Huddersfield Town start is tough for Southend United says Tilson

Jun 19 2009 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

SOUTHEND boss Steve Tilson rates his team’s League I opening-day clash with Town as one of the toughest they could have been handed.

Amazingly, the Saturday, August 8 showdown will be the Shrimpers’ seventh successive home start to a season.

They have totted up three wins and three defeats in those encounters, and will go into the game on the back of a strong finish to last season.

Tilson’s men finished eighth – a place above Town, who they beat 1-0 at the Galpharm in early April.

It was Town’s only loss in their last nine games, a fact which has not gone unnoticed by Tilson, who has been at the Southend helm since November 2003.

That makes him the fifth longest serving manager in the Premier and Coca-Cola Leagues behind Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Accrington’s John Coleman and David Moyes.

“To be honest I think it’s one of the hardest games we could have started off with,” said Tilson, who had nine years as a Southend player, in two spells.

“Huddersfield are spending a lot of money and are going to have a real go next year. They will be strong.”

Town boss Lee Clark has nine chances to check on Southend ahead of the big opener.

That’s the number of friendlies fixed up by Tilson between Friday, July 10 (Great Wakering Rovers away) and Friday, July 31 (Stevenage Borough away).

The plum pre-season clash is against Roy Keane’s Ipswich on Wednesday, July 22 at Roots Hall.