Match Thread Away to Southend Tuesday 26th January at 7.00pm

Same line up, same tactics. Easy this football lark.

 

They need to win given the gap and more games played. A draw would be a great result, but of course a win would be massive, as it would make the gap 8 points with two games in hand. A loss and we are looking over our shoulders again.

 

Despite being bottom I think Southend will prove to a tough game. Earlier this season they seemed dead and buried. But recent form has improved and they've dragged themselves back into a position where they're only a point off 3rd from bottom and five off us.
Despite our recent upturn in performances we need to give them respect.

 

No disgrace in losing to Mansfield. 5 wins on the bounce under Clough. He's lost 2 in 14 since taking over.

To Southend. I liked what I saw at Cambridge but if I was being critical, we looked a little indifferent up top. We didn't look totally cohesive and for this reason, it may be the downfall to a needy away win.
When Rowe drops we need runners beyond. Now we possibly played conservatively with mullins, ironside et al in mind.
If we can get the balance between front and back, can't see anything but a win.

Prediction. Draw

 

They also lost to Cambridge at home, mid week, they won't want three in a week all at home! Funnily enough I thought Dieng was probably their best player at VP earlier in the season and I honestly have not said that about him many times.

 

A long away trip in a cold winters night to roots hall is never easy. But it’s my birthday so they need to win

 

They won't be the 'gimme' they were earlier in the season, but we should be very much aiming for 3 points.

 

3 points is vital.
Draw or lose then a lot of the recent positvity will be forgotten as it will be no wins in 3 and in a relegation fight again.

 

Got to win this. We've been very good of late but the only thing missing is goals and we need to start scoring them tomorrow.

 

To drag them at least back into contention, from the position they were in a few months ago, their manager (Moseley is it?) has done a terrific job. So it’s a game where both sides are in better form than their league position suggests. Expecting a tough game and City will no doubt build from the back again and look to keep it tight.

We have to find a way past this time though and look to win the game.

Agree with the comments above about us needing more pace. I think Cooke, Clarke and Evans’ places are up for grabs. Of those, Clarke looks likely to be dropped for Stevens to give us that bit of extra pace.

Let’s see a few more Rowe piledrivers too - even more reason why we need someone like Stevens in the side to draw fouls around the box......

 

Happy Birthday ! What's then 80 ?

 

If we draw this, I dont think the positivity will be forgotten at all. Whilst a win would be very nice and we should be aiming for that, a draw away to one of our relegation rivals would not be the end of the world

 

Won’t be long

 

Not at all a draw and it will still be seven unbeaten from a time where we didn’t know where the next point was coming from

 

Dieng was sent off on saturday for two bookings so i believe he won't be available tomorrow.

 

Cold ? No mate tropical down here by comparison

 

our forwards/ attacking mids need to learn that Rowe is going to hit those shots every chance he gets and start gambling on following them in case any keeper is foolish enough to get in the way and knock one back out