Southend United v Barrow: Shrimpers Look to Build on Six-Goal Gateshead Statement
Southend United return to Roots Hall sitting second in the National League and looking to build on their extraordinary 6–1 victory at Gateshead when Barrow make the long journey to Essex.
Southend United could hardly return to Roots Hall in better spirits.
Kieron Dyer’s side moved up to second in the National League last weekend after producing one of the most remarkable first halves in the club’s history, scoring six times before the interval on the way to a 6–1 victory at Gateshead.
Sam Austin struck a hat-trick, Harry Cardwell scored twice and Kyle McAdam found the net for a second successive Saturday, while Zavier Massiah-Edwards marked his first Southend start by creating the opening two goals.
Barrow, though, travel to Essex with confidence of their own after a 1–0 home victory over Aldershot Town.
It sets up an intriguing afternoon at Roots Hall between a Southend side suddenly finding goals from all over the pitch and visitors who have already demonstrated that they can make life difficult for some of the division’s stronger sides.
Southend hitting their stride
The Gateshead result was spectacular, but Southend’s recent form is about considerably more than one afternoon on Tyneside.
Four days earlier, the Shrimpers beat Tamworth 3–1 at Roots Hall, with Leon Chambers-Parillon, Promise Omochere and Austin on target after Dyer made four changes at half-time.
Before that came the dramatic 2–2 draw at Carlisle United, when Chambers-Parillon and McAdam turned a 1–0 deficit into a 2–1 Southend lead late on before Georgie Kelly rescued Carlisle deep into stoppage time.
That gives Southend 11 goals across their last three matches.
More significantly, different players are contributing them.
Austin followed his Tamworth goal with three at Gateshead. Cardwell returned to the scoresheet with a brace. McAdam has scored in successive Saturday away fixtures, while Chambers-Parillon’s attacking contribution has been one of the features of the opening weeks.
Dyer now has genuine decisions to make rather than simply looking for solutions.
The Austin question
Few players could make a stronger case for keeping their place than Sam Austin.
Having come from the bench to score the third against Tamworth, Austin started at Gateshead and proceeded to complete a hat-trick before half-time.
His first arrived after Vontae Daley-Campbell found space on the right, his second was a fine strike from around the edge of the area and his third completed Southend’s extraordinary six-goal opening half.
It would be difficult to leave him out now.
The same applies to Massiah-Edwards after his first start produced two assists inside the opening eight minutes.
Southend’s attacking depth means Dyer can also call upon the likes of Ryan Colclough, Josh Popoola, Promise Omochere, Sahid Kamara and Lewys Twamley.
For perhaps the first time this season, the problem is fitting everybody in.
Cardwell back among the goals
Harry Cardwell’s afternoon at Gateshead was another significant development.
The striker opened the scoring after only six minutes, racing onto Massiah-Edwards’ through ball before calmly beating Noah Phillips.
His second was altogether more emphatic as he reacted to a deflection and smashed Southend’s fourth into the roof of the net.
Cardwell was replaced before the hour with the game already won, giving Dyer the opportunity to protect his centre-forward ahead of this weekend.
Two goals should give him every chance of retaining the number nine position against Barrow.
Barrow arrive after Aldershot victory
Barrow’s most recent outing brought a 1–0 victory over Aldershot Town at Holker Street.
Adam Murray set his team up in a 3-2-4-1 formation, with Bobby Winterbottom in goal and a back three featuring Tennai Latty-Fairweather, Paul Kalambayi and Max Oakley.
The victory followed a more difficult result at Solihull Moors, where Barrow were beaten 1–0 on 15 September.
Earlier in the month they produced an eye-catching 3–0 home win against Sutton United, showing why Southend cannot treat Saturday as simply an opportunity to continue where they left off against Gateshead.
Barrow have shown they can shut teams out as well as punish them.
A different examination for Southend
That may be the biggest difference between Saturday’s game and what Southend encountered on Tyneside.
Gateshead allowed the Shrimpers space and were ruthlessly punished for it. Barrow’s shape could provide a very different challenge.
Their use of three central defenders against Aldershot, with additional numbers through midfield, potentially leaves Southend facing a more congested pitch and less room in which Austin, Chambers-Parillon and Massiah-Edwards can operate.
That makes patience important.
Southend do not need another six goals in a half to demonstrate progress. Finding a way through a well-organised opponent at Roots Hall would be another useful indication of where this team is heading.
McAdam becoming increasingly influential
Kyle McAdam’s attacking contribution deserves attention too.
The left-back produced a spectacular late goal at Carlisle and followed it by scoring Southend’s second at Gateshead.
He then supplied the cut-back from which Austin completed his hat-trick.
With Daley-Campbell providing similar attacking intent from the opposite side, Southend’s full-backs are giving Dyer another route into the final third.
That width could become particularly important if Barrow defend with numbers through the centre.
One selection dilemma solved by performance
The strongest argument for Saturday may simply be not to change too much.
Dyer’s willingness to make bold alterations has already paid off. Four half-time substitutions transformed the Tamworth game, while several of those pushing for places subsequently earned opportunities at Gateshead.
Massiah-Edwards took his.
Austin certainly took his.
Cardwell responded with two goals.
Southend therefore go into this match with genuine competition across the attacking positions rather than an obvious need to rotate.
Predicted Southend United line-up
The Shrimpers-online prediction based on recent selections, form and the starting XI that produced the 6–1 victory at Gateshead.
The temptation here is to reward the Gateshead performance.
Massiah-Edwards deserves another opportunity after two assists on his first start, while Austin is effectively impossible to leave out after scoring four goals across the Tamworth and Gateshead matches.
Cardwell’s brace should also keep him ahead of Omochere for the central striking role.
There are plenty of alternatives available if Dyer needs to change the game.
Players to watch
Four goals in two matches tells its own story. Austin has forced his way into the conversation for a regular starting place and returns to Roots Hall following his first-half hat-trick at Gateshead.
His first start could scarcely have begun better. Two assists inside eight minutes helped destroy Gateshead before the contest had really settled.
Goals in successive Saturday matches and an assist for Austin’s hat-trick goal have added another attacking dimension to McAdam’s work on the left.
Barrow arrive having kept Aldershot scoreless and have also recorded a 3–0 victory over Sutton this month. Southend’s increasingly potent attack should provide a very different examination of the visitors’ defensive organisation.
The bigger picture
Southend’s position has changed quickly.
The opening weeks were about establishing Dyer’s team and seeing how a reshaped squad would settle. Now the Shrimpers head into the weekend second in the National League with confidence building and competition for places intensifying.
But Saturday is precisely the type of fixture that tests whether an excellent start can become something more substantial.
The Gateshead victory will live long in the memory, particularly that historic six-goal first half, but it is worth exactly the same three points as any other league win.
Backing it up at Roots Hall is the next job.
Barrow have already beaten Sutton 3–0 and arrive after another victory against Aldershot. They should offer considerably more resistance than Southend encountered last weekend.
If the Shrimpers can overcome that challenge as well, their position near the top of the National League will become increasingly difficult for the rest of the division to ignore.
Barrow’s recent clean sheet against Aldershot suggests this may be far tighter than the Gateshead game, and Southend should not expect anything approaching another six-goal procession. But Dyer’s side are carrying considerable attacking momentum, Roots Hall has already witnessed important wins this season, and competition for attacking places is producing performances.
