Southend United F.C.

Southend United
Full name Southend United Football Club
Nickname(s) The Shrimpers,
The Seasiders,
The Blues
Founded 19 May 1906 (1906-05-19)
Ground Roots Hall
Capacity 12,392
Chairman Ron Martin
Manager Chris Powell[1]
League League One
2017–18 League One, 10th of 24
Website Club website

Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. Southend are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference to the area's maritime industry included as one of the quarterings on the club badge.

Founded 19 May 1906 in the Blue Boar pub[2] Southend has been a member of the Football League since 1920. The club has spent most of its League career in the English lower divisions, with seven seasons in the League's second tier (Division 2/Championship).

The club is based at Roots Hall Stadium[3] in Prittlewell, with plans to move to a new stadium at Fossetts Farm.

History

Stadium

The club has played at five grounds: the original Roots Hall, the Kursaal, the Greyhound Park, the rented Writtle Street (home of Chelmsford City F.C.) and again at Roots Hall.[4]

Roots Hall was the first stadium that the club owned and was built on the site of their original home, albeit at a lower level. The site previous to Southend purchasing it in 1952 had been used as a sand quarry, by the council as a landfill site and by the local gas board (which was convinced to move to Progress Road).[4] It took 10 years to fully complete the building of Roots Hall. The first game was played on 20 August 1955, a 3–1 Division Three (South) victory over Norwich City, but the ground was far from complete.[4] The main East Stand had barely been fitted and ran along only 50 yards of the touchline, and only a few steps of terracing encircled the ground, with the North, West and the huge South Bank still largely unconcreted. The North Stand had a single-barrelled roof which ran only the breadth of the penalty area, and the West Bank was covered at its rear only by a similar structure.[4]

Although the ground was unfinished, during the inaugural season this was the least of the club's worries, for the pitch at Roots Hall showed the consequences of having been laid on top of thousands of tonnes of compacted rubbish. Drainage was a problem, and the wet winter turned the ground into a quagmire. The pitch was completely re-laid in the summer of 1956 and a proper drainage system, which is still in place, was constructed, and the West Bank roof was extended to reach the touchline, creating a unique double-barrelled structure.[4]

The terracing was completed soon after, but the task of completely terracing all 72 steps of the South Bank was not completed until 1964. The North Bank roof was extended in the early 1960s, and the East Stand was extended to run the full length of the pitch in 1966. Floodlights were also installed during this period. Roots Hall was designed to hold 35,000 spectators, with over 15,000 on the South Bank alone, but the highest recorded attendance at the ground is 31,090 for an FA Cup third round tie with Liverpool in January 1979.[4]

Until 1988 Roots Hall was still the newest ground in the Football League, but then the ground saw a significant change. United had hit bad times in the mid-1980s and new chairman Vic Jobson sold virtually all of the South Bank for development, leaving just a tiny block of 15 steps.[4] In 1994, seats were installed onto the original terracing, and a second tier was added. The West Bank had already become seated in 1992 upon United's elevation to Division Two while the East Stand paddock also received a new seating deck, bolted and elevated from the terracing below. In 1995 the West Stand roof was extended to meet up with the North and South Stands, with seating installed in each corner, thus giving the Roots Hall its current form, with a capacity of just under 12,500.[5]

On 24 January 2007, Southend Borough Council unanimously agreed to give planning permission for a new 22,000-seater stadium at the proposed Fossetts Farm site, with Rochford District Council following suit 24 hours later. The application was subsequently submitted to Ruth Kelly, then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for government approval. However, the application was "called in" at the beginning of April 2007. The inquiry began in September 2007, followed in October 2007 by a "final" inquiry, when chairman Ron Martin called for supporters to show in numbers at Southend's local government headquarters. On 6 March 2008, permission to develop Fossetts Farm was given by the government.[6]

Rivalries

Southend players.

The club has a fierce local rivalry with fellow Essex side Colchester United. The two clubs were promoted from League One at the end of the 2005–06 season after a long battle for top spot was eventually won by Southend. The rivalry extends back many years. At the end of the 1989–90 season Southend's promotion from the Football League Fourth Division coincided with Colchester's fall from the Football League and the clubs had to wait almost 15 years before meeting once again in competition when they met in the Southern Final of the Football League Trophy; the Shrimpers won 4–3 on aggregate to secure their first ever appearance in a national cup final. The two clubs met again in an Essex derby match in the same competition the following season, with Southend emerging as the victors once more after a penalty shootout. The overall competitive head to head record for the rivalry stands at 30 wins to Southend, 25 wins for Colchester with 17 draws.[7] The last meeting between Southend and Colchester came in January 2016, Southend played Colchester at Roots Hall in a League One match. Southend won the game 3–0.

There is also a fierce rivalry between Southend and Leyton Orient. This is due to a period of time when the Essex club were Orient's geographically closest league rivals between 1998 and 2005. Although the games between the two teams are eagerly anticipated by both sets of fans and Southend are considered as Orient's main rivals, the Shrimpers would see the London club as secondary rivals behind Colchester United due to geographical and historical reasons.[8]

The Shrimpers beat the O's in the 2012/13 Johnstone's Paint Southern Area Final to book a place at Wembley in the final against Crewe Alexandra. Southend won 1–0 at Brisbane Road in the first leg of the area final and drew 2–2 at Roots Hall in the second leg, winning 3–2 on aggregate, despite being in a lower division than Orient at the time.

Other local rivalries include Gillingham, Ipswich Town and Dagenham & Redbridge.

