Source: FOOTYMAD
Southend United reserve team coach Graham Coughlan to play against Barnet and Oxford United
Southend United centre-back Graham Coughlan has not had much chance to continue as reserve team coach recently but has certainly been playing a regular role for the first team. Coughlan in his Shrew days: 'Barnet game is between two in form sides' Shrimeprs veteran defender Graham Coughlan might not have expected it but he's now played in 10 of the Shrimpers last 11 matches, and as well as being the reserve team coach, not that he's been wearing that hat a lot lately, has also been helping out Blues boss Paul Sturrock since Tommy Widdrington's sacking. Helped by Mark Phillips injury and Luke Prosser's poor performances Graham has become a rock in the centrel defence with Chris Barker, disproving EEB's insistance that Luggy will give him a rest before every game! Coughlan told www.echo-news.co.uk: "It is a real privilege to be involved with the group of playing we have here at the moment and I'm really enjoying it but we need to keep on getting good results. Playing games has been great and so has the coaching. I had been involved from the start of that side of things but I've done a lot more in the last five or six weeks and the players have responded well. For me football is the best game and industry in the world and I'm loving doing what I'm doing right now." The odds are that the former Shrewsbury skipper will start again to help keep out the rampant Izale McLeod, forcing Luggy to keep that French Tunisian bloke upfront, but he certainly doesn't underestimate Barnet, who are on a good run themselves unbeaten in their last four League Two matches.Coughlan continued: "I think this game is between two in form sides and will be very hard. We are fighting for different things and want points for different reasons but I think this come will end up having a huge say on where both teams end up. We're doing well at the moment and it was a big win against Macclesfield for us but you don't get medals for how you play in January and we need to keep this going until May, starting with the Barnet game."
