NO MERCY FOR MAHER IN A SHOTS FIGHTBACK
FRUSTRATED Kevin Maher reckons his Southend United side got just what they deserved as they crashed at home to Aldershot Town.
Twenty-four hours after controversial chairman Ron Martin announced he was looking to sell the club, Southend slumped to a fifth successive setback.
And Maher was at pains to describe his side’s display. “I thought we were poor,” he moaned.
“Even in the first half, we were winning 1-0 but I don’t think the levels were good enough in terms of performance and we got what we deserved.
“We didn’t have enough quality in the final third. We turned it over cheaply and we looked like a side lacking confidence having lost games.”
The Shrimpers are now 10th in the table. The result leaves them eight points adrift of the play-off places and Maher believes there is no point talking about a top-seven finish at this stage.
“We’re not thinking of that now, we’re thinking of getting a win because we need points on the board,” he added.
“We can talk all you want about play-offs but not if you lose five in a row, no chance.
“Talk is cheap, let’s win a game before we talk about the play-offs because there’s too much talk going on at the minute.”
Aldershot wasted a good early chance to take the lead with full debutant Jack Barham seeing his close-range shot deflected wide of the right post by
Southend defender Shaun Hobson.
But, on 16 minutes, the Shrimpers took the lead with Dan Mooney teeing up the fit-again Rhys Murphy, who fired an accurate low, right-footed shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
Aldershot wasted a huge chance to draw back level with Barham racing clean through on goal only to fire well wide of the right post after the ball appeared to bobble up on a poor pitch.
The Shots went close again before the break with Tyler Frost firing just past the right post from 20 yards.
The visitors remained on top in the second half and drew level in the 63rd minute when Frost fired a low shot into the right-hand side of the net from 12 yards.
Aldershot continued to see more of the ball and bagged what proved to be the winning goal 20 minutes from time when a poor back header from Ollie Kensdale was latched onto by Justin Amaluzor who was clattered into by Southend goalkeeper Steve Arnold.
The shot-stopper was shown just a yellow card for the challenge by referee Scott Simpson and Joe Partington kept his cool to send a smartly taken spotkick into the top right-hand corner of the net to end a seven-match winless streak for Ross McNeilly’s side.
The result lifted Aldershot to 17th in the table, nine points above the relegation zone.