That was the week that was

Blimey. It`s been quite an eventful time since we last spoke. 20 days, two games, seven goals and possibly the most important news about the club`s future - ever.

As Marie Partner put it herself: "You`ve got your stadium."

Generally I`m quite an optimistic person, I`m often categorised alongside the 'rose-tinted specs brigade` on the message board. That said I shall believe it about Cuckoo Farm when I`m in my seat and the first ball is kicked.

Leaving Layer Road will be deliciously horrible. Wonderfully painful and lots of other oxymorons (and no, that`s not a term of endearment for Southend fans). Layer Road is like a loving old Aunt. Endearing and sweet but bless her, she smells of wee a bit.

Cuckoo Farm could be an enormous shot in the arm to the club. I`m no mathematician but even if we only half fill the 4,000 extra spaces the new stadium would have: at around £20 that`s… well, quite a bit of cash. Um… £40,000 (got there in the end!). Every fortnight, throughout the season.

Granted, it won`t quite have the Maracana worrying about their attendance records (as visiting fans from every team have delighted in telling us, often) but with all the other facilities, sources of income and the boost in prestige and pulling power they will bring it could be huge for the club.

Picking curtains

Perhaps it`s this great news which has been distracting the lads of late. Usually the U`s are no great respecters of tradition or "big clubs". Indeed, we`d often save our best form for trips to the biggest stadiums. But our record of only ever losing by a single goal was well and truly blatted in the last 20 days.

Maybe Kemi Izzet was thinking about which colour curtains he`d like in the new dressing rooms when he missed that late chance of a equaliser at The Stadium of Light? Perhaps Jamie Cureton was revelling in the idea of never having a cold shower again when he missed his chance?

Whatever it was our away day malaise carries on. We need to rediscover those sombreros if we`re to pinch a few more points away from the LayerDome.

But never mind that. We`re where we belong today. Back at Layer Road, for now. Our home form has been superb of late and it`ll need to be again today to beat our visiting neighbours.

We`ve got a shocking record against them so even more reason for the league form and position to go out the window. The victory over Ipswich was so, so sweet. To win today would have us verging on a diabetic coma.

Derby games tend to throw brilliant football out the same window as the form book and frankly who cares? Let`s not kid ourselves. It`s about the result more than ever today. What price another predicted goal in-off Doogie`s backside?

Catch more fromm CO2 in the U`s Matchday Mag priced at just £3 at all home games.

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