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| Southend United v Wycombe Wanderers: League Two play-off final – live! | Southend United v Wycombe Wanderers: League Two play-off final – live! |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 6.13pm BST18:13 | |
| 41 min: Now Wood receives the ball 25 yards out and cracks one not far over. Wycombe are now in the ascendancy, if anyone is. | |
| 6.12pm BST18:12 | |
| 40 min: Wycombe get a rare chance to run into space and the ball is worked to Ephraim, who looks their best bet at the moment. His right-footed cross is another teasing one and Hayes readjusts cleverly to jab a close-range effort at Bentley. That was good. | |
| Updated at 6.13pm BST | |
| 6.10pm BST18:10 | |
| 38 min: So many fouls. Although, before committing his latest one, Hayes did force Bolger to head away another cross. | |
| 6.09pm BST18:09 | |
| 37 min: Yes, this has become A Scrappy Match. Wycombe are winning a few free kicks in the Southend half and that’s it. Already looks like a game that may be decided by one goal – and could even go all the way to that Brown/Ainsworth sing-off. | |
| 6.07pm BST18:07 | |
| 35 min: Things have broken up rather after that spell of Southend pressure, which Wycombe won’t mind. It’s fairly frenetic and clear openings are coming a comfortable second to niggly fouls. | |
| Updated at 6.07pm BST | |
| 6.05pm BST18:05 | |
| 33 min: At some length, the free kick from that Bolger foul is taken and it’s not bad from Ephraim. It goes out of play beyond the back post but he clearly feels that Pierre should have tried harder to get onto it. | |
| 6.04pm BST18:04 | |
| 32 min: Preston and Middlesbrough are both watching this one in the stadium, although Aitor Karanka is twiddling on his phone and looking bored. Let’s hope his lot can thrill us on Monday, then. | |
| 6.03pm BST18:03 | |
| 30 min: Corr seems to be barged off the ball by Pierre as he chases a through pass, but nothing is given. Shortly afterwards, Bolger scythes Wood down agriculturally as he makes headway in the Southend half and takes a yellow card. | |
| Updated at 6.03pm BST | |
| 6.01pm BST18:01 | |
| 28 min: Not a million miles away from Pierre there though, as he flicks a deep free kick wide. It actually came off Barrett last and should have been a corner. | |
| 6.00pm BST18:00 | |
| 27 min: Wycombe still struggling to pose many questions. Southend are notoriously stingy at the back but you wonder how much they’re missing the guile of Saunders. | |
| 5.57pm BST17:57 | |
| 25 min: “Holloway, wherever he is, just hit him,” shouts a voice from the Southend bench. That voice will refer to the Wycombe dangerman Aaron Holloway, who has been quiet enough so far without being “hit”. | |
| 5.56pm BST17:56 | |
| 24 min: And a goa....no! Great ball over from Worrall and an accurate header into the net at the far post from Corr – but Bolger, in front of him, had pushed Yennaris and the foul is given! Quite rightly too, but I don’t think Yennaris was going to get that ball. Corr might justifiably be annoyed with his team-mate there. | |
| 5.55pm BST17:55 | |
| 23 min: Now McLaughlin gets away from right-back Bean, who should have offered a more convincing challenge, near the corner flag and Hayes, coming back to assist, barges him over. Yellow card, free kick.... | |
| 5.53pm BST17:53 | |
| 21 min: Mawson gives away a free kick and it’s played quickly to Coker, whose cross is headed out as far as Bolger, who is a centre-back but seems to be getting all the chances at the moment. Southend will wish he hadn’t had that one, as he slashes the ball anywhere but on target. | |
| 5.51pm BST17:51 | |
| 19 min: Wycombe get a foot or two on the ball but Jacobson passes it out of play on the left. A few no-quarter-given challenges flying in now. | |
| 5.49pm BST17:49 | |
| 17 min: Another Southend corner swung out by Atkinson, another Bolger header. This one is brave, stooping to get ahead of Mawson’s flying boot, and not too far wide. Decent chance once he’d got there. Shrimpers on top at the moment. | |
| 5.48pm BST17:48 | |
| 16 min: “The nonsensical playing of the national anthems at the play off finals is just one of many reasons why I’m so glad that my beloved Bury went up automatically,” writes a seething Bernard Walsh. “I hate the play offs, they are a monstrosity, but at least both Wycombe and Southend are decent sides, it would have been so much worse if Stevenage or Plymouth had been in with a chance of going up after enjoying underwhelming seasons.” | |
| Updated at 5.50pm BST | |
| 5.47pm BST17:47 | |
