Southend United reporter Chris Phillips felt sick after realizing his prized notepads containing 20 years of handwritten statistics had been stolen. The incident occurred on Saturday during the Eastbourne Open in East Sussex.

What happened?

Phillips' laptop, phone, and clothes were also in the bag swiped from his parents' car by a thief. Sussex Police described the incident as upsetting and said it would be in touch with Phillips to explore possible lines of inquiry.

Why it matters for Southend

The notes feature details regarding the Shrimpers' FA Vase triumph in May and their epic 1-0 victory over Manchester United in 2006. Phillips would scribble down every detail of the fixtures, including goalscorers, substitutes, and cards dished out by the referees.

What comes next?

Phillips has been heartened by an outpouring of support since appealing for help on X, including from legendary football commentator Clive Tyldesley. He is now considering writing all the statistics out again in a new set of notepads, even if it takes months.

As of the current season, Southend stands at 6th in the National League, with 81 points from 46 games, and a recent form of WLWWD. Their last result was a 0-0 draw against Wealdstone on 2026-05-17. The team has scored 83 goals and conceded 47, with a goal difference of +36. They are currently 27 points behind leaders York.

CategoryValue
League Standing6th
Points81
Recent FormWLWWD
Goals Scored83
Goals Conceded47
Goal Difference+36