In these unprecedented times, no one knows what is happening with football. It’s on an enforced hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there’s no real sign of when this will be lifted. There’ll be a logistical backlog of games to get through. Aside from that, there is also the need to consider player contract situations – the projected end date for the season being past the traditional 30 June cut-off point for contracts.
It doesn’t look good for Southend. They sit next-to-bottom of League One on 19 points and trail AFC Tranmere Rovers by 13 points and 22 goals. It does look like the Shrimpers are doomed for League Two football next season. That might be one of the more certain things in the clubs thinking, although football is a funny old game as Greavsie used to say. There are uncertainties, such as contract situations. Here are five Southend players out of contract at the end of June.
Mark Milligan (defensive midfield): 80-cap Australia international Milligan joined Southend on a one-year deal last summer joining Sol Campbell’s outfit from Scottish side Hibernian. He’s made 30 appearances for the Shrimpers this season but is yet to score for the roots Hall side.
Joe Shaughnessy (centre-back): 27-year-old Shaugnessy joined Southend on a free transfer at the start of August last year from Scottish side St. Johnstone where he was the club’s captain. The former Ireland Under-21 international has made 16 appearances this season in League One but hasn’t yet scored for the Blues.
Luke Hyam (central midfield): 28-year-old central midfielder Hyam signed from boyhood club Ipswich at the start of July 2018 and he has gone on to make 28 appearances for the club, scoring one goal. He’s made just five appearances this season totalling just 211 minutes of on-field action.
Sam Amntom (central midfield): Mantom joined Southend from Scunthorpe United at the opening of the summer 2018 transfer window. He started at Walsall, moving to West Brom’s Under-23s and bounced between the two clubs on a series of loan deals a final move to Wallsall and a subsequent move to Scunthorpe. Since signing for the Roots Hall outfit, Mantom has made 81 appearances, scoring nine goals and adding 10 assists. Two of those goals and six of those assists have come this season in 22 League One appearances.
Timothée Dieng (defensive midfield): Dieng, who started out his football journey in France with Stade Brest 29, signed for Sol Campbell’s Southend at the start of the July transfer window in 2018. During his time at the club, the Grenoble-born French-Sengalese midfielder has gone on to make 74 appearances (six goals/four assists) for Southend with two of those goals coming against AFC Wimbledon and Bolton Wanderers this season in the 21 games he’s featured in.
Emmanuel Osadebe (right midfield): Osadebe was picked up by Sol Campbell’s side in mid-February this year after the midfielder was released by Macclesfield at the end of January. He scored four goals and provided three assists for the Stags in League Two but has yet to feature for Southend since signing a short-term deal.
