Cup progress confirmed as Young Farmers fall to Shrimpers in five-goal thriller

Blues needed to win their final game of the five-match group stage to confirm their place in this week's Second Round draw, and it took efforts from Hicham Abdellah and captain Kane Ferdinand, as well as an early own goal, to outscore the hosts in a typically feisty derby encounter.

No quarter was given in the early stages, but Abdellah served warning of his potency on the right flank in the ninth minute when he latched on to Ferdinand's succinct through ball. The former Football's Next Star talent attempted to force his shot in from an acute angle, only for Trevor Ajim to effect an excellent sliding tackle to block.

Abdellah was involved again shortly afterwards as his short corner was hoisted to the back post by George Smith and Anthony Furlonge rose to nod narrowly over the crossbar.

The Shrimpers took the lead in the 13th minute from a Julian Okai flag-kick delivered from the right flank. Both Furlonge and Ferdinand attacked the winger's cross, but it was ex-Southend youngster Freddie Ladapo who met the ball and inadvertently headed it against the right-hand post. Goalkeeper Shaun Phillips, in his desperation to gather to loose ball, accidentally spilled it over the line before scooping it back, although the assistant referee had already indicated that an own goal had been scored.

Ladapo tried to redeem himself immediately as he glanced Mason Stewart's centre into the gloves of Daniel Bentley and, with the U's fighting their way back into the match, Tosin Olufemi found Drey Wright, who could only drag his shot wide of the left-hand upright from 15 yards.

Alex Woodyard side-footed Abdellah's pass wide midway through the first half, and Colchester were able to equalise after 24 minutes. Stewart's corner was allowed to find its way to Craig Arnott and, given the time to control and turn, he made no mistake with his finish from close range.

This seemed to spark Blues back into life, and Ferdinand met Okai's 26th-minute corner with a bullet header, only for Stewart to clear off of the goal-line. Okai's shot was then deflected over by Matt Redgrave before a Michael Hyland free-kick was flicked into Duane Ofori-Acheampong's path by Smith. The tall front man held off his marker to turn and shoot, but Phillips flung himself to his right to push the ball around the post.

With six minutes remaining before the break, Furlonge and Smith forced Redgrave into a mistake and Ofori-Acheampong pounced on the short back-pass. Unfortunately, as his took the ball past Phillips, the Shrimpers' leading goalscorer travelled too far and his cut-back was blocked by Ajim.

Bentley got down well to save a Lapado effort early in the second half, but the impressive Hyland's excellent work in midfield acted as the catalyst for Blues to go in front again in the 56th minute. The tireless midfielder charged down a ball in midfield before advancing on Phillips, who turned his fierce shot around the post.

There was nothing the goalkeeper could do, however, when Okai swung the corner in to the back post and Furlonge met the ball with a towering header; Abdellah gambled to make contact with the ball ahead of Phillips and divert it into the net for his first goal of the season.

Ferdinand also recorded his opening strike of the campaign twelve minutes later after Bentley had made a smart save from the dangerous Arnott during the intervening period. For the third time it was a set-piece that proved Colchester's undoing, Okai hanging his corner up to the back post again with Louis Baucutt this time nodding down and Ferdinand prodding into the bottom left-hand corner.

Arnott set up a nervous final quarter-of-an-hour when he raced on to substitute Ross Gilfedder's pass. The forward cut inside from the left before engineering an opening so that he could fire low underneath Bentley and make it 3-2.

In truth, the ex-Arsenal goalkeeper was rarely threatened in the closing stages as Southend held on for the three points that took them above their rivals and made sure of qualification from the group. When he was called upon, Bentley made a brilliant instinctive save with his right leg five minutes from the end as Billy Roast flicked on Arnott cross and Gilfedder got the slightest deflection on the ball.

Head of Youth Ricky Duncan was able to introduce Reece Hall, brother of Blues' first-teamer Ryan Hall and a young starlet with Ryman League Premier Division club Tooting & Mitcham United, plus first-year scholars Jack Paxman and Rhys Mackay as Southend saw out the win ahead of their return to League action in a fortnight's time at home to Gillingham.