No goals, and one point for Clarets

There was no surprise when Steve Cotterill named an unchanged team and although we didn't start as convincingly as we had done against Hull we soon looked as though we were getting the upper hand.

Steve Jones had the first chance, set up by Gifton Noel-Williams, but he hit his shot over the bar and with it went the hopes of an early lead. It was really our only decent chance in the first quarter of the game and things could have been more difficult for us when Southend twice got shots on our goal but both times fired wide.

Probably our best chance of the half fell to the once again impressive Gifton, he got on the end of a cross from Frank Sinclair but he put the ball over the top following a very spectacular looking diving header. This signalled our best spell of the half and both Andy Gray and Michael Duff went close although as half time approached we'd still not found that breakthrough.

As that half time whistle drew ever closer we won a free kick out on the left hand side and got players into the box. As Uriah Rennie pushed the wall back ten yards his attention was drawn to John McGreal who was laid out around the penalty spot. “Off, off, off,” cried some of the Burnley fans, presumably thinking someone had done a Wayne Thomas.

After some delay Johnny Mac was helped up and carried off with Stephen Foster coming on immediately as his replacement. So finally to the free kick, but this was when Rennie decided he wanted to be the star, and after waiting a good few minutes to take it, he blew, we took it and he blew again for half time.

It had been a disappointing first half, although we had been the better of the two sides, and we needed to lift the performance after the break. In reality it all went worse and we never looked as though we might score.

Within seconds of the second half getting underway we were thankful to still be level after a poor mistake by Foster, Freddy Eastwood hitting his shot wide of the goal. It was a relief and we twice came close to making the most of it, as both James O'Connor and Jones got shots in, and it was a very good save down to his right by Flahavan from Jones.

Another awful mistake almost cost us again – this time it was Harley but he recovered superbly as Eastwood this time did look set to put Southend in front. It had been a bright start to the second half but from then on I can hardly recall a real chance of a goal. Wade had a shot saved but the keeper hardly had to move and although we weren't looking anything like as secure at the back, the visitors didn't look likely to grab a goal.

We made two substitutions, firstly Garreth O'Connor coming on for Elliott, and then Alan Mahon for Jones, but they made little difference and neither player made any real sort of contribution as we found it more and more difficult. By now there was no real width to our play and we had resorted to hitting too many hopeful balls up to the front two. Given the sort of football we've played recently it made it even more disappointing.

Referee Rennie didn't let us down though as he took centre stage again, turning a dropped ball in the Southend box into something of a farce. Then he booked Flahavan for time wasting as his fourth official held up the board for five extra minutes. Needless to say this sparked the crowd into life but we didn't once threaten and could so easily have conceded a goal.

There were a couple of wild clearances, a ball came across our six yard box with no one claiming it, but it was probably a night when neither side deserved to win. It had been a disappointing game and again we'd failed to overcome a mediocre side at home.

We are certainly a side just now that is playing better away from home than at home, as the points won suggest, and we really are going to have to start finding some more wins at home.

I'd very few candidates for Man of the Match, it was between Gifton and the two central midfield players Hyde and O'Connor. It was a difficult choice but I'm gone for Gifton who won just about every ball knocked up to him tonight. Just a pity he couldn't direct that header into the net in the first half.

Plymouth next, they are doing well, but this is where on paper the tough games start with Preston and Cardiff to follow. We'll need to do better than we did tonight.

The teams were;

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Frank Sinclair, Michael Duff, John McGreal (Stephen Foster 45), Jon Harley, Wade Elliott (Garreth O'Connor 69), James O'Connor, Micah Hyde, Steve Jones (Alan Mahon 76), Andy Gray, Gifton Noel-Williams. Subs not used: Chris McCann, Kyle Lafferty.

Southend: Darryl Flahavan, Simon Francis, Spencer Prior (Peter Clarke 8), Lewis Hunt, Adam Barrett, Luke Guttridge, Steven Hammell, Mark Gower, Kevin Maher, Matt Harrold, Freddy Eastwood. Subs not used: Steve Collis, Gary Hooper, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Billy Paynter.

Referee: Uriah Rennie (Sheffield).

Attendance: 10,461.