Damaging defeat to Southend leaves Maidenhead United one point above drop zone

Kevin Lokko celebrates his equaliser against Southend. Photo: Maidenhead United

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Maidenhead United 1, Southend United 2

A damaging 2-1 defeat to Southend United at York Road last night (Tuesday) has pitched Maidenhead United to within a point of the relegation places and extended their run of league defeats to four matches.

The Magpies - who were forced into a playing Casey Pettit out of position at right back due to injuries and suspensions - never really looked like getting anything out of the game against a Shrimpers side who were in poor form themselves coming into the contest.

It's now four defeats on the spin in the league for Alan Devonshire's men, who briefly rekindled hopes of a play-off charge earlier this month when they went away to Wealdstone and won 1-0.

Since then, missed chances and misfortune have afflicted the team at a crucial juncture of the season, with the side losing a game they should have handsomely won at Boreham Wood before going down to a 2-1 defeat in the 98th minute at FC Halifax Town last week.

Saturday's 3-1 loss to Oldham Athletic and last night's 2-1 loss to Southend United were much more disappointing performances and few could argue they deserved anything from either contest.

United briefly came to life towards the end of the first half, when Kevin Lokko rose well to head home Sam Barratt's free kick to make it 1-1, but generally, they were second best to a Shrimpers side who started the night four points below them in the National League table.

A fast and frenetic start to the game didn't really suit either side, and it took a while for the pace of the match to settle down. The action ebbed and flowed but neither side had much control and it felt like a goal was coming - you just didn't know who to.

It was Southend who got it, in the ninth minute, when Adam Crowther got up well to head home a corner from the right past Craig Ross. There was little the Maidenhead keeper could do to keep it out, and it buoyed the Shrimpers' healthy travelling support. After four matches without a goal, they sang: 'How s**t must you be, we've scored a goal'.

The chant is equally applicable to the Magpies, however, with Devonshire's men having failed to score more than one goal in all but one of their last 12 matches, now 13. It means that whenever they fall behind, there's a general unease about whether they have the firepower to get back into a game.

The visitors might have had a second when Danny Waldron turned well in the box before firing over in the 16th minute, while Husin's slightly deflected shot from the edge of the box in the 17th minute drew a comfortable save from Ross. Southend were also targeting Maidenhead's right side, where Pettit was in an unfamiliar position. Jack Bridge got in down the byline on a couple of occasions and whipped in a dangerous low cross that was begging to be put away by someone in yellow.

A lull in the action followed, and that suited the hosts, who had the better of the latter stages of the half. A header from Lokko from a long throw caused the visitors' defence some problems in the 25th minute, while Barratt turned down the chance to strike from the edge of the area in the 32nd, choosing instead to try and pick out a teammate when the pass perhaps wasn't on. A few minutes later he put in a fantastic low cross that just evaded Chanka Zimba, but the Magpies were creating half chances at best. Then, in the 43rd minute, the hosts dragged themselves level when Lokko met Barratt's free-kick from the left and planted a header into the corner of the net - 1-1 and it felt like anyone's game again.

Maidenhead's equaliser pic.twitter.com/Y9JpzGWe5R

— Chris Phillips (@CJPhillips1982) February 20, 2024

Will De Havilland turned another good chance over in the final moments of the half, but the interval came at a bad time for the Magpies who were in the ascendancy for the first time.

It also gave Southend a chance to rest and regroup and they came out looking the more likely scorers again at the start of the second period.

In the 50th minute Crowther headed a cross down for Waldron, who appeared to be bundled over in the box, but the referee wasn't interested in the visitors' appeals. And, in fairness to her, she was consistent on all of the penalty appeals from both sides, waving them all away.

That was crucial in how the game panned out as well, with Zimba feeling he had his legs taken from him as he tried to turn and shoot in the 55th minute. Play was waved on, despite remonstrations from the Magpies' players and supporters. And the hosts must have just lost focus for a second as Waldron was able to break through after getting in behind Lokko and De Havilland. He carried the ball to the right edge of the area before whipping a low shot beyond Ross and into the bottom left-hand corner. It was a brilliant finish and a Magpies side who are struggling for goals had it all to do again.

Danny Waldron scores and celebrates his first goal for Southend United pic.twitter.com/GOleAolsfU

— Chris Phillips (@CJPhillips1982) February 20, 2024

They managed to steady the ship quickly but created little of note as the match panned out. In fact, Southend came closest to extending their advantage, with Crowther turning a close-range effort into the side-netting and Bridge curling a shot from the edge of the area onto the top of the crossbar.

De Havilland headed wide under pressure from a corner in the 70th minute, Barratt tried a spectacular effort on the turn in the 76th minute - his shot sailing wide - and Ndi got down well to turn a dangerous shot from Zimba past the post.

Despite being very much in the game, Maidenhead didn't do enough to force an equaliser in the closing stages. Barratt got in well down the left before hooking a shot or cross wastefully wide. It kind of summed up the hosts frustrations in front of goal. The result leaves the Magpies 17th, and a point above the bottom four, ahead of this weekend's trip to Altrincham. Woking, Kidderminster Harriers, and Oxford City are starting to get a little cut adrift, but every side up to 11th placed Dagenham & Redbridge remain in this season's relegation scrap. The Magpies just have to make sure they finish above four of the 14 teams currently at risk.