Southend United 1-0 Scunthorpe United: Popoola Strikes As The Shrimpers Make It Two From Two

A Proper Roots Hall Welcome

There were 8,613 inside Roots Hall for Southend’s first home league game of the season, including 344 travelling Scunthorpe supporters.

Dyer made changes from the opening-day victory at Altrincham, with Josh Popoola and Sahid Kamara among those given opportunities from the start.

Scunthorpe actually produced the first sight of goal.

Luke Brennan’s delivery was only partially cleared and Alfie Beestin met the loose ball from around 20 yards, but his volley sailed over Joe Duncan’s crossbar.

The visitors then created what would prove to be their best opportunity of the afternoon.

Southend lost possession following a corner and Scunthorpe broke quickly through Declan Howe down the left. Howe released Pat Jones into a dangerous position and Duncan had to react sharply, making an important save with his left foot.

It was a reminder that Scunthorpe carried a threat on the counter.

Southend responded.

And from that point onwards, the opening half increasingly belonged to The Shrimpers.

The Shrimpers Take Control

Leon Chambers-Parillon was the first to come close, sending a low effort agonisingly across the face of goal.

Then came another glimpse of what Sahid Kamara could offer.

Ben Goodliffe picked out Popoola with an excellent ball over the Scunthorpe defence before Popoola helped move the attack onto Kamara.

The winger opened up his body and curled an effort towards goal, forcing Louis Jones into a flying save.

Southend were moving the ball quickly, getting runners forward and beginning to push Scunthorpe deeper towards their own penalty area.

The warning signs were there.

Eight minutes later, the breakthrough arrived.

Popoola’s Perfect Home Introduction

Kamara was involved again.

He slipped Cardwell into the penalty area and the Southend striker drove a low effort towards goal.

Jones made the save.

Popoola did the rest.

The summer signing reacted quickest to the rebound and calmly tucked the loose ball into the empty net.

First competitive start.

First competitive appearance at Roots Hall.

First Southend United goal.

That will do.

Popoola’s movement had already caused Scunthorpe problems and he was exactly where he needed to be when the opportunity arrived.

Sometimes that’s all a forward needs to do.

The Second Should Have Followed

Southend almost doubled their lead within two minutes.

Darren Oldaker did brilliantly to win possession from Beestin before releasing Kamara.

Once again Kamara found Cardwell, but Jones raced from his line quickly enough to close down the striker and block his effort.

Scunthorpe were struggling to get any sustained possession and Southend continued to control proceedings.

The football was patient when it needed to be and direct when the opportunity appeared.

There was energy down the right, Chambers-Parillon continued to offer a threat and Cardwell’s movement repeatedly occupied the Scunthorpe defence.

For all Southend’s superiority, though, there was still only one goal between the sides.

Half-time: Southend United 1-0 Scunthorpe United.

Kamara Keeps Causing Problems

The second half never quite reached the tempo of the first.

Scunthorpe needed to find a response, but it was still Southend who looked the more dangerous side.

Kamara continued to run directly at defenders and fired into the side-netting from a tight angle.

For a split second, plenty inside Roots Hall probably thought it had gone in.

Oli Coker then went close after another well-worked move, with his effort taking a deflection and flashing narrowly wide.

Southend had chances.

The second goal just refused to arrive.

Dyer Turns To The Bench

Anthony Hartigan and Ryan Colclough were introduced shortly after the hour, replacing Chambers-Parillon and Kamara.

Kamara could leave the pitch pleased with his afternoon.

He had played a major role in Southend’s goal, repeatedly stretched Scunthorpe and looked dangerous whenever he was able to run at the defence.

Colclough quickly became involved.

With Southend looking for the goal that would remove any late nerves, he offered another attacking outlet and helped keep Scunthorpe pinned back.

Cardwell Denied Again

Cardwell’s afternoon deserved a goal.

Having already seen his first-half effort lead directly to Popoola’s opener, he was presented with another excellent opportunity late in the game.

Colclough headed the ball across the penalty area and Cardwell found himself with a clear sight of goal.

Again, Jones made himself big.

Again, the Scunthorpe goalkeeper came out on top.

It was becoming one of those afternoons where Southend appeared capable of creating chance after chance without finding the second goal.

Colclough Goes Close

The pressure continued.

A loose ball dropped invitingly for Colclough inside the penalty area and he looked well placed to make it 2-0.

Jones saved again.

Scunthorpe’s goalkeeper was becoming the main reason his side remained in the contest.

Southend had been comfortably the stronger team for much of the afternoon, yet with only one goal separating the sides there was always the possibility of one mistake changing everything.

Fortunately, Scunthorpe were offering very little indication that an equaliser was coming.

Kendall Hits The Post

Then came the chance that should finally have finished it.

With normal time almost complete, Colclough split the Scunthorpe defence with an excellent pass.

Charley Kendall raced clear.

One-on-one.

Jones came out.

Kendall beat him.

The ball struck the inside of the post and somehow bounced across the face of goal and away.

Roots Hall groaned.

Southend had been inches away from making absolutely certain.

Colclough then curled another effort narrowly over as The Shrimpers continued looking for the second right until the end.

It never came.

It didn’t need to.

Full-Time: Southend United 1-0 Scunthorpe United

Two games.

Two wins.

Six points.

And Kieron Dyer’s first competitive afternoon at Roots Hall ended exactly as he would have wanted.

The only genuine criticism is that Southend should have made the victory far more comfortable.

Cardwell had opportunities.

Colclough had opportunities.

Kendall hit the post.

Kamara went close.

Coker went close.

On another afternoon, this could easily have finished three or four.

But there is another side to that argument.

Southend created those opportunities.

They controlled long periods of the match.

They restricted Scunthorpe to very little.

And when the second goal refused to arrive, they didn’t panic.

They simply saw the game out.

That’s not a bad quality to have.

Duncan Does His Job

Joe Duncan won’t receive many headlines from this one, but his first-half save from Pat Jones mattered.

At 0-0, with Scunthorpe breaking quickly and Jones through on goal, Duncan stayed big and produced an important stop with his leg.

Southend went on to dominate much of what followed.

But had Scunthorpe scored first, the afternoon might have looked very different.

Goalkeepers can have quiet games and still make the save that matters.

This was one of them.

A Defence Doing Its Job

Scunthorpe created very little after the break.

Southend remained organised, dealt with Scunthorpe’s attacking threat and made sure Duncan wasn’t forced into repeated saves.

Ben Goodliffe was withdrawn late on through injury, with Harry Taylor taking his place, but even after the alteration The Shrimpers remained comfortable.

Another clean sheet would have pleased Dyer almost as much as the three points.

8,613 At The Hall

Roots Hall welcomed 8,613 supporters for Southend’s first home league game of the season.

Of those, 344 had travelled with Scunthorpe.

More than 8,000 Southend supporters were therefore inside the ground for Dyer’s first competitive home match.

They didn’t get a goal-fest.

They did get a victory.

And after waiting all summer for league football to return to Roots Hall, that will do nicely.

Match Details

What We Learned

Southend can dominate a match without necessarily dominating the scoreline.

That’s both encouraging and slightly frustrating.

The encouraging bit is obvious.

The Shrimpers created enough chances to win comfortably and Scunthorpe offered very little after their early opportunity.

The frustrating part is that a one-goal lead always leaves the door slightly open.

There will be afternoons when missed chances are punished.

This wasn’t one of them.

Popoola took his opportunity.

Kamara impressed again.

Cardwell caused problems.

Duncan made the save when required.

And Southend delivered a clean sheet.

Six points from six is a very pleasant way to start.