Match Report: Dorking Wanderers 1-0 Southend United

Dorking Wanderers 1-0 Southend United  

 

Game 

 

Dorking Wanderers made it back-to-back victories to move five points clear of the drop zone and pile more misery on Southend United.  

 

The hosts started on the front foot with Jimmy Muitt teeing up Luke Moore for a blocked effort before two long throws almost caught out the visitors, Collin Andeng Ndi using his giant frame to keep out Jason Prior’s looping header and Seb Bowerman being denied by another defensive block. The wing-back came close again a few minutes later, latching onto George Francomb’s right-wing cross before poking wide via Andeng Ndi. The best Southend could offer in response was a shanked, back-post Dan Mooney volley.  

 

Bowerman was clearly in the mood and wasn’t to be denied. James McShane got the better of Ollie Kensdale in the right channel and his cut back was set perfectly for Bowerman, who wrapped his effort beyond Bowerman from 15 yards.  

 

Dorking had a decent spell after the goal but retreated into shape as the Shrimpers finally got hold of the ball for more sustained periods. However, the most they could muster was a tame Shaun Hobson header. 

 

Kevin Maher made a half-time change, bringing on youngster Jon Benton for Kensdale. This also led to a change of shape which saw the game turn into a man-for-man affair across the pitch, opening the game up. 

 

At one end, Joe Cook fired over on the turn from 20 yards and Muitt was denied at the near post after getting the better of Nathan Ralph. At the other, Southend made the most of Dorking going down to ten men for a period, Dan Mooney being denied by Tony Craig’s clearance and Benton firing over from 20 yards. The 21-year-old saw another effort fly over the bar after his free-kick hit the wall.  

 

The home side were going more direct in their approach and it was working. Muitt broke away down the right and his cross ended with Josh Taylor finding the arms of Andeng Ndi. The 19-year-old goalkeeper was pivotal in keeping the score down, first denying Bowerman after Jason Demetriou was dispossessed, doing just enough to put Jason Prior off finishing Harry Ottaway’s knockdown then denying Ottaway directly after the curly-haired forward had bundled his way towards goal.  

 

Despite the changes, it was rearguard action for the hosts who were putting their bodies on the line and defending aggressively. As legs grew weary, Southend managed to see more of the ball but like the end of the first half, they couldn’t find the final pass or finish, their best efforts being from substitute Callum Powell from a tight angle and Benton being denied by a sea of bodies throwing themselves at the ball.  

 

After showing quality and composure early on, Dorking showed heart and desire to get over the line and played the game out near-perfectly to secure another much-needed victory in their battle to survive the drop.  

 

 

Line-ups  

 

Dorking Wanderers: (3-5-1-1): Lincoln; Francomb Craig Cook (Fuller); Gallagher; Muitt (BJ Taylor) Moore J Taylor Bowerman; McShane (Ottaway) Prior. Unused: Kuhl Seager. 

 

Southend United (3-4-2-1): Andeng Ndi; Hobson Kensdale (Benton) Lomas; Demetriou Taylor Miley Ralph; Mooney (Powell) Bridge (Sandat); Cardwell. Unused: GSM Fonguck 

 

 

Tactics 

 

Southend United changed shape for this one, moving from 3-4-1-2 to 3-4-2-1 while Dorking continued unchanged from their weekend clash with Maidenhead United, something of a rarity afforded to Marc White this season.  

 

The set-ups meant there was a spare man for either side, Dorking generally happy to allow Ollie Kensdale to be free in the centre of the back three while Dan Gallagher tended to be spare out of possession and Tony Craig in possession for Wanderers.  

 

Southend wanted to try and play out in possession, giving Kensdale possession. He would either move the ball to the wide centre-back to try and build up down the flanks or, more often, look to find the feet of Mooney and Bridge, who would drop off the front and take a centre-back with them. They rarely tried playing over the top of the Dorking defence due to the lack of pace in their midfield runners.  

 

To set up against Southend’s methodical possession, Prior and McShane matched up againts Hobson and Lomas, pressing Kensdale and Andeng Ndi only when the ball went backwards. Moore and Taylor took up high positions against the midfield pair of Taylor and Miley with Bowerman and Muitt doing similar against Ralph and Demetriou. Francomb and Cook were then tasked with Mooney and Bridge with Gallagher, the spare man, shifting either side to support them. It ensured that Dorking were always 4 v 3 defensively and had a spare man. 

