[Div3North]

Accrington Stanley

V

Southend United

2018/19 Prediction League; Game 34 v Southend Utd (home)


“Southend” is, correctly, “Southend-on-Sea”; being a member of the Grammar Police, I suspect that’s not grammatically or factually accurate, since if it were “on-Sea” it would sink ................ therefore, rather like Wells (further up the Coast), it probably should be “Southend-next-the-Sea” ........... Originally what is now “Southend” was the "south end" of the village of Prittlewell, and was home to a few poor fisherman huts and farms (some people say it still is!); it became a seaside resort, largely thanks to the expansion of the Railways (this was pre-Beeching, of course) and the attentions of Princess Caroline of Brunswick (married to George IV, Princess of Wales for 25 years, and Queen for 20 months, and the daughter of the bloke who ruled Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel); it had – may still have, if it hasn’t burnt down – the longest Pleasure Pier in the world, measuring 1.34 miles (2.16 km) ............ it’s holiday status declined, to be replaced by the HQ of Access credit cards (who remembers them?), and currently it’s the main collection base of HM Revenue and Customs for VAT ........... it used to have an annual Air Show (they flew parallel to the beach, apparently) but that ceased in 2012 ..........

Their Footie Team (Southend-next-the-Sea United Association Football and Cheese Griddling Club) was founded in a pub in 1906, ‘tis said ........ they joined the League in 1920 when the new Third Division started, and then went south to Div3S .......... and there they wallowed for many a long year, with various forays between the third and fourth tiers; they did manage Division Two twice (1991 as third tier runners-up and 2006 as champions) which gave them seven seasons in all in Div 2/Championship before they Greasy-Poled again ............. and their Club Shield features a single prawn in one corner, which tells you more or less all you need to know (actually it’s supposed to represent a Shrimp, but it’s a little fat bugg*r for a single shrimp ........ or even a Married Shrimp, come to that). Twelfth in the Second Tier is their highest-ever finishing position, they’ve been runners-up in the FL Trophy 3 times, and they won the Essex Thameside Trophy in 1990 (whoopee!)....... Biggest wins have been by 10-1 against Golders Green and against Brentwood (both in the FA Cup) and Aldershot in the FLT; heaviest defeat (so far) is 9-1 against Brighton ............ current manager is Chris Powell (who played for them between 1990 and 1996 before moving on to Derby and then to Charlton) ........... and this week’s starter for ten is this; Chris Powell played for Southend, Derby and Charlton, but which of those sides has he subsequently managed, either full-time or caretaker?

Minimal activity over the season as regards new players, or Players Terminated; striker Stephen Humphreys arrived from Fulham for £MYOB (stands for Mind Your Own Business – a throwback to when I were a Lad!), and Blackburn LB Sam Hart joined in mid-January for the rest of the season; Anton Ferdinand went to St Helen Mirren in August, and two other players I’ve never heard of left in January for non-League (Dover) and Swindon, while a few others went out on loan ............

Good win on Tuesday, lucky or not; three points, if you’ll forgive a true-ism, is three points ........... we’re now 14th, with 40 points, sandwiched between Scunnie and Sarfend on GD (but with 2 games in hand on both). After 33 games played (by most), only 3 teams have won half or more – the Louts (obviously!) with 21, the LambChops (19) and Pompey (17), although the BlackMoggies have won 16 of 32 (and drawn 14 more) .......... the converse of that stat is that five teams have lost more than half their games – the Wombles (20), Bratfud (18), and three on 17 defeats – Rochdale in 20th (one point above Shrewsbury, Oxford and Bratfud, but with a game more played than the Shrews), Gillingham and – get this – Sarfend, who may be 15th because they’ve also won 12, and only drawn four times .......... were we to win our two in hand by ‘average’ scores, we’d be tenth in the table as it stands ................ I wish!

Form team is still Luton Louts (five wins out of five, and then some), followed by Barnsley (11 points out of 15), and then Sunderland and Fleetwood (9/15) ..... Nincompoops of the Week are still Walsall (0/15), with Sarfend on 2/15, and Oxford and Shrewsbury both on 3/15 .......... the Wombles are making a Late Dash For The Line (two wins out of their last two) and we’ve now picked up 5 points from 5 games (or “only lost once in our last four” if you prefer it that way ..............

They rubbished us at Roots Hall in mid-December (3-0, and we were lucky to get nil) ................ of the eleven games since then they’ve won three (1-0 at Oxford, 4-0 at Bradford, and 2-0 at home to the Gills), drawn two (a half-Desmond at Charlton and a 3-3 at home to Pompey last time out) and lost 6 ............ It’s a good idea to beat the teams below you (Oxford and Bradford), and a decent point at Charlton, and sharing six goals with Pompey (who’ve actually drawn their last four and lost the one before that, so are Sliding South) is also tactically sensible ............... at home, their record is W6 D2 L9 GF27 GA23; away, it’s W6 D2 L8 GF16 GA21, giving them overall P33 W12 D 4 L17 GF43 GA44 for 40 points and a -1 GD ........ they lasted one round in the EFL Cupo (2-4 at home to Brentford), two rounds of the FA Cup (6-2 at Crawley after a half-Desmond, followed by another 4-2 home defeat, this time by the LambChops, and they made the third round of the EFLTroffy before Pompey totalled them (2-0) .............. leading scorers are Simon Cox with 15, Tom Hopper with 7 (when he can use both legs he’s hoping to score more regularly) and Sam Mantom with 6 .............. last time we met (2014/15, when they went up through the play-offs, and when St John of Coley returned to the Fold) they did us 1-0 at ours, but we did them 2-1 away, our goals coming from Piero Mingoia and El Tel Gornall; happy days!

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm tomorrow, 23rd February .............. and I’m sorry this is late (I’ve been out every night this week and most of last week-end, involved with a play, and I’ve been too knackered to start it when I’ve got in!) Better late than never; maybe ................... And the answer to the starter for ten is – all three of them (Derby as Caretaker) ................

Good luck to everyone! ............. Keep the Faith! (which is a tad easier after 3 points on Tuesday gone) .............And thanks for playing!