Carlisle win. I'm ill so don't get to the game. Hmm. I'm not there and they win. Am I a curse on CUFC?? Anyone want to buy my ticket and go in my place for the rest of the season ?-)
David Atkinson
There I was happily minding my own business at work when my beloved United mug jumped off the desk and smashed into many pieces. 3 days later we record our first win in a long time. Now i wont claim all the credit for our magnificent victory, but I wonder what would have happened if i had broken my mug at the start of the season!!
We may still be bottom but at least we've finally won. Hopefully with a sound beating of Woking next week our season will be back on line again. Now all we need is someone to win tonights lottery and remove the stain of Knighton from our fine club.
Doug Wilson
much better all round.
the defence looked more solid without that useless get inglis and we actually have a keeper that looks reasonable. plus i got some points in al's prediction game cos we've used three keepers stevens had his best game since his return despite missing a couple of good chances.
the midfield looked more balanced and i was impressed by galloway who distributed the ball well. man of the match was dobie he was everywhere scoring, tackling, defensive headers. the third goal was a bullet header from a well rehearsed corner! his first goal was squeezed in from a tight angle between two defenders after he got to the ball before the keeper even though he didn't look the favourite. and mark thurstan is beginning to look like a star.
it seems a long time since we came out of aggborough road thinking we were gonna win the league
Chris Kearton
From what I picked up today - Weaver was going to play for us at Blackpool but laughed in Atkins face as he was getting a bollocking. Atkins told him to get changed and that he would never play for us again. Apparently Tony Caig came up a couple of weeks ago in order to sign but Mervyn Day contacted him and offered him some bench-warming at Charlton instead!
Perhaps those two events have helped us as this Matthew Glennon looks a good keeper - very commanding in his area and quick off his line when needed. I thought the whole team played well today apart from Lee (again). We had a midfield, for once! Dobie for MoM - just shaded it from Hemmings and Thurston. I thought the lads did well to beat 11 players and the ref! Some of his decisions were incredible - there was one at the end where the Southend lad went straight through Dobie and they got the free-kick!!
In my more paranoid moments I had this consipracy theory. Doweck and the board were paying some or even all the players to lose so that the Club's value drops. Now that Albert & Co are out of the deal, we win and they looked a different team. Perhaps my pills aren't strong enough...
Rob Scott-Buccleuch
Much the same as the rest of the season except we had some luck this time. Galloway seemed okay, Connelly anonymous. New keeper had relatively little to do. Dobie outstanding, Prokas surprisingly controlled. Carlisle defended too deeply and too frantically in the second half.
It's a sad comment on the limit of his ambitions that Atkins has brought in a keeper on the strength of his kicking.
Southend are one of around 23 mediocre teams in this division.
Referee poor without affecting the outcome. I await confirmation that he was from Liverpool.
Andrew Ashbridge
Hey mate you haven't got a clue about football, this was a much improved all round performance and as for your comments about the keeper, he controlled and commanded his area giving the defence and the rest of the team the confidence to go on and win the game.
Barrie Mossop
Andrew, I can only suggest you've swapped rose tinted spectacles for dung tinted ones instead!
New keeper COMMANDED the whole area and gave real confidence to the back 4.
Carlisle did defend too deep in the second half and Prokas was superb in the middle. A real ball winner.
Atkins has signed a keeper of real ability and met crosses like a real pro.
Getting a result against an inform team is more than good. We played them off the park today. The ref was more than appalling and could have cost us at least 2 points.
23 mediocre teams in the div? Possibly but comparatively, we were brilliant today.
Realism is fine but lift your head a little and enjoy the sunshine.
Roger Porthouse
I cannot believe no-one praised Stuart Whitehead today, i thought he was commanding at Centre Half, and him and Thurstan at centre half look far better than Winstanley and INglis. Whitehead won just about every header against Carruthers and had him in his pcoket all match. But Man of the match was definately Dobie, his running off the ball was brilliant he tackled back and closed down defenders when they had the ball. Oh and nearly forgot scored two good goals. Lees cross for the second was superb (or was it Galloway) who knows anyway 3-1 a good result, but if Southend are 5th in the league, we outplayed them for large parts of the game
Up the Blues, (not getting carried away tho)
Lee Gardner
All runs, good or bad, have to come to an end some time.
With Southend having gone thirteen matches without defeat and Carlisle searching for their first win in thirteen attempts, odds for a home victory looked pretty bleak. But football has a habit of turning up the unexpected and so it proved with the Cumbrians recording their first home victory of the season with a goal from Ian Stevens and a double from Scott Dobie. The significant improvement over recent weeks had a lot to do with the return of Tony Hemmings to the left side of midfield allowing Ian Atkins to revert to 4-4-2 and a more balanced look to the side.
In Matty Glennon, on loan from Bolton, the home side had the benefit of a goalkeeper willing to come off his line for crosses and the resulting growth in confidence instilled into the back four was evident.
A delighted Ian Atkins said: " I am pleased for the supporters, because the were magnificent again today, and for the players who've worked hard and you could see the relief after the game. We stayed focused today, with everyone doing their job. We now need to put some results together and we have games coming up with the likes of Hull and Lincoln which I think are winnable." The home side showed their intentions as early as the fourth minute when Ian Stevens latched on to a long clearance from Matty Glennon only to have his shot cleared off the line by David Morley.
The Cumbrians opener came seven minutes later, when another long clearance from Glennon was flicked on by Scott Dobie into the path of Stevens, who drew the keeper before slotting home from 12 yards.
On 27 minutes the Blues increased their lead when Dobie's pace got him to Stuart Whitehead's long ball ahead of keeper Daryl Flahavan, before placing his right foot shot from an acute angle.
Southend almost got a goal back two minutes later when Russell Williamson shot over from Damon Searle's long free kick.
Following the break David Webb's harsh words appeared to get the away side going as a Scott Forbes 52nd minute free kick flew narrowly over the bar.
Martin Carruthers then went close twice with headers before David Lee's 86th minute shot from Trevor Fitzpatrick's pass pulled a goal back for the Shrimpers.
However, the home supporters nerves only had to jangle for sixty seconds as Scott Dobie headed home from Mick Galloway's cross to the give the Cumbrians a well deserved win and three valuable points.
The boost in confidence comes at a good time with a potential "banana skin" home FA Cup tie to Woking next week.
Mike Corry
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