20 Years Ago, City travelled to Roots Hall to face Steve Wignall’s Southend United.
Wignall was only boss of the Shrimpers for seven months before Steve Tilson took over, but the team did have some notable names. Tes Bramble, Duncan Jupp, Kevin Maher, Leon Cort, and Leon Constantine were all stalwarts of the division, and all capable of putting a team in the top seven. One striker, Drewe Broughton, not so much.
City went into the game fifth from bottom with six points, but on a run of three undefeated matches, without a goal conceded in more than 270 minutes of football. The hosts were one of the few teams below us, third from bottom, with only Steve Evans’ Pilgrims county rivals Boston between us.
City lined up in the familiar 3-4-3 formation, similar to what we play now. Mazza, as always, was in goal, with a back three of Morgan, Weaver and Futcher. Bailey and Mayo played on the flanks, with Butcher and Gain in the middle of the park. Up top, Liburd and Taylor-Fletcher played either side of Marcus Richardson. Green, Yeo and Cropper would all come off the bench, Scott Willis and Matt Bloomer unable to get a game.
The game hinged on two key moments. First, Marcus Richardson scored his first goal for the Imps. Just ten minutes in, he met Paul Mayo’s corner to give Keth’s side a deserved lead. City didn’t look in much trouble after that, and Southend managed just a couple of shots on target in the first half, without worrying Mazza.
The turning point came late in the game, with 15 minutes to go. Yeo, on as a sub for Liburd, found the ball at his feet, 20 yards out. Ahead of him, Cropper had taken out both keeper Ryan Robinson and defender Leon Cort (with a header, not punches or anything). Yeo had an open goal, but he put it over.
From the goal kick, Southend swept up field, Jupp striding into the area backed by a relatively meagre crowd of 2,874. Paul Morgan was adjudged to have brought him down, and the referee pointed to the spot. City had the best of the game, but from 12 yards, a chance was gifted to the home team.
Up stepped Jupp, the third Southend penalty taker of the season. They’d already missed two, and were on a run of six misses out of seven going back into the previous season. He struck his penalty well, but Mazza got down low and saved for a corner.
The corner came in and Cort met Maher’s inswinger, only for Morgan to head off the line. The home side thought they were back in it, but City broke. Butcher smashed the ball downfield to Taylor-Fletcher, who touched it off to Yeo. He made amends for his miss moments earlier, feeding Butcher, who launched a 25-yard drive at goal.
A 25-yard unstoppable drive, as it turned out. 2-0 City. Game over.
After the game, Keith admitted the only time we’d looked in danger was when giving away silly corners and free kicks. Wignall, already a broken man, paid tribute to our resilience.
After a shaky start, City were looking up the table, now in 16th and with four clean sheets in a row.
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