Blues’ Youths had reached the area final last season, but that was something of an exception to the general rule in the competition and Ricky Duncan’s squad will now go about trying to build some momentum in the League as well as make further progress in the FA Youth Cup.
“In the end, we could have won three- or four-one today; even their manager told me that after the game,” said the Shrimpers’ Head of Youth. “But, having said that, even though we dominated in the last half-an-hour, Luke Chambers has had to make a couple of excellent saves to keep us in it.”
“The first half wasn’t much of a spectacle from either side’s point of view, and it was a poor goal for us to concede by allowing two Gillingham players to get their heads to the ball in the six-yard box. However, we’ve not been able to put out the same back four in consecutive weeks virtually all season, and that does have an effect,” he added.
Aaron Tatham was the player missing at the back this time after sustaining a knock in training, and he was replaced in the starting line-up by Michael Hassini. Mitchell Pinnock was also given the opportunity to start in midfield after Jack Payne had been ruled out by injury.
The first chance of the match fell to the hosts when Ashley Miller, who made his debut for the Gills’ first-team last season as a 16-year-old, robbed Michael Hyland and set up Bradley Dack for a skidding 25-yard shot that Chambers pushed around the right-hand post in the 11th minute.
Midway through the opening period, Kane Haysman smashed a screaming shot well wide of the left-hand upright but, within seconds, Gillingham were in front. Jakob Hessenthaler delivered a floating free-kick to the back post, where Josh Hare nodded across goal for Dack to head in via a deflection off Hassini.
There was a scary moment in a generally soporific 45 minutes when Chambers casually collected Anthony Furlonge’s pass, interesting both Miller and Jake Mackenzie, but the ‘keeper cleared the ball in time and Blues ended the half stronger.
Their first effort of the match came when Pinnock nodded Furlonge’s cross wide at the back post in the 41st minute before Shamir Mullings then scuffed a 20-yard shot off-target from Hyland’s knock-down. Mullings then burst away from a defender on the left before drawing a save from Ashley Bourne at the near post, with Hassini glancing Marlon Agyakwa’s corner across the face of goal in stoppage time.
Further attacking intent was seen at the outset of the second period as Furlonge embarked on a marauding run from his own half, but his long-range shot lacked conviction and failed to test Bourne. The Gills custodian was soon proving his worth, though, as Jack Paxman rolled a pass into Mullings’ feet and he turned his marker before hitting a low shot that Bourne required his full reach to save. The ‘keeper was then called upon to grasp Mullings’ powerful header from Pinnock’s corner.
It looked as though Southend had equalised in the 63rd minute when captain Hyland gently lofted the ball over Bourne from Mullings’ flicked touch to Jack Edwards’ pass. Unfortunately for the second-year scholar, the effort marginally lacked direction and bounced back off the right-hand upright.
At the other end, Chambers made a pair of magnificent stops in the ensuing five minutes to maintain Blues’ interest in the match. Firstly he instinctively turned Mackenzie’s fierce attempt from ten yards away from goal before then denying the midfielder again with an excellent reaction stop when he met Frankie Beale’s corner. Even then the danger wasn’t cleared and Miller cracked a rasping shot against the crossbar.
That passage of play stung the Shrimpers back into life and, following the introduction of James Pinnock, third-year James Stevens and schoolboy Jack Bridge into the fray, the visitors began to attack with real purpose, even if Furlonge was called upon to block Gillingham sub Nathan Nyafli’s path during this spell.
Ryan Auger’s swirling switch pass was collected by Paxman, now deployed on the left flank, and he mesmerised a defender before shooting across the face of goal in the 74th minute. Seven minutes later, Mullings and Pinnock combined to set up Hyland, whose strong shot was beaten away by Bourne at his near post. From Stevens’ corner, Mullings rose to knock the ball into the path of Hassini, but he stabbed over from point-blank range.
There was still time for Blues to create yet more openings, and Stevens was only denied by a brave defensive block after waiting for Robert Hyams’ left-wing cross to drop on the volley at the back post. Again the flag-kick caused concerns for the hosts, and Mullings’ prodded shot was blocked on the line by Josh Maughan before Pinnock’s rebound was desperately cleared.
For all their pressure, Blues were unable to find away through, leaving Duncan to reflect: “We worked on a lot of things in training, and it hasn’t come off for us on the pitch today, so we’ll have to look at that on Monday and work on them again. We can’t afford to keep waiting until the second half of games to get going and try to come back from going behind every week.”
Southend United U18s: Luke Chambers, Ryan Auger, Robert Hyams, Jack Edwards (Jack Bridge 71), Michael Hassini, Anthony Furlonge, Marlon Agyakwa (James Pinnock 65), Michael Hyland, Shamir Mullings, Jack Paxman, Mitchell Pinnock (James Stevens 65).
Substitute not used: Harry Jeffrey.
Cautioned: Hassini (38 - foul tackle).
Thanks to the Shrimpers Trust website for the reprinting of these reports, for the Trust's own youth section: www.shrimperstrust.co.uk