ALBION will face a former German under-21 international who has played in the Champions League at Roots Hall tomorrow.

Lars Unger, a 26-year-old midfielder on loan from Fortuna Dusseldorf for the rest of the season, made his debut for struggling Southend in last Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Halifax.

So too did Barry Hunter. The 30-year-old Northen Ireland international defender, sidelined for two years by a bad knee injury, has joined the Shrimpers on a month's loan from Reading.

Steve McGavin, a midfielder introduced on a free transfer from Wycombe Wanderers, and leftback Martyn Booty also figured in the Halifax defeat which slipped big-spending Southend to sixth-bottom, their lowest position this season. Booty has signed a three-year contract following a successful loan spell.

The Essex seasiders have been relegated for the past two seasons and boss Alvin Martin has been under pressure.

His side climbed to eighth when they kept their only away clean sheet against Albion in September, but their only victory so far this year came against rock-bottom Scarborough.

Striker Neil Campbell, bought from Scarborough for £15,000, and rightback Mark Beard are both banned tomorrow.

Martin welcomes back from suspension Rob Newman, a team-mate at Norwich of Seagulls duo Ian Culverhouse and Mark Walton.

Ex-Albion defender Keith Dublin is out of favour and out of contract at the end of the season.

DANGER MAN

KEVIN Rapley makes the farewell appearance of a three-month loan spell from Brentford.

The 21-year-old striker has scored three goals in the last two games and Southend are keen to sign him on a permanent basis.

FLASHBACK

ALBION suffered their first home defeat of the season against Southend in September.

Goals either side of half time by former Manchester City striker Barry Conlon on his away debut and David Whyte gave the visitors a 2-0 win before a crowd of 3,830 at the Priestfield Stadium.

LAST SIX MATCHES

ALBION

Exeter (h) 0-1

Swansea (a) 2-2

Peterborough (h) 1-0

Scarborough (h) 1-0

Chester (a) 1-1

Carlisle (h) 1-3

SOUTHEND

Halifax (a) 1-3

Rotherham (a) 2-2

Torquay (h) 0-0

Carlisle (h) 0-1

Shrewsbury (a) 1-3

Scarborough (h) 1-0

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.