First team call-ups hit young Shrimpers hard against the Hoops

League

"Michael Hyland, like Kane Ferdinand, is away with the Republic of Ireland this weekend and, with James Stevens, Alex Woodyard, Teddy Nesbitt and George Smith all travelling up to Stockport with the first-team, we have given our young lads a chance," Duncan explained.

"Queens Park Rangers came here and played ten second-year-scholars; we had two second-years starting at Stockport and another two on the bench, so we ended today's game with six new scholars on the pitch," he continued in comparison. "I thought we did very well this morning. We've been unlucky with the first goal as Robert Hyams had done well initially, and then we've conceded three from set-pieces. Although that's a bit disappointing, I don't think you can fault the performances of the lads that have played today."

West Ham United goalkeeper David Wootton was named in goal again with Daniel Bentley and Luke Chambers still ruled out through injury, and they were joined on the sidelines by Anthony Furlonge. That allowed Aaron Tatham a first start at right-back whilst, in the opposite full-back position, Hyams was given his first start. Ryan Auger took up a holding role in midfield behind Jack Paxman, whilst Seedy Njie joined Fope Coker and Rhys Mackay in more attacking areas. Hicham Abdellah, recently informed that he would not be offered a contract for next season, returned to help out the side.

QPR enjoyed plenty of possession early on, but they did not manage to open up the Shrimpers defence until the eleventh minute, when Mo Sharif held off Michael Hassini before firing at Wootton, who made an excellent block at close range. The follow-up was chipped wide by Marcel Henry-Francis, but it was the powerful Sharif that posed the biggest problems, flashing over after outmuscling captain Louis Baucutt on the edge of the penalty area just before the quarter-of-an-hour mark.

In the 16th minute, Michael Doughty fired straight at Wootton from range after his corner had been cleared out of the penalty area before Bagason Graham set up Henry-Francis with a teasing left-wing centre, only for Wootton to prove equal to the forward's prodded finish.

The pressure continued to build, although the visitors' next opportunity came on the break from a Southend flag-kick. Henry-Francis spotted the run of Graham through the middle, but the covering Abdellah did tremendously to hold up the winger, and Wootton was able to come off of his goal-line to gather.

Unfortunately, the youthful Shrimpers were unable to maintain parity beyond the 25th minute, when Rangers took the lead. Wootton was unlucky as he was unsighted when Henry-Francis engineered some space 20 yards from goal to arrow his shot through a crowded penalty area into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

Blues did manage to stifle QPR for much of the remainder of the first half, although the League leaders were able to extend their advantage from their only other clear-cut opportunity of the period nine minutes before the break. Doughty was the provider from the quadrant, finding the head of centre-half Steven O'Donnell, who crouched low to angle the ball inside the left-hand post.

Southend regrouped at the interval, and started the second half brightly, with twin Coker corners almost bringing joy. The first, delivered from the left flank, found Baucutt at the back post, and he nodded across goal for Tatham, who aerial effort faded away from goal as he was levered away from the ball by a defender. The next, less than sixty seconds later, came from the opposite wing, and this time Njie rose to plant a header narrowly wide of the upright.

Henry-Francis should have made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute when Graham waltzed into the box before finding his team-mate a yard out at the far post, but he somehow side-footed across the face of goal, although he was able to make amends two minutes later. Doughty's corner found Henry-Francis unmarked, and his header nestled in the bottom right-hand corner.

Eleven minutes later, QPR were celebrating a fourth, Doughty's pinpoint delivery searching out Henry-Francis at the far post. He nodded back to Sharif, who headed the ball past the despairing attempts of Wootton to keep it out.

By this stage Pinnock, who has 21 Under-16 goals to his name this term, had been introduced, and he was joined late on by highly-rated midfielder Jack Payne and Under-16s skipper Jack Edwards. And, although Doughty crashed a 30-yard free-kick against the crossbar, Blues almost had the final say in stoppage time when Pinnock's cross found Njie, with his header glancing off O'Donnell before Sam Cowler claimed the ball underneath the bar.