Glimse into future as young Shrimpers just fail to best Bees

Although ultimately Blues' Youths were dealt another defeat, there was much to encourage Duncan that the next crop of youngsters to come under his tutelage will bear as many fruits as this season's, from which there have been six offered contracts to remain at the club into 2011/12.

Included in the starting line-up were Robert Hyams, making only his second start, Jack Payne, beginning a match at this level for the first time and Lyle Della-Verde, a relative veteran now with 17 appearances to his name. The flying winger, who has made the first team substitutes' bench on three occasions, used the outing to notch his first goal for the club during a particularly impressive spell from the youngsters.

"We've started with three schoolboys and brought on another one, plus most of the rest of the team are first-year scholars due to first-team call-ups and resting players for the reserve match against Watford on Monday," explained Duncan. "But we mustn't use that as an excuse; we played very well for much of the game, but were undone by individual errors and that is something that we must cut out."

Brentford made the brighter start to the fixture at Boots & Laces, and could have taken the lead in the eleventh minute when one of their centre-forwards rocketed a dipping shot from just inside the penalty area against the top of Luke Chambers' crossbar.

When that ball smacked against the woodwork, it seemed to awaken the Shrimpers and Rhys Mackay swiftly raced onto a long ball over the top. He beat the Bees goalkeeper to the ball, but the custodian stood up well to connect with his right foot and then clear to safety.

Three minutes later Fope Coker, who had been introduced to good effect in Southend's vain attempt to reach the Football League Youth Alliance Cup final on Thursday night, swung the ball in from the right flank to cause havoc in the Brentford penalty area as Anthony Furlonge, Jack Payne and Mackay all saw efforts charged down in quick succession.

Finally Blues took the lead with a sublime move initiated by a magnificent slide-rule pass from Jack Paxman. The midfielder beautifully picked out the run of Della-Verde, who angled his shot from fifteen yards out into the bottom right-hand corner.

Unfortunately the Shrimpers were in front for just six minutes. Louis Baucutt - excellent once again at the heart of the defence - was harshly adjudged to have committed a foul 30 yards out, and the free-kick was swung in to the back post, where a central defender was afforded a free header to plant the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

Della-Verde flashed a shot over from 20 yards in response, but Southend were further rocked when the visitors took the lead ten minutes from half-time. Furlonge was outpaced by a forward, who then fired his shot underneath an exposed Chambers to make it 2-1.

Duncan's team continued to pass the ball around well when they had the chance, but they were up against more physical opponents, and it was the Bees who enjoyed the better start to the second period, with one shot deflected wide and another from the away team's left-winger crashing against the left-hand upright.

An excellent move involving substitute Seedy Njie and Coker with a quarter-of-an-hour left culminated with the flanker curling the ball into the six-yard box, where a Brentford replacement got a vital touch to the ball to stop Della-Verde equalising at the back post, but the final chance went to the visitors when a low shot was somehow diverted over the crossbar.

Southend may have tasted defeat once again, but Duncan will be proud of his young side, skippered for the first time by Michael Hyland, as they gave another good account of themselves, gaining crucial experience that they will be able to utilise next season.