Southend United were unable to cash in on a bright start at promotion seeking seaside rivals Bournemouth.

Blues dominated the early proceedings, winning the midfield battle, but a lack of cutting edge in the final third of the field hampered the Shrimpers as they searched for the all important breakthrough.

Bournemouth, however, never suffered the same handicap and mustered that extra bit of quality to open the scoring with their first real attack.

Gavin Strachan - the midfielder had a solid game for the Blues

Midfielder Marcus Browning switched play with a superb crossfield pass to the left flank, allowing Cherries winger Danny Thomas to fire over a pin-point cross for team mate Stephen Purches to arrow a well placed header into the top left hand corner of the net.

Big Bournemouth targetman Steve Fletcher was fortunate to stay on the pitch a few minutes later, escaping with just a yellow card, after flattening Shrimpers defender David McSweeney inside Blues' box.

Southend finally conjured up an effort at goal on 19 minutes, when midfielder Gavin Strachan shot over from 25 yards.

Southend were denied an equaliser three minutes before the break, when Bournemouth goalkeeper Neil Moss dived full stretch to push Kevin Maher's 12-yard drive past the right post, after Brett Darby's initial effort had been blocked and rebounded into the Shrimpers skipper's path.

Right on the stroke of half-time, Steve Fletcher was left free to meet a right-wing cross from Elliott, but he looped a header on to the roof of Blues' net.

On the hour, Blues midfielder Maher nudged Jenkins past home left-back Warren Cummings with a slide-rule pass, but he wasted the opportunity, sending over a wild by-line cross which evaded everybody.

Southend substitute Mark Beard got over a better centre, also from the right flank, which frontman Rawle nodded weakly into Moss' hands.

With 73 minutes gone, Flahavan had to recover quickly after coming close to fumbling a wind assisted right wing cross from Elliott over his own goal-line.

And the Cherries had the last word in the dying minutes when substitute forward Scott McDonald blasted a well struck 20-yard effort just past the right post.

Published Monday, April 14, 2003

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