Sean Morison profile (The Southern Daily Echo, 05/08/09)

For up-to-the-minute sports news visit dailyecho.co.ukWednesday, August 5, 2009 55

FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT Saints v Millwall countdown SAINTS EXTRA

PLUCKED from non-league, this is the manwho will be aiming toshoot Millwall to victoryagainst Saints this week-end.

His name is Steve Morison and hehas a licence to score.

Few will be familiar with the hit-man, which isn’t too surprising asthis is the first time he has played inthe Football League for nearly fiveyears.

But don’t be fooled, this man is asharp shooter.

Last season alone he scored 27league goals for Stevenage, finishingtop scorer in the Conference National.

Full circle

And if he can hone his non-leaguescoring abilities for League One,then Millwall may have pulled offthe transfer coup of the summer.

The £130,000 they shelled out forthe man with two Wembley cupmedals to his name in recent yearswill be money well spent if the Lionscan improve on last season’s LeagueOne play-off final.

But that is a big if.Morison has not played in the

Football League since leaving

Northampton in 2004, the club hestarted his career at.

Ironically, the last time Morisonplayed for them was against Saints,coming off the bench in a 3-0 defeatat home to Steve Wigley’s men in theLeague Cup in September 2004.

Now his career has come a full cir-cle.

He will make his Millwall debutagainst Saints this weekend, spear-heading the Lions attack after mov-ing from Broadhall Way.

It is a fairytale ending to what hasbeen a turbulent, yet prolific, jour-ney back.

After leaving Northampton,Morison, then aged 21, ended up inthe footballing backwater ofBishop’s Stortford, where he stayedfor two seasons, scoring hatfuls ofgoals in the Conference South.

His performances for Stortfordearned him a move to Stevenage,where he was equally prolific.

Three successful years at

Broadhall Way saw him rack up 67league goals in 127 appearances.

But his finest hours have beenreserved for Wembley – scoring thewinner in the FA Trophy in both2007 and 2009.

This form was enough to persuadeMillwall manager Kenny Jackett toloosen the purse strings to sign theEnfield-born striker, who hadbecome a big fish at Borough.

“He had outgrown Stevenage andhe should do well at Millwall,” saidMark Armstrong, Stevenagereporter for the club’s local newspa-per, the Comet.

Better service

“He has proven he can score plentyof goals and should be able to doeven better with better service.

“But it’s up to him to step up.”Morison knows he has to make the

two-division step-up. And there is no bigger step in

League One than an opening game ofthe season at St Mary’s, live on Sky.

“I’m used to going to the Barrowsaway and playing in front of 1,000people,” Morison recently admit-ted.”

It will all be massive to me butwhat an exciting first fixture.

“Not only is it againstSouthampton and it being down atSt Mary’s, but it is on TV.

“It’s the first league game of theseason to be shown – it’s fantasticand a great buzz. If you can’t get outof bed with a smile on your faceready for that then there is some-thing wrong with you.”

Direct player

Morison – whose only pre-seasongoals for the Lions came with a dou-ble strike in a 2-1 win at his formerclub Stevenage last week – is a directplayer but fairly quick for a targetman.

Pace is something he has had towork on, though. At Stevenage heworked with a speed coach last sea-son at the request of the manager.

That paid dividends and now he’llhope his move to League One doestoo.

Speed will again be of the essence,as Morison – who is expected to part-ner Gary Alexander at St Mary’swith veteran Neil Harris proving agoal threat from the bench – needs toprove quickly that he is cannyenough to adapt to the gulf in class ofthe defenders.

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BACK IN THE BIG TIME: Steve Morison will play hisfirst Football League game for five years at St Mary’s.

Omensare notgoodHISTORY will almost certainlybe against Saints when thecurtain lifts on the 2009/10League One campaign thisweekend.

That’s because the clubhave only won once on theopening day in the last twodecades!

The sole first day successcame against GordonStrachan’s Coventry in 1999.

Egil Ostenstad’s goal gaveDave Jones’ men a 1-0 win atHighfield Road in a gamewhich marked Dean Richards’competitive debut for Saints.

The last time Saints won athome on the opening day of aseason was back in 1988/89when Chris Nicholl’s sidethumped West Ham 4-0 at TheDell.

Paul Rideout scored twiceon his debut with GlennCockerill and sub Matt LeTissier also on target in frontof 18,407.

OPENING DAY WOE –1989-2008

89/90: Millwall (H) . . . . . L 1-2 90/91: Aston Villa (A) . . . D 1-191/92: Tottenham (H) . . . L 2-3 92/93: Tottenham (H) . . D 0-0 93/94: Everton (H) . . . . . L 0-294/95: Blackburn (H) . . . D 1-195/96: Notts Forest (H) . L 3-496/97: Chelsea (H) . . . . D 0-097/98: Bolton (H) . . . . . . L 0-198/99: Liverpool (H) . . . . L 1-299/00: Coventry (A) . . . W 1-000/01: Derby (A) . . . . . . D 2-201/02: Leeds (A) . . . . . . L 0-202/03: Middlesboro (H) . D 0-003/04: Leicester (A) . . . . D 2-204/05: Aston Villa (A) . . . L 0-205/06: Wolves (H) . . . . . D 0-006/07: Derby (A) . . . . . . D 2-207/08: C Palace (H) . . . . L 1-408/09: Cardiff (A) . . . . . . L 1-2

TOTALP W D L F A20 1 9 10 19 31

Jaidi deal setto be sealedSAINTS were today hoping toclinch the signing of defenderRadhi Jaidi.

They had been confident ofcompleting the deal for thecentre half who has beenreleased by Birmingham yes-terday.

Meanwhile, Saints fans willbe able to get their hands onthe club’s new away kit forthe forthcoming season forthe first time today.

The distinctive new mid-night blue and yellow stripwill go on sale at the club’smegastore and West Quayshop from 9am this morning.

The kit will also be availablevia the online store and mailorder hotline on 0845 6889433.

EGIL OSTENSTAD

Sport

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16-page Saints special

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Focus on the squad andthe League One season

Former Stevenage man out to impresson League return

By Simon Peachechosport@dailyecho.co.ukFor up-to-the-minute sport– dailyecho.co.uk