Southend 1st XI 3 - 2 Chelmsford 3rd XI
'Chelmsford Played 15, Won 15 - NOT ANY MORE!'
Chelmsford, unbeaten in the league, hammered us at Chelmer Park. We were all expecting to get hammered again I think. Well that wasn't how it went.
It was a peculiar start, during the warm up everyone was really quiet perhaps because it was Chelmsford and perhaps because we weren't at full strength (no Puppy and no Phil Harvey) and it looked just like we expected to get beaten. The game started evenly and we scored first after Keith Arnold made a nice turn in the D and beat the keeper at the far post. I still felt we thought that this would just kick start Chelmsford and that we were still heading for a loss. True enough Chelmsford then scored and it was one apiece.
Then it all started. Lee Styles hit out at one of their players and was yellow carded. Great! They already had their tails up and now we're down to 10 men! However this just seemed to fire everyone up and we started to play.
The longer the game went on, the more it seemed to degenerate into a battle, the more we seemed to get into it and the more we believed. We scored again from a Rob Styles penalty flick after Keith Arnold was fouled in the D. There was more aggravation from both sides and another Styles yellow card as well as one for one of their players too (although he only seemed to be off for a couple of minutes when Styles was off for ages) and the game was in full flow.
Then it happened Chelmsford equalised and it felt like the script was written, they would go on and score the winner and we would be gutted. But no, we fought on, now with Danbrook at the back after Styles was kept off for his own good and the reward came with what felt like a late late winner when Rob Styles converted a short corner with a trademark flick into the bottom corner. "How long left ump? I asked", "14 minutes" came the reply. 14 MINUTES? I THOUGHT THERE WAS ONLY SECONDS LEFT! But that was it, we hung on, helped by some great team defending, as well as some top goalkeeping, and Chelmsford couldn't break us down. We did them last year 1 - 0 at home after they'd thrashed us at their place and we'd done it again this time. They obviously just don't like fortress Canvey.
Seriously though it just showed what we could do when we put it all together and what a good team we could actually be. Why don't we do this every week?
Team - Christie, Hayman, Mellish, Reynolds, Robeson, Styles Snr, Styles Jnr, Crowhurst, Leggett, Arnold, Utton, Danbrook
Goals - Arnold, Styles Snr 2
Redbridge & Ilford 2nd XI 2 – 2 Southend 2nd XI
Goalscorer(s): Druce & Morgan
In spite of an under strength team and notwithstanding the fact that the skipper gave away our umpire (hope he was worth it ladies?), so we had to rely on the integrity of 2 R&I umpires, Southend came away with a hard fought but ultimately deserved point.
Once again sloppy defending early on allowed the home side to go ahead, conceding a penalty corner scrappily converted. Shaken once more from their lethargy Southend began to press forward, the ever willing Stuart Jones resplendent in his new role in central midfield. A flurry of penalty corners eventually brought forth the equaliser, Druce receiving the ball on top of the D, dropping his left shoulder moving right and coolly lobbing the advancing keeper. Unfortunately, shortly after he blighted his copybook by earning a yellow card (ultimately deserved but originating from a very poor umpiring decision!).
Having worked hard to get back into the game Southend once again went behind. This time from the penalty spot, the result of a flicked short corner glancing off the keeper before striking McPhee on the line. Mike Scott managed to get stick to ball from the resulting flick but not with sufficient force to keep it out. Against the odds (Druce resting in the corner of the pitch!) Southend restored parity. A breakaway goal the result of a mis-hit strike from Walsh put away by Morgan.
The 2nd half saw Southend unable to retain the ball and for long periods of play were subsequently under immense pressure. However, gritty defending by midfield and defence superbly marshalled by Marcus Watson saw the side through to a well earned point.
Man of the match was undoubtedly Stuart Jones, who chased and harried the entire game and with a bit more luck (or composure?) could have capped off his display with a deserved goal.
Following Saturday’s results the title race appears to be down to 2; Southend & Harlow. Southend lead by 5 points, with Harlow at Chelmsford this coming weekend (come on you Greens!!) and Southend hosts to a resurgent Sudbury.
Team: M Scott, J McPhee, M Watson, J Etheridge, K Druce, G Cheeseman, S Jones, J Morgan, S Lockwood (Capt.), J Lockwood, G Hastings & M Walsh
Southend 3rd XI 1 - 4 Wapping 4th XI
Just occasionally a result doesn't hold the true story of a game. And this week Southend's 3rd XI 4-1 loss to league leaders (and champions in waiting) Wapping is a match worth further examination.
