Southend United began 2007
with a crucial 3-1 win against West Bromwich
Albion this afternoon, reducing their distance
from safety to 6 points.
With fellow relegation candidates Leeds and Hull
also winning, it was vital that Southend didn’t
fall further adrift and they didn’t after an
excellent victory over promotion-seeking West
Brom, who went in to today’s New Years Day match
on the back of a 6-match unbeaten run. Southend
defended strongly as they have done in recent
matches but this time they were hitting the
target at the other end too and after going in
at half-time 3-0 up, they held on in the 2nd
half for only their 4th league win of the season
despite periods of pressure from the visitors
and a referee who seemed determined that West
Brom got back into the game.
Manager Steve Tilson made
one change from the team that got a 1-1 draw at
Coventry on Saturday. Striker Freddy Eastwood
returned to the starting 11 in place of Matt
Harold after recovering from an illness that
forced him onto the bench at Coventry.
The first 10 minutes were
fairly even with no efforts on goal but in the
11th minute the home side took the lead. Jamal
Campbell-Ryce, who is finally starting to play
to the maximum of his ability, picked up the
ball just a few yards in front of the centre
circle, skipped past a couple of West Brom
players and from 25 yards unleashed a
thunderbolt of a shot that flew into the far top
corner of the net. Roots Hall shared the
Jamaican’s joy at getting his 1st goal for the
club.
Southend were full of
energy and commitment against the Baggies and
managed to nullify the threat of strike duo
Kevin Phillips and Diomansy Kamara. The next
chance didn’t come until the 28th minute and the
Shrimpers took full
advantage of it. Mark
Gower drifted the ball into the box from the
left-wing and Lee Bradbury headed the ball down
perfectly for Campbell-Ryce who rifled the ball,
again from 25 yards, into the bottom left corner
of Russell Hoult’s goal. Southend were rocking
whilst the Baggies looked shell-shocked
At the other end, Adam
Barrett and Peter Clarke continued to repel
everything thrown at them and in the 40th
minute, Tilson’s men astonishingly made it 3-0
through another unlikely scorer. Kevin Maher
played a short
corner to Mark Gower who
whipped the ball in to the centre of the area
where right-back Lewis Hunt headed the ball past
Hoult for his 1st league goal and only his 2nd
goal in all competitions for the club.
Shortly before half-time
the visitors finally forced Darryl Flahavan into
a save when Kamara’s drive from 12 yards was
parried behind for a corner.
At half-time, West Brom
manager Tony Mowbray made it quite clear how he
felt about the 1st half when he made a brave
triple substitution. Zoltan Gera, Martin
Albrechtsen and Kevin Phillips were taken off in
place of strikers
Nathan Ellington and John
Hartson plus defender Neil Clement.
Jason Koumas, from a free
kick, and Jonathan Greening both shot wide from
long-range in the early stages of the 2nd half
but in the 59th minute Adam Barrett should’ve
made it 4-0 to the home side. Freddy Eastwood
whipped the
ball in from the left-wing
where Barrett was racing in but his header from
12 yards was excellently pushed away by Hoult.
Then 3 minutes later West
Brom pulled a goal back to give themselves a
glimmer of hope at Roots Hall when the
experienced big man John Hartson turned in
Darren Carter’s corner. Kevin Maher was booked
for Southend as the
sides prepared to kick-off
for, as usual, complaining to the referee and it
was his 6th of the season.
Hartson’s goal sent a few
jitters around the home stands but as it turned
out, the Baggies rarely threatened the North
Bank goal and didn’t look like salvaging
anything from the game. There were no chances of
note for the
remainder of the match
with the Shrimpers battling for the rest of the
match and holding onto a precious 3 points.
Ratings:
Flahavan 6, Hunt 7,
Barrett 8, Clarke 8, Hammell 7, Campbell-Ryce 8,
Maher 7, McCORMACK 9, Gower 6
(Francis 85, 6), Eastwood 7 (Hooper 85, 6),
Bradbury 6 (Harold 89, 6).
Subs not used: Welch, Riera.
