Southend United Football Club,

Roots Hall,

Victoria Avenue,

Southend-on-Sea,

SS2 6NQ.

FGR & Southend have met before but that was during lockdown so this is the first season that fans will be in attendance.

. Access to Roots Hall for away supporters is via Fairfax Drive. Away supporters can access the ground through turnstiles 13-16.  Away fans are housed in the Solopress North Bank Stand, where up to 1,200 away supporters can be accommodated. If demand requires it then the whole stand can be allocated bringing the allocation up to 2,000 seats, unlikely for FGR..The stand is covered, but there are a number of supporting pillars running across the front of the stand that could impede your view. The stand is a former terrace and like most former terraces that have had seats bolted onto them, the leg room and height distance between each row is less than desirable. One good thing for away fans in the North Stand is that comparatively few numbers of fans can really make some noise from it, making for a good atmosphere.

See last paragraph  of ‘Club History’ below for possible changes at Roots Hall for FGR’s match.

Programmes are available to purchase at the cost of £3 (cash only). Programme stalls can be found in various locations on entry to Roots Hall Stadium.

By Supporters Club Coach – The Best & Easiest Way.

The Supporters Coach will be travelling to Southend with departure from Stonehouse at 9am, with pick-ups from Sainsbury’s at 9.15am, and The New Lawn at 9.30am.

For full details of Away Travel: –

Click here: –

Tickets and Travel | Southend United (A) | WE ARE FGR

Away Travel 2024/25 | WE ARE FGR

 FGR Away Travel – Forest Green Rovers Supporters Club (fgrsc.com)

Book your coach ticket from FGR.

Discount for FGR Supporters Club members. Supporters Club Members need to book by phone or in person to get their discount.

Click – Tickets | WE ARE FGR

By phone on 0333 123 1889 Monday to Friday, between 9am and 3pm. (Closed Wednesdays)

Please try to book as early as you can.

By Train

From Stroud it takes about 3 hours with changes probably at London Paddington & Stratford and possibly Swindon too.

Prittlewell Station is the closest to Roots Hall, being located about a five minute walk away. It is served by trains from London Liverpool Street. If you are travelling to the ground on a c2c service, the closest station will be either Southend Central or Westcliff. From Southend Central you can either walk to the stadium (approximately 25 minutes) or take the bus from Stop VS on Whitegate Road, on the opposite side of Southend High Street; buses normally run every 5 minutes however timings may vary. Alternatively, from Westcliff station, the walk is approximately 30 minutes. 

By Car

From the Stroud area it is just over 200 miles and takes about 3 hours 40 minutes

From the M25 take junction 29 and follow the A127 to Southend. Continue towards the city centre, through the lights. At the Cuckoo Corner roundabout turn right (third turning), continuing on the A127. The ground is on the right, just past the next set of traffic lights.

There is no car parking available for visiting fans at the ground itself. There is limited on-street parking around Roots Hall, though be aware that parking restrictions will be in place. There is the Southend High School For Boys (SS0 0RG) which offers car parking for £5 per car (the school entrance is on Prittlewell Road). Several payable car parks are located nearby,nearest is the Southend-On-Sea Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue SS1 9SH/SS1 9SB. Others are within Southend city centre, just a short walk away. These include Victoria Shopping Centre car park and Tylers Avenue car park.

If the weather is at all sunny the whole of East London seems to head down the A127 on a Saturday afternoon, so allow an extra 30 minutes if the temperature is on the warm side – probably OK in November.

In The Ground

Refreshments within the away area are served from a ‘Transport Cafe’ type establishment, complete with tables and chairs – this is not licenced to sell alcohol. Both cash and card payments are accepted.. Bear in mind though, that getting your drinks in one piece back to your seat can be quite a challenge. The front of the stand is below pitch level, with stairs leading up to each pitch access point where the stewards stand. Going up and down these flights of stairs, with a cup of coffee in each hand, can present a problem.

Outside the Ground

Pubs near Roots Hall for away fans:

• The Railway Tavern – 108 East St, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6LH
• The Spread Eagle – 267 Victoria Ave, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6NE
• The Olde Trout – 56 London Rd, Southend-on-Sea SS1 1NX
• The Blue Boar – West St, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6EQ – 01702 341999

Despite a 10 points deduction – The Shrimpers finished just six points off the play-offs following an impressive end of season run losing just one of their final 16 matches.

Southend are currently 16th with 21 points.

6 Match Current Form Table:-

• Southend are 16th with 7 points.
• FGR are 1st with 17 points.

Recent Results:-

Altrincham 2 Southend 0

Southend 0 Yeovil 1

Southend 3 Charlton 4 (FA Cup – AET). BBC Highlights – FA Cup First Round highlights: Southend United 3-4 Charlton Athletic – BBC Sport

Southend  2 Tamworth 0

Aldershot 0 Southend 0

Kevin Maher started his playing career at Spurs but spent most of his career at Southend where he played 385 times. He also played for Oldham, Gillingham & Dagenham. Although born in Ilford he represented Ireland at U21 level.

