Southend United v Morecambe FC – Match Preview

October 2, 2014 by Alec Hitchman

Southend United’s next test is a home game against early pace setters Morecambe. Blues have a horrid record against the Shrimps, having won only one of the eight meetings between the sides. That solitary win came last season in the FA Cup, when Blues won 3-0 at The Globe Arena, two goals coming from Anthony Straker (now at York City) and one from Ryan Leonard.

Morecambe had a great start to the season, winning their first four league games, before Tranmere Rovers ended that run. Since then, they have won twice in six games and have lost their last three games by the score-line of 1-0.

Once again, Southend go into this game on the back of a win, having beaten Shrewsbury Town 1-0 in their last match. Morecambe, as previously mentioned, lost their last game 1-0 at home against Northampton Town.


Who Are Morecambe FC?
Full Name: Morecambe Football Club
Nickname: The Shrimps
Founded: 1920
Ground: The Globe Arena (6,476 Capacity)
Manager: Jim Bentley
2013-14 Season: 18th (League Two)


Most Recent Line-Ups
Southend: Bentley, White, Thompson, Prosser, Binnom-Williams, Deegan, Clifford, Payne (Corr ’74), Coulthirst, Weston (Bolger ’95), Hurst (Atkinson ’63)
Morecambe: Roche, Widdowson, Beeley, Edwards, Parrish, Fleming (Mullin ’67), Williams (Sampson ’84), Kenyon (Goodall ’45), Redshaw, Ellison, Amond


Last Time We Met – 8th March 2014 - Morecambe 2-1 Southend United
Morecambe: Roche, Beeley, Threlfall, Drummond, McCready, Hughes, Fleming, Kenyon, Sampson (Marshall ’85), Amond (Redshaw ’66), Ellison (Wright ‘ 86)

Southend: Bentley, White, Coker, Atkinson (Barnard ’61), Phillips, Egan, Timlin (Clifford ’52), Leonard (Laird ’71), Corr, Hurst, Straker


Morecambe’s Last 5 Results
Northampton Town (H) – L 0-1
AFC Wimbledon (A) – L 1-0
Mansfield Town (A) – L 1-0
Plymouth Argyle (H) – W 2-1
Cheltenham Town (H) – D 0-0


Morecambe’s League Form

Home: Lost last game

Away: Lost last three


What Could Happen?
Should Burton Albion lose at home to Cambridge United tonight, Southend, who are in 4th place on 20 points, could go a point clear at the top of the league, but only if Wycombe Wanderers and Bury both lose. (Please see fixtures at the bottom of the preview).

Morecambe, who sit in 6th place on 16 points, can only go up one place into 5th with a win, but have to rely on Northampton Town, who beat them last week, to lose. Either way, at the end of the match, Blues will still be above Morecambe.


For the Morecambe Fans – A Quick Guide

Distance to Travel (Based on the distance between both team’s grounds)
280 miles (4 hours 53 minutes)

Where Can I Drink?
There is a bar in the ground known as the Shrimpers Bar. Although this is mainly for home fans, away supporters do have access. Other than this, there is the Blue Boar pub on Victoria Road, which, on match days, only admits away supporters. It is about a two minute walk from the ground (heading towards the town centre). You will have to walk past The Spread Eagle in order to get to the Blue Boar, but "The Spread" is only open to home fans on match days.

Parking
There is plenty of street parking within walking distance of the ground, based in the many back streets behind and to the right of the away stand, otherwise, there is a car park at Southend High School for Boys, which charges £5 for match day parking.

Staying Overnight?
There are plenty of hotels and B&B’s in Southend. One of which is the airport hotel, approximately a 5 minute drive, or a 30 minute walk from Roots Hall. On the other hand, there are a number of B&B’s along the seafront, just like Morecambe! The seafront is roughly 25 minutes by foot from Roots Hall.

Attractions 
If you have planned to make a weekend of your visit, there are many attractions in Southend. One of which is Adventure Island, an amusement park on the seafront at the end of the town centre. Just along from that, there is a Sea-Life Centre, along with ten-pin bowling at the Kursaal.

Where can I Eat?
There is a chip shop opposite the Blue Boar pub, called The Fish House. Other than this, there are the usual fast food restaurants in Southend high street. There is also the Chinese buffet, known as "East", which is located near the Royals Shopping Centre, in the high street. Locals will be happy to guide you should you need help.

Programme Price - £3.00

Postcode (for SatNav users): SS2 6NQ


Blues Team News
Southend could be without Luke Prosser, after the defender missed training this week. Cain Bolger or Mads Ibenfeldt could slot in next to Adam Thompson in the Blues defence. Ryan Leonard could make a return to action tomorrow, but will more than likely be on the bench.


My Predicted Southend Line-Up:
Bentley, White, Bolger, Thompson, Binnom-Williams, Payne, Deegan, Clifford, Coulthirst, Weston, Hurst


The Opposition View
I was unable to get the views of any opposition fans this week.


The Rest Of Them
Playing Tonight (03/10/14)
Burton Albion v Cambridge United
Dagenham & Redbridge v Exeter City

Playing Tomorrow (04/10/14)
Bury FC v Tranmere Rovers
Cheltenham Town v AFC Wimbledon
Hartlepool United v Carlisle United
Mansfield Town v Accrington Stanley
Oxford United v Newport County
Plymouth Argyle v Shrewsbury Town
Stevenage FC v Luton Town
Wycombe Wanderers v Northampton Town
York City v Portsmouth FC

Let’s hope Blues can end their Morecambe hoodoo and beat them in the League for the first time tomorrow!

Come on you Blues!