Spot-on Latics snatch victory

SOUTHEND 0 - ATHLETIC 1

ROOTS HALL continues to be a lucky ground for Athletic, but there was nothing fortunate about Saturday’s victory at Southend United.

Athletic, who triumphed on the ground for the third successive season, produced a professional and polished performance as they are beginning to show signs of real progress under new-manager Dave Penney.

And once Athletic’s crippling injury problems ease, you can only see things improving further for the Boundary Park team.

Though Pawel Abbott’s late penalty proved the decider Athletic, who have also lost only once on their last seven visits to Southend, could and should have won by a wider margin such was the hold they exerted as they built on the previous week’s home win against Carlisle.

Indeed, it was a measure of how effective they were that Southend, who had lost only once in the league before Saturday, never seriously threatened keeper Dean Brill who will surely never keep a clean sheet on the road with such ease.

That was in no part due to Athletic’s back line being rock solid with centre backs Sean Gregan and Reuben Hazell nullifying the threat from eight-goal Lee Barnard and on-loan Sunderland striker Roy O’Donovan who were largely anonymous.

There cannot be many better full-back pairings in League One on current form than Kelvin Lomax and Alan Sheehan, while the Danny Whitaker and Dean Furman combination put in a hard-working shift in the centre of midfield.

Up front, Abbott and Keigan Parker ensured the Shrimpers defence had an uncomfortable afternoon.

Penney named an unchanged starting line-up which was hardly a surprise after the home win against Carlisle when it would have been tough to leave anybody out.

Athletic were quick out of the blocks and, with a modicum of luck, could conceivably have been three goals ahead inside 13 minutes.

Parker, put through on goal by Sheehan, was dismayed to see his effort ruled out for offside.

That was followed by former Athletic keeper Steve Mildenhall twice denying his old team in quick succession.

Adam Barrett’s errant pass found Abbott who spotted Mildenhall off his line and attempted a cheeky chip from 40-plus yards which the keeper, desperately back pedalling, managed to acrobatically turn over the crossbar.

And from the resulting corner from Chris Taylor, Mildenhall made another crucial block to keep out Hazell’s header.

After the whirlwind opening the match died, becoming bitty and fragmented and one observer mused that if he lived in the apartments overlooking the South Stand he would have gone inside and shut the curtains.

Brill had to turn a shot from O’Donovan round the post for a corner, but there was no way the Irishman was going to score from such an acute angle.

On-loan left-back George Friend had a goal ruled out for a foul on Gregan as Southend created a couple of rare chances.

Abbott wasted a second chance in the opening period when he was completely free in front of goal from Sheehan’s corner, but failed to connect cleanly and his effort was easily blocked.

Hazell’s mis-kick found Barnard midway through the second period, but the striker blazed well wide from a tight angle.

Athletic continued to create chances as Sheehan’s long-range drive cleared the crossbar by inches while Parker whipped in a low cross which Simon Francis did well to put behind for a corner.

The breakthrough finally came in the 75th minute when Whitaker played a perfect ball down the right channel and Parker raced to the by-line where he went down after a challenge from left-back Friend.

The referee’s assistant gave the decision, with Southend convinced it wasn’t a spot-kick, and the row simmering to such a degree Shrimpers manager Steve Tilson and some of his players confronted referee Keith Hill at the final whistle.

Abbott, undeterred by a penalty miss earlier in the season at Millwall, make no mistake from the spot for his fourth goal of the season.

Athletic closed out the remainder of the match comfortably only enduring one anxious moment in stoppage time when Dougie Freedman’s delightful diagonal pass released substitute Francis Laurent who lifted his shot narrowly over with only Brill to beat.