Maher started his coaching career at Southend U21s and has been manager at Chelmsford and twice caretaker manager at Bristol Rovers before returning to Southend as manager in 2021.

John Still was appointed as the Southend’s Head of Football in November 2021.

Overseeing the scouting and recruitment departments at Roots Hall, he has more experience than almost anyone in the game, having turned professional in 1967 and managed since 1976. After a short-lived playing career, Still’s first job as manager came at Leytonstone when he was just 26, and he’s gone onto take charge of both Barnet and Dagenham & Redbridge over three separate spells, also managing Luton Town and Peterborough United. Still is the only man to guide three clubs out of non-league into the EFL and was Luton’s manager when they were promoted to League Two to start their rise to the Premier League.

James Morton – After signing a four-year deal with Bristol City in summer 2019, Morton joined FGR on a season-long loan, making his L2 debut when he played the entire match against Oldham on the opening day of the 2019–20 season. In total he played 12 times for FGR. In 2023 he joined Southend from Weston Super Mare.

Ryan Inniss played for Southend on loan from C Palace in 2016/17 season making 12 appearances in all competitions.

Harry Cardwell played for Southend 2022-23. He made 79 appearances and scored 27 goals.

ex-FGR loanee James Morton signed for Southend in December 2023.

Harry Taylor

In 2022, Harry Taylor joined the Blues on a two-year deal with the option of another year. He signed from Barnet, where he made over 185 appearances over an eight-year span. Capable of playing in midfield or in defence, Harry began his career in Chelsea’s youth team before joining Barnet’s academy in 2012 along with his younger brother Jack, now at Ipswich.

Gus Scott-Morris, despite being a full back, is the top scorer with 9 goals. On 16 December 2023 against Bromley, Scott-Morriss had to take over as goalkeeper after the Blues’ goalkeeper had come off injured and there were no substitute goalkeeper. He made some good saves and didn’t concede a goal.

Southend goalkeeper Zach Jeacock was sent off against Yeovil on 9th November so Scott-Morriss was possibly going to have to don his gloves again but on 12th November after an appeal the suspension was lifted.

Full back Gus Scott-Morriss, Southend’s top scorer, playing in goal.

Southend are known as “The Shrimpers”, a reference to the area’s maritime industry that is included as one of the quarters on the club badge.

Founded on 19 May 1906 in the Blue Boar pub, Southend won the Southern League Second Division in both of its two initial seasons and was admitted into the Football League in 1920. It spent the next 44 years in the third tier of English football, before dropping into the 4^th Division in 1966. They spent the next 24 years moving between the third and fourth tiers, winning promotions in 1971–72, 1977–78, 1980–81 (as champions), 1986–87 and 1989–90. They were promoted into the 2^nd Division for the first time at the end of the 1990–91 season. After six seasons in the second tier, they suffered a double relegation in 1997 and 1998. Under manager Steve Tilson, Southend again secured a double promotion in 2004–05 and 2005–06 to win a place in the Championship as L1 champions. However, they only lasted one season in the second tier and then, after two top half League One finishes, were relegated back to League Two in 2010. They secured promotion as play-off winners in 2015, but suffered another double relegation in 2020 and 2021, amid deep financial problems that several times pushed the club to the brink of liquidation, to drop—after 101 years in the Football League—into the National League.

Fortunately the future is now looking much better for Southend United following a takeover in July 24 by The Custodians of Southend United consortium headed by Australian Justin Rees. In early November Southend United’s future was further boosted by new investment from US-based technology entrepreneur Shivaas Gulati.

Southend are considering whether to re-open Roots Hall’s North Bank on a full-time basis after doing so for their FA Cup tie against League One side Charlton Athletic. In a letter to supporters, chief executive and COSU member Tom Lawrence has asked supporters to let the club know whether they would be interested in migrating from other parts of the stadium to seats in the North Bank. The club say there are “operational costs” involved in reopening that part of the ground.”If there is significant support for it, we will finalise a revised stewarding plan and secure approval from all relevant stakeholders in advance of the game against Forest Green Rovers on Saturday, 23 November,” Lawrence added.

Justin Bieber with his Southend shirt moaning’ Why do I always have to play in goal guys?’

‘Tell me about it’ replies Gus Scott-Morriss.

The slightly odd connection between Bieber and Southend started in 2015 when Shrimpers midfielder Ryan Leonard credited the pop star’s songs for breaking his goal drought. The 23-year-old had gone 17 games without a goal in all competitions before his first goal at the end October sparked a goalscoring run of three goals in the last four games. “Since we started playing Justin Bieber I’ve starting scoring again,” he said.

Leonard was Southend ‘Player of the Season’ 3 times before joining Sheffield United, he now plays for Millwall.

Southend Fans Forum – ShrimperZone

Southend Mascot – Sammy The Shrimp.

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