Southend United vs Barrow. Sky Bet League Two.
Roots Hall.
Saturday 9 January 2021 19:45, UK
Debutant Reeco Hackett-Fairchild fired 10-man Southend to a crucial 1-0 League Two win against relegation-rivals Barrow at Roots Hall.
The on-loan Portsmouth forward fired home the only goal of the game just three minutes in as the Shrimpers moved to within one point of safety at the bottom of the table.
But Southend were forced to play the final 38 minutes with a numerical disadvantage after experienced defender Greg Halford was sent off.
The home side started brightly and scored after just three minutes with Hackett-Fairchild cutting in from the right flank before sending a brilliant 20-yard shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.
Barrow soon hit back with Luke James seeing his curling effort tipped over the crossbar by Southend goalkeeper Mark Oxley before his opposite number did well to deny Elvis Bwomono from close range.
But, with 52 minutes on the clock, the Shrimpers were reduced to 10 men when Halford was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Scott Quigley.
However, Southend dug deep to secure a fourth home win in succession.
