Soccer: Blues are back with a bang

Blues striker Martin Carruthers ruffled the Swans' feathers on Saturday with a brace of headers, bringing an end to the third-placed Welshmen's run of nine consecutive league victories, despite visiting skipper Nick Cusack's consolation spot-kick.

The result was just as significant to the lowly Shrimpers, who had failed to notch up a Third Division win at Roots Hall for more than two months.

Before Swansea's visit, the Seasiders had endured a barren spell of five defeats and two draws since a 2-1 win over Brighton on November 2.

However, Blues got it right at last against Swansea following a committed and battling display, which highlighted just how much the Shrimpers have underachieved this season.

For the first time this campaign the Seasiders put on a complete 90-minute performance, with every player in a blue shirt grafting hard and never giving Swansea a second to catch their breath.

Gone were the defensive mistakes, lack of desire and lazy exhibitions Southend fans have grown tired of but accustomed to during the past few months.

This was a team playing with passion and a solidity sadly missing during a torrid run of matches, which has now seen Blues pick up a mere two wins from their last 14 encounters.

Southend, though, made their previous dozen or so outings seem like a bad nightmare at the weekend, as they finally awoke from their slumber to show a glimpse of their true potential against Swansea.

Blues adopted a more direct approach than seen in recent weeks, mixing their game to get the ball forward as quickly as possible, but not totally surrendering the more attractive content of their footballing ethics.

The high-flying Swans did not know what had hit them and were soon brought crashing back down to earth with a bump, as Southend made a complete mockery of their visitors' place at the summit of the Third Division's form guide.

In fact, the Welshmen were flattered at coming away nursing just a single-goal reverse, so superior were the Shrimpers during this contest.

The visitors did pile forward towards the end of the game, giving the Roots Hall faithful a few nervy moments.

But Blues' new found defensive confidence, marshalled superbly by old heads Simon Coleman and Rob Newman, hardly allowed Swansea's Jamaican World Cup hitman Walter Boyd or any of his team-mates so much as a sniff at goal.

Southend boss Alan Little made four changes to the side which had played so poorly at Mansfield during their previous league fixture, which resulted in a 3-1 thumping.

Little, opting for a 5-3-2 formation, had lost ever-present right-back Martyn Booty to a training ground knee injury earlier in the week, so Mark Beard slotted into his place, with Nathan Jones filling the other wing-back berth impressively.

The Shrimpers chief's first selection shuffle brought New-man, a substitute at Fieldmill, back into a three-man central rearguard alongside Coleman and David Morley, who had been forced into a forward role against Mansfield, with Mel Capleton shrugging off an ankle knock to play in goal.

Mark Tinkler, back from a one-game ban, returned to the centre of midfield next to Kevin Maher, which left Scott Houghton to rove and swap wings as he pleased.

Little's other two changes were to bring first-choice front-runners Carruthers and Neil Tolson back into his side, following suspension and injury respectively, although the latter had been a playing substitute at Mansfield.

Swansea forced the first real opening of the match after three minutes when left-back Jona-than Coates' right-wing corner was only half-cleared by Newman to Martin Thomas, whose low 16-yard drive was blocked by his team-mate Jason Smith's backside.

But that was as good as it got for Swansea during the first period as Blues controlled the proceedings and penned their counterparts back inside their own half.

Maher's hanging right-wing cross allowed Tolson to put visiting custodian Roger Freestone under pressure for the first time after eight minutes, but Swansea defender Steve Jones mopped up the danger caused by the keeper's fumble, hacking the ball to safety.

Four minutes later, with Blues looking more dangerous with every foray forward, Carruthers shielded the ball outside the Swansea box, before playing a square pass to Houghton, whose deep right-wing centre was headed over the bar by Tolson.

The pitch action then took a backseat for a few minutes as fighting broke out in the West Stand between about 50 rival fans, as Swansea supporters came from the North Bank and started throwing punches.

Ground stewards got the situation under control, before a line of policemen were called into Roots Hall to form a human barrier between both sets of fans, allowing all eyes to return back to the match.

With 26 minutes gone, Tolson flicked on Coleman's long-punt forward to his strike partner Carruthers, who shook off the attentions of Jones on the left side of Swansea's box and drilled a low shot goalward, which Freestone saved with his legs.

Carruthers soon made amends however, and found the net for the 11th time this season on 33 minutes when he beat Freestone to a perfectly weighted curling cross from Tinkler to loop a header into the top-right hand corner of the Swansea goal from 12 yards.

