Shaymen drop out of play-off places as they suffer heaviest defeat of the season at Southend

FC Halifax Town dropped out of the National League play-off places after a 3-0 defeat at Southend United.

Goals from Henry Sandat and Gus Scott-Morriss consigned The Shaymen to their heaviest defeat of the season and only their second defeat in the last two months. Shipping three goals for only the third time this season will be a concern, but not as much as Town's ineffectiveness in attack, which keeps rearing its ugly head. It can only be hoped it doesn't prove costly in the race for the top seven.

It was a big difference between the teams here. There was very little to separate the sides at half-time other than Sandat's goal, which looked too easy from a Southend perspective as a long ball over the top put the striker clean through to the left of the box and his shot went through the legs of Sam Johnson just three minutes in. It was the second-quickest goal The Shaymen had conceded this season - after Will Grigg's for Chesterfield - and meant they would have to fight back from a goal down against The Shrimpers for the second time this term.

Southend repeatedly tried to get in down the right of Town's back three, perhaps trying to exploit the out-of-position Jamie Cooke at right wing-back, but offered little end-product from some promising positions. Town had some encouraging moments too, with Cooke nearly getting on the end of a one-two with Florent Hoti, Hoti nearly getting on the end of Andrew Oluwabori's through ball and Cooke's deflected shot nearly falling to Aaron Cosgrave, Halifax's sole change in place of the injured Tylor Golden. Southend were being nullified effectively, but they weren't being tested enough.

Oluwabori came into the game the more the opening half went on but was guilty of some poor decision-making on the ball, although that wasn't exclusive to the Town forward. Halifax's approach play was decent, but not for the first time this season, they seemed to be lacking a strong physical presence in attack and the service for who was in attack to feed off. The first two thirds were fine, but the final third needed to be better.

Cooke fired in a superb shot from Hoti's cross ten minutes after the restart but keeper Collin Andeng Ndi reacted with a fine save. He also kept out Oluwabori's effort a few minutes later, with Halifax the only side creating anything, Southend having failed to get going since the break. But chances were sporadic in a game where both defences were the strongest area of the teams.

"Quicker!", yelled Chris Millington as his Town side struggled to do much else than pass the ball around without much progress. There didn't look to be many other goals in the contest, so a second for Southend would have been decisive, and nearly was when Brooklyn Kabongolo's shot was cleared off the line by Cooke. Not long after that though, Southend's killer second came when Nathan Ralph was given far too much time to pick out a low cross from the byline, and Scott-Morriss converted it in the middle.

Game over. Scott-Morriss nodded in a cross from the left five minutes from time for his second and Southend's third. The Shrimpers had taken what few chances they'd created.

Halifax hadn't done the same. Southend: Adeng Ndi, Scott-Morriss, Taylor, Kensdale, Ralph, Bridge (Demetriou 87), Husin, Fonguck, Morton (Miley 73), Sandat (Wood 89), Kabongolo. Subs not used: Vilhete.

Scorers: Sandat (3), Scott-Morriss (79, 85) Shots on target: 4 Shots off target: 4

Corners: 2 Halifax: Johnson, Senior, Keane, Stott, Cooke, Hunter (Summerfield 84), Thomson-Sommers, Cappello, Hoti (Harker 72), Cosgrave (Chikukwa 90), Oluwabori. Subs not used: Wilson, Arthur.

Shots on target: 2 Shots off target: 8 Corners: 5

Attendance: 6,772 (69 away) Referee: Paul Johnson Town man of the match: Slim pickings for this.

No Town player more than a six out of ten.

I'll give it to Kane Thomson-Sommers, who tried to make things happen in midfield.