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Bank Holiday Monday saw a full slate of Non League football, and we headed down to Roots Hall to watch an all-Essex clash between Southend United vs Dagenham and Redbridge. This will be the first of a brand new series for Non League Daily as we visit grounds around the country.
After arriving at London Liverpool Street, it was time for a direct train to Southend, which took about an hour. Despite the floods of people exiting at Prittlewell station, I was none the wiser and stayed on as the train trudged to Victoria Central.
From here, it was an easy 15-minute walk in the blaring bank holiday sunshine. Southend, as you'd expect, has plenty of fish and chips shops to choose from. After some grub from the 'Fish House' which was eaten sitting on the nearby grassy bank, I headed to the Spread Eagle pub for a pint or two.
Located a stones-throw away from the ground, the Spread Eagle was packed with match-goers and had a real feel-good atmosphere. Reasonably priced pints (for the south), friendly staff and blaring sun in the garden, it was hard not to be in a good mood as kick-0ff approached.
Walking to the ground, it was great to see many families, with their kids kitted out in the latest Southend United shirts. It has been a tumultuous couple of years for the Shrimpers, but it felt like they finally had their club back.
I had never previously had the opportunity to go to Roots Hall and I was glad I could. It had the feel of a 'proper' ground that belonged in the Football League. While signs of neglect from the previous shambolic ownership were clear to see, Roots Hall was still one of the more impressive non-League grounds I had been to.
I made myself to my seat, which turned out to be right behind a pole. Being a tall man with wooden-like legs, I found the leg-room challenging but I knew what I was in for and it added to the experience. My favourite part of the ground was the small, two-tiered stand behind the goal.
The match was an entertaining affair that ended 2-2 - perhaps a fair reflection on the overall traffic of the game. The hosts took the lead when a loose ball was pounced upon in the area. Some penalty area pinball ensued, before Harry Cardwell calmy cushioned the ball back to Oli Coker, with the academy graduate slotting home after just five minutes.
The Shrimpers were on top until the Daggers were awarded a controversial penalty in the 29th minute, in which Reece Grego-Cox scored his first goal in a Dagenham shirt. The match fell flat and petered out until halftime.
Both teams came out flying in the second half, with Collin Andeng Ndi and Elliot Justham both making spectacular saves to keep the scores level. Dagenham and Redbridge looked set to take all three points after Josh Rees scored after 74 minutes after a dominant spell for the visitors. Ben Strevens instantly subbed Junior Morias for the more defensive-minded Frank Vincent - a decision that came back to haunt him.
Southend were on top and had Daggers camped in their half, but the three giants in the Dagenham backline stood firm. That was until a teasing ball from Jack Wood was nodded home by the leaping Gus Scott-Morris - the right back's fifth goal in six games.
Scrolling 'X' on the train journey home, I was quite miffed to see many complaints about the 'subdued atmosphere' from Southend fans. As a neutral, I thought the atmosphere was good and spurred the side on for the equaliser. Dagenham and Redbridge fans also travelled in good numbers, making it a good atmosphere all around with over 8,000 supporters packed in. This made it the best attended Non League game of the day.
Roots Hall had the biggest National League attendance on the Bank Holiday
It is obvious Southend are missing a strike partner for the tall Harry Cardwell, with Olly Wood constantly beaten in the air by the mammoth Dagenham defensive unit. A stark contrast I noticed between the sides was the midfield presence. Particularly towards the end, it felt like Southend had no midfielder willing to drop deep and get on the ball. This led to a massive gap in the middle of the park, with Southend forced to go long and losing control of the ball.
The Daggers, on the other hand, had the presence of Christian N'Guessan anchoring the midfield, hoovering up any loose balls and showing willingness to take the ball off the defenders and dictate the tempo. If Southend are to challenge for the playoffs, a midfielder in N'Guessan's profile is a necessity.
Dagenham and Redbridge can challenge higher up the table if they work on game management. They are a strong defensive unit with a quick and nimble forward line suited for counterattacks. As soon as they went in front, Strevens shut up shop and had no intention of going forward. It was the third time this season they dropped points from winning positions.
Southend United centre-back Harry Taylor was the best player on the pitch by far. The bandaged defender was colossal, winning every duel and showing calmness on the ball to step into midfield.
Overall, the Roots Hall experience is a great one and is one of the best non league grounds I have been to.
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