Young Shrimpers and Gills finish goalless

A rare moment of anxiety at the other end saw Louis Baucutt divert a right-wing cross into the side-netting but, from the resulting corner, Southend were swiftly on the attack again as Hyland put Hicham Abdellah clear on the right.

The winger was one-on-one with Hawkes by the time that he slid his shot the wrong side of the left-hand post.

With the first half still not having reached its midway point, Hawkes made a slight slip-up as a wayward punch presented Anthony Furlonge with an opportunity from Okai's corner, but the defender's thumped volley was nodded off of the goalline by the Gillingham captain.

Seconds later, Smith met a dropping ball on the half-volley 20 yards from goal, but a desperate sliding challenge forced the shot wide to further frustrate the Shrimpers.

In the 32nd minute, Hawkes reverted to type as he made a superb point-blank save to deny Okai, who had redirected Abdellah's flag-kick goalwards before Ofori-Acheampong, the only goalscorer in the last meeting between the clubs, scooped over. The first-half action ended with Hyland finding Okai, who curled narrowly wide.

It took a mere two minutes after the interval for Blues to begin the siege again, Smith unable to get the faint touch that would have sent Abdellah's cross inside the far post.

Goalkeeper Daniel Bentley started the next move as Okai tapped the ball square from his goal-kick for Ofori-Acheampong. The second-year scholar pushed the ball on for Teddy Nesbitt, who swept the ball over for Okai in a flash. The winger couldn't quite force his shot home and substitute James Stevens drove a screamer wide from the edge of the penalty area.

Perhaps the best opportunity of the match arrived after 57 minutes. Abdellah's excellent right-wing centre was met decisively by Ofori-Acheampong from no more than four yards out but, out of nowhere, custodian Hawkes appeared to get his right hand to the ball and push it away from danger.

Stevens and Abdellah then combined to set up Ofori-Acheampong again, but this time he was unable to find the target. The rangy front-runner was then the provider as he laid the ball off for Okai 15 yards out, only for the winger to clip wide of the right-hand post.

Southend did have the ball in the net in the 68th minute as Nesbitt bundled Stevens' through-ball past Hawkes, although on this occasion the assistant referee had raised his flag for offside to thwart the homesters. Two minutes later, Nesbitt arrived late at the far post to meet Furlonge's whipped cross, but his nodded effort lacked the purchase to send it goalwards.

Seconds later, Gillingham broke away and, although Ferdinand's clearance cannoned off a forward and went wide, Bentley was not called into action again.

Duncan introduced Reece Hall and Fope Coker as Blues maintained their attacking spirit and both Okai and Stevens sent shots agonisingly past the right-hand post.

As the game approached its final few moments, excellent work from the same pairing ended with Okai seeing a fierce effort charged down by a defender before, with their final opportunity, Ofori-Acheampong could not direct Hall's wonderful cross goalwards, leaning backwards to fire over as the wind took the ball further and further away from his extended right boot.