| 15 min: Saunders’ injury was to his calf, apparently. Devastating for him. | |
| 5.46pm BST17:46 | |
| 14 min: Southend win a third corner after that, and Atkinson outswings it from the right onto Bolger’s head, but the downward effort bounces to Lynch. | |
| 5.46pm BST17:46 | |
| 13 min: It’s flicked away by Yennaris for a flag kick on the opposite side. This time Atkinson’s inswinger is pawed away by Wycombe’s 20-year-old goalkeeper, Alex Lynch. | |
| 5.44pm BST17:44 | |
| 12 min: Good footwork from Hayes out on the right sees him dink a cross into the centre but Bolger flings a head onto it. Southend counter and seek out Corr, who gets Mawson one-on-one but has to settle for a right-sided corner. | |
| 5.43pm BST17:43 | |
| 11 min: McLaughlin tries a clip over the top this time but nobody is reading it. One or two good early signs for Brown’s team though – Corr has won a couple of headers against Mawson. | |
| 5.42pm BST17:42 | |
| 10 min: Half a sight for Hayes from 20 yards but his shot is scuffed. High-paced and fairly direct stuff here since that early delay. | |
| 5.41pm BST17:41 | |
| 8 min: Gareth Ainsworth looks quite the smartened-up old rocker in his suit and slicked-back hair. He might be worried as McLaughlin gets the chance to cross from the left after a Bean mistake, but the ball is wayward. | |
| 5.39pm BST17:39 | 5.39pm BST17:39 |
| 7 min: Now Worrall plays a good cross in of his own for Southend, swung in from the right, but Aaron Pierre gets it away. | 7 min: Now Worrall plays a good cross in of his own for Southend, swung in from the right, but Aaron Pierre gets it away. |
| 5.38pm BST17:38 | 5.38pm BST17:38 |
| 6 min: Good from Wycombe here though as Hogan Ephraim, on the left flank, puts in two dangerous balls – the first one of which is cleared desperately as Hayes lingers. | 6 min: Good from Wycombe here though as Hogan Ephraim, on the left flank, puts in two dangerous balls – the first one of which is cleared desperately as Hayes lingers. |
| 5.37pm BST17:37 | 5.37pm BST17:37 |
| 5 min: How will Wycombe – and indeed this game – settle down now? That was an extraordinary, unfortunate start. | 5 min: How will Wycombe – and indeed this game – settle down now? That was an extraordinary, unfortunate start. |
| 5.36pm BST17:36 | 5.36pm BST17:36 |
| 4 min: No, Saunders is going off. That’s such a cruel twist of fate. The ball was played back to him from kick-off and Atkinson, chasing in, just caught him from behind. It didn’t look an awful tackle but that’s it – Wycombe will be forced into an early change. We’ve had a three-minute stoppage here. And here, to replace Saunders, comes long-serving stalwart Matt Bloomfield. | 4 min: No, Saunders is going off. That’s such a cruel twist of fate. The ball was played back to him from kick-off and Atkinson, chasing in, just caught him from behind. It didn’t look an awful tackle but that’s it – Wycombe will be forced into an early change. We’ve had a three-minute stoppage here. And here, to replace Saunders, comes long-serving stalwart Matt Bloomfield. |
| 5.34pm BST17:34 | 5.34pm BST17:34 |
| 1 min: An early problem for Saunders, who was caught within literally a second of kick-off by a rabidly eager Atkinson and is receiving treatment. He’s been very important to Wycombe, this isn’t good – he’s limping. | 1 min: An early problem for Saunders, who was caught within literally a second of kick-off by a rabidly eager Atkinson and is receiving treatment. He’s been very important to Wycombe, this isn’t good – he’s limping. |
| 5.33pm BST17:33 | 5.33pm BST17:33 |
| Peep!!! Wycombe, shooting right to left, start us off | Peep!!! Wycombe, shooting right to left, start us off |
| Good luck, all. | Good luck, all. |
| 5.28pm BST17:28 | 5.28pm BST17:28 |
| And here comes the national anthem. Ainsworth and Brown both belting it out tunefully. | And here comes the national anthem. Ainsworth and Brown both belting it out tunefully. |
| 5.26pm BST17:26 | 5.26pm BST17:26 |
| The teams will be introduced to a selection of suits, now. Shouldn’t be a minute or two. | The teams will be introduced to a selection of suits, now. Shouldn’t be a minute or two. |
| 5.25pm BST17:25 | 5.25pm BST17:25 |
| And here they are. Wycombe fans hold up dark and light blue cards and make a nice-looking display at one end; Southend supporters hold up scarves and flags to create a sea of yellow at the other. | And here they are. Wycombe fans hold up dark and light blue cards and make a nice-looking display at one end; Southend supporters hold up scarves and flags to create a sea of yellow at the other. |