With not a single defender left from the side that started the season Southends back three Sam Brooks, Tony Revell and James Birt were joined this week by experienced 'play anywhere' dude John Evans. The first half started according to Wapping's plan as their crisp accurate passing stretched the defence out of shape twice in quick succession to be comfortably 2-0 on top in 15 minutes. Wapping however had no intention
of taking their foot off the peddle and with (slightly comical) screams of "WHAT'S THE SCORE" .. "NIL, NIL" accompanying each restart Wapping heaved wave upon wave of pressure on the home side. Southend's midfield were doing their bit (and more) to try and stem the tide and 20 minutes in Southend started to compete in spots around the pitch. Another Wapping goal followed from a short corner, pinged from player to player at the top of the keepers pads from a maroon shirt flying in from the right flank. More bellowing from the restart but Southend were now starting to get their
hackles up and their tackles in and the "NIL, NIL" bluster was quieter, partly from confidence and partly because messers Lockwood, Needham, Dawes and Taylor jr. snr. were slowly knocking the wind out of them (or
their ankles in KTs case). A fourth goal 5 mins from halftime however killed the game as a contest and left Southend playing for pride.
Now pride is something that this 3rd XI has in abundance .. A few tactical pointers at halftime and Southend realised that they could compete at this level and in the second half compete they did. The
midfield continued where they'd left off - cutting off attacks, keeping the pressure off the defence and finally getting the ball to the forwards. Daniel Varrow shined in the second half and showed some
glorious stick work to make run after run into the D drawing tackles and short corners as he did so. It was from the second or third short that Cliff Lockwood cracked the backboard much to Wapping's frustration.
Wapping came back but Southend were having none of it .. The defence were huge (and even the goalkeeper seemed to have woken up from his first half coma) and the midfield and forwards made chance after chance
and were playing with a real sense of purpose. Southend could have had a flick or two (to add to the one they didn't get in the first half!) as the visitors were forced to sit back on their lead and probed Southend
less and less as the game went on. Alas Southend couldn't increase their tally to make the score resemble the performance but goals will come this season I'm sure of it.
I walked off the pitch with two distinct feelings (three if you count the backache).. Pride, at what we'd achieved, the whole game was a real team performance. We never folded and the character shown to dig a second half win out against an excellent (if noisy) side is a credit to all 13 players. And secondly anticipation, evertyone present now knows what it will take week in week out to win this league.. And without
exception they showed they are capable of performing at that level. If we want it ... its right there for us.
If I was a Wapping skipper I'm sure I'd finish with "GO THREES" ... but I'm hoping to win the league and hang on to some dignity while doing it.:o) .. Thanks all
SOUTHEND & BENFLEET LADIES 1ST XI 2 - 1 Brentwood Ladies
Well I’ll keep this short and sweet only because it’s not worth talking about!!!
We beat Brentwood 3-1 previously in the season and should have done it again on a return match BUT…. Well, we just didn’t feel like it!!!
We let Brentwood play hockey, we let them take advantage of us and we let them have two goals that were both our fault (here you go have two goals on us, we don’t mind, we might actually even feel sorry for you!!!).
Instead what we should have done is bury them from the off and keep it going seeing as we had most possession. It really did surprise me to find that the team that hardly touched the ball WON!! And my only question is HOW???
We thought we might cheer ourselves up by putting one in the goal in the second half but I’m sure that was only to prove we could.
So the fact is we lost!! Nobody knows how!! And we’ll probably do it all again this week!!
We all look forward to it!!!
Team: L,Ballard. S,Watkinson. S,Revell. R,Goddard. G,Swain. A,Johnson. K,Colman. C,Harris. A,Byford. C,Rose. H,Middleton. C,Powell.
Goal Scorers: C,Powell. 1
Southend and Benfleet Ladies 2nd XI 3 - 0 Romford Ladies
Saturday 5th the ladies 2s played Romford ladies at Waterside. We had a bad start this week and a few minor panics in the D until the first goal came from Heidi Shepard after a great run up the wing.This calmed us slightly but we continued to make hard work of the first half. Early in the second half came the next goal from Emma that trickled through the goalie's pads and
didnt even hit the back board ( but they all count). The defence kept the ball away from our goal for most of the second half and the halves gave some great passes to allow Heidi to score her second goal of the game, leaving the final score 3 - 0.... |
