Belford will not join Southend

CAMERON Belford has revealed he will not be joining Southend on a permanent basis. The 23-year-old is out of contract with parent club Bury and joined the Shrimpers in March.
He impressed between the sticks and held talks over a permanent deal this week.
However, he revealed on his Twitter account he will not be signing for the club and wished the Blues and fans all the best for the future.
It leaves young Dan Bentley as the only professional goalkeeper contracted to Southend for next season.

Blues release 13 players

MANAGER Paul Sturrock has already begun his rebuilding for next season following the anguish of last week’s play-off semi-final defeat by Crewe.
A total of 13 professionals have been shown the door, few of whom will be surprised at their exits.
The majority are young pros: Harry Crawford, George Smith, Teddy Nesbitt, Merrick James-Lewis, Jamie Stevens, George Artemi, Kyle Asante have all failed to make an impact on the first team this season.
They will be joined by more senior players including Matt Paterson, Glenn Morris, Lee Sawyer, Pat Baldwin, Blair Sturrock and Anto Flood – who joined in January but made just one late substitute appearance.

Piers Hewitt – May 2012

THERE was a time when I was a teenager, assessing my career options, that I considered being a musician (my current job) as a complete no-go on the basis that I didn’t want my Saturdays ruined. I didn’t want to have give up watching my boys in return for probably dressing up as a Beatle on Saturday evenings and probably getting good money for it. Phil Gridelet had that much of a pull on me. As time went on, and we got increasingly crap, I realised that it was OK to miss the odd game (missing Oxford away in August 1996 would have been nice), around the same time that I realised that, well, I couldn’t really do anything else. So applied for a contemporary music college in London, and the rest is slow and sluggish history.
As you all know, I am in a band, and with that comes a few sacrifices. Not knowing how much money you’re going to earn one year to the next is one, but also, and obviously far more importantly when it comes to my Saturday man dates, not being able to control your diary is another. Trying to get time off for my own wedding was hard enough. Trying to get time off to go to Accrington away can sometimes be as likely as seeing Margaret Thatcher working at a strip bar.
In a weird twist of fate, my band’s career ups and downs have vaguely followed Southend’s but in the reverse direction, and in retrospect, I count myself lucky to have been present at a large amount of our recent successes. We were signed to Universal around 2003 and 2004 time and spent a lot of time on the road. I saw a few games that year, and massively lucked out on our big occasion when I discovered that on the weekend of our first LDV final, we played in Bath on the Saturday night, and Exeter on the Sunday, just about being able to fit in a trip to Cardiff on the Sunday lunchtime. I thought that was as lucky as it would have got, but I have to say it was very nice of Universal to consider us ripe for being another indie band dropped on the major label scrap heap around the beginning of 2005. Little did they know, in them creating the band’s first massive trough, they were giving me completely unexpected access to two of the most successful years at the club. I dusted down being dropped in the week of album release (classy) by watching Southend get promoted at Cardiff. I couldn’t have been happier.
We conveniently took about three years to get our feet back under the table and have a new album ready after that. You’re probably thinking, three years? Why so long? Well, don’t worry about the whys. For I was as happy as John Terry at a swingers party. In those years, I managed to go everywhere I wanted watching Southend. I missed 7 games in the league 1 title year, and not a single win was I not present for. I realise this probably isn’t that impressive for some people, but this was unprecedented for me. And then in the Championship season I went about ticking off ground after ground, watching us concede 4 goals here and 4 goals there. And I didn’t even care too much at the time because, well, we were always going to go down anyway, and I knew I was on borrowed time. I either had to be part of a successful band, or I had to move on and do something else. I stopped the bus, I got off, I had a great time, the players obliged and then when we started thinking we needed to play Matt Harrold every week, I thought it was time to get back on the bus.

I talk of the proverbial bus, though obviously, as a touring musician, I spend most of my time on an actual bus, with like-minded musical people. This is all well and good, but when it comes to football, my support network is about as stable as the Greek economy. Around 2008-09, we bucked our ideas up, sold some records, and in turn, got back on the actual bus. A lot. I have still lucked out and been at some memorable games since then. I made a last-minute-winning limo trip with the boys to Carlisle. I cried, lost my hat, and nearly wet myself in the away end at Chelsea. I even went to Aldershot twice this year. But I knew I would get dealt the hand I deserve one day, I really thought this time was it.

I am currently in the 6th week of an 8 week tour of America. I arrive back on the Friday before play off final day. This tour I have known about for some time. In fact I have known about it for long enough that when it was announced I was harbouring ridiculously selfish ambitions that we might secure promotion before the end of March, in which case, well, I wouldn’t have to miss anything much. Admittedly, this was in the middle of November where I was starting to think even Harry Crawford might even be able to turn water into wine. Obviously, we all know how things turned out in the end, and come my departure for these shores after the Cheltenham game I think even Houdini himself had gone down the pub, giving up on us being in the top 3. In my own pathetic self-indulgent world, I was fine. If we were going to go up, at least I would be there, having spent the last 3 or 4 months thinking I wouldn’t.