| 5.24pm BST17:24 | 5.24pm BST17:24 |
| The teams are in the tunnel. Wycombe in their usual blue chequers, Southend in yellow. Looks like a decent crowd – considerably bigger than the 14,000 who watched Fleetwood beat Burton last year, for sure. Not long now.... | The teams are in the tunnel. Wycombe in their usual blue chequers, Southend in yellow. Looks like a decent crowd – considerably bigger than the 14,000 who watched Fleetwood beat Burton last year, for sure. Not long now.... |
| Updated at 5.24pm BST | Updated at 5.24pm BST |
| 5.19pm BST17:19 | 5.19pm BST17:19 |
| In Wycombe’s team too is Nico Yennaris, also on loan from Brentford, who is a right-back or midfielder (latter today I think) and had a decent runout in the Premier League for Arsenal against Manchester United a few years back. Canny use of the loan market might just prove a critical factor in this game. | In Wycombe’s team too is Nico Yennaris, also on loan from Brentford, who is a right-back or midfielder (latter today I think) and had a decent runout in the Premier League for Arsenal against Manchester United a few years back. Canny use of the loan market might just prove a critical factor in this game. |
| Updated at 5.30pm BST | Updated at 5.30pm BST |
| 5.16pm BST17:16 | 5.16pm BST17:16 |
| It would be nice to hear your thoughts. Who will win? Which manager has the edge in the dugout and/or down the mic? Tell us. | It would be nice to hear your thoughts. Who will win? Which manager has the edge in the dugout and/or down the mic? Tell us. |
| 5.12pm BST17:12 | 5.12pm BST17:12 |
| Dangermen today? Barry Corr scored 15 goals in the league for Southend; Paul Hayes, with 14, was Wycombe’s top marksman. They will be well supported by the likes of McLaughlin and another loanee – Brentford’s Sam Saunders, who has been superb for Wycombe. | Dangermen today? Barry Corr scored 15 goals in the league for Southend; Paul Hayes, with 14, was Wycombe’s top marksman. They will be well supported by the likes of McLaughlin and another loanee – Brentford’s Sam Saunders, who has been superb for Wycombe. |
| Updated at 5.12pm BST | Updated at 5.12pm BST |
| 5.07pm BST17:07 | 5.07pm BST17:07 |
| Goal action here from that 2-2 draw at Roots Hall in March: | Goal action here from that 2-2 draw at Roots Hall in March: |
| Updated at 5.08pm BST | Updated at 5.08pm BST |
| 5.04pm BST17:04 | 5.04pm BST17:04 |
| Wide man Stephen McLaughlin, the Nottingham Forest loanee, is the one change in the Southend team that you saw earlier by the way. He replaces Joe Pigott. McLaughlin came off the bench to score the vital second goal against Stevenage nine days ago. | Wide man Stephen McLaughlin, the Nottingham Forest loanee, is the one change in the Southend team that you saw earlier by the way. He replaces Joe Pigott. McLaughlin came off the bench to score the vital second goal against Stevenage nine days ago. |
| Wycombe are as you were – or as they were anyway – in the second leg against Plymouth. | Wycombe are as you were – or as they were anyway – in the second leg against Plymouth. |
| Updated at 5.08pm BST | Updated at 5.08pm BST |
| 4.59pm BST16:59 | 4.59pm BST16:59 |
| If past football results are your preferred harbingers for footballing success or failure, stat up on this: Wycombe beat Southend by a whacking 4-1 in December, albeit the Shrimpers were reduced to 10 men in the second half, and the teams drew 2-2 in Essex three months later. | If past football results are your preferred harbingers for footballing success or failure, stat up on this: Wycombe beat Southend by a whacking 4-1 in December, albeit the Shrimpers were reduced to 10 men in the second half, and the teams drew 2-2 in Essex three months later. |
| 4.52pm BST16:52 | 4.52pm BST16:52 |
| In the event that the two managers can still not be separated, Phil Brown wins – and consequently Southend are promoted – with this: | In the event that the two managers can still not be separated, Phil Brown wins – and consequently Southend are promoted – with this: |
| Updated at 4.56pm BST | Updated at 4.56pm BST |
| 4.50pm BST16:50 | 4.50pm BST16:50 |
| In the event that today’s play-off final is tied after 120 minutes, the winner will be decided via the medium of song. A panel will judge between these two videos: | In the event that today’s play-off final is tied after 120 minutes, the winner will be decided via the medium of song. A panel will judge between these two videos: |
| 4.35pm BST16:35 | 4.35pm BST16:35 |
| Southend line up like this | Southend line up like this |
