Get the lowdown on the U’s next opponents: Southend United.

The Opposition

Southend United are the visitors to the VBS Community Stadium on Saturday, making the trip to Gander Green Lane for the first time in their 118-year history.

Indeed, the Shrimpers are a side with a clear goal in mind – to return to the EFL – having lost their place in the fourth tier back in 2021 after over a century in the Football League, suffering back-to-back relegations from League One. Amid a whole host of troubles off the pitch, Southend have struggled to mount any real promotion push since, but with former captain Kevin Maher at the helm, the Essex-based outfit have been able to navigate their difficulties for four successive campaigns in the Vanarama National League, and have come out the other side with plenty to be positive about looking into the near future.

After a 13th place finish in their maiden season in non-league, the Shrimpers followed it up with successive top half finishes as they slowly climbed the division, and are now on course for their most competitive challenge for a place in League Two, with Maher’s side just six points shy of their entire 2023/24 tally.

Southend currently sit a point outside the play-offs places, having lost just one of their last 11 games, and boast plenty of quality in their ranks. Gus Scott-Morriss is without a doubt the pick of the bunch, with his goals from defence, along with the winter signings of Charley Kendall and Tom Hopper, helping to plug the gap left by former loanee Aribim Pepple, who was recalled by parent club Luton Town in January after scoring 11 goals for the Shrimpers.

The Blues also offer class throughout their squad, with the likes of long-term midfielders Jack Bridge and Noor Husin complimenting defensive-minded players Cav Miley, Jason Demetriou and James Morton, and shields a backline consisting of former U Ben Goodliffe, captain Harry Taylor and goalkeeper Nick Hayes, who have conceded the seventh least goals in the entire division.

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The Manager

Kevin Maher

Former midfielder Kevin Maher is in his fourth season in charge of Southend, with the Shrimpers remaining the only club he has managed at a senior level.

A product of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, Maher departed White Hart Lane in search of first team opportunities in 1998 and linked up with Southend for the first time, going on spend ten years of his career at Roots Hall and was a virtual ever-present, rising to be club captain and making more than 400 appearances for the club, as well as captaining Southend to promotion twice, from League Two to the Championship, in successive seasons.

A brief loan spell at Gillingham preceded his permanent departure from the Shrimpers, and the Republic of Ireland youth international subsequently went on to represent Oldham Athletic, Gillingham again, Dagenham & Redbridge, Bray Wanderers and Whitehawk, before hanging up his boots in 2015 following a brief stint as Head Coach of Chelmsford City in which he also made an appearance as an unused substitute.

Maher later returned to Southend in a coaching capacity, assisting the youth teams at the club before being appointed as Under-21 manager. This preceded a return to Chelmsford, being named as caretaker manager after previous manager Mark Hawkes left the club and soon became their permanent boss until the end of the season, before being replaced by Rod Stringer during the summer break.

After a spell out the game, Maher joined Bristol Rovers as a first team coach, but following the departures of manager Graham Coughlan and caretaker manager Joe Dunne, was placed in temporary charge of the Gas and oversaw a 0–0 draw with Peterborough United, before taking on the role again at the start of 2020.

This was followed by a third return to Southend, now in the National League, where he took on the role of Head Coach in place of Phil Brown. Despite ongoing troubles off the pitch, Maher has kept the club competitive and established in the fifth tier, slowly guiding them up the division and closer to the play-off places year after year, and currently has them sat just a point outside the top seven.

One to Watch

Gus Scott-Morriss

Flying wing-back Gus Scott-Morriss is surely set for greater things than fifth tier football, scoring a whopping 17 goals from right back so far this season to contribute to Southend’s rise up the division.

Into his third season as a Shrimper, Scott-Morriss began his career at Royston Town, spending seven years at Garden Walk where he appeared over 150 times, with his most notable achievement coming in the 2016/17 campaign when he contributed ten goals as the Crows won promotion to the Southern League Premier Division.

