August
Under-19s
Saturday 17th – Colchester United 7 Southend United 0
Saturday 24th – Southend United 0 Brentford 5
Under-17s
Saturday 17th – Southend United 2 (Chris Bourne, Jukes) Leyton Orient 5
Saturday 24th – Brentford 2 Southend United 3 (Butcher 2, Tom Byrne)
It all began disastrously for the Under-19 side as they started their Youth Alliance League campaign with a crushing 7-0 defeat at the hands of Essex rivals Colchester United at the Garrison Ground. With new manager Marc Massey at the helm, Lloyd Opara was the main assassin, netting a hat-trick before his substitution saw matters calm down. At the same time, the Under-17s were going down to East London neighbours Leyton Orient, at least trialist Jukes and Chris Bourne found the net in a 5-2 loss.
A week later, and in their first home fixture of the campaign, Blues Under-19s again went down, failing to score in a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Brentford at Boots & Laces. After going in 4-0 down, there was little hope for the young Shrimpers, and despite battling hard to stay in the fixture, Jamie Gray’s sending off compounded the misery. However, in West London, the Under-17s gained their first win with a 3-2 victory over the same team, Butcher twice and Tommy Byrne the scorers.
September
Under-19s
Saturday 7th – Southend United 0 Cambridge United 9 [Youth Alliance Cup]
Saturday 14th – Colchester United 2 Southend United 1 (Steven Bourne) [Youth Alliance Cup]
Saturday 21st – Southend United 1 (Luke Moore [pen]) Peterborough United 7 [Youth Alliance Cup]
Saturday 28th – Queens Park Rangers 0 Southend United 2 (Joe Ilett 2)
Under-17s
Saturday 7th – Southend United 1 (Crossley) Luton Town 2
Saturday 14th – Cambridge United 6 Southend United 1 (Tom Byrne)
Saturday 21st – Southend United 1 (Tom Byrne) Colchester United 1
Saturday 28th – Southend United 3 (Chris Bourne 2, own goal) Gillingham 5
September brought more defeats for the Under-19s as they began their Youth Alliance Cup campaign with a thumping 9-0 reverse at home to Cambridge. Things did not look good as they returned to Colchester, but, just three weeks after suffering a 7-0 mauling, the side, made up mostly of first-year scholars, managed to take the U’s close. Joe Ilett hit the post early on, but it was Dwayne Edwards who handed the home team the lead. Four minutes into the second half, Steven Bourne pulled the Shrimpers level but Ben Cranfield cruelly gave the hosts the win with just eleven minutes left. Blues Youths finished off the Youth Alliance Cup by going down 7-1 to Peterborough, Luke Moore’s penalty nothing more than a consolation. Joe Ilett scored two at QPR to hand the Seasiders their first win of the season on the last Saturday of the month.
Further down the age ladder, the Under-17s continued their Youth Alliance League campaign, a Crossley goal not enough to hold off Luton at Boots & Laces before Tommy Byrne netted in a 6-1 defeat to Cambridge. However, Byrne again found the net a week later, and this time it was enough to hand the youngsters a draw with Colchester before a 5-3 defeat to Gillingham rounded off a winless month.
October
Under-19s
Saturday 5th – Southend United 1 (Stuart Williams) Gillingham 2
Saturday 12th – Brighton & Hove Albion 6 Southend United 0
Saturday 19th – Leyton Orient 2 Southend United 0
Saturday 26th – Southend United 0 Wycombe Wanderers 3
Under-18s [F.A. Youth Cup]
Tuesday 15th – AFC Bournemouth vs. Southend United [F.A. Youth Cup] (match postponed due to waterlogged pitch)
Wednesday 23rd – AFC Bournemouth 5 Southend United 3 (own goal, Tom Byrne, Steven Bourne) [after extra time]
Under-17s
Saturday 5th – Brighton & Hove Albion 4 Southend United 0
Saturday 12th – Queens Park Rangers 1 Southend United 1 (Tom Byrne)
Saturday 19th – Southend United 1 (Tom Byrne) Wycombe Wanderers 4
October was dominated by the F.A. Youth Cup tie with AFC Bournemouth – a chance for the youngsters to be involved at a proper stadium for the first time in their careers in most cases. All of the squad was buzzing, but the first attempt at staging the fixture saw heavy rain on the south coast lead to the postponement of the match. However, eight days later the sides convened, and an exciting encounter followed. Twice Blues hauled themselves into the game, firstly with an own goal (putting them one up), and then with two late, late strikes from Tom Byrne and Steven Bourne. Bourne then missed a great chance in seven minutes of injury time to give Blues an incredible win, but he just failed to beat goalkeeper Kevin Scriven, and the home side scored twice in extra time to send Blues out.
