# 1997–98 Southend United F.C. season

The 1997–98 season saw Southend United compete in the Football League Second Division where they finished in 24th position with 43 points, suffering relegation to the Third Division.

## Final league table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 20 | Burnley | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 55 | 65 | −10 | 52 | |
| 21 | Brentford | 46 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 50 | 71 | −21 | 50 | Relegated |
| 22 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 55 | 70 | −15 | 49 | Relegated |
| 23 | Carlisle United | 46 | 12 | 8 | 26 | 57 | 73 | −16 | 44 | Relegated |
| 24 | Southend United | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 47 | 79 | −32 | 43 | Relegated |

## Results

Southend United's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Second Division

| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 1 | 9 August 1997 | Carlisle United | H | 1–1 | 4,507 | Boere |
| 2 | 18 August 1997 | Luton Town | A | 0–1 | 5,140 | |
| 3 | 23 August 1997 | Burnley | H | 1–0 | 4,218 | Boere |
| 4 | 30 August 1997 | Walsall | A | 1–3 | 3,304 | Williams |
| 5 | 2 September 1997 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 1–4 | 4,528 | Boere |
| 6 | 5 September 1997 | Brentford | H | 3–1 | 3,458 | Marsh, Boere, Clarke |
| 7 | 13 September 1997 | Millwall | A | 1–3 | 8,606 | Boere |
| 8 | 20 September 1997 | Fulham | H | 1–0 | 5,026 | Lewis |
| 9 | 27 September 1997 | Blackpool | A | 0–3 | 4,542 | |
| 10 | 4 October 1997 | Northampton Town | H | 0–0 | 4,300 | |
| 11 | 11 October 1997 | Bristol City | H | 0–2 | 3,273 | |
| 12 | 18 October 1997 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 3–2 | 3,430 | Wotton (o.g.), Clarke, N'Diaye |
| 13 | 21 October 1997 | Wrexham | A | 1–3 | 2,039 | Rammell |
| 14 | 25 October 1997 | Oldham Athletic | H | 1–1 | 3,595 | Coulbault |
| 15 | 1 November 1997 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–5 | 4,501 | Coulbault |
| 16 | 4 November 1997 | Watford | H | 0–3 | 4,001 | |
| 17 | 8 November 1997 | Wigan Athletic | H | 1–0 | 2,716 | Boere |
| 18 | 18 November 1997 | Bournemouth | A | 1–2 | 3,019 | Dublin |
| 19 | 22 November 1997 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–1 | 3,653 | N'Diaye |
| 20 | 29 November 1997 | Chesterfield | A | 0–1 | 4,101 | |
| 21 | 2 December 1997 | Preston North End | H | 3–2 | 2,307 | Boere, Gridelet (2) |
| 22 | 13 December 1997 | Gillingham | A | 2–1 | 4,774 | Boere, Coulbault |
| 23 | 19 December 1997 | York City | H | 4–4 | 3,215 | Clarke (2), Dublin (2) |
| 24 | 26 December 1997 | Brentford | A | 1–1 | 5,341 | Coulbault |
| 25 | 28 December 1997 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 1–2 | 5,162 | Thomson |
| 26 | 3 January 1998 | Luton Town | H | 1–2 | 5,056 | Thomson |
| 27 | 10 January 1998 | Carlisle United | A | 0–5 | 5,389 | |
| 28 | 17 January 1998 | Walsall | H | 0–1 | 3,310 | |
| 29 | 24 January 1998 | Burnley | A | 0–1 | 9,386 | |
| 30 | 31 January 1998 | Millwall | H | 0–0 | 5,705 | |
| 31 | 7 February 1998 | Fulham | A | 0–2 | 9,122 | |
| 32 | 14 February 1998 | Northampton Town | A | 1–3 | 6,147 | Boere |
| 33 | 21 February 1998 | Blackpool | H | 2–1 | 3,340 | Boere, Dublin |
| 34 | 24 February 1998 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 3–0 | 4,363 | Aldridge, Maher, Jobson |
| 35 | 28 February 1998 | Bristol City | A | 0–1 | 12,049 | |
| 36 | 7 March 1998 | Grimsby Town | H | 0–1 | 4,829 | |
| 37 | 14 March 1998 | Watford | A | 1–1 | 10,750 | Thomson |
| 38 | 17 March 1998 | Wigan Athletic | A | 3–1 | 2,616 | Thomson, Rammell, Whyte |
| 39 | 21 March 1998 | Bournemouth | H | 5–3 | 4,823 | Thomson (2), Boere (2), Clarke |
| 40 | 27 March 1998 | Bristol Rovers | A | 0–2 | 5,323 | |
| 41 | 3 April 1998 | Chesterfield | H | 0–2 | 5,425 | |
| 42 | 11 April 1998 | Preston North End | A | 0–1 | 8,096 | |
| 43 | 13 April 1998 | Gillingham | H | 0–0 | 6,151 | |
| 44 | 18 April 1998 | York City | A | 1–1 | 2,850 | Boere |
| 45 | 25 April 1998 | Oldham Athletic | A | 0–2 | 4,485 | |
| 46 | 2 May 1998 | Wrexham | H | 1–3 | 4,220 | Boere |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R1 | 15 November 1997 | Woking | A | 2–0 | 5,000 | Jones, Gridelet |
| R2 | 6 December 1997 | Fulham | A | 0–1 | 8,537 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 12 August 1997 | Cardiff City | A | 1–1 | 2,804 | Byrne |
| R1 2nd Leg | 26 August 1997 | Cardiff City | H | 3–1 | 3,002 | Williams (2), Marsh |
| R2 1st Leg | 16 September 1997 | Derby County | H | 0–1 | 4,011 | |
| R2 2nd Leg | 1 October 1997 | Derby County | A | 0–5 | 18,490 | |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| R1 | 9 December 1997 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 0–1 | 1,577 | |

