Southend United 3–2 Braintree Town: Three Up, Then Hanging On for Dear Life

Three goals up against a side fighting for its National League life, with a packed Roots Hall enjoying some of Southend’s best attacking football of the afternoon. That should have been that, shouldn’t it? Apparently nobody told Braintree.

We won 3–2 on Good Friday. Andrew Dallas scored twice, Oli Coker added a third and for the best part of an hour Southend were everything we wanted them to be: purposeful, inventive and a proper handful going forward. Then came the changes, a deflection, another Braintree goal and the kind of finish that leaves you watching the clock rather than the football.

I am delighted with the three points. I am also frustrated that we made such hard work of keeping them. Both things can be true, and anyone looking only at the final score would miss a rather important story.

Dallas knew exactly where the goal was

There was nearly a nasty surprise before the party began. Zavier Massiah-Edwards broke through in the opening moments and Collin Andeng-Ndi had to produce a vital save. For a team sitting near the foot of the table, Braintree were not here just to make up the numbers.

But Southend answered quickly. Joe Gubbins delivered into the box, Gus Scott-Morriss met the ball with a header that crashed against the bar and Dallas reacted before anybody else. Six minutes played, 1–0, and a big crowd finally had the early goal we had been hoping for.

It was not a glamorous finish. That was rather the point. Good forwards anticipate the second ball instead of admiring the first effort, and Dallas had already made up his mind where he needed to be.

The chances kept arriving. Harry Boyes was causing problems down the left, Sam Austin hit the post and Braintree goalkeeper Mason Terry had work to do. It felt as though we could turn every decent spell of possession into another opening.

The second, after 33 minutes, was a lovely example. Austin spotted the run, Dallas took the pass in his stride and tucked his finish through Terry’s legs. Two for the striker, two for Southend, and no sense that we had to force the game. We were finding the right spaces and using them.

A 2–0 half-time lead felt deserved. It also felt like the sort of afternoon when another goal or two might be waiting for us.

It was not just about the goals

Dallas will rightly get the headlines, but there were several performances worth enjoying. Austin gave us movement and an eye for the pass that made defenders turn towards their own goal. His contribution to the second was every bit as important as the finish.

Alfie Massey gave the midfield something different. There was a willingness to take the ball, move it on positively and keep the play ticking over rather than settle for the safest option every time. In a run of fixtures this demanding, an energetic display like that matters. He looked comfortable with the responsibility.

James Golding also deserves a mention. His ability to step forward from the back helped Southend turn defending into attacking without endless sideways passes. Boyes and Scott-Morriss provided the width, while Gubbins was brave enough to look for a forward ball. That combination gave Braintree far more to think about than Dallas alone.

It is easy to get carried away when facing a side in trouble, but you still have to play the football. For an hour, Southend did.

Three-nil. Surely that was comfortable?

Dallas came close to his hat-trick soon after the restart. He met Coker’s delivery with a close-range header, only for Terry to somehow get his legs in the way. A third for Dallas would have been a lovely reward for his afternoon.

Instead, Coker got the next goal. His shot from distance took a deflection off Ben Drake and found its way into the net in the 54th minute. Three-nil. Just under 10,000 people inside Roots Hall. A Good Friday win apparently wrapped up with more than half an hour to spare.

And this is where I think we have to be honest about the afternoon. At 3–0, we had the chance to make a statement, to manage the tempo and show that we could see out a game without any drama. What followed did not look like the same assured Southend side.

The changes were understandable. The effect was not good.

Kevin Maher made three substitutions in the 64th minute. Golding was replaced by Ben Goodliffe, Boyes by Jack Bridge and Scott-Morriss by Keenan Appiah-Forson. That is a substantial reshuffle of a defensive unit in one go, particularly when it had been helping us play our way forward so effectively.

I can see why some of those decisions were made. We have been playing twice a week, there was another important trip to Sutton United on Easter Monday and both wing-backs were on bookings. Protecting legs and avoiding a suspension is perfectly sensible when the games are coming this quickly.

But three changes across that unit at the same time? I am less convinced. The shape looked less settled, the passing lost some of its zip and Braintree began to find room that simply had not been there before. That does not mean every substitute was poor or that one player should carry the blame. It means the balance of the side changed, and it changed at exactly the wrong time.

Braintree deserve some credit here too. They were fighting for points at the other end of the table, brought on fresh attacking legs and refused to accept the scoreline. Ryan Battrum’s effort took a deflection and looped over Andeng-Ndi in the 69th minute. There was an element of fortune about the finish, but the goal gave them something to chase.

We still had opportunities to end the argument. Bridge saw a free-kick pushed over, and Gubbins headed over from the resulting corner. A fourth would have been welcome, not least for the nerves around the ground.

Instead, Sahid Kamara drove at the Southend defence in the 83rd minute and finished brilliantly off the underside of the bar. From three up to 3–2. Suddenly the questions were not about the quality of our attacking play but whether we could get the ball away from our own penalty area.

It should never have reached that point.

Plenty to praise, plenty to learn

I would hate the last quarter of an hour to swallow up everything positive about this performance. Dallas led the line with intelligence and hunger. Austin found passes that opened the game up. Massey showed he can contribute in a demanding midfield role. Golding, Boyes and Scott-Morriss helped us play with a freedom that was genuinely enjoyable to watch.

Equally, it would be daft to pretend the ending was fine because we won. A three-goal cushion against a relegation-threatened side ought to allow us to control the finish. We were instead inviting pressure and leaving ourselves a single moment away from throwing away two points. Teams further up the table will punish those spells.

So this is not a call for panic or a hunt for someone to blame. It is a call to learn from a match that provided both the evidence of how good we can look and a reminder of what happens when we lose our shape.

Sutton United away on Easter Monday is next. Same attacking purpose, please. A little less of the heart-stopping finish would be appreciated. Up the Shrimpers.

The match details

Goals

Southend United: Dallas 6’, 33’; Coker 54’
Braintree Town: Battrum 69’; Kamara 83’

Match officials

Referee: Wayne Cartmel
Assistant Referees: Andrew Bennett, David Pilling
Fourth Official: Ciaran Fidler

Attendance

9,716 (370 away)

Where it leaves Southend