 

When Southend’s build up play from the back did allow them to escape the initial press, Prior and McShane would drop in and Taylor would support Gallagher, blocking the central spaces and forcing Southend to either go direct or back to the defensive three and start again. This also tended to happen from throw-ins that were going long towards Cardwell.  

 

In possession, Dorking played percentages. This included set-pieces where nothing was taking quickly – everything had to be set up properly to ensure they were ready for whatever followed. Long throws were always taken from anywhere within 40 yards of the Southend goal.  

 

During match play, their primary route to goal was to find Francomb in a right-back position. He would clip a ball over the top of the Southend midfield to the head of Prior, who would have Muitt, Taylor and McShane for company playing for seconds, or just over him and Lomas, so that McShane could compete in the channel. Following this pattern ensured the Wanderers were never hopefully punting the ball and the delivery was often accurate.  

 

Otherwise, their game was all about turnover, winning possession, suffocating the midfield and looking to stretch the game by getting the wing-backs involved as quickly as possible, often in 1 v 1 situations.  

 

There was notable change before half-time, Southend’s attempts to impose themselves on the game seeing Ralph and Demetriou step into central areas, Bridge and Mooney move wider while the back three stepped forward with the ball.  

 

As referenced in the report, Benton replaced Kensdale at half-time and Southend moved to 4-2-3-1 and it meant individual match-ups all over the pitch. Muitt and Bowerman stepped on to make it 4 v 4 against the Southend defence. Miley, Taylor and Benton were up against Moore, Taylor and Gallagher in midfield. Dorking’s back three were still up against Southend’s front three. It allowed Southend to press higher and therefore force Dorking to go longer a bit more than they would like to. Prior and McShane, then Ottaway, would sit off more as the game went on to stop Southend being able to play into midfield.  

 

 

Players 

 

It’s hard to pick out individual Dorking Wanderers players because they were exceptional to a man last night. Everybody knew their jobs, everybody acted upon those jobs and they were vindicated for their positive approach.  

 

Joe Cook was impressive until he was forced off with a head clash, happy to play off either foot and calm in the way he went about his business. George Francomb was accurate in his delivery all night and Tony Craig is a proper leader in between them.  

 

I enjoyed the performances of Jimmy Muitt and Seb Bowerman, both quick, direct and had their opposite number on toast all night. Jason Prior got his head to everything all evening.  

 

I’m all about positivity, so I’m going to praise a couple of Southend United players. Collin Andeng Ndi was superb in goal, making five or six crucial saves to keep his side in the game.  

 

It’s not been the season Louis Lomas will have hoped for but he continued to probe, especially second half when there was space for him to step away from his marker and drive forward. Jon Benton also had a decent impact.  

 

 

Conclusions 

 

This wasn’t the total-football all-conquering Dorking Wanderers but that’s okay, because the core principles of their game were clearly at play in this one and it’s those qualities that gets team over the line in dogfights. 

 

Marc White knows his side play a unique brand of football but his demands are around character, leadership and decision making as much as perfecting pretty patterns of play and it's those mental qualities that he has got from his team, especially at home. The bar has been set. The challenge is keeping up those levels now. 

 

It helps that they’ve got a near-fully fit squad available at the moment and that is important, especially with the experienced core of Craig, Francomb, Taylor, Moore and Prior on the pitch. Players that communicate. Players the carry out their jobs and demand others do too.  

 

They also have one of the easier fixture lists in the division on paper but that’s only a positive if they can improve upon poor away form. They have to take this level of performance to fellow strugglers Yeovil Town and Gateshead to avoid a final day showdown with Scunthorpe United.  

 

As for Southend United, it’s difficult to make season-defining conclusions. 

 

From afar, I feel the Shrimpers have performed above and beyond over the campaign thanks to good coaching and an inner desire to fight given everything going on around them. 

 

They’ve finally been paid, the threat of oblivion is no longer (at least for now) and Ron Martin has publicly agreed to sell. And for all the guts shown during the difficult times, the play-offs are out of reach and one of their star players left due to the situation.  

 

Their recent run and losing Lopata has no doubt dented confidence, and that was evident on a night where the initial phase of play was carried out but they struggled to mount a real challenge on the Dorking goal. And they came up on the night against a Dorking side scrapping for survival.  

 

Southend feel like a side that will stutter to the end of the campaign and be glad to see its finale. Quite what happens from there depends on the ownership situation. Fingers crossed, Martin sells and a new era can begin.