Kevan Hurst pens new deal with Southend United

Kevan Hurst has signed a new contract with Southend.

WINGER Kevan Hurst has committed himself to the club, signing a new two-year contract to keep him at Roots Hall until 2016.
Hurst has been a revelation in a 4-3-3 system under Phil Brown, making his mark as the top scorer at the club with 11 strikes to date.
Hurst joined Southend in 2012 and was a key member of the side that made it to the Wembley final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy last season. His existing contract was due to expire in the summer.

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Shrimpers move for Fulham’s Cauley Woodrow

SOUTHEND boss Phil Brown moved one in and one out on the final day of the transfer window, releasing Don Cowan and bringing in Fulham’s starlet Cauley Woodrow on a one-month youth loan, which can be extended.
Woodrow signed for the Cottagers in 2010 for a substantial six-figure sum from Luton Town having been released by Spurs as a boy.
Described as a player in the mould of Teddy Sheringham, the tall striker is yet to make a first-team appearance but is highly rated at Craven Cottage.
Speaking at last night’s q&a with the Shrimpers Trust, Brown said he was impressed by Woodrow whilst watching a development match between Manchester City and Fulham, where he had initially gone to scout Cottagers’ midfielder Ronny Minkwitz.
But Woodrow stood out and, after consultation with chief scout Bob Shaw, Brown decided to invite him along for training before swooping for a loan deal yesterday having moved out Don Cowan.

Barry Corr’s red card against Hartlepool is overturned

THE red card given to Barry Corr during Saturday’s 1-0 win at Hartlepool has been correctly overturned.
He will now be available to face Northampton, Chesterfield and Wycombe as the Shrimpers look to build on their 100 per cent start to the League Two season.

Southend United appeal Barry Corr’s red card

Barry Corr was sent off at Hartlepool at the weekend.

PHIL Brown has confirmed the club have appealed to have Barry Corr’s absurd red card from the weekend’s clash with Hartlepool overturned.
The Southend number 10 was adjudged to have kicked out at Pools defender Jack Baldwin, when video footage clearly shows the alleged misdemeanour was simply a tangle of legs with both players’ eyes on the ball.
The referee is believed to have sent Corr off on the advice of his linesman, and if the appeal is not successful, the Irishman will miss tough games with Northampton, Chesterfield and Wycombe.
The decision on whether to uphold the appeal is likely to be made by tomorrow afternoon.

Ex-skipper Chris Barker moves on

CHRIS Barker has been released from his Southend United contract by mutual consent, with reports suggesting he could be set to join Conference side Aldershot.
The 33-year-old is a hugely respected figure at Roots Hall and has captained the side for three seasons, winning player of the year in 2010/11.
His solitary goal for the club was in the 2012 play-off semi final second leg against Crewe at Roots Hall.
He played 138 times for Southend and will be remembered for playing through the pain for both legs of last season’s JPT area final to help Southend, in the midst of a defensive crisis, over the line against Leyton Orient.
If he does sign for Aldershot, the newly-relegated outfit have made an astute capture.

New signing Julian Bennett ruptures his cruciate ligament on debut

A SCAN has revealed new signing Julian Bennett will be out for at least six months.
The 28-year-old former Forest and Wednesday man was shoved into the advertising hoardings by Yeovil’s matchwinner Kevin Dawson on Tuesday, rupturing his cruciate ligament.
It was Bennett’s first start for Southend, and he had been at the club less than a week.
The defender has had bad luck with injuries, but fortunately his latest setback is unconnected to the injury he suffered in 2009/10 which kept him out for 14 months.
Phil Brown will now have to step up his search for a new defender, with former west ham youngster Eoin Wearen thought to be a possible target.

