Hypocritial teams can only look on in wonder

By Nathan Jackson
May 27 2005

So the season's almost over and the Imps only have one more team to go through to get to League 1. The hoofball side, Southend who despite their claims that they play football, are just like virtually every other team in this division, they hoof it as much as possible. Welcome to the playoff final.

First of all, let me start by saying, seeing as this is the last match preview of the season (and hopefully the last in League 2), I would like to thanks all the fans of this site that make writting all this stuff worth while. Without you I wouldn't have the motivation to do this every week.

Right, I'm not going to lie, I desperatly hope we win, not just because of all the money, glory and everything else good that comes out of promotion. It's because I'm sick of this damn division. I'm sick of always being able to anticipate what to expect from the same teams year after year after year. I'm sick of having to go to the same damn grounds over and over and over again. I'm sick of going to Sixfields, Moss Rose, York Street, Reynolds/New/Williamson Motors Stadium, Kassam Stadium, Brisbane Road, Gigg Lane, Spotland, Memorial Stadium, Deva Stadium (or whatever it's called now), I'm sick of going to all these grounds and I'm desperate for a change because it's doing my head in. I hate this damn division, I hate the vast majority of teams in it and I hate the vast majority of supporters of other teams (mainly Northampton).

Anyway, now that my little rant is over. 48 League games brings us to the Millenium Stadium for what could prove a turning point in the clubs history. Many believe that if we don't win promotion, the vast majority of the current squad who don't have a contract will leave.

Ticket sales on both sides have been EXTREMELY slow and the crowd is expected to only be around 18,000 with the Imps fans outnumbering the Shrimps 2 to 1. It will prove third time lucky for one team though. Either City will win in the playoffs for the first time in 3 attempts or Southend will finally win at the Millennium Stadium in their 3rd attempt in 14 months.

Everyone is fit, no fresh injuries, nothing so it'll come as a major surprise if Keith changes the team from that the won the semi final. Let's face it, it can't be worse than his tactics in the last final where his front 3 consisted of a defender, a midfielder and a striker who had only scored 3 goals all season.

Most likely formation (Right to left)

Marriott

McAuley     Morgan        Futcher     McCombe     Sandwith

Butcher    Gain

Yeo      Asamoah   Taylor-Fletcher.

 

Who'd have thought that in October, when they threatened with relegation, that they'd end up in the playoff final? However, I have not been impressed with them this season as they shouldn't have taken any points off us at all this season. Two dodgy penalty decisions denied the Imps 6 points against the Shrimps, who despite their claims they play like Brazil, hoofed it as much as the Imps. Infact, I'm going to say something about this whilst I can. To fans of other teams reading who refer to us as a long ball team, that's a bit hypocritical as the only teams in this division that didn't hoof is as much or more than we did this season were Yeovil and Scunthorpe.

Anyway, manager Steve Tilson won manager of the year in his first season and to be fair, to get Southend up from the position they were in last season to the playoff final is a fantastic achievement.

In the semi finals, Southend beat Northampton thanks to a suspect Freddy Eastwood penalty. I say suspect because most of the times I've seen Southend awarded a penalty this season, it's because they think they're placing on an ice rink with plimsils on, they are the team equivalent of Jurgen Klinsmann.