Home defeat - for Southend United
(Image: ROB CRAVEN)
Yesterday at null
Southend United FC
Football
Sport
By Rob Craven.
SOUTHEND United’s lengthy unbeaten run was brought to an end by table-topping Eastleigh following a hard-fought National League U19 Alliance Academy South Division fixture at Garon Park.
Connor Underhill’s 58th-minute finish was all that separated the sides at the end of an intense encounter, meaning Danny Heath’s squad tasted defeat for the first time since early October.
But, despite the reverse, Heath praised the way his charges performed.
“The boys have got to be proud of their efforts,” he declared.
“They’re obviously disappointed with the result, but for the two seasons we’ve been in this league, Eastleigh have been one of the best, if not the best, teams we’ve played against.”
“They recruit a lot of players as third-years from clubs in that area such as Southampton, and the boys have got to be proud with how competitive they were within the game against the team that are deservedly top of the table.”
Heath made two changes to the team that drew 4-4 at Oxford City in their opening match of 2025 as Rio Thomas replaced Thato Molefi in defence and Obi Okafor came in for Joe Poxon up front.
George Pulham wore the captain’s armband with Poxon on the substitutes’ bench alongside Beau MacDonald.
Blues made a fast start to the game and could have edged ahead in the third minute when Mitchell Ward burst into the penalty area and stabbed the ball through to Okafor, who went down under a challenge.
With appeals for a penalty dismissed, Pulham ran onto the loose ball and forced a parried stop from Eastleigh goalkeeper Heath Bartram.
The Spitfires looked comfortable in possession and they worked their first opening nine minutes into the match when Tyler Field’s left-wing centre was met by Joe Ryan at the near post and he flicked narrowly wide.
Two minutes later the visitors showed their attacking prowess once again as Billy Brackley seized on a misplaced pass deep in Blues territory and he fed Ryan on the overlap.
The forward then picked out Field on the left-hand edge of the penalty area and his fierce strike was directed over.
The teenage Shrimpers have scored a number of goals from set-pieces in recent weeks, and first-year Alfie Humphrey was a huge threat from such situations, initially forcing a defender to nod over in the 13th minute before meeting Olu Shobowale’s corner and heading over himself.
On 18 minutes, Ward and Nathan Woodley worked the ball back to Shobowale from a left-wing throw and he swung a delivery into Okafor, who turned 15 yards out and sent his strike narrowly wide of the right-hand post.
Eastleigh then showed their own capability from set-pieces as Jack Fox’s long throw dropped to Underhill, who thumped a half-volley into the side-netting.
The visitors began to control possession, and Underhill saw another effort charged down before Ward cut out the winger’s run on the half-hour as he looked set to shoot.
For all their territorial advantage, Eastleigh had failed to test Blues goalkeeper Joshua Barrett, but that changed on 38 minutes when Fox picked out Field, who forced the custodian into a superb full-length save to his left-hand side.
Despite the away team edging the opening period, the first half ended with Southend on top and Okafor’s cross on 42 minutes was delivered just behind Jack Stone before Okafor himself was crowded out as he attempted to get a shot away from Nathan Woodley’s pass.
Ward suffered an injury during stoppage time, necessitating the introduction of Julius Nwike and a rearrangement of the back three, together with Shobowale shifting upfield to wing-back.
Humphrey, who had moved across to the left, made an immediate impression by cutting across Ryan and forcing the ball out from Cameron Sullivan’s raking pass early in the second half.
Ryan then scooped an Underhill delivery over from 12 yards out, but Eastleigh finally moved ahead just before the hour mark when Ryan won the ball from Rio Thomas in his own half and led the charge forwards.
He found Field, overlapping on the left-hand side, and his deep cross was side-footed back inside the left-hand post by Underhill.
Southend responded well, and Pulham found Stone with a right-wing delivery, but he was marshalled away from goal and found himself isolated in the penalty area.
On 71 minutes, Stone rose to glance Barrett’s free-kick marginally wide as Blues continued to seek an equaliser.
Heath threw on Poxon for Freddie Miller, MacDonald – for his first youth team appearance since The FA Youth Cup tie against Harpenden Town – in place of Woodley and Joshua Jackson for Zevieyan Makangu during a quarter-of-an-hour period in a bid to find a way back into the match.
In between those changes, Barrett produced a fine near-post stop to keep out Underhill’s drilled finish and, on 79 minutes, Eastleigh defender Lewis Colvin rose to meet a left-wing corner, with Barrett again gathering.
Southend went close to levelling with nine minutes remaining as Stone held off Tyler Edmondson and fired across the face of goal.
The strike was inches away from creeping inside the left-hand post, and would have done so if Poxon had managed to get his toecaps to the ball as he stretched on the edge of the six-yard box.
As Blues attempted to equalise, they had to be wary of the threat at the opposite end of the pitch, and Thomas did brilliantly to slide in and deflect Underhill’s fierce strike over the bar on 85 minutes before Barrett grabbed the ball from the feet of Ryan after the forward had seized on an under-hit back-pass.
The final opportunity of a high-quality clash came in stoppage time when Okafor was pulled back and the referee awarded a free-kick 22 yards from goal.
Shobowale stood over the ball and fired the dead-ball straight at Bartram, with Eastleigh holding on to inflict just a fourth defeat of the campaign on Danny Heath’s side.
“It’s one of those games where one goal was probably going to be enough to win the game,” Heath reflected.
“Our boys have been on a great run and, including all matches including friendlies, they were 10 or 11 unbeaten before today, and that is some run.”
“During that run, the performances have been outstanding and we’re proud as staff of their commitment and effort today.
Unfortunately, Eastleigh got the goal and they go away with the three points, but it was a very enjoyable game to watch between two good teams going at it against each other.”
“This is a set-back on the road. We can’t change that; it’s happened now and we’ve got to focus forwards on the next game against Maidstone United next week.
"We’ll do everything right in terms of our analysis because, even though the result wasn’t what we wanted, there were positives in terms of individual performances and we can review and learn from it,” he added.
Southend United U19s: Joshua Barrett, Alfie Hunmphrey, Mitchell Ward (Julius Nwike, 45+2), Zevieyan Makangu (Joshua Jackson, 77), Rio Thomas, Olu Shobowale, George Pulham, Nathan Woodley (Beau MacDonald, 72), Jack Stone, Freddie Miller (Joe Poxon, 63), Obi Okafor.
Unused substitute: Teddy Woollard.
