Southend United 1–0 Scunthorpe United: Popoola gives Roots Hall a winning return

A proper welcome back to Roots Hall

There were 8,613 inside Roots Hall, including 344 Scunthorpe supporters, for our first home league game of 2026/27. That’s a healthy crowd and a reminder of just how much people want to get behind this team. The summer has brought a new manager, new players and plenty of debate. But when the teams came out, what mattered was the chance to watch Southend compete again.

Scunthorpe were hardly the opposition I would have chosen for a stress-free afternoon. That play-off defeat last season still stings. We had worked so hard to give ourselves a shot at promotion, only to see it end against them. It isn’t the new players’ job to carry every grievance from the past, but you can’t blame the supporters for wanting this one a little more.

Dyer changed his side after the 3–1 win at Altrincham. Josh Popoola and Sahid Kamara were among those given the chance to start, and both had a say in how the game unfolded. The manager has a squad with options; this was the first home opportunity to show that selection isn’t just about picking the eleven names everybody expects.

For all our ambition, though, it was Scunthorpe who gave us the first warning. Luke Brennan’s delivery was only partially cleared and Alfie Beestin caught the loose ball on the volley from around twenty yards, sending it over. It was the sort of effort that gets a home crowd’s attention even when it doesn’t trouble the goalkeeper.

The next chance was more serious. We lost possession after one of our own corners, Declan Howe broke down the left and released Pat Jones. He had space to shoot, but Joe Duncan reacted brilliantly, getting his left foot to the ball and stopping what could easily have been the opening goal. We saw the value of a big save from Duncan at Altrincham. Here he was doing it again.

I don’t want to overlook that moment. A match report written only around Popoola’s winner would suggest Southend had complete control from the start. We didn’t. Duncan earned the clean sheet before the rest of the side had properly settled into its work.

Kamara starts making things happen

Once we got going, there was plenty to enjoy. The ball moved with more purpose and Scunthorpe had to defend for longer spells. Leon Chambers-Parillon tried to get an effort away across the face of goal, while Ben Goodliffe picked out Popoola with a pass over the top. Popoola found Kamara, who bent an effort towards goal and drew an excellent save from Louis Jones.

Kamara had changed the feel of the Altrincham match after coming on as a substitute. Starting at Roots Hall gave him more time to get into the game and, on this evidence, he intends to make the most of it. He showed a willingness to run at defenders and get into threatening positions. Sometimes that’s exactly what we need: someone who makes the opposition turn around and chase.

I like a player who asks a question of his marker. Passes are lovely when they’re going somewhere, but there is nothing wrong with being direct. The best attacking teams have a bit of both. Kamara made Scunthorpe uncomfortable, and that became particularly important when the opening goal arrived.

Popoola does what a striker should

Twenty-three minutes. Kamara slipped Harry Cardwell into the box, Cardwell got his shot away and Jones saved it. The ball was loose for only a moment before Popoola reached the rebound and put it into the net.

It will never be nominated for goal of the season. I couldn’t care less. The finish was simple because Popoola had done the bit that matters: he had followed the attack, anticipated the goalkeeper’s save and put himself where a striker should be. How often have we watched a loose ball sit in the six-yard area with nobody in a Southend shirt there to touch it home? This time we had somebody waiting.

It was an important goal for Popoola on his first competitive start for the club. You can talk all summer about what new signings might bring, but a goal in front of the home crowd is a much better introduction. He didn’t try to make the chance more complicated than it needed to be. Right place, right time, 1–0.

Cardwell deserves credit as well. Just as at Altrincham, he helped make a goal without being the name on the scoresheet. His movement gave Kamara a target, his shot forced a save and Popoola benefited. There is a partnership developing there worth watching, even if the finishing from the rest of our chances needs improving.

We could have doubled the lead almost immediately. Darren Oldaker won possession from Beestin and released Kamara, who again found Cardwell. Jones was quick off his line to block. That was another good opportunity, another moment when we threatened to turn a tight match into a comfortable one.

At half-time it was 1–0 and we deserved the lead. I was happy with the attacking play, particularly after Duncan’s early intervention. But I kept thinking one more goal would make a world of difference. The longer a match stays at 1–0, the more you worry about a deflection, a set-piece or one moment of carelessness throwing everything away.

So many chances, still only one goal

Scunthorpe changed their shape after the break, looking for a way back into the match. Southend still had the more promising opportunities. Kamara drove into the area and found the side-netting from a difficult angle. For a split second it must have looked like the net had bulged in the right place. It hadn’t.

Oli Coker saw a shot deflected wide, and Dyer brought on Anthony Hartigan and Ryan Colclough shortly after the hour. It was good to see the manager prepared to change things while we were ahead. Colclough gave us fresh ideas with the ball, exactly as he had on the opening day.

There was one Scunthorpe passage that reminded us why a second goal mattered. A quick free-kick sent Pat Jones away down the right and his low ball travelled across the face of goal, narrowly avoiding Declan Howe. Had he reached it, we’d have been talking about a completely different outcome. Football can be cruel that way. You can be the better side for long periods and still be punished for leaving the door open.

Cardwell then had a close-range chance when the ball broke to him inside the box. Jones made himself big and blocked it. Not long afterwards, Colclough helped create another opening for Cardwell and the keeper denied him again, with the loose ball presenting Colclough a chance of his own. Once more, Jones kept Scunthorpe alive.

I don’t think it’s unfair to say Cardwell could have had a couple. He was in the positions you want your striker to find, and he worked hard to get there. Equally, there comes a point when chances have to become goals. Against Scunthorpe we got away with missing them. On another afternoon, perhaps we don’t.

And then came Kendall’s chance, which summed up the frustration rather neatly. Colclough put him through, Kendall took the ball beyond Jones and curled it towards the corner. It struck the inside of the post and bounced right across the face of goal before Scunthorpe cleared. Even the woodwork seemed determined to keep the score at one.

As the clock ran down, my main feeling was a familiar one: please don’t let us regret all this. Happily, we didn’t. Scunthorpe couldn’t turn their sporadic forward moments into sustained pressure, and Southend saw out the result. One goal, three points, a clean sheet. It would have been lovely to relax earlier, but there’s something to be said for seeing a narrow lead through professionally.

The individuals who made the difference

Josh Popoola gets the winner and a proper introduction to Roots Hall. His instinct to follow in Cardwell’s saved effort is exactly what we want in the penalty area. A simple finish on paper, an important one in the match.

Sahid Kamara is my standout for the overall performance. His running unsettled Scunthorpe, he played Cardwell through for the goal and drew a fine save from Jones himself. He looked hungry to make something happen. I don’t think you can ask much more of a young attacking player trying to claim a regular place.

Joe Duncan deserves a mention ahead of any talk about the attacking chances. That save with his foot from Pat Jones was superbly timed and kept the score level. He had fewer problems once we began to control the game, but a goalkeeper’s job is to respond when called upon. Duncan did.

Harry Cardwell was involved in the goal and kept making himself available. He won’t be delighted that Jones denied him on several occasions, but I’d be more worried if he weren’t getting those chances. His link-up with Kamara looks promising.

Ryan Colclough made an impact from the bench, helping create the late chances, including Kendall’s shot against the post. The manager has a useful problem if both he and Kamara continue to demand a place in the team.

The defence, with Rayan Oyebade coming into the side, earned its share of the clean sheet. There were early moments when Scunthorpe threatened, particularly on the break, but they did not spend the afternoon battering down our door. After Duncan’s save, the team gave him a far quieter match than the opening minutes might have suggested.

Match Details