By Sadie
March 11 2007

Sadie (Shady Blue Lady) is back giving us her own unique look at Town’s game against Southend United yesterday.

At home against Southend, the majority of the fans are looking up again and faith in the Tractor Boys is almost restored, so what do they do? Roll around in a pile of fudge with almonds in it and a little bit of sweet corn which I think may have just fell out of Legwinski’s beard.

 

So here we are with Price, Harding, De Vos, Bruce, Wright, Roberts, Garvan, Legwinski, Peters, Lee and Jeffers with Supple, Wilnis, Haynes, O’Callaghan and Clarke oh and look they have switched ends before kick off again, did I ever mention how much I hate that.

 

Well Town start well, they manage to find formation, I hear that can be tricky, why do you think Richards isn’t in the team (only kidding). Yes they are soon attacking the visitor’s box well until Alan McCormack takes the ball from Garvan’s feet.

 

Somewhere around the 3rd minute Freddy Eastwood is clear as De Vos and Harding are trying to catch up but Eastwood’s shot was wide anyway, very, very wide.

 

In the 5th minute Roberts is looking very unsure of himself and moments later as Harding passes the ball out to him the ball is intercepted and walk away by Simon Francis.

 

Price gets involved for the 1st time around 8 minutes from a Southend free kick, given against Legwinski, but the kick is no hassle as it falls perfectly for the Welsh International.

 

For those of you who purchased today’s match day programme on the back there was an energy saving word search, well I beg to differ, I was using my energy trying to find the words! So for it to really be energy saving they should have marked where all of the words were.

 

Oh and Town have a corner taken by Roberts, shall I tell him or will you… Psst Jaime Peters is only 3feet tall he can’t jump for those balls (although even still he jumps a lot higher than Sam Parkin ever did)

 

Southend have another free kick on 11 minutes when Lee, the bully, apparently barges into Francis but it creates nothing.

 

Onto 15 minutes Roberts is driving me mad and Garvan produces a lovely ball sending it through the legs of Simon Francis but Jeffers miss times his strike and doesn’t even make contact with the ball. Anyhoo Southend won back possession and started an attack leaving Gower down in their own box needing treatment.

 

 Southend keeper Flahavan gets involved in the 19th minute after Roberts wins a corner which Wright takes sending straight to the Southend no.1

 

A minute later the attack is Town’s again this time with Peters who manages to break through the visiting defence but as usual it just wasn’t to be as the ball is sent plummeting south.

 

23 minutes Monty Panesar is 4th official again, Lee is modelling a new hair style and Sodje has a tea towel on his head. Wow you see it all at Portman Road.

 

Town have a free kick in the 24th minute after Peter Clarke goes on a rampage taking down Lee then turning to strike down an unsuspecting Roberts, The ref shakes his pointed finger at Clarke before Wright sends the free kick to the arms of Flahavan.

 

Francis Jeffers is down needing treatment on 25 minutes, sorry darling you’re not going to make the shortest Town career shortlist, and on 27 minutes he is replaced by Haynes.

 

On the half hour I’m thinking about how much Lee looks like Reuser with his hair like that and oh red grapes, mmm.

 

The Town fans are going mad on 33 minutes when Lee goes down in the box apparently after being pulled but nothing is given and play continues.

 

Down at the other end where so far play has been sparse De Vos is having problems but Harding recovers sending the ball out for a corner and with the ball out on the wide left Gower send a strong fast ball in which beats everyone and gives the visitors the lead, the Tractor Boys are creating a fuss clearly not happy about something and Lee gets himself in Mr. Atkinson’s little yellow book.

 

We have now reached 40 minutes and Francis is booked after tripping goal running Lee, the free kick as usual practice from Wright falls straight for Flahavan.

 

Harding is booked a minute later and gives away a free kick from which Peter Clarke scores, hmm yes, so much for a revival and late survival, Town are 0-2 down at home by half time.

 

For the 1st 5 minutes of the 2nd half Town try to attack but fail miserably and as they get ever tired the Tractor Boys defence begin putting pressure on themselves.

 

In the 56th minute Campbell-Ryce has a shot, the shot is off target but not so far so that Price needn’t dive.

 

Roberts strikes wide on 59 minutes then on the hour I have to ask Mr. Garvan, why, when there is an open goal in front of you, do you pass wide?

 

In the 61st minute Flahavan does enough to divert a Haynes shot for his defence to clear. BTW no midfield action is being mentioned because it would seem as if I’m commentating on a game of pinball.

 

In the 64th minute the visitors score a 3rd after winning possession in their own half and running through everyone in blue leaves them with a corner, it is from this corner that the ball hit the net but the goal with disallowed and the score line remains a miserable 0-2.

 

Lee is the receiver of McCormack’s foul play earning Town a free kick and McCormack a booking on 66 minutes, the kick from Roberts is poor to be kind before O’ Callaghan replaces Legwinski.

 

69 minutes Town have a couple of corners but as the score line remained 0-2 you can guess, we got nothing from them.

 

So play heads up and down the pitch for a bit before Bruce is called off for treatment looking like he as come off the set of saw 4, you see the goals are there, but inside Bruce’s head… you can work out the rest.

 

Bruce returns on 75 wearing a turban after a fantastic save from Price after Eastwood is left running free.

 

Garvan finally does some good working with Lee to set up Haynes, but as always it turns into a mess, ever watched house behaving badly? No? Good.

 

Ok on 77 minutes I’m not sure what happened Town hit the back of the net but it is disallowed and Lee receives his second yellow and is sent walking, apparently it was a handball, pillock. Roberts is finally put out of his misery and replaced by Clarke

 

79 minutes Francis sends the ball into the Town box from the right and out to the left. Hmm interesting tactics.

 

Harrold replaces Bradbury in the 80th minute which is probably a good thing for UTD as he hasn’t featured so far then in the 83rd minute Hammell replaces Gower.

 

Price saves the Tractor Boys again in the 84th minute after Haynes was sloppy and costly on the edge of the Town box then Bruce heads out stopping Eastwood from getting on the score sheet, Maher takes the corner supplying Campbell-Ryce who tries to send the ball to Sodje to finish, but Sodje can’t reach the finishing ball and Town can breath again.

 

Bruce is added to the book in the 87th minute after Maher rolls over him then in the 89th minute Mr. Atkinson (ref) has a ball to ball conference, that’s gotta hurt! But it sure was funny.

 

Haynes rattles the post in the last of the 90 as 3 minutes are added on during which Southend make their final substitution with Eastwood making way for Moussa.

 

The Town fans have had their full when Moussa falls over but still manages to get up and beat Wright to the ball. Flahavan is booked for time wasting with his goal kick gifted by O’Callaghan Clarke too manages to add himself to the book, and I win funky sock comp (as per usual, smug me).

 

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