Home v Wycombe Wanderers - Saturday 28th February 2009 | |
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The remarkable feat by Ricky Duncan's charges of being unbeaten for a full calendar year came despite a first-half display that appeared flat and disjointed, but was completed thanks to strikes from Craig Calver and Kyle Asante as the young Shrimpers turned on the style after the break.The Under-18s have won 13 and drawn just five League fixtures since a 4-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on 1st March 2008, and in their 24 matches in all competitions since that date, United have lost just twice in 90 minutes - once in a dead group game at home to Millwall in the Youth Alliance Cup, and then narrowly 3-2 to Gillingham in the first knock-out round of the same competition.
One major factor behind the achievement has been a strong spine to the team, with goalkeeper Nathan McDonald and captain Davis Abbey ever-present, centre-half Ronnie Jones missing a mere three matches whilst on work experience at Ryman League Premier Division club Heybridge Swifts last spring and Calver up front netting 13 goals in his 17 appearances since joining the club in August.
It was no different against a Wycombe team that had recorded a 1-1 draw in the group stages of the Youth Alliance Cup at Boots & Laces. On that occasion, Justin Hazell netted after only eleven seconds, but there were no such fireworks this time around.
Wanderers set up to frustrate the hosts, with six or seven men behind the ball whenever Blues were in possession in the opposition half, whilst looking threatening on the counter-attack. McDonald had to rush off of his goal-line in the 16th minute to kick the ball off of the toes of a visiting forward and then at the midway point of the opening period, Ricky Byrne was robbed of possession and an attacker managed to get goal-side of Jones, only to poke wide.
In between, a Hazell corner was headed down by Ade Osifuwa, with Fredrik Ljungström just failing to connect as the ball drifted past the right-hand post.
Jones was fortunate when a scything foul was deemed to have been committed on the very edge of the penalty area and the subsequent free-kick came to nothing, but gradually Southend began to impose themselves in the game.
A delightful passing move involving Byrne, Marcus Milner and Ljungström concluded with Hazell unable to get a shot on goal, although, in general, movement and penetration remained at a premium.
Just seconds later, Byrne delivered a dangerous free-kick that Hazell nodded over before Calver completed another sweeping move upfield on the hour by bringing a fine save from the Wycombe custodian. Save for a long-range effort that sailed over the crossbar, the Chairboys mustered little threat to McDonald's goal, with the 'keeper not having to make a save in anger in the entire 90 minutes.
At the other end, his counterpart had to dive at full-length to his left to stop Calver from adding his second of the morning on 64 minutes before the former Ipswich Town trainee was stopped in his tracks by a defender as he bore down on goal from McDonald's long clearance.
Milner watched an effort from just outside the penalty area bounce back off of the bar as Blues ended strongly, but it was left to substitute Kyle Asante to put the final gloss on proceedings in the third minute of stoppage time. The flying forward unleashed a fierce shot at the end of another good move to leave the 'keeper no chance, even if he did manage to get a fingertip to the ball.
With three consecutive home victories under their belts in 2009, Southend now take the road for the first time in over four months next Saturday to face Luton Town, hoping that this win, and the magnificent accomplishment that goes with it, will act as a springboard in making this a real season to remember.