Counting cost of crazy spell

ON THE STRETCH . . . Lee Erwin attempts to control the ball

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IT IS a rare sight to see the wheels come off for Athletic as they did here. The test for John Sheridan now is to get the show back on the road, quickly.

Two goals - both terrible from a defensive perspective - came inside eight, second-half minutes which followed Ryan Leonard's 70th-minute red card for a late, high lunge on Ousmane Fane.

The bizarre sight of a drinks break immediately after the dismissal saw Anthony Gerrard and Shrimpers manager Phil Brown exchange words when matters were still heated. Southend became energised by a perceived lack of justice; Athletic wilted in the face of aggressive attacking play.

Even Sheridan got involved in slight antics at one stage, given a telling-off by hesitant referee Kevin Johnson for preventing Ben Coker from taking a quick throw near his technical area.

What happened out there?

It seems that mentally, up against 10 men for the first time this season, Athletic lost focus.

And with the pace of Theo Robinson - who now has three goals in two appearances against Athletic this term, having netted twice for Lincoln City in the FA Cup - and Jermaine McGlashan posing problems for Athletic's full-backs, the in-form hosts scented blood.

Athletic were excellent in a first half which featured the collector's item of a Peter Clarke 'Cruyff turn' and a piece of twinkle-toed Ollie Banks magic followed by an exquisite floated pass to Lee Erwin which the off-key striker volleyed off-target. It would have been the goal of the season had the net rippled.

FEEDING

It didn't - as has so often been the case this season.

Despite feeding the runs of Tope Obadeyi time and again and playing deep in Southend territory, Sheridan's side lacked the ability to pose a true threat.

It's only the second defeat in 11 outings. It's also now 23 times the club have not hit the net in a league clash this season.

Home goalkeeper Christian Walton, signed earlier in the day on an emergency loan from Brighton with both regular goalkeepers injured, had an all-too-easy debut.

The first goal after 75 minutes was schoolboy stuff. Robinson was allowed to control on his chest in the area from a ball fed into him (where was the man blocking that ball in?) and as he turned past Ryan McLaughlin, his low cross was sent home when Ranger found a huge pocket of space in the box.

That simply cannot be allowed to happen - least of all when up against 10 men.

Athletic's feted organisation was also missing three minutes later. Josh Law, filling in at left-back, committed a rash foul on the right and Anthony Wordsworth directed a free-kick that Robinson, jostling his way past Paul Green at the far post, planted home past Connor Ripley.

Finally, with the game already up, ex-Shrimpers man Clarke nudged down McGlashan as he skipped beyond him in the box after winning a 50-50 challenge with Anthony Gerrard.

Referee Johnson wasn't going to give it but for the intervention of an assistant, which was a common theme, but Wordsworth's spot-kick in the sixth minute of added time was assertive enough as he sent Ripley the wrong way.

Sheridan made one change to the team which had battled so well against Sheffield United the previous week. McLaughlin replaced injured Brian Wilson and played as a right-back, with Law at left-back in a 4-4-2 that fronted up like-for-like to the hosts' own formation.

Ripley had to be alert to leap and catch a ninth-minute Ranger header, but the first half undoubtedly belonged to the visitors.

After Banks and Erwin almost worked a similar goal to that they had managed at Peterborough, Clarke's lovely piece of skill was followed by Chris Taylor side-footing a shot that passed only a foot wide of Walton's left-hand post.

Obadeyi snatched at a shot that flew well wide and after Stephen McLaughlin had raced forward to pull an effort from outside the box off-target, Law whistled a lovely effort from 30 yards out that only just bent away from goal at the last moment with Walton beaten.

All the second balls were Athletic's at that stage and with regular waves of attack as Banks directed operations, all that was missing was a touch of composure around the penalty area.

Law lunged in two-footed from a standing start to leave Simon Cox remonstrating with referee Johnson shortly before half-time, but up to that point it was a comfortable ride.

Brown's men upped the ante after the interval, with left-back Ben Coker exchanging passes two minutes in and flashing a left-footed effort from a narrow angle across goal and a whisker wide.

And Athletic were almost playing with 10 men after 62 minutes.

Johnson was reluctant to give a foul against Banks as he raced back towards Cox after an Athletic free-kick resulted in the home side breaking at pace.

Once the free-kick was given, it appeared a pretty clear case for a dismissal for a professional foul, but a yellow card was the result instead - much to the home side's displeasure.

Coker and Green indulged in a spot of ballroom dancing as Southend tried to take a free-kick quickly and the fractiousness was followed by Leonard's wild swipe at Fane.

From then on in, what was needed was calm heads. Athletic lost theirs, though.

IN A NUTSHELL: An unusual wild spell cost Athletic dear.