The Cobblers’ playoff hopes are over despite a good draw at Southend on Saturday. Lee Barnard’s equaliser in the second half means that, although not mathematically impossible as yet, it would take a miracle for us to finish in the top six.
I headed up to Southend for a weekend getaway with my friends from Southampton, persuading three of them to join me at the game itself. The journey was straight forward enough after a stop somewhere on the M25 for, by then, a much needed breakfast intake. We arrived at the hotel after a lot of driving around small streets of Southend looking for it and quickly had to check in with just an hour to spare before kick off.
The hotel was owned by one of the strictest landladies you’re ever likely to meet so I won’t mention the name of it in case she hunts me down and attacks me with one of the spiders we found in the bathroom! After a few warnings about not getting home too drunk, questions about who the people outside waiting for us were and making sure we didn’t breathe too much, we were out of her hair and on the short drive to Roots Hall.
Passing by a big advertising hoarding showing off the new stadium being built for the football team, it was a shame to think that it could be one of my final visits to Roots Hall, always a good trip for a bit of atmosphere in the away end despite memories of the playoffs a couple of years ago.
Mum and Dad joined us right on kick off and there was a healthy gathering of Town fans in attendance. The earlier news that Leeds had beaten Carlisle dampened spirits a bit and meant that only a win would keep alive our playoff hopes. Even then it would be a massive task ahead of us with just three games left after this one.
Stuart Gray made a couple of changes to the starting line-up with Colin Larkin getting a surprise start in place of Poul Hubertz and Chris Doig finally making his return from long term injury to captain the side. Alex Dyer kept his place in the side after scoring against Luton last weekend while Danny Jackman dropped to the bench to accommodate the return from suspension of Ryan Gilligan.
An illness was sweeping through the Cobblers camp in the build-up to the game and Joe Burnell didn’t even make it onto the team bus. Giles Coke and Brett Johnson travelled but were taken ill en route and were not included in the squad while some squad members were also ill but had to make up the numbers in the sixteen!
Despite this, the Cobblers started well and Ryan Gilligan had a shot blocked before Jason Crowe’s follow up was deflected behind for a corner ten minutes in. At the other end, James Walker had the first real effort on goal for the Shrimpers but shot wide of Mark Bunn’s post.
A couple of minutes later and we had a strong claim for a penalty as Colin Larkin was tripped in the area but referee Darren Deadman waved play on. Deadman then further got into the Cobblers bad books by not even booking a Southend player for a clear two footed lunge by the dead ball line. He didn’t connect with the challenge but if he did it would have been a dreadful tackle and Deadman lived up to his reputation by simply waving play on and not even coming back to the incident!
Adebayo Akinfenwa had a shot turned away by Darryl Flahavan in the Southend goal mid way through the half before the Cobblers took the lead from the resulting corner. Ryan Gilligan crossed from the right and Larkin rose to head home his first goal for the Cobblers in five months.
Southend came back strong but the Cobblers’ defence held firm amid a Southend penalty claim and went in a goal up at half-time.
Within five minutes of the restart, though, Southend were level. A free kick was lined up by Charlie Mulgrew and he curled a fantastic effort against Bunn’s cross bar. Former Cobblers loanee Lee Barnard was there to tap home the rebound and suddenly Southend were in the driving seat.
A few minutes after the goal, mark Bunn pulled off a terrific save as Mark Gower crossed for Adam Barrett. Barrett, a prolific scorer against the Cobblers, looked certain to give them the lead but Bunn pushed the header away in superb style.
Adebayo Akinfenwa had a good run blocked off as he looked to make an impact but was then taken off to be replaced by Ian Henderson. Daniel Jones had to clear the ball away to safety from a Tommy Black shot before Poul Hubertz was introduced for Larkin.
Southend were unlucky not to win the game with ten minutes left as a Nicky Bailey shot hit the cross bar while Hubertz headed over for the Cobblers in our last real effort on goal from a Jones free kick.
Mark Bunn was stupidly booked for time wasting late on just a couple of seconds after placing the ball down as referee Deadman continued his awful game right up to the end and the game ended 1-1.
A point is a good result at Roots Hall, particularly with the form Southend are in, but in the circumstances nothing more than three points would have done and our season is effectively over with three games to go. We can now just look to finish as high as possible and anything above the half way mark would be a very good achievement and progression from last season.
We headed back into Southend for a meal at Nandos before heading out for a high brow evening in Reflex to round off the day! A game of “Chav Blockbusters” was also very well participated in after being invented by Jamie. The aim of the game was to get through your personal Blockbusters game board by spotting chavs donning particular items of clothing. There was no winner but I just missed out by failing to spot a fake logo t-shirt on a Southend local youth!
Sunday was spent on the sea front downing a massive “fat boy” breakfast before heading to Jamie’s Nan’s house in Hornchurch for a “bite to eat.” What we didn’t know was that his whole family were there and the bite to eat turned out to be a Sunday roast, complimenting the huge breakfast just a few hours before!
With bellies full, it was back to Southampton at the end of another grand road trip!
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