📝 Match Preview: Southend United (A)

All you need to know ahead of Saturday's match at Roots Hall

9 October 2020

Exeter City will be looking to make it four wins on the spin as they travel to face Southend United at Roots Hall on Saturday.

ity boss Matt Taylor has spoken to the press ahead of their trip to Southend United on Saturday and says his side must be prepared for the threats the Essex side pose.

The Shrimpers are yet to win a match in Sky Bet League Two, but Taylor expects a tough contest.

“We’re on the back of two good performances – three if you count the game on Tuesday – and they’ve had a disjointed start to the season, so it’s a difficult one to predict.

“I expect they’ll strengthen their squad this week and they have some players to come back from injury, plus they’ll be looking to pick up their first win of the season."

HOW TO WATCH

We would rather you could be there in person, but you can get the next best thing by supporting at home on iFollow.

You can purchase a match pass for the 3pm kick-off at the cost of just £10 in the UK. The stream includes the live BBC Radio Devon commentary, score overlay and replays.

By purchasing a match pass on the City website, you'll be providing much welcome income whilst games are played behind closed doors with around 80% of the price going directly to the Grecians.

To purchase a match pass please click here.

You can watch the match on your laptop by purchasing a match pass and logging on to the website homepage where the will be a 'Watch Now' button near the top of the page.

This season the EFL have created a new 'iFollow' app where you can watch on your phone or tablet! The old Exeter City app is being phased out, so if you have that please uninstall and download the app:

To purchase a match pass please click here.

For further details on iFollow, please click here
For a first time guide to iFollow, please click here

Guide to iFollow

Not used the service before? Or getting stuck? Click here to view our first time guide.

MATCH DAY COVERAGE

As usual, we’ll have the match covered across our social media channels and we’ll have a post-match interview with manager Matt Taylor and a player as they reflect on the result.

Exeter City on social media

FROM THE OPPOSITION DUGOUT

Mark Molesley said the following about Saturday's match:

"They're a very experienced team at this level and were in the play-offs last season.

"Matt Taylor has got them organised, very well-drilled and like I say, they’re experienced and always fighting for promotion so another tough challenge awaits us.

"They have a rich history of producing very good players, most-notably of late Ollie Watkins who has banged the goals in at Aston Villa. [Ethan] Ampadu is another one but we’re also very proud of what we do here at this football club.

"They are an experienced team and they set the standard because they’ve been up the top end of this league in the last few years.

"We have to stick to our processes and present a really strong challenge to them."

THE GROUND

Name: Roots Hall Stadium
Capacity: 12,392
Year opened: 1955
Address: Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6NQ

Southend United originally played at Roots Hall following their formation in 1906 but were forced to move in 1920 to the Kursaal, an amusement park in the centre of Southend. In 1934 the Blues were on the move again, this time to the towns greyhound stadium in Grainger Road- before making a triumphant return to a newly built football-specific Roots Hall in 1955.

Southend are planning to pack their suitcases again when they move to a brand-new out of town stadium. In April 2020, an agreement was been reached between the local council and the Club, enabling the £80m redevelopment of Roots Hall for housing, and the delivery of a new 21,000-seater stadium at Fossetts Farm.

LAST TIME OUT

Swindon Town 3 Exeter City 4 | 6/10/20 | EFL Trophy

A much changed side took part in a seven-goal thriller at the County Ground on Tuesday night with first professional goals for the trio of Harry Kite, Ben Seymour and Alex Hartridge.

SOUTHEND'S LAST MATCH

Southend United 0 Portsmouth 3 | 6/10/20 | EFL Trophy

Southend’s EFL Trophy campaign came to an end as they were beaten 3-0 by Portsmouth thanks to goals from John Marquis and a brace from Ronan Curtis at Roots Hall.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTER

Exeter City 0-1 Southend United, 18 April 2015

Michael Timlin’s 92nd minute winner was enough to separate the two sides and kept Southend’s automatic hopes alive, whilst denting City’s play-off hopes.

Match Reports

📝 Match Report: Southend 2 City 2

Our take on City's trip to Essex as Alex Fisher's late stunner seals a point

10 October 2020

Alex Fisher scored a wonder goal with virtually the final kick of the game to earn Exeter City a point at Roots Hall.

The Grecians twice fell behind to a Southend United side looking for their first win of the season but battled back to claim a point in stoppage time.

Manager Matt Taylor, on the back of last Saturday’s win Cambridge United, named an unchanged side for the third Sky Bet League Two match running.

The only change was on the bench where Nicky Law, who did not travel through illness, was replaced by Nicky Ajose.

Former City player and Southend boss Mark Molesley made six changes from the side that lost 3-0 at home to Portsmouth in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night. There was also a debut for Kazalah Sterling.

City started the match brightly with the ball finding Randall in the box after 20 seconds, but he couldn’t sort out his feet quickly enough to get a shot on target, and then Jay curled a free kick wide from 20 yards out.

However Southend, who were battling hard in midfield, came into the game as the half wore on and took the lead after 26 minutes when they worked the ball from the right to Brandon Goodship, who took a touch to steady himself before sending a left-foot strike into the bottom corner

City tried to hit back as Randell Williams had a shot blocked on the edge of the area, but it was a mistake from Southend on halfway that saw City get back on terms as they squandered possession and Ryan Bowman slipped a pass into Joel Randall, who coolly found the bottom corner.

The Grecians began the second half on top as well, holding onto possession better and getting the likes of Archie Collins, Jake Taylor and Matt Jay on the ball in and around the box.

Jay forced a good save out of Mark Oxley and then Bowman headed just over. However, then, against the run of play, Southend were awarded a penalty when Lewis Page bundled over Sterling in the box allowing Jason Demetriou to score from 12 yards.

After that City struggled to create chances, with only a Jake Taylor shot from the edge of the box – on his 250^thappearance for the Grecians – warming the gloves of Oxley.

So, Matt Taylor looked to his bench and brought on both Ben Seymour and Fisher to try and changes things.

And it was Fisher who scored the equaliser in the last minute of stoppage time. It was virtually the last kick of the game when Fisher picked the ball up 20 yards from goal and curled a unstoppable shot into the top corner of the net with his weaker foot.

Southend United: Oxley, Ralph, Hobson, Dieng, Goodship (Nathaniel-George, 73), Egbri, Sterling, Acquah, Demetriou, Lennon, Taylor. Subs not used: Seaton, Clifford, Phillips, Rush, R Taylor, Coker.

Exeter City: Ward, McArdle (Fisher, 82), J Taylor, Collins, Williams, Bowman (Seymour, 73), Randall, Parkes, Jay (Caprice, 56), Page, Key. Subs not used: Maxted, Sparkes, Atangana, Ajose.