## Squad statistics

| Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Pos. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| GK | Simon Royce | 37 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 0 |
| GK | Neville Southall | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| DF | Mark Beard | 6(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7(2) | 0 |
| DF | Simon Coleman | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| DF | Keith Dublin | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 4 |
| DF | Richard Jobson | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| DF | Nathan Jones | 33(5) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40(5) | 1 |
| DF | Ben Lewis | 14 | 1 | 1(1) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17(2) | 1 |
| DF | Chris Perkins | 3(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4(2) | 0 |
| DF | Leo Roget | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| DF | Mark Stimson | 17(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18(3) | 0 |
| MF | Martin Allen | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| MF | Carl Beeston | 5(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8(1) | 0 |
| MF | Paul Byrne | 9(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12(1) | 1 |
| MF | Adrian Clarke | 42(3) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49(3) | 5 |
| MF | Regis Coulbault | 30(4) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33(4) | 4 |
| MF | Phil Gridelet | 31(6) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35(6) | 3 |
| MF | Julian Hails | 41(3) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45(3) | 3 |
| MF | Andy Harris | 26(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31(1) | 0 |
| MF | Mark Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Kevin Maher | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| MF | Mike Marsh | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| MF | John Nielsen | 1(4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(4) | 0 |
| MF | George Parris | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| FW | Martin Aldridge | 7(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7(4) | 1 |
| FW | Jeroen Boere | 28(3) | 14 | 1(1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32(4) | 14 |
| FW | Trevor Fitzpatrick | 1(2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(2) | 0 |
| FW | Pepe N'Diaye | 15(2) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17(2) | 2 |
| FW | Guy Roger Nzamba | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 |
| FW | Andy Rammell | 18(8) | 2 | 1(1) | 0 | 1(3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20(12) | 2 |
| FW | Andy Thomson | 16(16) | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21(16) | 6 |
| FW | David Whyte | 3(5) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3(5) | 1 |
| FW | Paul Williams | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1(1) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7(1) | 3 |