The last time we almost got to Wembley

[Napster]

19 years ago, almost to the day.

We lined up thus:

Sansome
Poole
Powell
Gridelet
Edwards
Bressington
Hunt
Payne
G. Jones
Otto
Lee

Subs: Tommy Mooney (for Jones), Andy Sussex (for Payne) and Simon Royce.

Only 5,000 odd people turned up. Devlin scored for them and it went to pens.

Turner, Lund, Legg and Draper all scored for County and Dijkstra's pen was saved.

For us: Poole's pen was saved before Sussex, Mooney and Hunt scored. Sadly Bressington then missed and we were out.

Anyone go?

 

[Silencer]

No, I was too young - went to the first leg with my old man. Was gutted as the final would have been on my birthday. Wasn't this match re-scheduled after being called off the night before?

Other notable times when we have been close were obviously the play offs defeats to Doncaster when we was 0-0 after the first home leg and Jimmy Walker missed a sitter to give us the lead in the second leg. Last season we missed out to Crewe over two legs by the odd goal.

Throw in Brentford (LDV) over two legged Southern final loss and you'd say were due some luck in getting there, fingers, arms and legs crossed.

 

[macima]

19 years - feeling old.

19 years ago, almost to the day.

We lined up thus:

Sansome
Poole
Powell
Gridelet
Edwards
Bressington
Hunt
Payne
G. Jones
Otto
Lee

Subs: Tommy Mooney (for Jones), Andy Sussex (for Payne) and Simon Royce.

Only 5,000 odd people turned up. Devlin scored for them and it went to pens.

Turner, Lund, Legg and Draper all scored for County and Dijkstra's pen was saved.

For us: Poole's pen was saved before Sussex, Mooney and Hunt scored. Sadly Bressington then missed and we were out.

Anyone go?

 

[danburyshrimper]

Yeah i was there . Had a few chances to win it but they went begging....the feeling of utter dejection was massive + lingered for literally days....and even now it still grates..... we have to make sure that feeling is not hanging over us after tonight.

Seeing the team on paper its not as good as i remember ... Gary Poole was a fat slow flash so + so , Derek Payne was often insignificant (apart from the David Speedie clash!) , Gridelet was a poser who would go missing when needed , and Bressingtons knees were so bad he could barely run ( + he never trained !)

 

[GregStarz]

Just posted a similar thing on twitter, I was there travelled up on my own (on the coach) made it in the echo also.

If I remember rightly there was a fair bit of snow around, I was 13 at the time got back around 3 and went to school lol

 

[Special Blue]

Wasn't Gary Poole our most expensive signing? I seem to remember he cost 400,000 at the time

 

[Richard T]

Yes I there and seem to recall Gary Jones missing a decent chance straight in front of us and even though the penalties were down the other end that Bressington's one went a long way over the bar.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Surely the last time was last time we nearly got to Wemberlee was last season? :unsure:

 

[Napster]

Surely the last time was last time we nearly got to Wemberlee was last season? :unsure:

Oh OK the first time.

 

[Silencer]

Wasn't Gary Poole our most expensive signing? I seem to remember he cost 400,000 at the time

Crazy money, I think the only other signing who cost more was the £500,000 for Mike Marsh.

 

[jaffa1]

Yep, the original game was called off because of fog and was played the following night. Utter dejection on the way home - don't think any of us spoke a word on the way home. The galling thing was that Notts County only took about 5,000 fans to Wembley for the final v Brescia (IIRC).

 

[The Eternal Optimist]

I was there too. Travelled up on "The Real Supporters" coach. Such laughs it was on the coach and the pub crawl before the match. Heating packed up on the way back and it was so cold.

 

[dingleydangley]

Probably the most gutted I've been after a match. We were so close, and I loved the Anglo-Italian. I can't quite believe that I drove up two nights running. I seem to remember Ricky Otto missing a sitter right in front of us, and someone telling me that Bressington was in the bar within about five minutes of the game finishing.

 

[southend4ever]

Ricky Otto :chill:

 

[Sleaford Shrimper]

Yes, I was there. I remember being cross that it appeared that the ref had decided to use the goal at the home end for the penalty shoot-out without tossing a coin. I also remember Peter Taylor saying after the game that he would have bet his mortgage on Bressie scoring from the spot. One of my most disappoining evenings watching Southend since 1966.

 

[Nick Prawnby]

Yes I was there

Otto missed sitter, Bress blasted pen over the bar........

And still gutted!

 

[C C Csiders]

Yes, I was there. I remember being cross that it appeared that the ref had decided to use the goal at the home end for the penalty shoot-out without tossing a coin. I also remember Peter Taylor saying, from the bus shelter he called home, that he would have bet his mortgage on Bressie scoring from the spot. One of my most disappoining evenings watching Southend since 1966.

Corrected for accuracy.