09 February 2021

Mark Molesley treating every game as a cup final after Southend secure vital win

09 February 2021

Southend manager Mark Molesley is treating every game as a cup final after the Shrimpers lifted themselves off the bottom of League Two with a 1-0 win at Newport

Having lost their last four games they needed to find a way to stay in touch with the teams above them and a 74th-minute free-kick from Tom Clifford earned them the points.

“Every game from now on we have to treat as a cup final and we showed we are up for the fight,” said Shrimpers boss Molesley.

“The bad period we went through over the last few weeks was largely physical, but it turned into a mental problem at Port Vale last weekend when we lost 5-1. It was great to have a few more bodies back for this game and this result is a real statement for us.

“We have stopped the rot and now we have to build on this performance and result. It really was a step forward for us.

“We need to bounce back after a tough couple of weeks and it was important that we didn’t feel sorry for ourselves. It was never going to be a vintage game of football on a freezing cold night and if we had kicked off any later we might not have been able to finish because the pitch was so hard at the end.

“Tom Clifford will get the plaudits for his goal, but credit to Mark Oxley for making a great save in the 89th minute. He hadn’t had much to do all night, but to be able to make a save like that in those conditions was fantastic.”

Newport may have led the league coming into the new year, but they have now won just once in their last 11 outings and slipped back to fifth place as a result. They head to Port Vale on Saturday and then face promotion rivals Exeter and Forest Green at Rodney Parade next week.

“We should have won that game. We missed three sitters and it was a very poor performance,” said County boss Michael Flynn.

“It is very frustrating because with Cambridge losing we missed out on a chance to go second in the table. It was nowhere near what I expect from my team or what I want from them.

“We didn’t win enough balls in midfield and we need to play with a lot more quality. But just as I didn’t get carried away when we were top of the league, I’m not going to get too down over our current run, although it does concern me.

“People will look to write us off, but we’ll crack on and be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.”

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