The Shrimpers had the better of the opening period, and were good value for the 1-0 lead that Shamir Mullings gave them on the stroke of half-time. However, Brentford stormed back after the break and, just when it seemed that Duncan’s team had resisted their pressure, Michael Onovwigun injury-time effort forced the match into an additional thirty minutes.
If the extra half-hour lacked the tempo of the previous 90 minutes, it was no less tense, especially after Joshua Clarke had headed the Bees in front with just five minutes remaining. Luke Chambers was fortunate not to be sent off after handling outside of his penalty area, but it was opposite number Jack Middleton that left south east Essex with the plaudits after keeping out Ryan Auger’s stoppage time spot-kick.
It was Blues that flew out of the blocks, forcing the first of a number of excellent saves from Middleton inside the opening minute. Marlon Agyakwa’s cross was half-volleyed towards goal by Michael Hyland, but the custodian threw himself to his right to palm the ball out for a corner.
Southend’s good start continued as Alfie Mawson did well to block Jack Payne’s stinging shot and, in the tenth minute, the hosts came even closer to scoring when Anthony Furlonge broke free in midfield and found Paxman via Payne’s lay-off. The second-year guided the ball over Middleton but then saw it bounce back off the crossbar and away to safety.
Bees captain Charlie Adams delivered the first signal of intent from the visitors in the 16th minute when he latched onto Onovwigun’s pass to curl narrowly over the crossbar and, as the half progressed, Brentford began to pull Southend out of shape, which in turn produced further openings.
Mawson was off-target with a header from Fabien Rowe’s corner in the 19th minute before Chambers showed that he was able to match his counterpart in the shotstopping stakes. The ex-Derby County gloveman produced an incredible save to push Adams’ free-kick onto the woodwork and then showed excellent recovery skills to turn away Aaron Scott’s rebound.
A rather more routine stop denied full-back Samuel Beale from the resultant corner before Chambers was sent clambering across his goal-line to grasp a driven Scott shot just above the turf.
Having emerged unscathed from that wave of attacks, Blues set about troubling the Brentford back-line again and, in the 32nd minute, they came close to edging in front. Chambers’ pumped goal-kick was missed by Mawson, allowing Payne to race onto the ball and he rounded Middleton, only for Clarke to hare across to cover. Still the danger was not cleared, though, and Paxman looked set to score when Middleton managed to thwart him with his feet.
Auger was next to threaten, positioning his head over the ball to keep a 20-yard effort down, but his attempt passed narrowly the wrong side of the left-hand upright before Hyland’s crunching tackle on Scott allowed Agyakwa to race away down the right. He homed in on Middleton, but the goalkeeper maintained an imposing presence and the winger arrowed the ball into his gloves.
It appeared Blues’ opportunity may have gone in the opening period, but there was still time for one last onslaught, with Robert Hyams’ swirling left-wing cross only partially cleared. Hyland waited 40 yards out and chipped the ball straight back into the penalty area, where Mullings was on hand to side-foot past Middleton and give Southend the lead.
The Shrimpers initially started brightly again after the break, and Hyland concluded a sharp passing move with a fierce shot into the side-netting, but a new pattern began to emerge thereafter as the Bees’ incisive football posed more and more problems for the homesters.
A quickly-taken free-kick released Jemar Dobson, but he saw Chambers beat the ball away at his near post, and Mullings was called upon in a defensive capacity to anxiously nod two Adams corners out of play.
Adams was again involved in the 64th minute when Onovwigun’s through-ball appeared to put him in the clear, but Hyams recovered well to challenge and substitute Myles Hippolyte squandered the chance when the loose ball fell at his feet by shooting across the face of goal.
More desperate defending from centre-half pairing Furlonge and Aaron Tatham kept Hippolyte at bay in the next attack before Chambers pushed Dobson’s follow-up to safety, and Blues were relieved to ease the pressure shortly afterwards when Paxman blasted a shot into Mullings’ body.
