As is
often the case at the start of the season the games are coming thick
and fast. The Kassam hosts its first league match of the season with
the visit of a Southend side who, much like Saturday's opponents, are
eying promotion.
They
have not made a good start though. A 4-0
League Cup defeat at the hands of Championship side Peterborough
is disappointing but perhaps understandable, but Saturday's home
defeat at the hands of Accrington Stanley is probably not how
Shrimpers fans envisioned their season starting. However, reports
suggest that Southend were perhaps a little unlucky to come away with
nothing, and it is always easy to underestimate 'the likes of'
Accrington. Southend have been busy this summer, bringing in a host
of impressive signings. Local hero Freddy Eastwood has returned, and
Ryan Cresswell, Anthony Straker, Kevan Hurst and Gavin Tomlin are all
respected at this level.
It has
been a settled start to the season for Oxford and it seems likely
that there will be few changes to the side that won at Bristol
Rovers. Ian Lenagan's new fitness measures appear to have made a
difference already, as the same group of players that played 120
minutes against Bournemouth
last week were able to close out Saturday's match comfortably and
professionally. It's still early days this season, of course, but
positive signs nonetheless.
Paul
Sturrock's Southend have been a thorn in our side over the last
couple of seasons. Five times the two sides have met and five times
Southend have emerged victorious, their organised (some would go so
far as to say 'cynical') style of play proving too much for us on
every occasion. Wilder has had plenty of occasions to figure out a tactic
to overcome our biggest bogey team of the last couple of seasons, but
as of yet has been unable to solve the riddle.
It
should represent the kind of physical battle that James Constable
relishes, though he has yet to really find his stride at this stage
in the season, and it is certainly not a match for some of the more
lightweight players in the side (eg Tommy Craddock). Concerns that
the skillful Forster-Caskey will take a battering in League Two were
raised with exactly this type of fixture in mind, but the presence of
Adam Chapman in a holding midfield position could be the ace up our
sleeves. His calming presence in front of the defence could be just
what we need to stamp our authority in the middle of the park –
where we have often been dominated by the presence of Ryan Hall for
Southend. The calm assuredness of Michael Duberry at the back will be a big miss,
and it was always such an important asset for us last season in this
type of match, but we should have faith in the defence which has
played 210 minutes of competitive football without conceding so far
this season.
From the Vaults
Oxford United v Southend United, 24th August 1996
The
season was young when Southend came to the Manor for our first home
league game of the season. We had returned to the second tier after
two seasons away and began with a trip to QPR, freshly relegated from
the Premier League. Southend had been mainstays at this level since
their promotion in 1991, but their star was falling and they arrived
at Oxford with a season of struggle ahead of them...
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