Shaun Goater was part of a desperation second half triple substitution but couldn?t save Southend from a third straight defeat at Port Vale on Saturday.

On a bitterly cold afternoon, the Bermudian, rested again by manager Steve Tilson, was brought into the fray in the 66th minute by which time his side were already two goals down to the 11th placed Valiants ? scored by former Shrimper Leon Constantine and Michael Husbands respectively.

Even with four attackers on the pitch, Tilson?s men didn?t look like they were ever going to get anything out of the game at Vale Park in a woefully one-dimensional performance.

Goater put in some useful flick-ons and runs but nothing of any substance was put together and the two-goal mountain was always going to be too steep to climb.

Southend lacked any penetration in the final third of the field and couldn?t turn midfield possession into clear chances while wingers sent too many of their crosses too deep to cause any real trouble for the Port Vale rearguard.

Time sped away from them so even when Southend did pull back a consolation in the final minute with Jay Smith on hand from close range to bundle in a diving header, all it did was leave the Shrimpers with a flattering scoreline.

Goater?s side remain in third place despite three straight league defeats which have seen then drop down from top spot in League One and they now have the welcome distraction of an FA Cup second round clash with MK Dons coming up this weekend.

The 35-year-old Goat, who has been tethered to the substitutes bench for the past two games for rest after a stretch of consecutive starts, is expected to be back in the line-up for the cup clash.

In the US, John Barry Nusum notched a goal and an assist in his side?s 8-4 defeat by the St. Louis Steamers. The Philadelphia KiXX have now lost two in a row.