Imagine my suprise then, when I discovered fairly on in this tour that the Southend defence had had a little chat on the training ground and worked out that if we stop conceding goals, it gives us more of a chance of winning games. Imagine my suprise at watching live BBC text commentary (bad times), and discovering Bilel go back from zero to hero. Imagine my suprise when come this time last week, I was reading twitter feeds and facebook feeds from people claiming that Saturday could be the greatest day in 6 years. And after all the great days I have been lucky to witness, I finally have to follow the scores on a pathetic little screen, in the middle of nowhere and with no chance of being able to see the goals.
I had no idea how this scenario would make me feel. It’s never really happened to me before. The most important afternoon in the club’s recent history going on, whilst I am the other side of the world, in a van, at 9am, checking scores, surrounded by people who care more about playing Fruit Ninja on their devices than Southend going up. Well, I’ll tell how it made me feel. Absolutely awful. I had high emotions. It was definitely extremely tense, far more tense than being at the game itself, because at the game you get a sense of how things are panning out. It was even more awful when I discovered Crawley had scored because I had no-one. The biggest saviour of a bad afternoon, or even relegation is that you’re all in it together. It’s ok, there’s always someone to put an arm round you. I’d say at that time, 40 per cent of my van company were asleep. 40 per cent were watching TV, and the other 20 per cent was staring out of the window taking pictures. Then the selfish side of me kicked in, completely unexpectedly. After all the games I have seen this year (about 25-30) this is not how I want to see us go up. If it had happened that afternoon, people would be throwing down Jagerbombs like there was no tomorrow in Southend, whilst I would have closed my laptop and probably gone to sleep. Of course, I wanted to see us go up – I think we’ve all had enough of league 2 – but right there, the weirdness and pain if you like, of not being there was almost as unbearable as seeing Crawley snatch it away from us.
This is not a pity article, neither is it meant to be funny. It’s a snapshot of how not being at such an important game, or being anywhere near it, makes you feel. In the cold light of day, I was really disappointed we were sent to 4th place, but what still hasn’t left is this weird feeling about being happy that I’ll see us go up if we do get promoted. This feels straight-up selfish, but I think it’s just an example of how football can make you feel. It’s hard to explain, in the same way it’s hard to explain to a post-1999 Chelsea knuckle-dragger why you support Southend.
I’m happy sad, but mostly sad. And I’m desperately hoping that a trip to Wembley will rectify that, no laptop necessary.

Piers Hewitt

Southend 2-0 Macclesfield

Neil Harris netted the second for Southend.

ANTICIPATION built hours before what every Southend fan hoped would be the last game of the season. The mood was confident but deep down we knew it would take a long shot for us to celebrate what would be a remarkable promotion, given where we were just three or four weeks before.
A crowd of just over 9,000 turned up and, with just over 100 Macclesfield fans making the pilgrimage for what is likely to be their last Football League game for a while, Blues supporters were given the majority of the North Bank to try and lift their side to victory.
It was a slow start for the home side and Bilel Mohsni, named League Two player of the month before the game and so vital in our recent charge, almost turned from hero to villain within five minutes when his naive back header sent Ben Tomlinson racing clear, but Cameron Belford was alert enough to get a block in at the cost of a dead leg which troubled him for the whole game.
A lovely move down the right led to Michael Timlin dodging the challenge of a defender and rifling a left foot shot which was saved by Jose Veiga. Neil Harris latched onto the rebound, but his shot was deflected onto the roof of the net.
However, from the resulting corner, Ryan Hall’s ball sailed over the heads of those drawn to the near post, leaving Peter Gilbert to cushion a left-footed volley into the bottom corner, with Freddy Eastwood impressively resisting the temptation to help it on its way.
By now news had filtered through that Hereford, 3-0 victors at Crawley the previous week, were doing us another massive favour, leading Torquay 3-0. The atmosphere was cranked up, as with Crawley still goalless at Accrington, live league tables everywhere currently had Southend in that coveted third spot.
The performance on the pitch was not vintage but Jose Veiga was still having to be at his very best. Bilel Mohsni flicked the ball over Arnaud Mendy’s head before hitting a left-foot volley that resulted in the pick of Veiga’s work during the half.
The buzz around Roots Hall continued during the half time break and into the second half. Ryan Hall’s swerving volley was again saved by Veiga, and Freddy Eastwood fed Anthony Grant who shot inches wide when well-placed.
Eastwood himself then cut inside in trademark Freddy fashion, bamboozling Mendy but uncharacteristically shooting just over when in reality he should have hit the net from 15 yards.
Sadly, with around 20 minutes left, those keeping tabs on the Crawley game had some bad news – Scott Neilson had shot the Reds into the lead at Accrington. Torquay were also clawing things back at Hereford but still had a mountain to climb with the score at 3-2.
The atmosphere inside the ground died out, and there was only fairly muted celebration when sub Elliot Benyon produced another wonder-save from Veiga only for the ball to fall to Neil Harris, who finally scored his goal in front of the North Bank faithful from a couple of yards out.
The final whistle brought a mixture of disappointment but clear recognition for a Southend side who will go into the playoffs as the form team, with no goals conceded in five matches and having won their previous four home fixtures. The good football that has been played by Paul Sturrock’s men in recent weeks has also shaken off the “hoofball” tag that was attached to the side earlier on in the season.
So to a date with Crewe Alexandra, unbeaten in 16 since their most recent trip to Roots Hall saw them go down 1-0 to a Mohsni tap-in. However, Southend have every right to believe they can win through to the club’s first ever showpiece trip to Wembley.

