Source: FOOTYMAD
The S24 Preview: Southend United v Walsall
The trapdoor is closing on the Shrimpers hopes of staying in League One, victory is vital against the Saddlers, so let's start getting in the mood for the match at Roots Hall Tuesday, March 23rd; kick-off 19.45. v SHRIMPERS So a game starting without Captain Adam, that will be strange.Replacement; well M'Voto should be a shoo-in under normal circumstances, but not the way he's been playing and it will probably be Osei Sankofa who gets the nod, as he did on Saturday once Adam grabbed the second of his two yellows.Great to see Johnny Herd back, and those throw-in's were dangerous.Even greater was seeing the Moose score for the first time since the first game of the season after pushing him to do more in the final third, and a classy goal it was too, more please.If Webby had a word in Tilly's ear about getting more players in then box, good stuff, let's just not have the defence standing around like statues for the early part of the game.Francis Laurent missed the weekend with a pelvic injury, I've put him down as a sub but we'll have to see, always useful to have the inconsistant Frenchman around.Christophe sits out the last of his four match ban yet if he returns for Bristol it could all be too late, the great escape has to start sometime, and once they woke up against Carlisle, the spirit was there but not the three points, they must try and get over the line Tuesday evening.Walsall are no mugs away from home, ask Leeds, and have some decent talent in the side, Byfield will give Osei and Pat Baldwin a run for their money if he starts or even comes on as a sub, ask Colchester; so it's going to be close and there be no forecast, just a lot of praying. Just go out there lads, give it your all, and the Roots Hall faithful will be with you all the way.COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!! Possible Southend United: Mildenhall, Francis, Baldwin, Sankofa, Herd, McCormack, Grant, Scannell, Vernon, Paterson, Moussa.Subs: Bentley, Malone, M'Voto, O'Keefe, Laurent, Spencer, Crawford.OPPOSITIONIt's one skipper for another as Saddlers centre-back Walsall captain Mark Hughes was shown a straight red and starts a three-match ban. Manny Smith is ready to step in. Richard Taundry played at right-back against the Farmers on Saturday, but Darryl Westlake could return after missing the game with an illness.Rhys Weston has resumed training after a hamstring injury and may start on the bench.10Southampton (-10)3610433615685282116128643650+2811Carlisle United 3893728213972333121214515448-312Walsall 3668527226381725121113444747-313Yeovil Town 38865312235111530111116465244-6Last time out - Walsall 1 Colchester United 0 (played on Saturday March 20th)The Troy Deeney rant had been the talk of Walsall. The Saddlers striker's explosive public outburst the previous weekend sent shockwaves around the Banks's Stadium. The fans loved it; the management wished it had remained between the four walls of the changing room. Either way, it had to be said.And, whether or not Deeney's tongue-lashing triggered this reaction, it was exactly the type of committed performance that the crowd favourite felt his team-mates had been lacking in recent weeks. There was no going through the motions at the Banks's Stadium on Saturday, Walsall dug deep and got exactly what they deserved. Even with the odds stacked against them, following Mark Hughes' first-half sending-off that should have never been, the Saddlers didn't give in.In many ways, the straight red card dished out to the captain seconds before half-time helped inspire the hosts to victory. It refocused the minds of Chris Hutchings' men and forced them to come together as a collective unit. Down to ten men for the entire second half and against a decent play-off-chasing Colchester side, the situation looked grim for Walsall.Well-documented injuries on football fields, such as Arsenal youngster Aaron Ramsey's horrific leg break at Stoke, appear to have put referees up and down the land on tenterhooks. So when Hughes lunged in to cleanly take the ball off Colchester winger Ashley Vincent with a proper centre-half's challenge, wet-behind-the-ears referee Geoff Eltringham had one thing in mind. The inexperienced Tyne and Wear official is in his first season in the Football League and Saturday's red card was the fifth one he's dished out this campaign. Clearly