The Under-19s continued to struggle throughout the month. An encouraging 2-1 loss at home to Gillingham, with Stuart Williams scoring his only goal of the campaign was followed by hopeless defeats to Brighton (0-6), Orient (0-2) and Wycombe (0-3) without finding the goal at all. The Under-17s fared little better, losing 4-0 to Brighton themselves and then 4-1 to the Choirboys, although in between Tommy Byrne kept up his impressive goalscoring tally, hitting his fourth, fifth and sixth goals of the campaign in the Youth Cup match, the draw with QPR and the defeat to Wycombe respectively.
November
Under-19s
Saturday 2nd – Southend United 1 (Steven Bourne) Portsmouth 1
Saturday 23rd – Gillingham 0 Southend United 1 (Robson)
Saturday 30th – Southend United 1 (Daryl Plummer) Leyton Orient 3
Under-17s
Saturday 2nd – Portsmouth 2 Southend United 2 (Tom Byrne 2)
Saturday 9th – Southend United 2 (Steven Bourne, Joe Ilett) Peterborough United 4
Saturday 16th – Gillingham 1 Southend United 5 (Joe Ilett 3, Jamie Gray, Tom Byrne)
Saturday 23rd – Southend United 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 3
Saturday 30th – Wycombe Wanderers 1 Southend United 2 (Steven Bourne, David Bryan)
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As a result of the Under-19 restructuring, the first-year scholars now grouped together for the Under-17s as they battled to lift themselves from the foot of the Youth Alliance League. Tommy Byrne was again on form on the south coast as his two goals earned a 2-2 draw at Pompey. However, that hard work was undone by a 4-2 loss at the hands of Peterborough, before the youngsters came alive in extraordinary fashion; Joe Ilett scoring a hat-trick and Jamie Gray and Byrne (again) sealing a fantastic 5-1 win over Gillingham. A 3-0 reverse to eventual champions Brighton followed, but Steven Bourne and David Bryan then scored to hold off the challenge of Wycombe.
December
Under-19s
Saturday 7th – Wycombe Wanderers 3 Southend United 2 (Daryl Plummer, Mpanzu)
Saturday 14th – Portsmouth 5 Southend United 0
Saturday 21st – Southend United 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 2
Under-17s
Saturday 7th – Southend United 1 (David Bryan) Queens Park Rangers 1
Saturday 14th – Southend United 2 (James Lawson, Joe Ilett) Portsmouth 5
As Christmas approached, the defeats continued to roll in for the Under-19 side, who had won just three matches by the turn of the year. A close-fought 3-2 defeat at Wycombe was followed by a 5-0 thumping at Portsmouth and a 2-0 defeat to Brighton at Boots & Laces. The Under-17s were fighting hard to earn their stripes as well, David Bryan’s goal giving them the lead in a 1-1 draw with QPR and then James Lawson and Joe Ilett netting in a 5-2 defeat to Portsmouth.
January
Under-19s
Saturday 18th – Southend United 1 (Michael Kightly) Colchester United 1
Saturday 25th – Brentford 3 Southend United 3 (Daryl Plummer, Michael Kightly, Anthony Clark)
Under-17s
Saturday 18th – Leyton Orient 4 Southend United 0
Saturday 25th – Southend United 1 (Tom Byrne) Brentford 1
The new year saw a new first-year scholar, Michael Kightly, a Basildon-born 16-year-old who had been on the books of Tottenham Hotspur before the White Hart Lane club released him and Steve Tilson spotted him playing for Basildon United. Immediately the Essex lad made a difference, scoring the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Colchester before getting on the scoresheet again along with Plummer and Anthony Clark in a thrilling 3-3 at Brentford. The Under-17s were not faring so well, a 4-0 beating at Orient preceding a 1-1 draw with Brentford – that man Tommy Byrne finding his tenth of the season.
