Mark Oxley's impressive showing against Harrogate Town paved way for move to Wetherby Road
The Sulphurites were punished for a lacklustre display at Wetherby Road, failing to take their chances before being caught on the counter-attack by a Shrimpers side who hadn't managed a goal in open play in the 650 minutes that preceded Ashley Nathaniel-George's second-half winner.
There were few positives to take from their display, but one good thing did come out of that fixture on March 27.
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Hide AdVisiting goalkeeper Mark Oxley impressed sufficiently between the sticks for Southend to catch the eye of Harrogate boss Simon Weaver, who subsequently moved to sign the 30-year-old former England youth international.
"Mark really caught my eye when Southend played us up here towards the end of last season and I heard at the time that he was going to be out of contract this summer," the Harrogate chief revealed.
"He is a really imposing lad. He's a big presence. I noticed him when the teams walked out at Wetherby Road.
"He stood out physically and also because of how he performed. He was excellent. He kept a clean-sheet, making some great saves and coming off his line with real confidence to claim plenty of deliveries and long throws into his box.
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Hide Ad"I'm sure he will be a good fit here. He's got a lot of Football League experience and he's a really good character."
Born in Sheffield, Oxley started his career at Rotherham United, before a move to then-Premier League Hull materialised.
He would turn out for Walsall, Grimsby, Burton Albion, Oldham Athletic and Hibernian on loan from the Tigers before eventually joining the latter on a permanent deal.
Oxley spent two seasons north of the border with Hibernian, featuring more than 60 times and playing his part in a 2015/16 Scottish Cup triumph.
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Hide AdHe then made the switch to Southend, making 169 appearances at Roots Hall across Leagues One and Two.
The six-foot-three gloveman has been capped for England at U18 and U20 level and was a key figure for Southend, winning their Fans' Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season in 2017/18.
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