Eltringham is trying to make an impression.The decision stunned the Walsall bench, but galvanised both the home team and the crowd. The Saddlers refused to let the numerical disadvantage become an excuse. The Us had their hosts pinned in their area, but the Walsall back five, with Julian Gray filling in as a makeshift left-back, put their bodies on the line.In fairness, a goal-less draw would have been a good result but Walsall made their own luck to find a winner in the dying seconds of stoppage time. And it fell to a man who had forgotten the feeling of scoring. Journeyman striker Darren Byfield had not found the net since December 5 and he later admitted that it felt as if he hadn't scored for five years. But the ex-Villa man was quick to race on to Deeney's through ball and made up a lot of ground before showing a calm head in the box to squeeze home the winner.It sparked jubilant scenes and understandably so. This was Walsall's first win in five and only their second in the last ten home games. However, the result was always going to be secondary, it was the performance that was needed.Walsall: (4-4-2): ★ GILMARTIN 8; Taundry 7, Hughes 6, McDonald 7, Vincent 8; Jones 7, O'Keefe 6 (Richards 76), Mattis 7, Gray 7; Deeney 6, Nicholls 6 (Byfield 79). Not used: Ince, Smith, Bradley, Till, Grigg.Colchester United: (4-4-2): Williams; White, Okuonghae, Heath, Tierney; Vincent (Odejayi 61), (Gillespie 66), O'Toole, Prutton, Wordworth; Platt, Lisbie. Not used: Cousins, Henderson, Batth, Fox, Ifill.Referee: G Eltringham (Tyne and Wear).(Report by Andy Walker on www.birminghammail.net)PREVIOUSLY At Southend Utd. (37)At Walsall (39)ResultsTotal%ResultsTotal%Southend Utd.2464.86Walsall1846.15Walsall38.11Southend Utd.1435.90Draws1027.03Draws717.95GoalsTotalAv.pgGoalsTotalAv.pgSouthend Utd.661.78Walsall802.05Walsall270.73Southend Utd.551.41On Neutral Ground (0)Overall (76 matches)ResultsTotal%ResultsTotal%Southend Utd.00.00Southend Utd.3850.00Walsall00.00Walsall2127.63Draws00.00Draws1722.37GoalsTotalAv.pgGoalsTotalAv.pgSouthend Utd.00.00Southend Utd.1211.59Walsall00.00Walsall1071.41RecordsHighest Aggregate8Southend Utd. 5 - 3Walsall1965/1966 Highest Southend Utd. score:5Walsall 1 - 5Southend Utd.1937/1938 Highest Walsall score:6Walsall 6 - 0Southend Utd.1947/1948 SeasonDateHomeScoreAwayCompetition 2009/2010Sat 15 AugWalsall2 - 2Southend Utd.League One 2008/2009Sat 07 MarSouthend Utd.2 - 0WalsallLeague One Sat 30 AugWalsall5 - 2Southend Utd.League One 2007/2008Sat 29 MarSouthend Utd.1 - 0WalsallLeague One Sat 20 OctWalsall0 - 2Southend Utd.League One 2005/2006Sat 25 FebSouthend Utd.0 - 0WalsallLeague One Sat 13 AugWalsall2 - 2Southend Utd.League One 1997/1998Sat 17 JanSouthend Utd.0 - 1WalsallLeague Division Two Sat 30 AugWalsall3 - 1Southend Utd.League Division Two 1989/1990Tue 30 JanWalsall4 - 1Southend Utd.(Associate Members) 1987/1988Sat 19 MarWalsall2 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division Tue 17 NovWalsall2 - 1Southend Utd.F.A. Cup Sat 14 NovSouthend Utd.0 - 0WalsallF.A. Cup Fri 30 OctSouthend Utd.1 - 1WalsallThird Division 1983/1984Sat 11 FebWalsall4 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division Sat 24 SepSouthend Utd.0 - 0WalsallThird Division 1982/1983Fri 29 AprSouthend Utd.1 - 1WalsallThird Division Sat 27 NovWalsall1 - 3Southend Utd.Third Division 1981/1982Sat 23 JanSouthend Utd.3 - 2WalsallThird Division Sat 29 AugWalsall0 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division 1978/1979Mon 30 AprSouthend Utd.1 - 0WalsallThird Division Sat 07 OctWalsall1 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division 1975/1976Fri 09 AprSouthend Utd.2 - 2WalsallThird Division Sat 06 SepWalsall2 - 3Southend Utd.Third Division 1974/1975Tue 04 FebWalsall3 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division Mon 16 SepSouthend Utd.3 - 0WalsallThird Division 1973/1974Sat 13 AprWalsall1 - 2Southend Utd.Third Division Sat 17 NovSouthend Utd.2 - 1WalsallThird Division 1972/1973Fri 10 NovSouthend Utd.2 - 0WalsallThird Division Tue 19 SepWalsall3 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division 1965/1966Sat 05 FebSouthend Utd.5 - 3WalsallThird Division Sat 28 AugWalsall3 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division 1964/1965Sat 06 FebWalsall2 - 3Southend Utd.Third Division Sat 26 SepSouthend Utd.0 - 0WalsallThird Division 1963/1964Sat 18 AprSouthend Utd.1 - 