Memory Lane Worst ever match you saw at Roots Hall

[Spaceman Spiff]

ha ha yes one I could mention - having moved to Sheffield in 1997 I decided to drag my Northern chums down to Southend to meet with Southend chums for my Stag weekend in April 2000. It was our dark period when we were consistently in the lower reaches of what is now League 2.

The game against York was a dull 0-0 draw with sweet FA goalmouth action, one of my mates swears that Scotty Houghton had his boots on the wrong feet as everytime he kicked the ball it went the opposite way to where it should have!

The following week I had another Stag do for all the lads who couldn't make the Southend trip and we were treated to the prospect of seeing the Blues again this time at Rotherham, who were pushing for promotion. Again it was a rather dull 0-0 with the mightly Blues defending stoutly for most of the game. The only two memories I can really recall was a great save by Mel Capleton and David Morley lashing the ball into the Rotherham standing section of their main stand at Millmoor as a clearance and annoying one local who made gestures at him for the remainder of the game.

That was two games in two weeks introducing people to the Blues for the first time and 0 effing goals in 180 minutes of rather dull football!

Ah yes! Wasn’t Dave Morley the one we used to call ‘Dangerous Dave’, from memory? Living up to his name at Millmoor! :hilarious:

 

[Benfleet A1]

Southend v Bournemouth in '83. George Best was playing for the Cherries but sadly was unfit and uninterested - the other 21 players on the pitch were just dire. Stretched out on the South Bank and fell asleep.

Wasn't that the game over the easter period? Got quite lively around town as I remember.

 

[LBBlue]

September 4th 1971 - a rare Saturday game in those days and a 0-0 draw against Bury which was pitiful. I can still remember it after 46 years. There was never any atmosphere on a Saturday at Roots Hall when most games had an evening ko on a Friday or Monday.

Things could only get better after that and of course they did. That game followed a 2-3 home defeat to Scunthorpe the Monday before and Arthur Rowley was still trying to sort out his best 11. We then drew 0-0 at Aldershot the following Saturday and had won only 1 of the first six games. Then it clicked -we beat leaders Grimsby 3-1 (Best 3) and the following week won 2-0 at Doncaster. Promotion followed at the end of the season. After the Doncaster game I can remember the headline in the Echo " Brilliant Blues hit back at all those moaners". (my scrap book has long departed though).

 

[LennySUFC]

The defeat to Millwall the other year is up there, 0-0 to York 27/01/2004(?) It was freezing! I was mascot that game and I don't think my jacobs have ever come out of my body!

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

The 10-1 Win against Aldershot. We should of had 11 and how we didn't keep a clean sheet I have no idea.

Or 7 of the last 8 games of Phil Brown tenure?

 

[Tommy2holes]

I can't remember the year but it must have been 90s when York did a smash and grab on us. If I remember rightly they had barely got out of there own half and done us at the death with a corner. Completely threw a game away.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I can't remember the year but it must have been 90s when York did a smash and grab on us. If I remember rightly they had barely got out of there own half and done us at the death with a corner. Completely threw a game away.

I really hate that type of home defeat - 1-0 usually to a rubbish team who either got an early goal then parked the bus or a smash and grab at the death. Ninety minutes of the Hall reeking of the impending agony of a rotten 1-0 loss.

 

[LCBB72]

In over 52 years of watching Southend United the worse game I have ever seen at Roots Hall was on the 13th Sept 1975 against Port Vale , Southend were 3-0 up at half time , in the next 45 minutes Port Vale scored 3 goals and were unlucky not to of won the game . Coming out the ground at the end of the game I have never known the crowd to be so quite and everyone had a shell shocked look on there faces it was like we were all going to a funeral , bad , bad game :stunned::stunned::stunned: .

 

[Uncle Leo]

A 2-0 defeat to Boston on a Tuesday night in 2003. We had Drewe Broughton up front. I think that was the match Maher tried to commit a professional foul on the half-way line and missed. Wignall didn't last much longer.

Thank you for saving me typing this out YB.

 

[LBBlue]

I really hate that type of home defeat - 1-0 usually to a rubbish team who either got an early goal then parked the bus or a smash and grab at the death. Ninety minutes of the Hall reeking of the impending agony of a rotten 1-0 loss.

There's been so many of them over the years not many stand out for me.

How do the hammerings by Colchester rank though?

