Source: FOOTYMAD
Stoppage time winner for Hatters leaves depleted Shrimpers facing long season end
Stockport County 2 Southend United 1: As S24 reported midfielder Lee Sawyer is out injured and possibily for the season, allowing youngster Jamie Stevens to make his debut.Alex Woodyard comes in for Cyprus bound Kane Ferdinand, playing for the Irish under-19's, to start also in the middle. Up front rare starts for winger Louie Soares and centre-forward Harry Crawford as Barry Corr was deemed not fit enough after a bug spread in the camp earlier in the week and the 18-goal Irishman was sent to the bench.The exciting Ryan Hall, also struggling a couple of days ago but recovered enough to start at left-back, as he was against Hereford once Johnny Herd limped off in the 18th minute.With Stockport bottom-of-the-table and also having lost a number of key players, including loanee striker from Roots Hall Matt Paterson and their regular starting keeper, and the away side playing with such an inexperienced team, play was expected to be cautious with little chances.As the game slipped into a free-kick here, an offside there, a hopeful effort easily picked up by either shot stopper, the belief grew that it would be a set piece would break the deadlock, and so it proved.Approaching the half-hour Shrimpers right-back Sean Clohessy was adjudged to have fouled Daniel Rowe and up stepped our Hatter-to-watch Greg Tansey and he put it away for Stockport to have the lead.This would have worried the watching travelling faithful that such a young side, and one with Louie Soares in it, would struggle to pull it back, a game they really had to win to keep up any chase for an outside play-off place, and itt certainly looked that way as the half-time whistle blowed with no further clear cut chances to either team.After the break it was really more of the same, except that the home side was already a vital goal up and with your top scorer not 100% and on the bench, when would Blues boss Paul Sturrock take the chance on his main, and some would say only, card. Soares does have a go on 53 minutes but the ball floats harmlessly over home keeper Matt Glennon's crossbar. Sums up his season really.Poor Ryan Hall, doing his best, picks up a yellow card while being wasted at full-back, but what can Luggy do?20 minutes to go and only the second corner for Southend, also tells a tale, and Blair Sturrock can do nothing with it. At this stage, and as in many of the recent defeats, the Shrimpers were seeing more of the ball, but especially with this line-up, could do little with it, not that County were doing much better, spot-kick aside. Rowe does have a decent effort for the Hatters from the edge of the box and goes just wide left.Asante, not Corr, who isn't even warming up, replaces Louie Soares on the 76th minute, and possibily for the rest of the season, but with these injuries you can never tell though no way should Soares get another contract.Then, on the 81st minute, a life-line, and Luggy's gamble pays off.Kyle Asante has been a goal machine in the reserves but little was expected in the first team but there's Crawford finding the young Shrimpers striker who finishes calmly from inside the box finding the botton left hand corner. The equaliser leads to a period of home pressure and it's Rowe again, but well over the bar, followed by Jamie Wallace, closer but still wide, finally Rowe continues to try his luck, but has none,
