MickyBarronsLeftFoot
09-02-2008, 20:59
A sense of deja vu today, as once again Pools lost after taking the lead away from home (Gillingham, Yeovil, Swindon.....). However I felt Pools deserved at least a point. Througout the first half, they looked commanding & in control. Sweeney's goal was (in fact all the goals) in the goal at the other end of the ground & I didn't see it too clearly. It appeared to take a wicked deflection before ending up in the net. Southend had a few close chances but we deserved to be one up at the interval.
The match changed within 10 minutes or less in the 2nd half. Southend's first goal was well struck down the centre after being fed in from their left. I still felt at that stage that Pools were the more likely to grab a second goal. Everything changed however with Collins's sending off. I didn't see what happened - I was watching the ball out near the corner on the Southend right when the linesman flagged frantically. A Southend player had gone down in the centre and I thought it was going to be a penalty. After lengthy consultation, the referee appeared to send off Willie Boland. Shortly afterwards he flashed a 2nd red card, this time to Collins. It appeared that we'd lost 2 players but presumably the 1st one was rescinded as a case of confusion as it was only Collins who ended up trudging off. It turned out to be a free-kick just outside the centre of the penalty area and it seemed like all of Pools' remaining outfield players lined up in the wall. Southend merely passed the ball to the left of the wall to an unmarked player who shot past Budtz.
After that Southend had the majority of the possession but 10 man Pools still had a few chances and periods of pressure including Barker heading narrowly wide from a Porter cross.
Southend indulged in some 'professional' corner-flag play in the last few minutes, presumingly reflecting a feeling that we were still more of a threat than they could be.
The travelling Poolies were in great voice today, keeping a 'Danny Wilson's blue & white army' chant up through most of the second half, interrupted only by the occasional rendition of 'Two Little Boys' etc.
Despite the result, there was a justified mutual exchange of applause between the Pools players and fans after the match - marred only slightly by Mickey Nelson coming angrily over to (presumably) one fan who (a steward suggested to me) had been telling him to fook off at various periods of the game.
The match changed within 10 minutes or less in the 2nd half. Southend's first goal was well struck down the centre after being fed in from their left. I still felt at that stage that Pools were the more likely to grab a second goal. Everything changed however with Collins's sending off. I didn't see what happened - I was watching the ball out near the corner on the Southend right when the linesman flagged frantically. A Southend player had gone down in the centre and I thought it was going to be a penalty. After lengthy consultation, the referee appeared to send off Willie Boland. Shortly afterwards he flashed a 2nd red card, this time to Collins. It appeared that we'd lost 2 players but presumably the 1st one was rescinded as a case of confusion as it was only Collins who ended up trudging off. It turned out to be a free-kick just outside the centre of the penalty area and it seemed like all of Pools' remaining outfield players lined up in the wall. Southend merely passed the ball to the left of the wall to an unmarked player who shot past Budtz.
After that Southend had the majority of the possession but 10 man Pools still had a few chances and periods of pressure including Barker heading narrowly wide from a Porter cross.
Southend indulged in some 'professional' corner-flag play in the last few minutes, presumingly reflecting a feeling that we were still more of a threat than they could be.
The travelling Poolies were in great voice today, keeping a 'Danny Wilson's blue & white army' chant up through most of the second half, interrupted only by the occasional rendition of 'Two Little Boys' etc.
Despite the result, there was a justified mutual exchange of applause between the Pools players and fans after the match - marred only slightly by Mickey Nelson coming angrily over to (presumably) one fan who (a steward suggested to me) had been telling him to fook off at various periods of the game.