Southend end positive day with a double signing

JULIAN Bennett and Conor Clifford have joined up with Southend United two days ahead of the curtain raiser against Plymouth Argyle.
Fears about the depth of the Shrimpers squad have cast a cloud over the summer, but today’s transfer business will lift the mood at Roots Hall in the nick of time.
Former Nottingham Forest, Walsall and Sheffield Wednesday defender Julian Bennett has signed a one-year deal and will shore up the defence. A tough-tackling left back, he was Forest’s player of the year in 2008 but a serious injury kept him out of the game for nearly two years. He won promotion with Sheffield Wednesday from League One in 2012, but was released at the end of his contract with the Owls. Bennett began his career at centre half with Walsall, and it is believed Phil Brown may look to the 28-year-old to slot into that position once again.
Clifford is a product of Chelsea’s youth academy who spend a few months with Leicester at the tail end of last season without playing a first team game. What action the 21-year-old Irishman has had on the pitch has been during loan spells at Notts County, Portsmouth, Yeovil and Plymouth. After a few years of temporary matches, he will be hoping his two-year deal will enable him to settle down and enjoy his football. A tough-tackling midfielder in the Alan McCormack mould, he is also said to have an eye for goal.
The two signings follow the capture of Craig Reid this morning, and sandwiched inbetween was the news that promising goalkeeper Daniel Bentley has signed a new contract, keeping him at the club until 2016.
Southend’s squad now looks considerably healthier than it did yesterday, but the problem of a lack of pace in attack has yet to be addressed. However, Phil Brown is believed to still be pursuing a deal for Southampton striker Jonathan Forte, which would certainly be the club’s “marquee signing” of the summer, were it to come off.

Southend United hope to complete loan deal for Jonathan Forte

SPEEDY forward Jonathan Forte is set to link up with Southend United on loan when they return from their Spanish training club.
The 27-year-old, currently with Southampton, spent time at Crawley Town and Sheffield United on loan last season in League One.
His former clubs include the Blades and Scunthorpe, meaning if he joins he will have played for all three SUFCs!
Phil Brown confirmed his interest in an interview on the club’s Youtube channel.
Blues currently only have Barry Corr, who has missed much of pre-season with a knock, Freddy Eastwood and Seedy Njie as professional front men with the season just over a week away.

Chesterfield remain in Cresswell hunt

Ryan Cresswell is the subject of interest from Chesterfield

RYAN Cresswell remains a target of Chesterfield manager Paul Cook, media sources in Derbyshire have claimed.
The Sheffield Star reports today that the Spireites board will meet today, chiefly to discuss whether to bid for the defender, who is under contract at Southend for another year and a key player in Phil Brown’s plans.
Fleetwood Town have already seen two bids knocked back by the Shrimpers this summer, and while Chesterfield do not have the resources available to the Cod Army, they see the towering stopper as the final piece in the jigsaw of a side that is expected to challenge strongly for promotion to League One.
Southend are believed to value Cresswell at £250,000 and, despite their financial difficulties, are not prepared to let him leave on the cheap.
Meanwhile, the Southend Echo states the club are preparing to complete the signings of Ben Coker and a midfield player.
Ex-builder Coker, who finished last season at Histon, has impressed on trial at the club, while the midfield target, who Brown would not name, played for a club in League Two last season. Southend have already been linked with moves for John Joe O’Toole of Colchester, who appeared for Bristol Rovers on loan last term, and Gillingham man Charlie Lee. However, it would appear Southend’s lack of cash could mean both targets are unobtainable, with Gills already having stated they value Lee at far more than the £20,000 Blues are believed to have tabled.
Tonight’s friendly with Chelmsford City will see two new trialists feature for the Shrimpers, Irish striker Don Cowan, who most recently played for Dundee but also spent time at Stevenage, and midfielder Tyler Christian.
Cowan, described as extremely quick, began his career in Ireland with Shamrock Rovers before a successful spell with Longford Town led to a deal with Stevenage. Whilst with the League One club, he suffered a broken ankle which also cut short his loan spell with Braintree and led to his early release from his contract in January. He joined Dundee in February, but has made just one substitute appearance to date.

Phil Brown set to be appointed as Southend United manager

PHIL Brown is expected to be unveiled as Southend’s new manager later today following yesterday’s bizarre sacking of Paul Sturrock.
The Scot was dismissed in a lengthy, poorly constructed and at times baffling statement from the chairman Ron Martin yesterday. In a unique move though, he will return to the club to take charge of the JPT final at Wembley in a fortnight, where he is expected to get an excellent reception from Blues supporters.
Brown spent six years as assistant to current west ham boss Sam Allardyce at Bolton, before taking charge of Derby, Hull City and Preston. He was dismissed as manager of the Lilywhites in December 2011 and has not been employed in a managerial role since.
Brown is a strong advocate of using sports science to anaylyse performance. He has also been involved in several controversial incidents during his managerial career to date.
All At Sea would like to take this opportunity to thank Paul Sturrock for everything he has done for the club, particularly saving the club from oblivion in his first season and some of the results and performances away from home. The bad luck the club has had with injuries this season has ultimately cost him his job. Whether Ron Martin’s decision is the correct one, only time will tell.