one Bridge put on a plate for him in the first half.

 

[Smiffy]

Plenty of the ball, but done very little with it.

Stayed patient and eventually broke down a resilient Southport.

I actually enjoyed the North Bank. The view isn’t that bad at all and the food/drink and toilet facilities are the best in the ground.

 

[kentblues]

I was unable to attend but listened and Clarkey seemed to feel sorry for Bonne who, as you say, made runs and asked for the ball but our midfield did not seem to have the ability to play the correct ball or the ball good enough for him. Without the supply he is going to struggle as would most that aren't a flair player that creates their own chances, like Pepple.

And he is shielding Kendall (15th appearance without a goal). There’s a guy at FGR fast approaching 3 months without a goal and, would you believe, some want him back….incroyable….

Meanwhile good run developing and we didn’t do a York, Barnet or Gateshead as has been said.

FGR still in but otherwise it opening up…

 

[kentblues]

Kev seems to really struggle in the face of criticism. Better get used to it, as back to back 1-0s against inferior teams like Braintree and Southport isn't going to bring rave reviews.

We look rather toothless.

We look mid table on a mid table budget…welcome to our World…regrettably

 

[bazzashrimper]

Thought Morton and KAF played well. Morton bossed the midfield which was so clearly lacking at Braintree.

I wasn't particularly impressed with Wind today, and also think Ralph and Pepple had rare off days.

I feel a little sorry for Bonne. Thought he was better in the second half and put a shift in. He's a striker that needs service and balls played to feet... which I'm not sure we managed for either of the forwards much today.

I wasn’t at the game today, but have seen a few posts saying that the midfield 3 were our best players (yours suggest 2 of them). But yet Bonne is not getting the service he needs. Appreciate there are other players on the pitch - but wouldn’t balls to feet typically come from the central midfield to the striker?

I did chat with a striker a few weeks ago, one who had seen Bonne a few times this season. He said he thought he was “@@@@@@@ useless”.

 

[Barling Magna]

A win is a win, but 1-0 against Southport is disappointing. By contrast Eastleigh put four past Basford and Aldershot whipped Chorley 8-0. Both clubs would be stern opposition for us in the next round so let's not count our chickens yet.

 

[Jai]

I must say I felt extremely uncomfortable with the clean toilets and running water. What is this utter woke nonsense??

 

[SOUFC/Thurrock]

When he does get a chance he doesn't take it though. Header on a plate and he headed it about 10ft wide

Husin's shot was going in so he has no need to touch it. It isn't working for him here and we need to just move on from him in the summer

Having watched Bonne week in and week out home and away this season he just can’t cut it at this level. He can’t score and doesn’t help anyone either, he misses every flick on or he gets too much contact and heads it straight back or worse off the pitch all together. He is a Sunday league headless chicken!!