With a little over a quarter-of-an-hour remaining, Tatham made a fine tackle to usher Dobson away from goal, but the forward was persistent and chased the ball to seemingly smash it into the goal. His powerful attempt appeared to be destined to ripple the net, but Chambers somehow produced an astonishing save by clawing the ball back from behind him to maintain the Shrimpers’ advantage.
Middleton then proved that he was not to be outdone as the action switched from one end to the other and Paxman slid the ball into Agyakwa’s feet in the 78th minute. The wide-man was presented with a fine opportunity to double the lead, but he found Middleton in irrepressible form and the ‘keeper stood tall to parry his shot away.
Brentford piled on the pressure in the closing stages, with a curling Jack Bridge attempt temporarily providing respite for Blues. A resolute performance looked to have been enough to secure a Third Round tie away at Hull City but, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, the Bees found their late leveller.
Greg Butler’s free-kick was helped on by Tyrell Miller-Rodney, and Dobson then managed to flick the ball into the onrushing Onovwigun’s path. The rangy midfielder made no mistake, lofting a chipped finish over Chambers and into the net to spark wild celebrations.
There were comfortable early saves for both custodians before Tatham did well to recover from being turned inside-out by Hippolyte to deflect the front-man’s effort wide in the opening period of extra time.
The first chance of the second period fell to Paxman, but he could only crane his head back enough to guide Mullings’ centre wide of the post, and the 1-1 scoreline left Blues susceptible to the first of three potentially match-defining moments.
Butler received the ball on the right flank and his hastily-delivered cross was inch-perfect to split open the Blues backline and allow Clarke to stoop and convert a header past Chambers from close range.
It was heartbreaking for a young Southend side who had given their all, and it appeared that they would lose one of their most experienced talents in Chambers just seconds later as the ‘keeper raced out of his box and blocked Hippolyte’s run with his hands. However, the referee just showed the second-year scholar a yellow card, and there remained one final act to play in this gripping tussle.
With the clock ticking just past the 120th minute, Middleton slipped as he sent a goal-kick upfield and the ball was nodded into the path of Mullings. The towering front man was sent tumbling to the ground by Lionel Stone and the referee pointed to the spot.
The penalty presented Blues with a chance to strike a demoralising blow into their opponents, just as Brentford had done half-an-hour earlier, but Auger - usually so dependable from twelve yards - watched on in anguish as Middleton correctly guessed the destination of his penalty and pushed the ball out. To make matters worse, he then got up quickly to smother Auger’s rebound, and Southend instead found the Bees agonisingly out of their reach.
If there is one consolation for Ricky Duncan and his team, it is that nine of the 14 players that appeared, and both unused substitutes, will be eligible for the competition next year, and they will be able to call upon this experience to help give them fortitude in their quest for a spot in the Third Round in twelve months’ time.
Southend United: Luke Chambers, Ryan Auger, Robert Hyams, Jack Edwards, Aaron Tatham, Anthony Furlonge (Josh Banton 79), Marlon Agyakwa (Mitchell Pinnock 86), Michael Hyland, Shamir Mullings, Jack Payne (Jack Bridge 77), Jack Paxman.
Substitutes not used: James Pinnock, Ted Smith.
Goal: Mullings (45).
Cautioned: Chambers (116 - handball), Pinnock (120+2 - foul tackle).
Brentford: Jack Middleton, Joshua Clarke, Samuel Beale, Tyrell Miller-Rodney, Alfie Mawson, Lionel Stone, Charlie Adams, Michael Onovwigun, Aaron Scott (Myles Hippolyte 50), Jemar Dobson (Richard Bryan 111), Fabien Rowe (Greg Butler 64).
Substitutes not used: Tom Warren, Stefan Tomasevic.
Goals: Onovwigun (90+5), Clarke (115).
Cautioned: Adams (80 - simulation), Miller-Rodney (90+4 - foul tackle), Mawson (120 - dissent).
Thanks to the Shrimpers Trust website for the reprinting of these reports, for the Trust's own youth section: www.shrimperstrust.co.uk