4-1 in 1971-2
5-2 in January 85
4-2 in October 85

then there were those 4-0 maulings by Northampton in 85 and 86

 

[LCBB72]

September 4th 1971 - a rare Saturday game in those days and a 0-0 draw against Bury which was pitiful. I can still remember it after 46 years. There was never any atmosphere on a Saturday at Roots Hall when most games had an evening ko on a Friday or Monday.

Things could only get better after that and of course they did. That game followed a 2-3 home defeat to Scunthorpe the Monday before and Arthur Rowley was still trying to sort out his best 11. We then drew 0-0 at Aldershot the following Saturday and had won only 1 of the first six games. Then it clicked -we beat leaders Grimsby 3-1 (Best 3) and the following week won 2-0 at Doncaster. Promotion followed at the end of the season. After the Doncaster game I can remember the headline in the Echo " Brilliant Blues hit back at all those moaners". (my scrap book has long departed though).

I remember watching the Bury game , they had ex England John Connely playing and thinking that 5 years before he was playing in the 66 World Cup , if Southend had won 2 of the games out of the 3 that they lost at Roots Hall Scunthorpe , Colchester or Cambridge they would of gone up as champions .

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

Southend v Bournemouth in '83. George Best was playing for the Cherries but sadly was unfit and uninterested - the other 21 players on the pitch were just dire. Stretched out on the South Bank and fell asleep.

I totally agree with this. I tend to forget the bad games very quickly, but when I saw this thread the Bournemouth game came rushing back to me as it was so awful. I can remember who I went to the match with, where we stood and where we went after, but the game itself was a complete non-event.

 

[AndyT]

I think every home match against Bury in the 70s ended 0-0!

 

[kaymac]

In over 52 years of watching Southend United the worse game I have ever seen at Roots Hall was on the 13th Sept 1975 against Port Vale , Southend were 3-0 up at half time , in the next 45 minutes Port Vale scored 3 goals and were unlucky not to of won the game . Coming out the ground at the end of the game I have never known the crowd to be so quite and everyone had a shell shocked look on there faces it was like we were all going to a funeral , bad , bad game :stunned::stunned::stunned: .

Remember it very well, Vale hit the post after getting back to 3-3....talk about a game of two halves!

 

[AndyT]

I wouldn't have laid much money on the worst game being a 3-3 draw, I have to say. Though I remember the game well.

Another one of my top 5 games was also a 3-3 draw. The match against Norwich in September 2006.

 

[BILLERICAY BLUE]

Including 1-0 to Doncaster Rovers in 1998.

This one. I flew out to Australia that night having made the decision to get my last SUFC fix for 5 months. I really wish I hadn't :unsure:

I landed in Darwin the next day convinced that Alvin must have been sacked, I think he was still in charge when I got home 5 months later :nope:

A dire, dire game in which we could still be playing now, and still wouldn't have scored.

 

[AndyT]

One thing I recall from that match was that at the final whistle the Doncaster players and fans were celebrating up at the North Bank end, when whoever was on the PA went into one about them overdoing things and potentially likely to cause a problem with us lot! .. I think, by then, we'd lost the will to live, in truth.

Doncaster were rock bottom of the Conference, as well!

 

[kaymac]

I really hate that type of home defeat - 1-0 usually to a rubbish team who either got an early goal then parked the bus or a smash and grab at the death. Ninety minutes of the Hall reeking of the impending agony of a rotten 1-0 loss.

Another game on those very llnes, losing 1-0 to Southport back in the 1960's. Think ex-Blue Jim Fryatt scored for them?

 

[Jai]

Including 1-0 to Doncaster Rovers in 1998.

Ooh that was a very bad one.

Personally I always think of the 2-0 home defeat to Boston under Wignall in about October 2003. I'd come back from university up north for two games, I think the other one was a home defeat to Orient. Both games were utterly turgid. What a waste of my time and money.

 

[Uncle Leo]

This one. I flew out to Australia that night having made the decision to get my last SUFC fix for 5 months. I really wish I hadn't :unsure:

I landed in Darwin the next day convinced that Alvin must have been sacked, I think he was still in charge when I got home 5 months later :nope:

A dire, dire game in which we could still be playing now, and still wouldn't have scored.

I was in Liverpool that day - went up there to watch a game at Anfield for a mate's birthday. This was before everyone had mobiles, so I had to buy 'The Pink' to get the result of the Southend game.

Bought a copy, took one look at our result, then flung it across the pub in disgust.