| Team vs @wwfcofficial: Bentley, White (c), Bolger, Barrett, Coker, Worrall, Atkinson, Leonard, Timlin, McLaughlin, Corr. #BluesAtWembley | Team vs @wwfcofficial: Bentley, White (c), Bolger, Barrett, Coker, Worrall, Atkinson, Leonard, Timlin, McLaughlin, Corr. #BluesAtWembley |
| Subs vs @wwfcofficial: T. Smith (GK), Prosser, Weston, Payne, Deegan, Cassidy, Pigott. #BluesAtWembley | Subs vs @wwfcofficial: T. Smith (GK), Prosser, Weston, Payne, Deegan, Cassidy, Pigott. #BluesAtWembley |
| 4.33pm BST16:33 | 4.33pm BST16:33 |
| Wycombe line up like this | Wycombe line up like this |
| TEAM NEWS: Lynch, Yennaris, Jacobson, Mawson, Pierre, Saunders, Bean, Wood, Ephraim, Holloway, Hayes. #WYCvSOU | TEAM NEWS: Lynch, Yennaris, Jacobson, Mawson, Pierre, Saunders, Bean, Wood, Ephraim, Holloway, Hayes. #WYCvSOU |
| Subs: Horlock, Bloomfield, Craig, Murphy, McClure, Kretzschmar, Onyedinma. #WYCvSOU | Subs: Horlock, Bloomfield, Craig, Murphy, McClure, Kretzschmar, Onyedinma. #WYCvSOU |
| Updated at 4.33pm BST | Updated at 4.33pm BST |
| 4.28pm BST16:28 | 4.28pm BST16:28 |
| Afternoon | Afternoon |
| The play-offs are lovely, aren’t they? Lovely if you’re a neutral. If you’re not, they’re generally a sort of skewedly entertaining hell. I know this myself from just a week ago, but we’ll not go there. Instead let’s go to Wembley and the first of this season’s one-off, impossible-high-stakes shootouts. And this one, the face-off for a place in League One, looks too close to call. | The play-offs are lovely, aren’t they? Lovely if you’re a neutral. If you’re not, they’re generally a sort of skewedly entertaining hell. I know this myself from just a week ago, but we’ll not go there. Instead let’s go to Wembley and the first of this season’s one-off, impossible-high-stakes shootouts. And this one, the face-off for a place in League One, looks too close to call. |
| Meet Southend, who missed the chance to go up automatically when they dropped the ball against Morecambe on the final day of the league season but fully deserved the semi-final win over Stevenage that brought them here today. That wasn’t without its own bit of play-offishness though: deep into injury time, with the scores level, Michael Timlin crashed a penalty onto the bar at Roots Hall and it seemed as if the fates were conspiring against Phil Brown’s team. They had been the better side on the night though, and scored twice in extra time to erase any regrets. Now they have the chance to make sure their five-year stay in the bottom tier is extended no further. | Meet Southend, who missed the chance to go up automatically when they dropped the ball against Morecambe on the final day of the league season but fully deserved the semi-final win over Stevenage that brought them here today. That wasn’t without its own bit of play-offishness though: deep into injury time, with the scores level, Michael Timlin crashed a penalty onto the bar at Roots Hall and it seemed as if the fates were conspiring against Phil Brown’s team. They had been the better side on the night though, and scored twice in extra time to erase any regrets. Now they have the chance to make sure their five-year stay in the bottom tier is extended no further. |
| And now meet Wycombe, who only finished below fourth-placed Southend on goal difference and have done remarkably to get here after narrowly avoiding relegation from the Football League last season with a wonderful final-day escape. They beat Plymouth 5-3 on aggregate in their semi-final, looking impressive going forward in the process. Could they return to League One after three years away? You get the feeling that we’re in for a very, very close game. | And now meet Wycombe, who only finished below fourth-placed Southend on goal difference and have done remarkably to get here after narrowly avoiding relegation from the Football League last season with a wonderful final-day escape. They beat Plymouth 5-3 on aggregate in their semi-final, looking impressive going forward in the process. Could they return to League One after three years away? You get the feeling that we’re in for a very, very close game. |
| The last really dramatic League Two play-off final was in 2010, when Dagenham & Redbridge improbably beat Rotherham 3-2. The subsequent four have brought just seven goals and have all been won to nil. It’s very hard to see this one being a turn-off though: stay tuned. | The last really dramatic League Two play-off final was in 2010, when Dagenham & Redbridge improbably beat Rotherham 3-2. The subsequent four have brought just seven goals and have all been won to nil. It’s very hard to see this one being a turn-off though: stay tuned. |