PHIL’S REF RAGE AFTER EARLY BATH
SOUTHEND manager Phil Brown was left fuming at the officials as his side suffered their first home league defeat of the season.
Brown was sent to the stands in stoppage-time by referee Keith Stroud as his Shrimpers side fell to a late Charlie Wyke penalty.
And Brown – who also had skipper Ryan Leonard sent off after a second booking for tripping Nicky Law to concede the spot-kick – was far from happy with officiating at the end.
“It was a silly decision to send me to the stand,” said Brown.
“The referee failed to do his job and that’s over-ruling a fourth official who has given a decision which has cost us in the end.
“The fourth official has given them a free-kick which leads to the penalty and I don’t think that should have been given either.
“Ryan Leonard takes the ball but he also took the man.
“In the resulting melee, which the referee finally dealt with after about five minutes of celebrating, one of their players has booted the ball out of the stand into about Rochford.
“I had to take the replacement ball out of the bag and it was the second time I had to do it.
“That’s not my job it’s his and then to be sent to the stand is just beyond me.”
It was an eighth away league win of the season for Bradford but they made it harder than it needed to be.
Early on the Bantams seemed to be heading for a simple win and the visitors opened the scoring after just nine minutes when Dominic Poleon, who started his career in the youth system with the Shrimpers, converted a right-wing cross from Law.
However, Southend stepped things up in the second half and equalised in the 75th minute when substitute Jermaine McGlashan delivered a deep right-wing cross which Stephen McLaughlin headed home from inside the six-yard box at the far post – although Nile Ranger was later handed the goal after getting the last touch.
Following the penalty, sub Shay McCartan almost then added the icing on the cake in the dying seconds of the match but he was denied by Southend keeper Mark Oxley.
And City boss Stuart McCall – whose side remain fourth in the table – was delighted to have picked up another win on the road, thanks to their late show. “After 75 minutes, I would probably have shaken hands on a 1-1 draw,” he said. “But we did it at Wigan and won in the last minute and we’ve done it again. “There’s a good belief and momentum when we come away from home. We’ve got a lot of pace in the side and sometimes it suits us to play away from home when teams come on to us.” SOUTHEND UNITED: (4-5-1): Oxley 7, Demetriou 6, White 7, Turner 7, Coker 7, Wright 6, Leonard 5, Wordsworth 5 (Fortune 63 6), Timlin 6 (McGlashan 69 7), McLaughlin 8, Ranger 6 (Ba 86 N/A). Subs not used: Bishop, Yearwood, Kyprianou, Wabo BRADFORD CITY: (4-4-2): Sattelmaier 6, McMahon 7, Knight-Percival 6 (Thompson 59 6), Kilgallon 8, Robinson 6. Gilliead 6, Vincelot 6, Law 7, Taylor 5 (Reeves 46 6), Wyke 7, Poleon 7. Subs not used: Raeder, Thompson, Dieng, McCartan, Hendrie, Patrick