Players

Current squad

As of 7 September 2018[9]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 England GK Mark Oxley (captain)
2 England DF Elvis Bwomono
3 England DF Ben Coker
4 England MF Luke Hyam
6 England DF Michael Turner
7 England MF Michael Kightly
8 France MF Timothée Dieng
9 England FW Tom Hopper
10 Republic of Ireland FW Simon Cox
11 Republic of Ireland MF Stephen McLaughlin
13 England GK Nathan Bishop
15 Republic of Ireland DF Rob Kiernan
16 England MF Dru Yearwood
17 England GK Harry Seaden
18 England MF Sam Mantom
20 England MF Michael Klass
No. Position Player
22 England GK Ted Smith
23 England DF Taylor Moore (on loan from Bristol City)
24 Cyprus DF Jason Demetriou
25 England MF Sam Barratt
26 England DF Harry Lennon
27 Cyprus DF Harry Kyprianou
28 England FW Shawn McCoulsky (on loan from Bristol City)
29 England FW Norman Wabo
30 England FW Harry Bunn (on loan from Bury)
31 Jamaica FW Theo Robinson
32 Scotland DF Stephen Hendrie
33 Botswana MF Renei Batlokwa
36 England MF Isaac Hutchinson
43 England MF Lewis Gard
48 England DF John White

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
12 France FW Amadou Ba (on loan to Dartford)
 

Player of the Year

Year Winner
1965–66Tony Bentley
1966–67Trevor Roberts
1967–68Billy Best
1968–69John Kurila
1969–70Billy Best
1970–71Alex Smith
1971–72Brian Albeson & Bill Garner
1972–73Terry Johnson
1973–74Chris Guthrie
1974–75Alan Moody
1975–76Alan Little
1976–77Andy Ford
1977–78Colin Morris
1978–79Ron Pountney
1979–80Ron Pountney
1980–81Derek Spence
1981–82Dave Cusack
1982–83Ron Pountney
1983–84Micky Stead
1984–85Steve Phillips
1985–86Richard Cadette
1986–87Jim Stannard
1987–88Dave Martin
1988–89David Crown
1989–90Paul Sansome
1990–91Peter Butler
1991–92Brett Angell
1992–93Stan Collymore
1993–94Chris Powell
1994–95Ronnie Whelan
1995–96Simon Royce
1996–97Keith Dublin
1997–98Julian Hails
1998–99Mark Beard
1999–00Nathan Jones
2000–01Kevin Maher
2001–02Darryl Flahavan
2002–03Leon Cort
2003–04Mark Gower
2004–05Adam Barrett
2005–06Freddy Eastwood
2006–07Kevin Maher
2007–08Nicky Bailey
2008–09Peter Clarke
2009–10Simon Francis
2010–11Chris Barker
2011–12Mark Phillips
2012–13Sean Clohessy
2013–14Ryan Leonard
2014–15Daniel Bentley
2015–16Ryan Leonard
2016–17Ryan Leonard
2017–18Mark Oxley[10]

Top league scorer

Year Winner Starts Sub Goals
2000–01David Lee3758
2001–02Tes Bramble3239
2002–03Tes Bramble3139
2003–04Leon Constantine40321
2004–05Freddy Eastwood31219
2005–06Freddy Eastwood34624
2006–07Freddy Eastwood41111
2007–08Lee Barnard1149
2008–09Lee Barnard241111
2009–10Lee Barnard25015
2010–11Barry Corr32918
2011–12Bilel Mohsni23813
2012–13Britt Assombalonga40315
2013–14Barry Corr301013
2014–15Barry Corr39614
2015–16Jack Payne2879
2016–17Simon Cox39516
2017–18Simon Cox42210

Managers

Source:[11]

Management

[12]

Position Person
ManagerChris Powell
Assistant ManagerDamian Matthew & Kevin Keen[13]
Under 21s ManagerKevin Maher
Head of YouthRicky Duncan
Centre of Excellence ManagerRicky Duncan
Development CoachDanny Heath

Club honours

Club records

Kit

Source:[15]

Years Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1975–1978 Admiral Motor Plan
1978–1981 Bukta Charterhouse
1983–1984 Motor Plan
1985–1986 Laing
1986–1988 Firholm
1988–1990 Spall
1990–1991 Hi-Tec
1991–1992 Bukta
1992–1994 Beaver Elonex
1994–1995 Crevette
1995–1996 United Artists
1996–1998 Olympic Sportswear Telewest Communications
1998–1999 Progressive Printing
1999–2000 Rossco
2000–2001 Pier Sport Rebus (Home)
Wyndham Plastics (Away)
2001–2002 Hi-Tec Rebus
2002–2003 Sport House Martin Dawn
2003–2004 Nike GKC Communications (Home)
Wyndham Plastics (Away)
2004–2006 Betterview Windows and Conservatories
2006–2014 InsureandGo
2014–2017 Martin Dawn
2017–2018 The Amy May Trust
2018– Prostate Cancer UK

References

  1. "Chris Powell: Southend United appoint former Charlton boss as manager". BBC. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. "1906 – Southend Timeline". M.southendtimeline.com. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
  3. "Visiting Roots Hall Stadium". Southend United F.C. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mason, Peter. "ISBN". templatestyles stripmarker in |title= at position 66 (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. Archived 12 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. "Tower blocks to be focal point of new Fossetts Farm development – Evening Echo p.30 Sept 2015". Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  7. "All time results between Colchester United and Southend United".
  8. "Football Rivalry Survey 2012–13".
  9. "2018/19 Squad Numbers". Southend United F.C. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  10. "End of Season Awards & Lap of Appreciation".
  11. "Southend United Manager Statistics - ManagerStats.co.uk". www.managerstats.co.uk.
  12. Archived 3 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. "Chris Powell confirms his backroom staff".
  14. Archived 3 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. "Southend United: Historical Kits".
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