Southampton v Southend preview

Duo back for Saints; Injury crisis for Shrimpers

Last updated: 7th May 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Southampton v Southend preview

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Southampton could welcome Wayne Thomas and Lee Holmes back to the squad for the visit of Southend.

Defender Thomas has been out for a month with a calf injury but returned to training in the week.

Winger Holmes has been struggling with a groin problem which has kept him out since February but he appears fit again and will be hopeful of playing a part.

Ryan Doble is back in training after hip surgery and could feature with the Saints already falling short of the play-offs.

Full-back Graeme Murty (ankle) and midfielder Oscar Gobern (hip) remain sidelined, while Morgan Schneiderlin is suspended.

Boss Alan Pardew could field a number of youngsters to test their abilities with next season's campaign in mind.

Southend news

Southend boss Steve Tilson will have to make do with a depleted squad for his last game in League One.

The Shrimpers are already relegated after a dismal season which has seen them notch just 10 wins in 45 games.

And they've been hit heavily on the injury front, with the likes of Adam Barrett, Jean-Francois Christophe and Francis Laurent all suffering hamstring problems.

Harry Crawford, who made his full debut and scored in last weekend's 2-1 win over Stockport, will be hoping to retain his place in the starting line-up along with Stuart O'Keefe and Jean-Yves M'voto.

Damian Scannell (foot) and Scott Spencer (ankle) are unavailable still, leaving Tilson with very few options at St Mary's.

He said: "We've got to use what we've got. I'll probably give a few of the youth players an opportunity to be on the bench on Saturday from the reserve game who I felt did well the other night."

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