Southend U 2 - 1 Tranmere Rovers Match Snippets

Following Saturday's 2-1 defeat away at Southend United in League One, Deadly Submarine takes a look at the match and the trip itself in our Match Snippets post-match section.

Southend U 2 - 1 Tranmere   

Weather Report

Another cold day in Essex but this time there were no frozen pitches and the game was safe at the first time of asking.  There was even some sun at one point which caused me to (mistakenly) leave my coat on the coach before having to go back for it later.

Crowd

6,507 fans were inside Roots Hall and the home fans made the least noise but got the most out of the game in the end.  After two consecutive away games postponed, it must have been a relief for the home crowd to see a game kick off.

Referee Watch

Dean Whitestone (Northamptonshire) - Decent enough game from the man in the middle and his assistants.  The penalty for Rovers was the correct decision although the free-kick from which Rovers conceded the late winner was a doubtful one at first glance  - 8/10

Best Moment

Aside from the excellent penalty by Ian Moore, seeing John Achterberg back in goal for the first team and the performance that followed from the Dutchman was the best moment.

Worst Moment

After a poor first half, Rovers had dominated parts of the second half so the late late winner for the home side was an absolute sickener.

Funniest Moment

The half-time interval saw one of the hapless staff in the food outlet, giving out Burgers to Rovers fans without the Burger inside the bread.  One fan was bemused to find that his Cheeseburger consisted of Bread, Cheese and three bits of onion!

Tranmere Man of the Match

John Achterberg - A great return for the Dutch stopper who kept Rovers in the game in both halves but particularly the first.  Steve Jennings and Charlie Barnett ran Achto close for the award though.

Connections

Former Rovers loan defender Simon Francis played and had a decent game at right back for Southend.  The other connection was Kevin Betsy who once again became the enemy of Rovers Fans.

Rovers Fans

186 Rovers fans made the trip to Essex which was slightly disappointing given the number at Colchester for the evening kick-off 5 days earlier was 118.  Despite this lots of noise was made and the fans had some great chants and deserved better. 

Southend United Fans

Apart from some noise to the left hand side, the home fans were quiet during the game despite some good pre-match music to get them pumped up for the game.

Summary

After getting back into the game, to lose was a disappointment but with three home games to come, the chance is still there for Rovers to make progress. 

On the whole the home side deserved the win ater a dismal first half from the visitors.

Entertainment Value

The first half was arguably the worst Rovers performance of the season (certainly defensively) but in the second half we were entertained at times and losing was a devastating end 6/10