Town's home campaign ends with heaviest defeat of the season against Southend

After such an encouraging campaign, it didn't deserve to end like this at The Shay.

After such an uplift in goals and entertainment at home this season, it seemed cruelly unfair fo it to be capped this way.

This isn't how Town's season, or their home campaign, should be remembered, but it was a stark reminder of how far they still have to go to reach the play-offs.

So near, yet so far.

A great strike by Oli Coker from 20 yards out got Southend up and running only six minutes in, but the midfielder was given too much time and space to pick his spot by The Shaymen, who conceded first at home for the fourth game in-a-row.

Before it, Jay Turner-Cooke couldn't get a shot away in time to catch Collin Andeng-Ndi off his line after a poor clearance, moments before Josh Hmami fired wide inside the box.

A great run by Hmami was then picked out by Will Smith but the midfielder's shot was saved one-on-one by the head of Andeng-Ndi.

The keeper couldn't keep out Will Harris' effort soon afterwards though, after he was played through by a delightful pass from Cody Johnson and executed a characteristically cool finish.

Both teams were producing some very watchable football, but Southend just looked that bit sharper and came close to going back ahead almost immediately as one shot from Jack Bridge, and another from Harry Cardwell, were kept out.

There wasn't too much between the teams, but the turning point came half-an-hour in when referee Ross Joyce - after two or three seconds' thinking time - awarded the visitors a penalty for a challenge between Smith and Andrew Dallas.

After Southend had protested furiously that it be given, Halifax did the same when it was, before Dallas converted.

Town then nearly levelled when Ash Palmer's heafder from a corner was cleared off the line, but Southend established a two-goal cushion when a lovely through ball by Harry Taylor found Dallas down the right of the Halifax box, and his cut-back was finished from close range by Cardwell.

For the first time in nearly a year, Town had conceded three goals at home, and it should have been four before half-time when Dallas had a great chance eight yards out but could only shoot tamely at Sam Johnson.

Any hopes of Town salvaging something were dashed a few minutes after the restart when a poor clearance by Smith was punished with a clinical finish by Coker for his second and Southend’s fourth - the first time Halifax had conceded four at home since October 2022.

The teams might have only been separated by one league place, but the difference between the side that reached the play-offs and the one that didn't was clear: greater cohesion, quicker and sharper in possession and ruthless in-front of goal.

Not that they needed to be especiallu ruthless for their fifth as, moments after the Southend fans had sung 'we want five', their team delivered as Gus Scott-Morriss converted a free header from a corner six yards out.

The records had to be trawled through even further, to November 2015, for the last time Halifax conceded five at home in a 6-3 defeat to Braintree.

Southend were threatening more too, with the hosts' defence possessing as many holes as a colander, and just as porous.

Thankfully, Southend took their foot off the gas after that, sparing Town any further embarrassment, before substitute Kieron Morris scored a decent consoltaion effort with a low shot from the edge of the box into the bottom corner.

But Southend wrapped things up with the last kick of the game as sub Leon Parillon turned in a cross from the right.

Halifax: Johnson, Hobson (Adetoro 80), Smith (Bray 60), Palmer, Crowe (Morris 80), C Johnson, Turner-Cooke, Hugill (Warbruton 60), Hmami, Kawa (Waters 80), Harris. Subs not used: Ford, Hoti.

Scorers: Harris (19), Morris (85)

Shots on target: 9

Shots off target: 4

Corners: 5

Southend: Andeng-Ndi, Scott-Morriss (Parillon 60), Gubbins, Taylor, Golding (Goodliffe 84), Morton (Miley 60), Coker, Bridge, Austin, Cardwell (Spasov 60), Dallas (Kendall 88). Subs not used: Boyes, Appiah-Forson.

Scorers: Coker (6, 52), Dallas (31 pen), Cardwell (41), Scott-Morriss (59), Parillon (90+7)

Shots on target: 10

Shots off target: 1

Corners: 2

Referee: Ross Joyce

Attendance: 1,896 (571 away)

Town man of the match: Josh Hmami. Faded, like the rest of the Halifax team, in the second-half but was very influential in the first-half.