Please sir, can we have goals

SUBSTITUTE Lee Croft is beaten to the ball

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THERE were jeers at half-time and full-time and understandable groans in between at the misplaced passes and lack of fire in the bellies of their side.

Overall, though, Athletic's die-hard supporters present to watch the latest defeat without scoring did all they could to implore their team on.

It counted for little. Southend were stronger, quicker to the ball and simply better than their beleaguered hosts.

One moment of early magic from Nile Ranger - oh, for a striker of his class, baggage aside - and a piece of capitalisation on an error in the second half from Jermaine McGlashan and three points were in the bag for Phil Brown's side.

Athletic's main chance fell to Peter Clarke, the one player capable of meeting a cross in the opposition box with his head. There must be at least fleeting consideration to sticking him up front, such is the chronic shortage of goals.

Had Athletic equalised at that stage, during the relatively purple patch in the 54th minute, Stephen Robinson's side might have gone on to win.

But that simply isn't how things have panned out this season at home, where chances have so rarely been taken.

Four goals in 10 matches is an appalling return, whichever way you spin it. Dominic Poleon - a member of last season's playing squad dispensed with virtually wholesale, in what is now rapidly looking like an act of recklessness - has now scored six home goals this season on his own for Wimbledon.

COHESION

Despite the lack of cohesion and sense of purpose, the vocal encouragement continued to come from the stands but still, too few Athletic players were able to exert an influence. Following on from a battling effort with 10 men at Oxford and a 3-1 win at Walsall, this was another case of one step forward and two back. There is no further to fall now, at least, with Athletic now on the foot of the Sky Bet League One table.

Athletic might have fared better against a physically robust and hard-running Southend side had Ousmane Fane been available. Instead, Paul Green came back in and couldn't inspire his side in a first half in which misplaced passes and an inability to plot a way in behind the visitors stifled Athletic.

Billy Mckay did test the reflexes of ex-Athletic goalkeeper Mark Oxley with a low shot which lacked venom, following some neat interplay with Freddie Ladapo. It was a rare foray, though.

Southend took the lead after 18 minutes. A corner, needlessly conceded when Clarke and Cameron Burgess went for the same ball under no pressure, was played towards the edge of the area where right-back Jason Demetriou teased a ball into the feet of Ranger.

CONTROLLED

He controlled and then flicked a superb effort with his right foot, back over his left shoulder and beyond a surprised Connor Ripley.

It was a classy finish from a player who had appeared in court last week to face fraud and money laundering charges.

A free-kick seven minutes before half-time summed up Athletic's stuttering efforts. Set pieces have worked well of late, but as Clarke and Cameron Burgess burst into the area to try to get on the end of an Ollie Banks delivery, the midfielder struck the set-piece embarrassingly high over the crossbar.

On came Lee Croft and Carl Winchester at the interval to try to stimulate the hosts' attack. In a new diamond formation in midfield, Winchester played at its tip and went on one promising run down the left that was followed by a cross which travelled right across the six-yard area without a touch.

Before that, Ryan Flynn had fizzed a 20-yard effort not too far wide of the far post and Clarke had nodded too close to Oxley with the best chance Athletic would get to take something from the game, not counting the flurry in the final seconds.

At the other end, though, Southend looked potent enough on the counter-attack. Marc-Antoine Fortune forced Ripley into a near-post save and Will Atkinson was unlucky to see his smart burst into the box followed up by a shot that took a deflection on its way wide.

Ryan Leonard also made Ripley work with an attempt from long range, as did the best midfielder on show, Anthony Wordsworth, with his free-kick two minutes into added time.

CONVERT

The game was up by that stage. In the 77th minute, Banks gave away possession and substitute McGlashan latched onto the ball to run in and convert on the stretch at the second time of asking.

Banks' header was cleared off the line at the death, with a Burgess follow-up pushed onto the crossbar by Oxley.

That ball won't go in for Athletic.

IN A NUTSHELL: More of the same for Athletic's under-served home supporters. Merry Christmas.