2022/23 SEASON REVIEW: APRIL – News

We finish our review of the 2022/23 season by looking back on the seven games we played across April.

It was a very busy end to the campaign, playing 21 games over the last three months, and in the end it was March that cost us a play-off place as a good run of results the following month wasn’t quite enough.

The fixture list appeared to be on our side, with games against three sides that would eventually be relegated.

Back to winning ways

Yeovil Town 0-2 Southend United

Jon Benton was named in the starting XI for the first time in his Blues career, and for a game live on BT Sport no less.

We had drawn both of our previous games that were selected for BT Sport coverage in 2022/23, but came out on top in this one against a struggling Yeovil outfit.

It finally put an end to the seven-game losing streak that had seen us drop down the table, with Jake Hyde and Rhys Murphy the men to get the goals.

Hyde’s well-taken opener was his fifth in a Southend shirt and also his last in his loan spell from Wrexham, while Murphy completed the win almost straight from the bench on what would unfortunately be his last appearance of the season.

A Good Friday

Southend United 2-0 Maidstone United

Dreams of the play-offs were still there after that win in Somerset, and a kind Good Friday fixture against already-relegated Maidstone United gave Blues a chance to bolster those hopes further.

Jack Bridge, our top scorer for the season, had seen his goals come in clumps, and as a result, hadn’t netted since February going into the Easter weekend.

Our number seven put that right with a very well-controlled volley to make it 1-0 against the Stones, the first of five goals in five games for him to end the campaign on 13, by far the best tally of his career.

A dominant first-half only produced one goal, and despite a slightly more subdued second half, Kevin Maher’s men sealed the win 15 minutes from time as an effort from Gus Scott-Morriss squirmed in.

Some momentum building?

Woking 1-1 Southend United

Our quickfire double header against the Cards in October had given Blues a good idea of what to expect from play-off bound Woking.

In two closely-matched contests, the Surrey outfit took a point from Roots Hall before edging a fourth qualifying round clash in the Emirates FA Cup.

It was a similar sort of game as a lapse at the back in the first minute of the second half allowed former Blue Marcus Dackers to give Woking the lead. Bridge equalised six minutes later to give us a useful point heading into the final four games.

Closing the gap to the play-offs

Southend United 2-0 Dagenham & Redbridge

More than 7,300 were inside Roots Hall for this local clash, including the biggest away following in south Essex last season by a distance.

It was a slow-burning first half as both sides had their best chance in the final moments of it, but thankfully for Blues, Bridge would earn us three big points.

Two penalties in six minutes, both in front of the Jonathan Rhys Recruitment South Stand, where Bridge had made a habit of scoring from the spot, were enough for our first win over the Daggers since 2015.

A sucker-punch in the north-west

Oldham Athletic 2-0 Southend United

This game rearranged from January looked a tricky one against an Oldham side who had been resurgent in the second half of the season under David Unsworth.

However, Blues put in an impressive performance, looking more assured in possession than in any of the three wins in April to date. Our best chance came when Noor Husin whipped in a great ball for Scott-Morriss at the back post, but the onrushing wing-back couldn’t quite convert.

We were made to rue that when Oldham scored despite having hardly had a touch inside the penalty area. A defensive mix-up allowed Alex Reid to score into an empty net.

The Latics were clinical in the second period when a chance was presented to Ellis Chapman, meaning we had to endure the long journey back wondering what might have been and reflecting on a game that in hindsight, could have secured a top-seven finish.

Lionel Hobson gives us hope…

Scunthorpe United 1-3 Southend United

We wrapped up a double against Scunthorpe on a day where one goal in particular will be remembered by all Blues fans, but a win for Bromley over Chesterfield meant our play-off hopes were left hanging by a thread.

Another Bridge penalty, followed by Husin’s only league goal of the season and a magnificent solo strike from Shaun Hobson that saw him dance through the defence, put us 3-0 up.

A strange pitch invasion from the youthful Iron support after a consolation goal delayed the final whistle, but Blues knew that they would have to win on the final day and hope Boreham Wood lost their last two games to extend the season into May.

Coming up just short

Southend United 2-1 Wealdstone

Boreham Wood were beaten by Gateshead in the last midweek of the regular season, meaning Maher’s side still had a slim chance. 8,400 fans attended Roots Hall as a result amid excitement of a possible play-off campaign.

The atmosphere went very flat 25 minutes in when we went behind and Boreham Wood went ahead almost simultaneously.

The Wood held on, meaning an eighth place finish was how it ended. However, Blues did manage to send the bumper crowd home with a win – goals from Wes Fonguck and Harry Cardwell either side of a Nathan Ferguson red card did the job.

It was just a two-point deficit to the top seven in the end, as Maher, his staff and the squad embarked on a lap of honour around the pitch to show appreciation to our magnificent fans for their support during a season of good progress, particularly given the circumstances.

Unsurprisingly, April’s MidexPRO Goal of the Month award went to Shaun Hobson for that incredible goal against Scunthorpe, one of the moments of the season. The title of Revolution Bars Player of the Month was awarded to Harry Taylor, who enjoyed a very consistent first campaign in Blue, and produced an excellent last-ditch challenge against Dagenham that helped set us on our way to the win.