MATCH PREVIEW | SOUTHEND UNITED

Dean Brennan and the Bees are back on the road again this Saturday as the team heads to Roots Hall to take on Southend United in the Vanarama National League (3pm kick-off).

 

Barnet FC:

 

The Bees are looking to get their first win this month after coming off another draw, this time away from home to Forest Green Rovers last Tuesday night.

It was a very foggy fixture at the New Lawn Stadium which ended in both sides sharing a point from the game. 

 

Dean Brennan’s side created some great chances throughout the game, but the hosts defended
brilliantly, stopping every chance they encountered.

 

Danny Collinge came very close to taking the lead in the 32nd minute, but as he struck for goal it was blocked by a solid Rovers’ defence, rebounding into the box for goalkeeper Jed Ward to make the save.

 

Tuesday also saw the debut for new Bees striker Lee Ndlovu, and he made his presence known
to the opposition from the very first whistle.

 

Lee provided extra strength up top to Dean’s attacking force, pressing and winning the ball off the Forest Green players, as well as taking chances in front of goal, but unfortunately the Rovers defence were determined to keep a clean sheet.

 

Barnet last five results:

Forest Green Rovers 0-0 Barnet FC

Altrincham 3-1 Barnet FC (FA Trophy)

Eastleigh FC 1-1 Barnet FC

Barnet FC 3-3 Sutton United

Barnet FC 1-1 Halifax Town

Southend United:

 

The Shrimpers haven’t played a full game of football since the 4th of January, as the last fixture on Wednesday night away to Boston United in the Vanarama National League was abandoned in the 7th minute due to fog.

 

The game was held for over 30 minutes and during that time the fog only got worse, which gave the referee no choice but to abandon the game with the score tied at 0-0.

 

Their previous fixture on the 11th of January was a home match to Halifax Town in the Vanarama National League, also postponed due to a frozen pitch meaning the fixture was rescheduled.

 

During Southend’s last full fixture, the seaside town won 1-0 at home to Southport in the FA Trophy, with a goal from former West Ham United player Keenan Appiah-Forson
in the 60th minute, sending them into the next round of the competition.

 

Southend United last five results:

Southend United 1-0 Southport (FA Trophy)

Braintree Town 0-1 Southend United

Southend United 4-0 Ebbsfleet United

York City 3-0 Southend United

Southend United 0-0 Hartlepool United

 

In the opposite dugout:

 

Shrimpers Manager and former player Kevin Maher will oversee the home side this Saturday. 

Alongside him is his assistant and former Barnet Manager Darren Currie.

The duo have been in the Roots Hall dugout since late
October 2021, after the club’s relegation from League 2, and have been
leading the Shrimpers for over the past three years.

 

During their time at the club, their best place finish came in the 2022/23 season. As they finished
their second and first full season in charge at the club in 8th place in the Vanarama National League, missing out on a playoff spot to Bromley by three points.

 

 

Ones to watch:

 

Southend full-back Gus Scott-Morriss is the club’s leading goal scorer so far this season with 10 goals in 23 appearances in the Vanarama National League. He has averaged a goal every 207 minutes for the Shrimpers so far this season.

 

Last time these two sides met:

 

The two sides last met back in August 2024 at the Hive which finished in a 2-1 home victory to the Bees. 

 

Harry Chapman opened the scoring with a powerful strike from outside the box in the 31st

minute, thanks to an assist from Anthony Hartigan, which gave Barnet the lead going into the
break.

 

Southend’s leading goal scorer Gus Scott-Morriss pulled one back for the Shrimpers with a deflected strike in the 64th minute. This didn’t last long as the Bees took the lead back in the 70th minute, with Mark Shelton scoring from the penalty spot taking all three points
for Barnet at full-time.

 

Dean Brennan will be hoping to do the double over Southend in the league this Saturday, as the Bees will be looking to clinch all three points to go back to the top of the table.