Preview: Southend United v Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe Wanderers travel to Southend United on Saturday for their 20th league game of the season.


The league table currently shows Wycombe in 6th place with 31 points and Southend in 17th spot with 23 points.

Southend's Home Record....Won 3 - Drawn 2 - Lost 3 - Pts 11 (Rank 13)

Wycombe's Away Record....Won 4 - Drawn 4 - Lost 1 - Pts 16 (Rank 2)


Southend beat Cheltenham 2-0 at Whaddon Road on Tuesday evening to bring to an end a worrying run of seven games without a win. Both goals were scored by striker Jack Midson who is currently on-loan from Oxford United.

Relegated along with Wycombe at the end of last season, the Shrimpers parted company with long-serving manager Steve Tilson during the summer and replaced him with Paul Sturrock.

The new boss immediately began a major overhaul of the Southend squad, bringing in seventeen new faces before the opening day of the season despite a transfer embargo on the club which was finally lifted on 2nd August.

Their six league victories this season have been at home to Torquay, Lincoln and Rotherham, and away at Bradford, Cheltenham and Hereford.

For reasons best known to the fixtures computer, only 8 of their 19 league games so far this season have been played at home.

Tuesday's win over Cheltenham was costly for Southend on the injury front, with on-loan midfielder Josh Simpson, defender Bilel Mohsni and former Wycombe loanee Anthony Grant all picking up problems which make them doubtful for Saturday's game.

The Shrimpers will also be without on-loan striker Antonio German who was recalled by his parent club QPR on Wednesday.


Wycombe won a crucial game against Bury last Saturday to haul themselves back to within three points of the final automatic promotion place.

Consecutive league defeats at the hands of promotion rivals Port Vale and Torquay had briefly threatened to derail the Blues, but Scott Rendell's winner against the Shakers has put them firmly back on track ahead of a busy festive schedule featuring five league games in just seventeen days.

It's reassuring to win at home but it's been a lot more fun on the road this season. Only Bury have won more points-per-game on their travels than the Blues - who boasted a fine record of six wins and four draws in their first ten away games in all competitions, before finally coming a cropper last time out, losing 2-1 at Port Vale.

Three home games in a row and one postponement has forced Wycombe to wait four weeks for the chance to get back to winning ways on the road, and it will be at Roots Hall on Saturday that we see whether or not they succeed.

Loanee Josh Parker has returned to QPR for treatment on a broken foot and Lewis Montrose is suspended, but neither started last week's game against Bury and it would be no surprise if Blues' boss Gary Waddock went with an unchanged line-up against the Shrimpers.



Southend's last five games (All Competitions)

FAC: Macclesfield (H).......Lost 2-2 (3-5 on pens)

LG2: Shrewsbury (A)......Drew 1-1

LG2: Stevenage (A)........Drew 1-1

LG2: Burton (A)...............Lost 1-3

LG2: Cheltenham (A).......Won 2-0


Wycombe's last five games (All Competitions)

LG2: Bradford City (H).....Won 1-0

LG2: Port Vale (A)............Lost 1-2

LG2: Torquay (H).............Lost 1-3

FAC: Chelmsford (H)........Won 3-1

LG2: Bury (H)..................Won 1-0



Southend Goal Stats (26 games in all Competitions)

Goals Scored (Total)..........Lg: 21...Cups: 11...Total: 32

Goals Conceded (Total)......Lg: 23...Cups: 10...Total: 33

Goals Scored (Home).........Lg: 9.....Cups: 5....Total: 14

Goals Conceded (Home).....Lg: 11...Cups: 5....Total: 16

Clean Sheets.....................Lg: 5.....Cups: 1....Total: 6



Wycombe Goal Stats (24 games in all Competitions)

Goals Scored (Total)..........Lg: 28...Cups: 11...Total: 39

Goals Conceded (Total)......Lg: 21...Cups: 10...Total: 31

Goals Scored (Away).........Lg: 13....Cups: 4....Total: 17

Goals Conceded (Away).....Lg: 8.....Cups: 1.....Total: 9

Clean Sheets.....................Lg: 8.....Cups: 1.....Total: 9



Southend's Top Goal Scorers - (All Competitions)

Barry Corr...............8

Anthony Grant..........6

Jack Midson..............5 (3 for Oxford Utd)

Matthew Paterson.....4 (inc 1 pen)

Blair Sturrock...........4

One other player has scored two goals.

Five other players have each scored one goal.



Wycombe's Top Goal Scorers - (All Competitions)

Scott Rendell............9 (inc 4 pens)

Kevin Betsy..............6

Andy Sandell............5

Stuart Beavon..........4

Gareth Ainsworth......3

Matt Bloomfield.........3

Ben Strevens............3

Two other players have each scored two goals.

Two other players have each scored one goal.



Southend Shooting (Top-3) - All Competitions

Anthony Grant.......28 on-target...31 off-target...0 against woodwork

Barry Corr............23 on-target...19 off-target...0 against woodwork

Blair Sturrock........16 on-target...18 off-target...1 against woodwork



Wycombe Shooting (Top-3) - All Competitions

Kevin Betsy............13 on-target...25 off-target...1 against woodwork

Gareth Ainsworth....10 on-target...18 off-target...2 against woodwork

Andy Sandell..........12 on-target...10 off-target...1 against woodwork



Shooting (Club) - League Games Only

Southend.......87 on target...108 off target...2 against w'work (Rank-11)

Wycombe.......74 on target...104 off target...8 against w'work (Rank-20)



League Form Guide

All Season

Southend.....Pld: 19...W: 6....D: 5...L: 8...Pts: 23...Pts per game: 1.21

Wycombe.....Pld: 19...W: 8....D: 7...L: 4...Pts: 31...Pts per game: 1.63



Last Five league Games

Southend........DDDLW - 6 points (Rank-16)

Wycombe.......WWLLW - 9 points (Rank-5)



Last Five League Games (Home)

Southend........LWLWD - 7 points (Rank-14)



Last Five League Games (Away)

Wycombe.....WWWWL - 12 points (Rank-2)



Against Top Half Opposition

Southend.....Pld: 10....Pts: 11....Pts per game: 1.10....(Rank-11)

Wycombe.....Pld: 9.....Pts: 13....Pts per game: 1.44....(Rank-6)



Against Bottom Half Opposition

Southend......Pld: 9.....Pts: 12....Pts per game: 1.33....(Rank-17)

Wycombe.....Pld: 10....Pts: 18....Pts per game: 1.80....(Rank-9)



Previous Meetings

In 7 previous meetings there have been 4 wins for Wycombe, 1 for Southend and 2 draws.

At Roots Hall there have been 3 wins for Wycombe, 0 wins for Southend and 1 draw.

1997/98 FLT: Southend 0 Wycombe 1

1997/98 Lg1: Southend 1 Wycombe 2

2004/05 Lg2: Southend 1 Wycombe 2

2009/10 Lg1: Southend 1 Wycombe 1



The Man In The Middle

Saturday's referee is Andy Woolmer from Northamptonshire who was promoted to the National List of Referees in 2004. His last Wycombe game was the 2-0 win at Colchester United in the JPT earlier this season. During the current campaign he's issued 3 red and 39 yellow cards in 16 games.



On this day in history - 18th December

Southend........Played 11...Won 4 - Drawn 3 - Lost 4

Wycombe........Played 3.....Won 3 - Drawn 0 - Lost 0



Prediction

Southend 1 Wycombe 1

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