Get the lowdown on our next opponents: Southend United.
The Opposition
Southend United are a side on a mission, and will be aiming to secure their play-off spot for a second successive season to continue their hunt for a return to the Football League.
The Shrimpers’ century-long stint in the EFL came to an end in 2021 after suffering back-to-back relegations, and led to the Essex-based side navigating a host of off-the-pitch issues as they began life in the National League, with it taking until last summer to secure their first play-off place, after long-serving manager Kevin Maher guided them to a seventh place finish.
However, they remained in the fifth tier after suffering play-off heartbreak last term when Oldham Athletic struck twice in as many minutes in Extra Time to steal the win at Wembley, and saw their National League status extend to a fifth consecutive campaign, currently sitting three points above FC Halifax Town in seventh with two games in hand after a strong, yet perhaps relatively indifferent season.
The Shrimpers have largely enjoyed strong league form; though hints of inconsistency has seen them suffer occasional consecutive games without victory, costing them a chance to cement their top seven spot. On the whole though, Southend have established themselves as one of the most difficult to beat sides in the league, with only York City and Rochdale conceding less goals than Maher’s side, courtesy of a strong backline consisting of Collin Andeng-Ndi in goal, alongside the likes of Harry Taylor, Ben Goodliffe, Joe Gubbins, James Golding and Nathan Ralph.
Gus Scott-Morriss has continued his fine form from wing-back, adding 11 goals to his tally of 17 last term, while Andy Dallas has enjoyed a stellar season since arriving from Barnsley last summer, notching 15 goals, aided by strikes from the likes of Josh Walker (6), Slavi Spasov (6), Charley Kendall (5) and Tom Hopper (4). Sam Austin and Harry Boyes have also been consistent figures on the left flank, while Keenan Appiah-Forson, Oli Coker, Cav Miley, James Morton and Leon Parillon have contributed to the Shrimpers’ engine room throughout the campaign.
Their form has seen them rack up 68 points, already matching their entire 2024/25 tally, as well as reaching the Isuzu FA Trophy Final against Wealdstone having beaten Truro City, Bath City, Chatham Town, Horsham and Southport on their way to Wembley, where they will hope to improve on their last trip to the home of English football and end the campaign with silverware – perhaps two for that matter – with a second successive shot at promotion still within their sights.
The Manager
Kevin Maher
Former midfielder Kevin Maher is in his fourth season in charge of Southend, with the Shrimpers remaining the only club he has managed at a senior level.
A product of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, Maher departed White Hart Lane in search of first team opportunities in 1998 and linked up with Southend for the first time, going on to spend ten years of his career at Roots Hall and was a virtual ever-present, rising to be club captain and making more than 400 appearances for the club, as well as captaining Southend to promotion twice, from League Two to the Championship, in successive seasons.
A brief loan spell at Gillingham preceded his permanent departure from the Shrimpers, and the Republic of Ireland youth international subsequently went on to represent Oldham Athletic, Gillingham again, Dagenham & Redbridge, Bray Wanderers and Whitehawk, before hanging up his boots in 2015 following a brief stint as Head Coach of Chelmsford City in which he also made an appearance as an unused substitute.
Maher later returned to Southend in a coaching capacity, assisting the youth teams at the club before being appointed as Under-21 manager. This preceded a return to Chelmsford, being named as caretaker manager after previous manager Mark Hawkes left the club and soon became their permanent boss until the end of the season, before being replaced by Rod Stringer during the summer break.
After a spell out the game, Maher joined Bristol Rovers as a first team coach, but following the departures of manager Graham Coughlan and caretaker manager Joe Dunne, was placed in temporary charge of the Gas and oversaw a 0–0 draw with Peterborough United, before taking on the role again at the start of 2020.
This was followed by a third return to Southend, now in the National League, where he took on the role of Head Coach in place of Phil Brown. Despite ongoing troubles off the pitch, Maher has kept the club competitive and established in the fifth tier, slowly guiding them up the division and closer to the play-off places year after year.
Southend United v Luton Town. Pre-season match. Roots Hall Stadium, Southend on Sea, UK.
22/07/25
One to Watch
Andy Dallas
Experienced forward Andy Dallas has enjoyed a successful return to non-league football, having joined Southend United initially on loan from Barnsley.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Dallas began his career with Rangers, gaining experience on loan at Stenhousemuir and Greenock Morton, before making the move across the border with a move to Cambridge United. A loan spell at Weymouth preceded a subsequent switch to Solihull Moors, where he scored 32 goals in 77 games, and earned him a move to League One following a loan move at Chesterfield.
After scoring six goals in 12 games for the Spireites as they reached the National League play-off final, he joined Barnsley in 2023, making the jump up two divisions, appearing a handful of times for the Tykes before moving back out on loan.
A return to Scotland saw him join Kilmarnock, and was followed by further stints at Oldham Athletic, Barrow and Morecambe, suffering relegation with the latter, before joining Southend last summer on loan. The move was later made permanent, with Dallas going on to achieve his best goalscoring tally since his time at Solihull, firing home 15 goals this term.
Recent Form
Southend United 3-2 Braintree Town
Southend United 2-1 Yeovil Town
Southport 1-3 Southend United
Southend United 1-1 Woking
Altrincham 1-0 Southend United
Southend United 3-2 Rochdale
Last Time Out
Andrew Dallas’ first half brace helped Southend United to a 3-2 Good Friday win over Braintree Town.
It took just four minutes for the striker to open his account for the afternoon, stabbing the ball home after Gus Scott-Morriss’ header had come off the upright.
His second soon followed after half an hour, calmy slotting the ball beneath Mason Terry after being played through by Sam Austin.
The second half saw more of the same from the Shrimpers who added to their lead 10 minutes after the restart, through Oli Coker’s 25-yard strike that took a deflection on its way in.
Braintree did threaten a late comeback through Ryan Battrum’s deflected effort and Sahid Kamara’s strike that went in off the crossbar, but Blues held on to claim the three points.
