Cut-price chaos reigns

First half penalty shout on Danny Philliskirk.

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ATHLETIC 2, SOUTHEND 5

Short-changed fans witness a home debacle

FIVER to get in . . . pound shop performance.

Southend boss Phil Brown hoped that his supporters who paid top-dollar for this promotional game would get value for their extra expenditure.

They certainly did. Never will a five-hour journey have flown so fast, as the Shrimpers fans marvelled at their three-point catch of the day.

It was like shelling peas.

“We want our fivers back,” went the gallows humour song from around three of the stands, not sarcastic this time as much as angry and exasperated.

No professional team can defend like this. Southend's goals were gift-wrapped right in time for Christmas.

Generous defending cost Athletic as early as the fifth minute. So much for that decent start to a contest.

By the time David Worrall rose to nod in shortly after half-time – so much for that stern team talk – Brown's men were 3-0 up.

Athletic responded, as it is easy to when you have nothing to lose.

Michael Higdon came to life, scoring neatly with his left foot, having a poor penalty saved and then powerfully heading in from close range.

Athletic were back in the game at 3-2 down.

The hope lasted less than a minute, before the circus rode back into town.

Two far-post goals followed, the second a mighty clanger from David Cornell who was outjumped to a 50-50 ball, and a hail of boos greeted the full-time whistle.

It's now five to Peterborough, four to Scunthorpe and five to Southend this season. Athletic are the worst defenders on home turf in all of League One.

Southend dented what enthusiasm there was among the crowd after less than five minute.

Ben Coker's cross was not cleared and as David Mooney cushioned in a reverse pass, Jack Payne was there all on his own to stroke home a neat left-footed effort across the recalled Cornell from 12 yards.

Athletic, who had not managed to come from behind to win at home since October, 2014, against Walsall, were immediately behind the eight-ball and desperately seeking a trick shot – or any shot – to lift supporter spirits.

After Dominic Poleon had battled to win a corner, Athletic went close to levelling after 18 minutes. Joseph Mills's corner was met by Higdon and his effort was cleared off the line by the head of Will Atkinson, the ball then being worked to James Wilson whose cross-shot was just missed by Poleon on the stretch.

More dreadful defending led to the second goal. Athletic had four chances to clear the ball from another set-play, but failed each time.

Kevan Hurst flicked a ball past static defenders into Mooney's path and the striker fired home under Cornell as the goalkeeper got a touch on the ball.

Brown had clearly identified Athletic's weakness – in the air, in the middle of the box – and exploited it to the full.

Poleon saw a flick-header well stopped by Daniel Bentley as Athletic tried to halve the deficit, before Danny Philliskirk looked to have been tripped on the edge of the box in running to nick a touch on a loose ball. Referee Darren Bond was unmoved.

Dominated in both boxes by a side well marshalled by the canny Brown, Athletic emerged for the second half desperate for an early lift.

Instead, Southend added a third. Mooney's lovely reverse pass set Payne in motion down the left and as his shot hit Brian Wilson and looped high and away from Cornell's reach, Worrall was on hand to nod home from close range.

As Athletic switched to a 3-4-3 formation, Higdon pulled one back in the 56th minute, accepting a Mills ball in from the left flank and turning to fire in low with his left foot amid a crowded penalty area.

And substitute Ricardo Fuller was unlucky not to register only two minutes later, playing a one-two with Higdon and hitting a first-time effort only a foot wide from the edge of the box.

Higdon forced Bentley into a fingertip save from a Yeates corner as Athletic upped the tempo and the on-loan Sheffield United forward hit a difficult volley off-target as the home side continued to press.

That man Higdon was wrestled to the floor in jostling to meet a hanging corner from Yeates – referee Bond waved away the protests again – before Mills drew a penalty after being tripped. Higdon's spot-kick was at a comfortable height for Bentley, who dived to his left to push it away.

Less than a minute later, though, Higdon rose to head in from four yards at the far post to give Athletic real hope – which was extinguished in virtually an instant as Atkinson bundled a cross in on the break from close range.

Prosser's header made it five, to a collective groan from home fans who by this point were simply fed up.

Athletic need to man up.