Cup
Blues, who had lost their opening League match of the season to the Lions, enjoyed a good deal of possession throughout the match, and it was something of a surprise when Jake Goodman put the hosts in front three minutes after half-time. However, Furlonge had the final say six minutes from the end when he drilled the ball home from 15 yards to equalise.
Ricky Duncan made four changes to the team that had beaten Dagenham & Redbridge comprehensively as he looked to give opportunities to goalkeeper Luke Chambers and forward Rhys Mackay instead of Daniel Bentley and Duane Ofori-Acheampong. George Smith returned after playing for Republic of Ireland Under-18s in the Jezek International Tournament, whilst Adetayo Osifuwa, who is at the club on a development contract, made his 50th youth-team appearance.
The match began in a competitive vein with a fierce midfield battle contributing to a first half of few clear-cut opportunities. Ryan Auger went close in the eighth minute when he directed a cross-shot just past the left-hand angle of post and crossbar, and the first-year scholar followed that up by prodding Smith's flick-on narrowly over five minutes later.
The best chances of the opening period arrived within sixty seconds of each other just before the half-hour mark. Both fell to pacy marksman Mackay, who first latched onto a wayward pass from a Millwall defender ahead of goalkeeper Jamie Farmer, but unfortunately his low shot slid past the left-hand upright.
Smith then touched the ball into Mackay's path as the Shrimpers broke away again, but this time Farmer was equal to the teenager's quickly-delivered 25-yard effort as he fully extended himself to his left to push the ball away from goal.
The Lions, by contrast, were restricted to a single Toby Alabi shot from the edge of the penalty area, although that was to change within three minutes of the restart. Furlonge tugged back Connor French by the right wing corner-flag and Jack Samoutis crossed for Goodman to power the ball into the top right-hand corner of the net.
For a while Southend abandoned the passing game that had served them so well before the break and allowed Millwall to move into the ascendancy. An impressive Samoutis delivery from the right found Dylan Richards and his drilled attempt was brilliantly beaten away by Chambers to keep the scoreline manageable.
That acted as the catalyst for Blues to fight their way back into the match, and a combination of Farmer and Connor McLaren kept out a series of shots twenty minutes from time. Substitute Hicham Abdellah concluded an excellent build-up by swinging a cross in from the right and Mackay's stabbed effort was blocked at close-range by the goalkeeper. Alex Woodyard collected the loose ball and fired into the six-yard box, but McLaren bravely threw himself at the centre to stop Mackay from connecting.
Southend's pressure finally told in the 84th minute. Stevens started the move when he won the ball on the left and laid it back to Teddy Nesbitt. The left-back's high delivery was spilled by Farmer under pressure from Kane Ferdinand and Furlonge gleefully fired in his first competitive goal for the Shrimpers.
There was a brief scare for the visitors when French rifled Samoutis' corner through a crowded penalty area towards the bottom right-hand corner, but an unsighted Wales Under-17 shotstopper Chambers made another fine save.
15-year-old Seedy Njie had been introduced with eight minutes remaining for his Under-18s debut, and he almost marked the occasion with a goal as he was threaded through by Abdellah, but he found himself crowded out and Farmer produced another superb save to deny Okai as he picked up possession eight yards out.
That was the final opportunity for either side, and Southend now face Leyton Orient at home on Saturday looking to build on an unbeaten Youth Alliance Cup record.
Southend United U18s: Luke Chambers, Adetayo Osifuwa, Teddy Nesbitt, James Stevens, Kane Ferdinand, Anthony Furlonge, Ryan Auger (Hicham Abdellah 59), Alex Woodyard, Rhys Mackay (Seedy Njie 82), George Smith, Julian Okai. Substitutes not used: Fope Coker, Michael Hyland, Jack Paxman.
Goal: Furlonge (84).
Cautioned: Smith (49 - dissent).
Thanks to the Shrimpers Trust website for the reprinting of these reports, for the Trust's own youth section, go here:
www.shrimperstrust.co.uk/home.asp?page_id=10