He subsequently appeared frequently over two seasons at Step Three, before departing Royston for fellow Hertfordshire-based club Hemel Hempstead Town. The wing-back went on to appear 50 times for the Tudors, but found himself rising into the highest level of non-league football after two seasons at Vauxhall Road, moving to Southend ahead of the 2022/23 season.

His time at Roots Hall has proved to be incredibly fruitful, going on to appear over 100 times for the club. The 27-year old went on to be named in the National League Team of the Season, as well as winning Southend’s Player of the Year award at the end of his second season at the club, and firmly established himself as a goalscoring wing-back who is one of the best in his position in the entire division.

The current campaign has added more evidence to this statement, with Scott-Morriss hitting an incredible 17 goals in all competitions this season, making him the Shrimpers’ top scorer with a ten-goal gap to teammate Aribim Pepple, as well as his 15 league goals putting him in the top five goalscorers in the entire division, bettered only by York City’s Ollie Pearce, Alrtrincham’s Regan Linney, Sutton’s Will Davies and Tamworth’s Dan Creaney, meaning he also the only defender in the upper echelons of the league’s ranking.

Last Time We Met

Sutton came from behind to record a fine victory at Roots Hall and end a run of three consecutive defeats, as well as inflicting Southend’s first home defeat of the season.

After Southend had led from the 11th minute through Gus Scott-Morriss, returning Steve Arnold’s misplaced clearance into the vacant net from 35-yards, the game turned on a piece of opportunism from Josh Coley, handed the captain’s armband as Tyler French began the game on the substitutes’ bench, who capitalised on a defensive misunderstanding to race away and equalise in the fifth minute of first half stoppage time.

This set Sutton on their way to a superb second half performance, and went in front when Charlie Waller intercepted a clearance from Andeng Ndi, before exchanging passes with Coley and whipping in a superb cross which evaded Will Davies, but was turned home by Joe Gubbins into his own net. The U’s then sealed the victory 15 minutes from time when Lewis Simper powered forward from midfield before playing in the tireless Davies on the left, and his low cross was turned high in to the net at the far post by Ashley Nadesan.

Rewatch the victory here.

Head-to-Head

Southend United 1-3 Sutton United (14/09/2024)

Played for Both

Steve Arnold

Experienced goalkeeper Steve Arnold joined the U’s ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, having previously spent two years as a Shrimper.

After spending time in the youth teams of Boreham Wood and Arsenal, Arnold eventually rose through the ranks at Norwich City, but departed Carrow Road in search of regular opportunities and dropped into non-league as a result. Spells at Grays Athletic and Eastleigh preceded a move to Wycombe Wanderers, where he failed to appear but did impress on loan at Hayes & Yeading United, subsequently earning a move to Stevenage.

The England C international appeared frequently during his two years at the LAMEX, before joining Forest Green Rovers in 2014. Spells at Dover Athletic, Gillingham, Barrow, Shrewsbury Town and Northampton Town followed, racking up over 200 appearances in the lower leagues.

Following two years at Northampton, Arnold made the switch to Southend and instantly became the Shrimpers’ first choice goalkeeper, appearing 52 times for the club and winning the Player of the Season award at the end of his first season at Roots Hall.

Despite his form for the Essex-based outfit, the goalkeeper opted to depart with the Shrimpers under a transfer embargo, and joined Sutton at the start of the 2023/24 season. He had to bide his time, however, with Jack Rose and later Dean Bouzanis both favoured under Matt Gray, but the arrival of Steve Morison as Head Coach brought a fresh start to Gander Green Lane, and subsequently saw Arnold promoted to first choice. He went on to feature 15 times in League Two, but despite some stellar performances and a positive run of form towards the end of the season, was unable to help the U’s avoid relegation. Nevertheless, Arnold began the current campaign as first choice once more, but a mixture of injury and the emergence of Jack Sims in goal has seen the goalkeeper struggle for opportunities, and he is yet to make an appearance since October as a result.

Honourable mentions: Ben Goodliffe, Henry Sandat, Charley Kendall, Jack Sims, Matt Rush

Photo Credit: Paul Loughlin