Big victory - for Southend United
(Image: ROB CRAVEN)
Southend United FC
Football
Sport.
SOUTHEND United's under 19 side moved to within three points of second-placed Maidstone United in the National League U19 Alliance Academy South Division following an emphatic 6-1 win at Aldershot Town.
Blues were dominant from start to finish as they raced into a three-goal half-time lead thanks to Mitchell Ward, Jack Stone and Obi Okafor.
Danny Heath’s side then proved they had learnt the lesson from last week’s topsy-turvy encounter at Maidenhead United by adding three more inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour of the second period.
Stone was on target again to make it 4-0 before Alfie Humphrey netted arguably the goal of the game and captain Joe Poxon stretched the advantage still further.
Aldershot substitute Savion Shah scored a consolation for the hosts before fellow replacement Riley Hadley was dismissed inside the final ten minutes of the match.
Heath was delighted with the way his side went about building on their first success of 2025 seven days previously: “I thought the boys were excellent,” he claimed.
“It was pleasing to score six goals, and it probably should’ve been more. If we’d have come off the pitch having scored 10, I don’t think Aldershot could’ve had any complaints.”
“Every match is a learning opportunity for the boys, and the message at half-time was that it was the same sort of situation as we faced at Maidenhead last week.
"This was an opportunity to show they had learnt from last week’s experience, and they did that.”
“Winning the game 6-1 is a massive positive, and it’s massively pleasing, but from a development point-of-view they have shown they learnt from the experience of last week at the start of the second half, and this time they got the next goal in the game.”
Heath named an unchanged team for the trip to Bottom Meadow, the home of both Bracknell Town and Sandhurst Town, and despite the one-sided nature of the eventual score-line, Southend had to be aware of their hosts’ threat in the early stages.
Indeed, Aldershot could have had the first sight of goal in the seventh minute had Rio Thomas not made an important intervention in the penalty area.
Instead, a couple of minutes later, it was Blues that were celebrating the opener.
Zevieyan Makangu set Poxon clear of the Aldershot defence and his chipped finish was pushed out by goalkeeper Keanu Black.
The danger wasn’t over for the Shots, though, as Joshua Jackson’s left-wing corner was cleared out to Ward and he steered through a crowded area from 16 yards out to put the teenage Shrimpers in front.
Black made a comfortable save after Okafor drilled a right-footed attempt into his gloves on 15 minutes, and Southend continued to press forwards with Stone holding the ball up well to invite Olu Shobowale to drag a long-range effort narrowly wide of the right-hand post four minutes later.
Southend were enjoying a heavy territorial advantage, and the movement of Poxon and Okafor was confusing their opponents, eventually helping the visitors to double the advantage on 26 minutes.
Poxon was the provider as his floated left-wing cross was glanced onto the left-hand upright by Stone.
The forward was alert to the rebound and sent a diving header into the bottom right-hand corner.
Okafor’s fierce strike on the half-hour was deflected into the side-netting before Poxon was thwarted by defender Harrison Davey as he entered the penalty area and prepared to unleash a shot towards Black’s goal in the 34th minute.
Five minutes later Okafor nodded a cushioned header by Humphrey inches over the bar from six yards out following a Jackson free-kick.
Teddy Woolland did well to scoop clear under pressure after Barrett had pushed out a right-wing delivery just before the interval, but there was still time for Southend to add a spectacular third on the stroke of half-time, despite Evan Moss having done well to hook the ball off Okafor’s toes following a Shobowale cross.
The former Barnet man was involved again from the ensuing corner, with his delivery contested by Poxon and Black.
The Shots goalkeeper did well to block Poxon’s close-range effort, but he was powerless to prevent Okafor’s acrobatic effort from flying into the net from six yards out.
Aldershot protested vociferously about Poxon’s challenge, but the officials were unmoved.
There was to be no repeat of the Shrimpers’ susceptibility shortly after the interval in their previous trip to Berkshire as Stone contributed his 15th competitive goal of the season for the team in the 52nd minute.
Blues pressed high up the pitch and the forward was presented with the ball on the edge of the penalty area.
He cut inside before his shot took a wicked deflection and wrong-footed Black.
Kian Dugdale curled wide for the hosts, who were soon reeling from a sensational fifth goal for Southend in the 56th minute.
Poxon’s left-wing cross was flicked on by Stone at the near post and found its way to Humphrey around 15 yards out, from where he smashed a superb first-time half-volley into the top left-hand corner of the net.
Blues would have to wait just two minutes before adding their sixth.
Like the first and third goals, the goal came about from a set-piece situation as Jackson floated a free-kick to the far post from the right-hand touchline.
Ward nodded the ball back across goal and Poxon was on hand to turn in from close-range.
Dugdale and Moss both saw attempts from inside the penalty area charged down before Barrett made a full-length save from Felix Hills to maintain his shut-out.
At the other end, sub George Pulham led a counter-attack midway through the second half with Black parrying his rasping strike before Stone’s follow-up was deflected off-target.
The away side were frustrated with 14 minutes remaining when Aldershot netted a consolation through Shah.
Barrett had made a good initial save to push out Moss’ fierce strike at the near post, but the substitute seized on the loose ball to thread his finish into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.
Any thoughts that Aldershot would further reduce their arrears were quashed when Hadley was dismissed for his reaction to a foul in midfield on 83 minutes, and instead the match ended with Humphrey and Shobowale sending twin attempts marginally over the crossbar from distance.
The result lifted Blues to fourth in the table.
Southend United U19s: Joshua Barrett, Teddy Woolland, Mitchell Ward, Joshua Jackson (Nathan Woodley 72), Rio Thomas, Olu Shobowale, Alfie Humphrey, Zevieyan Makangu (Julius Nwike 79), Jack Stone, Joe Poxon (Jared Nana Asare 79), Obi Okafor (George Pulham 62).
