Shrimpers devastated by play-off final heartache

Southend United fans were devastated after their dream of returning to the English Football League ended in heartbreaking fashion.

Two goals in quick succession by Oldham Athletic sunk the Blues in front of a record-breaking National League crowd of more than 52,000 at Wembley Stadium.

But Shrimpers supporters insisted there was cause for optimism after a turbulent few years, where financial issues almost saw their side go extinct.

Ex-midfielder Glenn Pennyfather said he was proud of how close the Essex side came, but admitted: "Football's such a cruel game at times."

Southend led twice before James Norwood's extra time leveller was followed by a Kian Harratt cross drifting beyond everyone and into the net at the far post.

Chris Phillips, who has reported on Southend United for the Echo newspaper since 2003, said it was "hard to put into words" how he felt.

"You can say painful, heartbreaking, all of those descriptions, but it doesn't even come close to how I feel right now," Phillips said.

"This is probably up there with the worst I've ever felt as a Southend fan."

The showpiece match, which saw Oldham promoted to League 2, attracted 52,115 fans - beating the 47,029 people who watched the 2015 final.

It came despite a row over ticket allocations when organisers limited the attendance due to safety concerns, before later granting more sales.

Southend fans had been desperate to watch from inside Wembley after a bleak spell that led to players and staff going unpaid and HMRC winding-up petitions.

Pennyfather insisted there was cause for optimism despite the turnaround in extra time being a "bitter pill to swallow".

"Around 30,000 Southend fans go home disappointed, but I imagine immensely proud too," he said.

"The football club has picked itself off the canvas after such adversity and this all bodes well for the future."

Owen Leworthy, 29, said Southend had "exceeded expectations" all season, after narrowly making the play-offs by finishing seventh.

"It's sad to fall at the final hurdle, but it's nice to see a good bit of progress from our football team," he said.

Niamh Bligh, 29, added: "It's tragic. I'm absolutely gutted... But we should always hold our heads high. We will be back."

It was a feeling echoed by 40-year-old David Bonnett, who said: "Next year we'll come back, we'll be stronger, we'll be up there and I think we'll be promoted.

"We're all gutted today but who knows what could happen next?"

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