Football Season Review

Southend entered the season with a great deal of optimism, after performing superbly in the second half of the previous campaign. Chris Powell, who took over midway through the previous season, was expected to deliver a play-off push this time around. The Shrimpers were looking to play attacking football but their erratic form from early in the season made it clear that they would struggle to battle for a top six finish. Their form gradually got worse, with injuries playing a key part in this. The Shrimpers had more injury problems over the course of the season than any other side in the division, having missed more than ten players through injuries at times, and with many of these problems being long-term ones. Despite this, they looked set to finish comfortably inside the midtable places before going through a shocking run of form that started in late January, and which saw the Shrimpers go nearly three months without a win. Powell was fired during this run, with his replacement Kevin Bond managing to record a few decent results late in the season, including a 2:1 win over Sunderland on the last day of the season, as the Shrimpers stayed up on goal-difference. The Shrimpers have a busy summer ahead of them, with their first job being to name a new manager, given that Bond was only signed on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

Player of the Season: Simon Cox