Southend ease relegation fears with much-needed win over Burton

Sky Bet League One

Southend 3 Burton 2
Mantom 18 Brayford 60
Bunn 48 Harness 86
Dieng 77

The story of the match

This was a bank holiday thriller played in bright sunshine by the seaside with Southend claiming a vital victory to move out of the Sky Bet League One relegation zone.

The fact that it was a tight match which could have gone either way will not bother home boss Kevin Bond in the slightest.

The result was all that mattered to Southend, but mid-table Burton did all of the early running and keeper Mark Oxley was out quickly to deny Lucas Akins, who also headed over.

Southend were being overrun but they scored against the run of play with skipper Sam Mantom finishing off an excellent Simon Cox cross.

Akins was through on goal again only to be denied by Oxley but the first half petered out once Albion striker Liam Boyce was carried off with a serious-looking ankle injury.

There was no doubt Southend needed a second goal and it came shortly after half-time. Cox once again laid on the goal, this time for his strike partner Harry Bunn.

However, it was far from comfortable and after Oxley denied substitute Alex Bradley there was a way back for the visitors via a smart cushioned volley from right-back John Brayford.

Stephen Bywater (from Luke Hyam) and Oxley (from Akins) traded excellent saves, sandwiched between a third Southend goal for Timothee Dieng following a free kick from his fellow substitute Michael Kightly.

Still Southend were unable to seize control and Marcus Harness's goal ensured there was tension until the full-time whistle, when the hosts celebrated ending a 15-match winless sequence.

Tactics

Bond, more commonly seen as Harry Redknapp's number two, sent out a defensive side with defender Rob Kiernan playing in front of three centre-backs, while wing-backs Elvis Bwomono and Sam Hart were encouraged to stay back.

It created problems for Southend as Bwomono and Hart were dealing with Akins and Harness, but Albion's full-backs had acres of space. Burton's first goal came from the left-back Reece Hutchinson crossing for right-back Brayford to get on the scoresheet.

Southend were playing in a 5-3-2 shape rather than 3-5-2 and once they led 3-1 Bond was happy to shift to a 5-4-1 in a bid to grind out maximum points.

The attacking tactics seemed to work with quick balls played down the sides for mobile pair Bunn and Cox, turning Burton's defence, but Albion played the better football.

Strengths

Oxley was being linked with Championship clubs at the start of the season and he did his work smartly, while Bwomono grew into the game once Akins was switched to be a central striker following Boyce's injury.

Mantom was a bundle of energy in midfield, working tirelessly for the cause, and former Premier League striker Cox is a class act up front. Subs Hyam, Dieng and Kightly also made an impact.

Kightly does not look as if he has the fitness to go for 90 minutes these days but the 33-year-old possesses quality and could be crucial for a short burst off the bench.

• Sky Bet League One standings

Weaknesses

When Southend beat Bradford 4-0 at Valley Parade on January 19 they could not have believed their season would turn like it did. It was a result that moved United up to tenth but that was the last time they had tasted success before Monday. And it showed.

Maybe their confidence will have been restored by this victory, although the pressure remains on them and this was a nervy performance at times, perhaps not surprisingly as recently Southend have conceded late to drop valuable points against Blackpool, Fleetwood and Walsall.

Golden boy Dru Yearwood seemed to be feeling that tension more than most and fellow youngster Hart was getting a few dressing-downs from Bond on his positional play.

Goalscorer notebook

Bunn has started in attack in all three of Bond's matches in charge and he has scored in two of them, so 9-1 for the opener may tempt some at Rochdale on Saturday.

View from the camp

Bond said: "We hadn’t won for too long so it was a relief. The lads are so pleased, but we recognise that we haven’t done anything yet."

Pointers

Southend have drifted to odds-against prices for relegation and 6-5 looks about right for the 19th-placed Shrimpers. Much could depend on whether Sunderland still have automatic promotion on the line when they visit Roots Hall on the final day.

Opposition

Burton had nothing but pride to play for and still gave an honest performance which pleased manager Nigel Clough. They were neat in possession, showed an appetite to fight for points and are unlikely to roll over against leaders Luton or playoff-chasing Peterborough.

Akins, who has notched in five of his last nine appearances, was a real handful and is a big runner at 3-1 to score at any time when Burton host Luton on Saturday.

Teams

Southend 5-3-2: Oxley; Bwomono, White, Turner, Moore, Hart; Yearwood (Dieng 67), Kiernan (Hyam h-t), Mantom; Cox, Bunn (Kightly 73).

Burton 4-1-2-3: Bywater; Brayford (Clarke 83), McFadzean, Wallace, Hutchinson; Quinn (McCrory 78); Allen, Fox; Harness, Boyce (Bradley 38), Akins.

Remaining fixtures

Southend: Rochdale (a), Sunderland (h)

Burton: Luton (h), Peterborough (a).

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