But ten minutes later, Swansea were gifted a chance to pull level via a penalty, when Tinkler was harshly penalised for handball.

The Southend midfielder had already cleared a header from visiting targetman Julian Alsop away from Blues' goal-line when Swansea defender Steve Jones whipped a right-wing cross back into the danger area and against Tinkler's outstretched arm, leaving Cusack to convert the spot-kick.

Any fears that the Seasiders would fail to show the same impetus and invention during the second half were soon dispelled however, as Southend continued to play in the same vein as the first 45 minutes.

Straight after the restart, Tinkler and Carruthers combined to create an opening for Tolson, but he fired over the bar from 16 yards.

However, Carruthers showed his team-mate how it should be done after 51 minutes, claiming his 12th goal this term from just 21 league starts for Southend, following a bargain £30,000 move south from Darlington.

The forward finished off a flowing move which had seen Beard pass the ball to a suprisingly forward positioned Coleman on the edge of the Swansea box, who switched play to Houghton down the left-wing to arrow a cross to the far-post, which Carruthers nodded in from six yards.

For his next trick, Carruthers showed tremendous skill to cut inside visiting defender Leigh Jenkins on the right-wing and make his way into the Swansea box with an audacious chip over Smith's head, before firing into Freestone's grateful arms on 58 minutes.

Blues continued to pressurise their opponents and Freestone made another save with his legs from Houghton, before a slip from Morley let in Swans hitman Steve Watkin at the other end, but Capleton was equal to his effort.

Tolson missed a sitter on 72 minutes, blazing over the bar from 16 yards with a clear sight of goal, and Swansea substitute Stuart Roberts tested Capleton with a skidding drive after Houghton had failed to clear a cross from Coates.

Swansea also conjured up another couple of chances in an agonisingly long period of injury time, but Ryan Casey, another substitute, miscued from six yards and Roberts shot straight at Capleton from 12-yards to ensure Southend picked up a rare, but thoroughly deserved, win bonus.

(Right) On the attack - Shrimpers' striker Neil Tolson is shadowed by Swansea's Jason Smith

(Left) Midfield breakout - Kevin Maher is surrounded by a sea of Swansea shirts as he sets up another Southend attack

(Below right) Reasons to be cheerful - Blues players celebrate Carruthers' second goal

Pictures: LUAN MARSHALL

Match facts

Shots/headers on target: Southend 6, Swansea 5.

Corners: Southend 11, Swansea 4.

Bookings: Southend - Houghton (45mins, foul). Swansea - Alsop (45mins, foul).

Swansea City

(4-3-3) FREESTONE 8, Jones 7, Cusack 6, Smith 5, Thomas 6 (Roberts 7), Alsop 5, Watkin 6, Coates 7, Jenkins 6, Phillips 5 (De-Vulgt 5), Boyd 4 (Casey 6). Subs not used: Bird and Thomas.

Southend Utd

(In 5-3-2 formation with ratings out of 10):

Capleton 7 - fairly quiet afternoon, but steady when called upon.

Beard 6 - usual never-say-die display.

Jones 8 - worked tirelessly up and down the left-flank.

Newman 8 - solid and could be seen barking out his orders to organise the defence.

Morley 7 - made one near-fatal slip, but was otherwise competent.

Coleman 7 - rarely has a bad game and was sturdy yet again.

Houghton 7 - revelled in his free-role and made another goal.

Maher 7 - another gutsy display and looks to have finally won over the Roots Hall boo-boys.

Tinkler 6 - much improved performance and put in a great cross for the opening goal.

CARRUTHERS 9 - another wholehearted 90 minutes, which was rightfully rewarded by two goals.

Tolson 6 - tired towards the end, but played his part.

Sub:

Roget 6 - replaced Tolson for the last eight minutes and gave Swansea's back-four something to think about.

Subs not used: Connelly, Cross, Fitzpatrick and Prudhoe .

Southend United (1) 2 (Carruthers 33, 51)

Swansea City (1) 1 (Cusack 43 pen)

Attendance: 3,860

Referee J Kirkby (Sheffield) 6 out of 10

Other Division 3 results

Brighton 1 Darlington 1

Carlisle 0 Mansfield 2

Cheltenham 2 Hartlepool 1

Chester 2 Torquay 1

Exeter 2 Rochdale 0

Halifax 0 Leyton Orient 2

Lincoln 2 Northampton 2

Macclesfield 0 Hull 2

Peterborough 2 Plymouth 0

Shrewsbury 0 Rotherham 0

York 1 Barnet 0

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.