Southend United 3 Charlton Athletic 4
I’ll try not to be too negative but that was another disappointing and alarming display.
Yet, I have spent five decades watching us find way’s to lose these games and despite the players’ best efforts, they actually won and most importantly of all are in the hat for the next round.
After watching Huddersfield fall on a banana skin last night, and there were others today, at least we didn’t make the headlines unlike last year’s debacle.
With two nicely headed goals from Leaburn and Zach Mitchell, it was all going swimmingly up until Matt Godden and then Luke Berry contrived to miss in front of goal to prevent us going 3-0 up, most Addicks knew what was then coming.
A penalty that we’d have been annoyed not to get, and it was 2-1 at the break with that miss a minute before consequential.
Southend by the sounds of it were by far the better team in the 2nd half. An alien newly landed in Essex would have had them as the league team and us as the side flapping around in non-league.
The Shrimpers found the equalizer, albeit fortunate, and then gave us a football lesson is passing and attacking with threats.
Mannion had to make a great save and somewhat against the run of play Miles Leaburn superbly flicked on a header for Godden to finish and that should’ve been that.
Those early season clean sheets and managing games to the last whistle are being pushed further and further back in the memory, and sure enough on 93 minutes another deflection brought Southend level.
No replays this season so extra time followed and with penalties looming late sub Gassan Ahadme raced on to a loose ball, swivelled and fired home in front of the travelling Addicks. It was a very accomplished finish.
The goal, the goalscorer out of the blue, but most welcome. Credit to Southend though, who I hope we see back in the league one day. Proper club and fans.
From a player perspective, it sounded as if only Leaburn, Taylor and Thierry Small made any impression. From a manager point of view an honest assessment again from Nathan Jones, but I am beginning to need a bit more than a ratification of how poor we were.
🎙️: “We are in the lap of the Gods and praise the Lord, he was shining on us.”
⭐️ Miles Leaburn
🏟️ 8,875 (1,391 Addicks)
📸 Kyle Andrews
What can you say !! Another embarrasing performance for all to see.
We were a bit unlucky with deflected goals, but come on, we should expect to have the game sealed up by half-time.
I was dreading penalties ………..
Ahadme for me has been a gross disappointment and if he has dropped to fourth choice striker it would be the position his performances have earned. However, that strike at the death was a much needed super finish. Can he ever do it again? Let’s hope so.
As you say we’re in the hat for the next round. Our best hope is one of the remaining lower league clubs at the Valley (I think) 🙂 Of course knowing our luck it will probably be Chesterfield or Barnsley away.
As I have said many times of late what we need is a 20goal a season goal scorer.
We had one John. But NJ hounded him out of the club.
Wasn’t at the game so can’t comment. All Southend goals had a touch of fortune about them.
Taylor unfortunate to concede a penalty when getting up from the deck, his arm flapping as he tried to steady himself and the other two goals, deflections. Would they have gone in, no way we can tell. If Godden had placed his shot rather than blasting then the score line would have been more decisive.
Bar injuries,we probably had our strongest eleven out there. It doesn’t bode well if we can only manage a draw after 90 minutes against a non-league side. Still too many mistakes being made and no cutting edge to finish teams off.
I’m a bit more positive, these matches are rarely easy and a shot to nothing for the non-league team who have nothing to lose.
We took our first two goals well – but Godden and Berry both tried to burst the back of the net when a bit of calmness was needed, maybe they thought that the game was done? The penalty a minute later was harsh, it was ball to hand, but so was the one that we benefited from last week, turn it around 180 degrees and if it were a Southend defender we’d have been screaming for a penalty. Then they had two deflected goals, the second heavily so, but Gassan Ahadme took his goal well.
The problem with Ahadme is the lack of decent service we give him but with Terry Taylor in the team and Josh Edwards also able to deliver an accurate cross it might be that we can use his height a lot better than we have done until now. Miles Leaburn has three goals in the week – all from headers and from decent crosses, we have a competitive advantage that we need to make the most of.
Yes Daggs, is it because the club won’t pay them there worth or do they disagree with what the manager wants , Moran why won’t be play m brewer he in my opinion is much better than the keeper we got from Cambridge.
Hello. Mr. W. Skudder. Are u still about what is your comment🤔🤔🤔