Colchester United had three points snatched from this afternoon as a stirring comeback had seen them look set to win the Essex Derby. After a dreadful opening twenty minutes when Southend United went two up goals from Johnnie Jackson, Mark Yeates and substitute Anthony Wordsworth gave the North Essex the lead. Southend's equaliser came just seconds from time.
U's manager Paul Lambert made just one change to the starting line-up that had beaten Carlisle so convincingly last weekend with Scott Vernon preferred to Sunday Wasiu up front with Stephen Gillespie ruled out through injury. It seemed a slightly odd decision given that Wasiu had replaced Gillespie, and had done well against Carlisle but the thought was that maybe the former Blackpool man was the happier to drop back into midfield as and when needed.
With Dougie Freedman and Lee Barnard ruled out through injury, Southend were reliant on their loanee's with no less than five in the home side's starting eleven. Goalkeeper Adam Federici and Hal Robson-Kanu are from Reading, Dan Harding from Ipswich, Lee Sawyer of Chelsea and finally, Jean-Francois Christophe from Pompey.
And it was the home side that took the game to the U's with a splendid opening 25 minutes that looked set to secure bragging rights for South of the County. Robson-Kanu escaped the challenge of John White down the U's right hand side but from the pullback, Alex Revell lifted the ball well over the bar.
United went behind after eight minutes. The home side were awarded a generous free-kick by referee Russell which Dan Harding lifted in to the gap between the U's back line and the goalkeeper. Gerken hesitated in coming out to punch and when he did get there he found that Peter Clarke had headed the ball in to the empty net.
United tried to reply with a Jackson left footed screamer that was always going wide but the visitors found themselves two down with less than a quarter of an hour's play as Francis Laurent side-footed after Sawyer's sliced shot split the U's defence wide open.
Hammond hit the side netting with an effort from just inside the post that the former Brighton man should have done better while Harding also curled a shot wide from outside the box.
Paul Lambert had to make a change after 24 minutes with Chris Coyne limping out of the action to be replaced by Matt Heath and it could very well be argued that it was from this moment on that the U's took control of the game. There was simply only one side in and had the U's players had more conviction about their shooting they may well have made the game safe a lot earlier than they did.
With ten minutes to the break, United pulled a goal back after a foul on Platt 25 yards out. Jackson waved away Mark Yeates who was fuming at not being allowed to take the set-piece, but the U's left-back was absolutely right as his shot took a deflection off the wall and left Federici helpless.
United were rampant. Yeates's shot from the corner of the penalty box was safely held at the near post by the on-loan Reading keeper. However, he could nothing about a sublime chip from Yeates that hit the crossbar. With the goal gaping, Izzet somehow headed the ball the wrong side of the post from close range.
Steve Tilson made a change at the break with Osei Sankofa replacing fullback Dan Harding for Southend but it was clear that it was the U's manager who had made the most of his fifteen minutes with the lads at the interval. From left-back Johnnie Jackson rampaged forward and was played in by a delightful ball from Hammond but for some reason, with a shot across goal open to the left-footed player, he decided to come back on his right and the real chance was gone.
Perkins, at his tenacious best all afternoon, rifled in a shot from outside the box which was unfortunately straight at Federici who did well to hold it given the rain that had been falling all match. In a rare Southend attack Barrett climbed highest at the far post from a free kick but though Gerken saved at his near post, referee Russell had awarded a free kick to the U's because of a push by the former U's target.
Sunday Akanni-Wasiu entered the fray with twenty-one minutes remaining in place of Scott Vernon (who had had a much better second half than first) and it would be only two minutes before the substitute was celebrating the equaliser thanks to the dancing feet of Mark Yeates. Somehow he managed to find a yard space inside the penalty area to side-foot the ball past Federici for his 7th of the season.
Clive Platt then left the field and the big U's striker - a problem for Southend all afternoon - looked to have had a slight knock. Youngster Wordsworth replaced him up and nine minutes later was celebrating his third goal of the season. A delightful cross from Yeates picked out Wordsworth six yards out and with all the aplomb of the man he replaced, headed past the Southend goalkeeper. He celebrated wildly in front of the crowd by taking his shirt off and swallow diving in to the massed U's fans behind the goal - a booking the result.
With four minutes of injury time to be played United looked to have seen the game out - the closest the home side had come was with a Federici header from a corner after the goalkeeper went forward to supplement the attack. However, another soft free-kick given by the referee resulted in a corner despite Gerken's attempts to keep the ball from going out. When the ball was delivered, a Southend man got the final touch at the far post to send the home crowd wild with delight. The goal time of 49:18 will no doubt have annoyed Paul Lambert but in truth, the extended time was probably due to the celebrations of Wordsworth for his goal. At two down, Lambert would have taken a point. A goal that late - the U's barely had time to kick off before the referee's final whistle - probably felt like a defeat.
Shot of the Match: Yeates cute chip from inside the box only stayed out because of the woodwork.
Save of the Match: Did either goalkeeper really make a genuinely decent save? No, but credit to both defences who put themselves in the way of shots as though their lives depended upon it.
Moan of the Match: Poor refereeing in this fixture was yet again a disappointment. Referee Russell found 5 U's players in his book and yet none from Southend - yet the statistics showed that they had fouled more than us.
Man of the Match: I thought the U's were superb from 25 minutes on. The midfield four ran their hearts out while Platt gave his all too. Vernon got better after a poor first half while the defence tightened up considerably with Matt Heath's arrival. However, my MOTM goes to a midfielder and it could have been anyone of the four but I've gone for MARK YEATES. He was a constant threat to the home side and always looked as though he would be the man to unlock the Southend United defence.
Southend: Federici, Francis, Clarke, Barrett, Harding (Sankofa 46), Betsy, Sawyer, Christophe, Robson-Kanu (McCormack 82), Laurent (Scannell 76), Revell.
Subs Not Used: Grant, Walker.
Goals: Clarke 8, Laurent 13, Barrett 90.
Colchester: Gerken, White, Coyne (Heath 24), Baldwin, Jackson, Yeates, Izzet, Hammond, Perkins, Vernon (Wasiu 69), Platt (Wordsworth 74).
Subs Not Used: Cousins, Ifil.
Booked: Coyne, Hammond, Jackson, Wordsworth, and Wasiu.
Goals: Jackson 35, Yeates 71, Wordsworth 81.
Att: 8,920
Ref: Mike Russell (Hertfordshire).
