Draw - for Southend United against Woking
(Image: ROB CRAVEN)
Southend United FC
Football
Sport.
SOUTHEND United's under 19 side were pegged back twice during an entertaining 3-3 draw away to Woking in the National League U19 Alliance Academy South Division.
Zevieyan Makangu and Alfie Humphrey put Danny Heath’s side 2-0 up midway through the first half, but Woking were level by the break as Tom Gardner and Ollie Mason worked their way onto the scoresheet.
Jack Stone nodded Blues back in front early in the second period, but Charlie Sweeney’s dominant header ensured the teams shared the points at Woking Park - much to the frustration of Heath.
“The boys showed good game-management last week, but in this game they didn’t,” said Heath after the game.
“We spoke a lot about regains and it not being the pitch to play pretty football, but a lot of our clearances fell short, which allowed them to keep us under pressure in our defensive third.”
“However, from a development point-of-view, they have shown another side to them on a tough pitch and we feel, overall, it was a good point.
"Towards the end it was like a basketball game and both teams had chances, but neither team had long enough in possession of the ball.”
Heath made just one change to the starting line-up from the 6-1 win at Aldershot Town as Julius Nwike replaced Rio Thomas in defence and, on a difficult playing surface, both teams struggled to maintain possession in the early stages leading to frequent turnovers.
Despite that, Southend took the lead after 13 minutes with a goal of real quality.
Obi Okafor chased a long ball to the goal-line and, after holding off a defender, laid it off to Makangu.
He showed outstanding close control to dribble into the penalty area, past two defenders, before lashing his finish beyond Mikey Verga in the Woking goal.
Although Sweeney provided evidence of his aerial prowess with a header across the face of goal from Ryan Scott’s right-wing corner after a quarter-of-an-hour, it was the visitors who were celebrating again on 22 minutes.
Olu Shobowale’s free-kick from the left touchline was directed to the edge of the six-yard box, where Humphrey ghosted in to caress the ball into the right-hand corner.
Blues were on top, and they set about trying to make it count in a similar vein to their previous two away games at Maidenhead United and Aldershot as Stone dragged narrowly wide from 15 yards out having been slipped through by Makangu on 25 minutes before Shobowale curled high and wide with a long-range free-kick on the half-hour.
The Shrimpers were unable to extend their advantage, and instead Woking reduced their arrears after Joshua Barrett had done well to push out Mason’s long-range attempt.
Southend failed to clear their lines during a succession of corners, eventually leading to Gardner firing into the bottom right-hand corner of the net from 10 yards out.
Poxon narrowly failed to reach Okafor’s right-wing centre in the 37th minute, and the skipper then set up Joshua Jackson, who couldn’t wrap his left foot around the ball sufficiently to curl it into the top left-hand corner from 25 yards out two minutes before the break.
It appeared as though the Shrimpers would head into the interval with the lead, but Woking levelled in stoppage time after the visitors had again failed to take numerous opportunities to clear the ball from their defensive third.
Nwike was then adjudged to have tripped Ben Mitchell and Mason’s penalty was too powerful for Barrett to keep out.
Southend started the second half well, and Jackson could have put the away side in front had he been able to control Nwike’s right-wing delivery.
On 54 minutes it was 3-2 as Jackson combined with Humphrey on right-hand side and Stone glanced home his 16th youth team goal of the campaign at the near post.
However, the Cards equalised again five minutes later, with the source of the goal being another set-piece.
Scott’s right-wing corner was delivered to the far post, where Sweeney rose highest to power his header into the net.
The leveller led to Woking’s best spell of the game as Nwike did well to cut out a Scott centre on the hour and Sweeney headed over from a corner on 66 minutes.
In between, Barrett – who has helped Nick Hayes with his warm-ups for the last couple of first-team matches – did well to punch out a number of crosses from the corner quadrant.
Heath changed the shape of the team with the introduction of midfielder Nathan Woodley for defender Teddy Woolland on 72 minutes, but Blues struggled to regain the foothold they had established earlier in the game and instead it was Cards substitute Louis Pask that curled a free-kick inches over with ten minutes remaining.
Another replacement, Stanley Kyle, then hooked wide following another set-piece before going close for a second time as he fired across the face of goal.
However, Southend could have snatched the three points when Mitchell Ward’s left-wing cross was flicked on by Poxon and Jared Nana Asare’s effort was charged down before Makangu smashed over.
That attempt was in the fourth minute of additional time, but there was still one last anxious moment for the Shrimpers as Barrett stood tall to prevent Woking from netting a fourth, keeping out Kyle’s effort and helping his side to earn a seventh point from a possible nine on the road during February.
Southend United U19s: Joshua Barrett, Teddy Woolland (Nathan Woodley 72), Mitchell Ward, Joshua Jackson, Julius Nwike, Olu Shobowale, Alfie Humphrey, Zevieyan Makangu, Jack Stone, Joe Poxon, Obi Okafor (Jared Nana Asare 84).
