City: Simonsen, Hoefkens, Higginbotham, Fortune, Griffin (Wilkinson, 46), Lawrence, Russell, Diao, Hendrie, Sidibe, Fuller.Subs Not Used: Hoult, Eustace, Martin, Pericard.

Southend: Flahavan, Francis, Clarke, Sodje, Hammell (Foran, 19), Campbell-Ryce, Maher, Gower, Eastwood, Bradbury (Harrold, 79).Subs Not Used: Hooper, Welch, Moussa.

A late Southend equaliser dashed City's hopes of what would have been a much-wanted home win, making it three successive draws at the Britannia which have, one hopes temporarily, stalled the promotion effort.

City took the lead through Ricardo Fuller's eighth goal of the season in a rather scrappy first half, and although the quality improved after the break, it was Southend's prolific striker Freddie Eastwood who struck with five minutes left.

Again it was City's lack of fire-power which proved fatal and failed to kill off the opposition.

After a disappointing first-half display, the Potters improved after the break, but although the approach play was better, the final decisive pass around the box was lacking, resulting in too many optimistic long-range efforts.  When a clear-cut chance did arrive, City were unable to capitalise.

On a bright winter's day and in conditions ideal for good football, expectations were high for the biggest crowd of the season as the eager fans welcomed back Lee Hendrie and said hello to Jonathan Fortune and Russell Hoult.  Fortune took the place of Michael Duberry at the heart of the defence, whilst Hoult's arrival meant that City had a goalkeeper on the bench in a league game for the first time since September.

But the match proved to be something of an anti-climax and failed to live up the fans' hopes when the Potters paid the penalty for failing to notch the second goal which would have sealed a much-needed win.

The visitors, fresh from their impressive win at Birmingham in midweek, were not over-awed by the atmosphere and both the highly-rated Eastwood and Lee Bradbury put in decent attempts before City's first serious threat on goal - a left-foot shot from a narrow angle from Ricardo Fuller after good work by Hendrie.

The Shrimpers were closing down quickly, preventing City from building up any momentum, but had to re-organise after twenty minutes when left-back Stephen Hammell was stretchered off.

The change didn't seem to affect the visitors, whose play belied their lowly league position whilst City again took time to get going through a crowded midfield.

Salif Diao and Hendrie both went onto referee Mr Taylor's book before City broke the deadlock after thirty-one minutes when Mamady Sidibe's flick-on from Fortune's long ball was pounced on by Ricardo Fuller, who rounded former Crewe centre-back Efe Sodje before hammering an angled shot past Darryl Flahaven from eight yards.

City now need to press home their advantage but five minutes later Sidibe shot over the bar under pressure after good play from Fuller and Hendrie, and City still had difficulty retaining possession for any length of time with too many passes into the last third failing to find their target.

The referee didn't help the flow of the game with some strange decisions, none more so than the booking of Andy Griffin for what seemed a good challenge for a fifty-fifty ball just before half-time.  Griffin was hurt when the Southend player showed his studs, but to add insult to the injury, the City left-back was shown the yellow card before having to be replaced by Andy Wilkinson

Half-time arrived at right moment for things to calm down at an ill-tempered end of what had been a frustrating and scrappy first half, with Darel Russell and Southend's Peter Clarke booked in the tunnel as feelings continued to run high.

When one considers that one of the assistant referees had to change his flag just after half-time because it was the same as that of his colleague on the opposite line, no further comment on the officials is necessary.

Within two minutes of the re-start Simon Francis had been booked for a dreadful tackle on the closely-marked Hendrie, but fortunately the match did not generate into anarchy as it might have.

After fifty-one minutes, Fuller pressured Sodje to break away down the left but in a repeat of his miss on Tuesday against Ipswich, Sidibe slid in to poke his fellow striker's low cross over the bar from close in.

A second goal would have settled City down, for although the visitors hadn't seriously troubled Simonsen, they were still battling in midfield.

Hendrie's carefully placed shot passed just wide of the post after some neat work down the right, but a Richie Foran header and an Eastwood shot reminded the Potters that they had to keep their concentration.

Hendrie put a header over the bar and then saw the 'keeper make a mess of a cross, but it was Fuller who continued to pose the biggest threat to the visitors' defence.  A fierce shot was deflected over the bar but the corner, like several others, brought no reward as the Southend defence cleared its lines and too many balls missed their target.

With the game starting to stretch as the match entered the last fifteen minutes, Eastwood went close and then Russell shot wide.

Hendrie began to drift inside to exert more of an influence, but the visitors were also beginning to pose more of a threat and it took a couple of good clearances from Fortune, who put in assured first appearance, to keep them at bay.

And it was the visitors who scored the all-important next goal when a City attack broke down and Maher mounted a crisp attack down the right.  When Foran crossed, Southend were queuing up at the far post, leaving Eastwood with the easy task of slotting the ball home from close range.

It was a disappointing end to a frustrating game.

Bob James