Beaten - Southend United's under 18 side
(Image: NICKY HAYES)
This one does not say the writer of the article yet.
SOUTHEND United's under 18 side were beaten for the first time this season as they suffered a 3-1 National League U19 Alliance Division A defeat to Chelmsford City at Garon Park.
Sisanda Maguranyanga scored for the 14th time in the current campaign early in the second period to cancel out Taylor Legg’s first-half finish, but further Clarets goals by Jack Camina and Lewis Hayes earned the visitors a comprehensive victory.
And coach Tom Bailey was frustrated by the performance:
“It was nowhere near good enough,” said Bailey.
“Since the Barking Abbey game where there was a massive high, that seems to have been a bit of a turning point, and there has been a bit of sloppiness around what we’ve done in training with the jobs we do and things like that, and it’s culminated in this performance.”
“The boys have got to learn that if you want to be a professional player, or be part of a top team, you can’t switch things on and off.
"Everything you do has to be locked in, and in the last few weeks there have just been a few things that have been off here and there. That all adds up and this was the consequence.”
Chelmsford arrived at Garon Park having won their previous three matches, and they controlled the early exchanges.
Blues were without Ronnie Durussel at the back, with Joseph Buck his replacement, while Yobor Sorae and Muhammed Limbada dropped to the bench with Innocent Duru and Kye Munro named in the starting eleven.
In the 13th minute, City defender Archie Clark nodded a Lester Ward free-kick wide, before Chelmsford forward Legg forced Joshua Barrett into the first of a string of fine saves after a quarter-of-an-hour as the Blues gloveman turned a fierce strike around the left-hand post.
Legg then hooked over from the right-wing throw before the Clarets took the lead on 21 minutes through the front-man, who showed determination to stab home Jett Murphy’s centre after Ward had again initiated the attack down the left-hand side.
Blues had barely ventured into opposition territory and, after Camina’s effort was blocked midway through the first half, they were indebted to their goalkeeper for keeping them within touching distance.
In the 25th minute Barrett sprinted off his line to claim the ball at the feet of Hayes before he made a stunning save 60 seconds later to deny Murphy, who had been slipped clear by Hayes.
Barrett anticipated the pass and closed down the angle before clawing the shot away from goal at the near post.
On 34 minutes Barrett tipped a Hayes attempt over, and when he was finally beaten for a second time moments later, the woodwork came to Southend’s rescue as Legg directed Ward’s left-wing delivery against the crossbar.
Barrett reacted quickly to smother the rebound from Hayes, and he ended the opening period with a full-length dive to save from the same player.
Bailey sent on Dylan Pattison and Sorae in place of Buck and Duru at the break, and although Murphy guided a header wide from a Ward free-kick two minutes into the second half, the signs in the early stages were more encouraging, resulting in an equaliser five minutes after the restart.
Brandon Dadson did well to feed Oscar Miller down the left-hand side of the penalty area and, when he was tripped, the referee pointed to the spot. Maguranyanga made no mistake from 12 yards and as he sent Joshua Wilson the wrong way.
Briefly it appeared that Southend might have ridden out the storm and began to focus on the task at hand.
Sorae’s superb right-wing cross was scooped over by Maguranyanga in the 52nd minute, and four minutes later the goalscorer almost turned provider as he squared towards Miller, who couldn’t apply the finish from inside the six-yard box.
Miller also curled a free-kick straight into Wilson’s gloves from 25 yards out, but Chelmsford also went close during this period with Murphy rounding Barrett before sending his shot from an acute angle across the face of goal, whilst Murphy’s strike from a Hayes free-kick was charged down.
The Clarets restored their lead in the 66th minute. Murphy, who was becoming ever-more influential in the visitors’ play, did well down the left-hand side, and he managed to find Camina, who turned home from eight yards out.
Five minutes later Barrett made a fine double-save to deny Murphy and Theo Mquillan following a right-wing cross and, with 15 minutes remaining, Clark nodded over from a corner.
While it remained 2-1 there was still hope for Southend, and substitute Limbada saw a shot blocked before Maguranyanga’s overhead kick drifted narrowly wide.
Murphy blasted over before Barrett repelled a strong shot, and on 83 minutes the custodian made an excellent save at point-blank range as Legg met a Murphy centre.
However, Chelmsford confirmed their victory with four minutes left when Hayes looped the ball into the top right-hand corner.
Captain Nikolay Zlatev had his own close-range strike charged down immediately afterwards, but Blues were unable to force their way back into the game late on.
But Bailey believes the display might serve as a wake-up call to the squad after a 100 per cent record from their opening seven league and cup fixtures.
“From a development perspective it’s probably come at a good time with a cup game next week,” he said.
“In the league there are 12 more games, but if we had turned in that performance next week it could’ve been the end of that cup run.”
“We had built up some good momentum in terms of trying to win the league, and we want to win the league; no-one is hiding away from that.
We’re here to produce players for the U19s and then on to the first-team, but everyone wants to win the league and no-one wants to lose games.”
“There has to be a much more professional attitude in terms of what we do.
"It’s a learning curve, but this is a new group of players starting out in a new league and they’ve won every game until this one.
"Maybe they took their eye off the ball, but now there needs to be a complete focus."
Southend United U18s: Joshua Barrett, Joseph Buck (Dylan Pattison 46), Oscar Miller, Ibrahim Lima (Muhammed Limbada 66), Prince Chinedum, James Datey, Innocent Duru (Yobor Sorae 46), Kye Munro, Nikolay Zlatev, Brandon Dadson, Sisanda Maguranyanga.
Unused substitutes: Riley Sykes & George Riches.
