Not the prettiest of games, but a breathtaking and unexpected finish. Against a rejuvenated Southend side, Blackheath looked to have lost their way in a scrappy and niggly second period, but in a complete reversal of their fortunes at Cambridge a fortnight ago, the Club produced two tries at the very death to silence the home crowd and spoil the Christmas party about to get under way in the Warners Bridge Park clubhouse.
Since they romped to a 39-15 victory at Rectory Field in September (Blackheath's worst result of the season), Southend have had a difficult time with only one further win against troubled Waterloo back on 11th October. Now though with key players returning from injury, the Essex side looked far better than their position of second from bottom of National League Two would suggest. On-loan Saracens fly-half Jake Sharp controlled the game beautifully (as he'd done in the previous meeting) and with plenty of ball available the South back-line, including Andy Frost and Chris Green in the centre, continually tested the Club's first up tackling. Two Matt Leek penalties had restored the lead for Blackheath in the third quarter but on 63 minutes, just as the visitors were gaining the ascendancy, a breakaway try from South right-wing James Short put the hosts back in front. Sharp added the conversion from out wide, then to the huge approval of the home crowd thumped a 40-metre penalty to extend the lead to 23-16, and with impressive kicking out of defence, and skipper and second-row Andrew McLintock towering in the line-out, Southend seemed to be heading for a league double over Blackheath and their third victory of the season.
But Blackheath, who to their obvious frustration never really clicked in this affair, had left it late. Charlie Gower, back in the Club line-up after an outing with his parent club London Irish in the European Challenge Cup, began to show some invention in midfield and in the 80th minute a loose ball was initially fly-hacked by James Honeyben, and then Tom Bason, to bobble under the uprights for Liam Wordley to pick up and ground. Having spent most of the game in arrears, most Blackheath supporters would have settled for the draw, but in the sixth minute of added time Steve Hamilton found space in midfield, off-loaded to Paul Humphries who sent Alex Page haring towards the right corner. Ball was recycled infield for Gower to send a neat chip (or was it an attempted drop-goal?) into the very deep in-goal area for Will Matthews to collect for the winning score.
Blackheath though had started the match well and you would never have anticipated such a close match from the opening moments. On five minutes Matthews had secured possession after his own charge-down, following a retreating Southend scrum on the hosts' twenty-two, and Leek's pass to Sam Smith had enabled the left-wing to weave around the opposition defence for the first try of the match. Leek enjoyed a 100% kicking record for the afternoon but his efforts were all but matched by Sharp who responded with a penalty and then added a touch-line conversion when the unfortunate Matt Vaughan lost control of a loose ball, only for Short to take advantage and score the first of his two tries. Leek's second shot at goal levelled the scores at ten apiece but the visitors never again established the forward platform they experienced in the early minutes, and instead it was the hosts who gained territorial dominance. South were possibly unlucky not to be awarded a try on 32 minutes when referee Richard Phillips (who with his assistants had an odd afternoon, even playing what amounted to a let at one point) adjudged the ball to have been held up but their pressure was rewarded soon after with a Sharp penalty that gave the hosts a deserved lead at the interval.
But their luck was destined to desert them at the very death and now Southend face a mighty challenge in the New Year if they are to escape the relegation zone. Blackheath will enjoy their Christmas break in better spirits but know that despite moving up to seventh place, there is a lot of rugby still to be played before they themselves can feel safe.
Scorers:
Southend Tries: Short 2
Conv: Sharp 2
Pens: Sharp 3
Blackheath Tries: Smith
Wordley
Matthews
Cons: Leek 3
Pens: Leek 3
Graham Cox