1WalsallThird Division Sat 07 DecWalsall2 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division 1960/1961Mon 29 AugSouthend Utd.1 - 2WalsallThird Division Tue 23 AugWalsall5 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division 1957/1958Sat 01 MarWalsall1 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Sat 19 OctSouthend Utd.4 - 1WalsallThird Division (South) 1956/1957Sat 23 MarWalsall0 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Sat 10 NovSouthend Utd.2 - 0WalsallThird Division (South) 1955/1956Sat 14 AprSouthend Utd.3 - 2WalsallThird Division (South) Sat 03 DecWalsall3 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division (South) 1954/1955Mon 02 MayWalsall4 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Sat 29 JanSouthend Utd.2 - 1WalsallThird Division (South) 1953/1954Mon 19 AprWalsall2 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Fri 16 AprSouthend Utd.3 - 1WalsallThird Division (South) 1952/1953Sat 25 AprWalsall1 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Sat 06 DecSouthend Utd.2 - 1WalsallThird Division (South) 1951/1952Wed 26 DecSouthend Utd.3 - 0WalsallThird Division (South) Tue 25 DecWalsall2 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division (South) 1950/1951Sat 23 DecSouthend Utd.0 - 1WalsallThird Division (South) Sat 26 AugWalsall1 - 2Southend Utd.Third Division (South) 1949/1950Sat 11 MarSouthend Utd.2 - 2WalsallThird Division (South) Sat 22 OctWalsall1 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division (South) 1948/1949Sat 30 AprWalsall0 - 3Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Wed 06 AprSouthend Utd.2 - 0WalsallThird Division (South) 1947/1948Sat 17 JanSouthend Utd.1 - 1WalsallThird Division (South) Sat 06 SepWalsall6 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division (South) 1946/1947Sat 28 DecWalsall2 - 2Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Sat 31 AugSouthend Utd.3 - 1WalsallThird Division (South) 1938/1939Sat 04 FebWalsall0 - 2Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Sat 01 OctSouthend Utd.2 - 0WalsallThird Division (South) 1937/1938Sat 22 JanWalsall1 - 5Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Sat 11 SepSouthend Utd.1 - 0WalsallThird Division (South) 1936/1937Sat 24 AprWalsall3 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Sat 19 DecSouthend Utd.3 - 0WalsallThird Division (South) 1930/1931Sat 14 MarSouthend Utd.2 - 0WalsallThird Division (South) Sat 08 NovWalsall1 - 3Southend Utd.Third Division (South) 1929/1930Wed 19 FebSouthend Utd.1 - 0WalsallThird Division (South) Sat 21 SepWalsall1 - 3Southend Utd.Third Division (South) 1928/1929Sat 06 AprWalsall4 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division (South) Wed 20 FebSouthend Utd.3 - 1WalsallThird Division (South) 1927/1928Sat 10 MarSouthend Utd.2 - 1WalsallThird Division (South) Sat 29 OctWalsall0 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division (South) REFThe man in the middle is Carl Boyeson from East YorkshireHe gives an interview here: www.refworld.com/referee/128/1/carl-boyeson FIXTURESMonday, March 22nd: Leeds United v Millwall, 19:45 Tuesday, March 23rd; (all kick-offs 19.45): Colchester v Brentford, Southampton v Hartlepool, Southend v Walsall.BETTo Win:Southend (to win) - 6/4, Draw - 12/5, Walsall (to win) - 2/1. For all the footy odds go here: www.oddschecker.com/football/english/league-oneHISTORY The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club were one of the founder members of the Second Division in 1892, but have spent their entire existence outside of English football's top division; their highest league finish was sixth in Division Two in 1898-99.Walsall moved into their Bescot Stadium in 1990, having previously played at nearby Fellows Park. The ground is now known as Banks's Stadium for sponsorship purposes.The team play in a red and white kit and their club crest features a swift. They have rivalries with neighbouring Black Country teams, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with more 'traditional' rivalries with Shrewsbury Town and Port Vale. The club's nickname, The Saddlers, reflects Walsall's status as a traditional centre for saddle manufacture. In January 2009 Walsall sacked manager Jimmy Mullen and replaced him with their former player Chris Hutchings.For a full history go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walsall_F.C.
