Campbell: We missed a chance to win at last

SOL CAMPBELL is still looking for his first league win as Southend manager, but was encouraged by the way his side fought back to draw with MK Dons.

Campbell’s side are without a fixture today and will have to wait to get the frustrations of the MK Dons draw out of their system.

Campbell watched his side fight back twice at Roots Hall, but the Shrimpers remain in 22nd spot, a place below MK Dons.

“We had to show fantastic character to get back into the game and I like to see that, but we had more than enough to win the game and that’s the most frustrating thing,” said Campbell, who has now been in charge for nine games.

“We’ve been moving in the right direction but we just need to get over the line in the final third.

“We are playing better and we’re more solid here and there, but there are lapses of concentration in both boxes.”

MK Dons took the lead after just 13 minutes when a low cross from Conor McGrandles found Joe Mason free at the far post to fire home the 100th goal that the Shrimpers have conceded in 2019.

Southend equalised in the 32nd minute, with Jason Demetriou rolling a penalty into the bottom corner of the net after Stephen Humphrys had been brought down by goalkeeper Lee Nicholls.

Shrimpers striker Tom Hopper fired a glorious chance wide of the target at the start of the second half before Rhys Healey put the visitors back in front in the 64th minute when he deflected Mark Oxley’s save into the net.

Two minutes later, Southend’s Rob Kiernan headed home Sam Mantom’s corner for his first goal of the season.

MK Dons boss Russell Martin, whose side are at home to Portsmouth next time out, said: “It’s a point better off than we were, but I’m not really happy with how we got it.

“In the first half we got the goal, but gave them a penalty which was a rubbish way to concede. They’ve had nothing until that point.

“We got ahead again with a training ground move we’ve worked on, but then we give them another one.

“It was difficult in the second half, we were far too open and looked like conceding far more than we have done recently.”