Automatic dream still alive after superb win at Oxford

Hall opened the scoring with a 25-yard free kick

THE race for automatic promotion to League One is going down to the final day.

A cracking free-kick from Ryan Hall and a strong header from Bilel Mohsni in the first half helped Southend United to a massive win over Oxford United.

The 2-0 victory in front of 9,356 fans at the Kassam Stadium saw Paul Sturrock’s side continue their late surge back towards the top three.

And the win was made all the more important with one game to go after Crawley Town and Torquay United both dropped vital points.

It was my fourth time at the three-sided ground notoriously hard to access by public transport – and my third win.

A noisy 1,106 away following featured dozens of Shrimpers in fancy-dress, including doctors, sailors, nuns and even a hot dog.

And the party atmosphere generated throughout was superb, with huge roars when news came in of favourable scores in other games.

Southend were strong and chased down every ball. Anthony Grant in particular was extremely solid and had a great game.

Neil Harris, Cameron Belford and Mohnsi also played very well, helping the Blues shut-down Oxford for the most part.

Hall’s goal was a rocket from 25-yards, stunning Middlesbrough loanee Connor Ripley in his first game for Oxford.

The second strike by Moshni owed much to Peter Gilbert’s pinpoint cross, but it was a perfect header to beat the debutant goalkeeper.

There were a few scares in the second half, including a big penalty shout against Harris, but the Shrimpers held out well to claim the victory.

The victory was given even greater significance as our rivals slipped up and we moved to within one point of third place.

Next weekend presents us with a perfect home fixture against the worst side in the league who have nothing to play for now they are relegated.

But presuming we beat Macclesfield Town, there is sure to be plenty of checking phones to see how Torquay and Crawley’s afternoons are going.

The Shrimpers may still be underdogs for automatic promotion, but there will be many at Roots Hall now believing the lads can do the business.

If not, it’s the play-offs. But given how well things are going, optimism is sky-high that we might just make it up at Wembley anyway. Bring on Saturday.

Mark Duell

PFA snub for Blues players

Phillips: Snub

NO Southend players have been included in the League 2 PFA team of the year – yet Torquay, just a place and three points above Blues, have four.
The team was voted for by professionals playing in League 2.
Mark Phillips and Sean Clohessy, the defensive duo thought to be joint favourites for the club’s player of the year award and League Two’s leading assist-maker Ryan Hall will feel particularly hard done by.
The full team is as follows: Olejnik (Torquay), Caddis (Swindon), McFadzean (Crawley), Sharps (Shrewsbury), Nicholson (Torquay), Ritchie (Swindon), Pack (Cheltenham), O’Kane (Torquay), Mansell (Torquay), McLeod (Barnet), Barnett (Crawley).

Play-offs secured during emphatic win against Barnet

Bilel Mohsni hat-trick

BILEL Mohsni put Barnet to the sword during a first half where he was unplayable.
The winger scored a hat-trick to ruin the visitors’ chance of pulling clear of the League Two drop zone.
The Frenchman, who has seen his fair share of controversy this season, reacted quickest when Neil Harris’s free-kick rebounded off the post after just 11 minutes.
Despite Mohsni’s hat-trick, Harris was the star of the first half as he played on the left of a front three. He terrorised the Barnet right full back and his movement constantly created chances for others.
Ryan Hall’s left wing corners have been a problem for opponents all season and Mohsni had the bit between his teeth after netting the opener.
A back post delivery from Hall led to the second goal after 25 minutes and a similar cross saw Mohsni net the third off the Sam Deering after 32 minutes.
Freddy Eastwood then put a delightful pass through, but the excellent Harris blotted his copybook by failing to control.
The game fizzled out in the second half, with Blues opting to sit back on their lead. Barnet only threatened sporadically, Izale McLeod heading their best chance wide at the end of the second half.
The result means Southend will almost certainly be taking part in the end of season play-offs, with Cheltenham the likely opponents.