Town made a mid week trip to Southend on Tuesday night to take on White Ensign in a league game. Courtesy of horrendous traffic on the A127 Towns players arrived in dribs and drabs with several players, through no fault of their own arriving quite late.

So it was all a bit of a last minute rush and the warm up was disjointed resulting in Town making a very slow and disjointed start to the game which Ensign dominated for the first half. Towns defence was overworked and with Mark Neal and Lodgey struggling with injuries it was all hands to the pump to keep in the game, with Jeater again colossal. Headon restored to the starting line up to strut his stuff on a nice playing surface had to leave proceedings early due to injury forcing a reshuffle with Andy Martin, fresh from seeing his native country smashed at rugby by England at the weekend, coming on wide left. Ensign took the lead from a close range header 0-1 after 15 minutes. Town rallied a bit and put some attacks together but with Polley nursing yet another another injury Towns threat was minimal and it was left to Davey Armstrong who worked tirelessly up front to try and create something. Ensign then scored again when from a Town corner the ball was collected by the keeper, thrown out to the right winger who hared down the line, crossed for another close range header giving Chris Neal no chance 0-2. Half time arrived thankfully without further addition to the scoreline.

Town came out for the second half determined to give it a go and after an initial 10 minute spell where it was fairly even they completely dominated the remainder of the second half and Ensign barely got out of the own half except for a few breakaways. All of a sudden Town players that had looked very laboured and lethargic in the first half started to work like trojans and played some good football in the process. Lodgey, after bravely battling away with injury, finally gave way to Ready and Rob Newman was beginning to look very nervous indeed on the touchline with players dropping like fly's. With 20 minutes left Nicky Evans played an absolutely exquisite through ball to Polley who turned inside a defender before feigning to shoot and going past another before sliding the ball into the bottom corner for another well taken goal - 1-2 and game on. Still Town dominated - Nicky Evans hit a thunderous shot from the edge of the box, just over the bar, Davey Armstrong forced the keeper into a fine one handed tip over the bar and Jeater grazed the bar with another of his trademark overhead kicks which he had learned when attending Lodgey's fitness, acrobatic and suppleness classes. Town forced corner after corner and applied virtually non stop pressure for the final few minutes but it just wasn't to be their evening and the full time whistle went and Town undeservedly went home pointless.

Summary: A game of 2 halves !!!! - Ensign dominated the first and Town the second - just goes to show what a difference a bit of energy and desire makes. Town definitely deserved a least a point but you don't always get what you deserve in Football. Very pleased with the response and the second half performance but worried that with injuries to Headon, Lodgey, Mark Neal and Polley and with keeper Chris Neal and roadrunner Dave Martin missing for this weekends clash with Rayleigh that I might have to find my old boots, bang in some studs and get the tracksuit on !!! - heaven forbid.

Man of the match tonight is Nicky Evans.

El Col