Good win - for Southend United's youngsters
(Image: ROB CRAVEN)
Southend United FC
Football
Sport.
SOUTHEND United's under 19 side will go into next week’s final National League U19 Alliance Academy South Division fixture of the season against Maidstone United with the chance to finish in the top three following a 2-1 victory over Woking.
Blues registered a fourth consecutive win for the second time in the current campaign thanks to goals by George Pulham and Julius Nwike, either side of Henry McDonald’s deflected finish for the visitors, hauling the side to within two points of Oxford City, who currently occupy that coveted third place.
“As a minimum, the boys deserve to finish third,” declared coach Oisín Seager.
“Especially during the latter stage of the season, the way they have played and the commitment they’ve put in, the training and the work they do every single day, they deserve third.”
“That was a target they set at the very beginning of the season.
"The hunger they have to achieve that, you can see it every single day and if they could do it, it would be massive and it would give us a good buzz going into next season.
"You always want to compete and win titles, but you can’t fault how they’ve done this season and the performances they’ve put in.”
Blues made one enforced change to the starting line-up with Obi Okafor replacing the injured Jack Stone up front.
Stone, who collected the Shrimpers Trust Youth Team Player of the Year award on Tuesday evening, suffered suspected ligament damage during the 1-0 win at Dover Athletic a fortnight previously.
Southend had a couple of early set-piece opportunities, but Alfie Humphrey directed a powerful header from Olu Shobowale’s corner into the turf and up over the crossbar in the fifth minute before a Joshua Jackson delivery from the opposite quadrant narrowly eluded the attacking blue shirts three minutes later.
When the hosts took the lead after a quarter-of-an-hour, it was no surprise that the goal arrived following another dead-ball situation, although Woking did initially clear Shobowale’s right-wing corner.
Humphrey retrieved possession and set up Pulham, who feigned to shoot with his right foot before cutting onto his left and sweeping the ball into the left-hand corner of the net.
Having edged ahead, the teenage Shrimpers appeared to lose some impetus, and Nwike was forced to make a foul to break up a promising attack in the 18th minute, earning a yellow card in the process.
Three minutes later, goalkeeper Joshua Barrett was off his line swiftly to apprehend Ben Mitchell as he advanced into the penalty area.
On 24 minutes, the Cards equalised.
Blues gave away possession in their own half, presenting McDonald with an opportunity to unleash a shot at goal from 20 yards out that took a wicked deflection off Jackson’s boot and flew away from Barrett, who was unfortunate to concede his first goal in 304 minutes of competitive action.
Woking were enjoying their best period of the game, and Jayden Smith smashed over from the left-hand apex of the penalty area in the 27th minute.
However, Blues managed to see off the threat and, on the half-hour, Humphrey saw a strike from the ‘D’ deflected over after being supplied by Jackson.
The opening period ended with Okafor going close on three separate occasions.
First, he failed to get enough purchase on a header from Shobowale’s swinging left-wing cross before he was thwarted by Cards custodian Bob Honey after sliding in to meet a Mitchell Ward cut-back.
Finally, he nodded over from close-range following another Shobowale corner on 44 minutes.
Early in the second half, Mitchell could have provided Woking with the advantage, but Barrett cut down his angles and the forward fired over, leaving Southend to pounce within five minutes of the restart.
Shobowale’s right-wing free-kick was headed against the crossbar by Humphrey, and Nwike was alert to the rebound, gleefully slamming into the net from five yards out.
Southend, who were watched by club chair Justin Rees, could have pulled further clear as the second period progressed, but Joe Poxon’s diving header from a Jackson cross was directedly narrowly wide of the near post and Okafor then flashed a shot into the side-netting after Poxon had led a swift counter-attack on 57 minutes.
Shobowale nodded a Jackson corner wide and Okafor couldn’t keep his header down from Pulham’s first-time cross either side of the hour mark, whilst Teddy Woolland sent a fierce strike off-target and Honey gathered Woodley’s attempted lob in the 69th minute.
Substitute Beau MacDonald was prevented from scoring on his return to the team by Honey, who grabbed his 82nd minute header from a Shobowale corner, before the Woking goalkeeper denied Ward and MacDonald in quick succession after Poxon had cut the ball back frokm the goal-line.
There were a couple of anxious moments in the closing stages as Barrett was called upon to save from Woking skipper Tom Gardner and Mitchell then appealed for a penalty after going to ground in the area, but the referee waved away the visitors’ pleas and Blues were triumphant again ahead of next Wednesday’s final fixture against Maidstone United.
Southend United U19s: Joshua Barrett, Teddy Woolland, Mitchell Ward, Joshua Jackson, Julius Nwike (Rio Thomas, 70), Olu Shobowale, George Pulham, Alfie Humphrey, Joe Poxon, Nathan Woodley (Zevieyan Makangu, 90+1), Obi Okafor (Beau MacDonald, 70). Unused substitute: Thato Molefi.