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Under-19s
Youth Alliance League – Tuesday 11th – Southend United 2 (Daryl Plummer, Ben Price) Queens Park Rangers 2
Youth Alliance Merit Division – Saturday 22nd – Queens Park Rangers 4 Southend United 0
Under 17s
Saturday 15th – Southend United 2 (Michael Kightly, Tom Byrne) Cambridge United 0
Saturday 22nd – Colchester United 2 Southend United 0
Saturday 29th – Peterborough United 0 Southend United 0
The Youth Alliance League campaign ended with Southend earning a 2-2 draw with QPR, who also finished in the bottom three of the table, and the Merit Division began with a trip to the same side. However, this time around Blues couldn’t find the net and the hosts slammed home four goals to send United home packing. The Under-17s, boosted by the appearance of Kightly, beat Cambridge United 2-0 at Boots & Laces, but drew two blanks at the end of the month to lose 2-0 at Cambridge and draw 0-0 in Peterborough.
March
Under-19s
Saturday 1st – Southend United 5 (Joe Ilett, Brett Darby, David Bryan, Michael Kightly, Anthony Clark) Cirencester 1
Saturday 8th – Southend United 2 (Michael Kightly, Joe Ilett) Swansea City 3
Saturday 15th – Rushden & Diamonds 3 Southend United 0
Saturday 29th – Walsall 1 Southend United 1 (Ben Price)
Under-17s
Saturday 22nd – Luton Town 4 Southend United 4 (Ben Price 2, Nick Skelton, Tom Byrne)
The Under-19s Merit Division campaign started to grow from strength to strength as they swept apart Cirencester (the groups’ whipping boys) 5-1 at Boots & Laces, newcomer Brett Darby scoring one of the goals. A week later, the Shrimpers led 2-1 going into the final three minutes against Swansea, with a chance of going top, but then capitulated to lose 3-2 with Ben Price deputising in goal after the dismissal early on of Nick Morgan. A 3-0 defeat at Rushden followed before the man-of-the-month Ben Price scored the Blues goal in a 1-1 draw at Walsall. The Under-17s finished bottom of the Youth Alliance having drawn 4-4 with Luton, Price netting twice.
April
Under-19s
Saturday 5th – Southend United 1 (Anthony Clark) Kidderminster Harriers 0
Saturday 12th – Southend United 2 (Steven Bourne, Ben Price) Colchester United 1
Saturday 26th – Torquay United 2 Southend United 3 (Michael Kightly, Anderson, Tom Byrne)
The final month of the year saw the Southend Under-19s transformation complete. An Anthony Clark inspired 1-0 win over Kidderminster was followed by a dramatic 2-1 triumph over Colchester at Boots & Laces, before Michael Kightly, Phil Anderson and Tom Byrne (racking up his 13th goal of the campaign) sealed a 3-2 victory at Torquay United
How It All Finished
Under-19s
Youth Alliance League
Played 16, Won 2, Drawn 4, Lost 10, Scored 14, Conceded 45, Goal Difference –31, Points 10, Position 9th (out of 9)
Youth Alliance Cup
Played 3, Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 3, Scored 2, Conceded 18, Goal Difference –16, Points 0, Position 3rd (out of 3)
Merit Division
Played 8, Won 4, Drawn 1, Lost 3, Scored 14, Conceded 15, Goal Difference -1, Points 13, Position 4th (out of 9)
Under-18s
F.A. Youth Cup
First Round – Lost 3-5 (away; AFC Bournemouth [after extra time])
Under-17s
Youth Alliance League
Played 22, Won 4, Drawn 7, Lost 11, Scored 34, Conceded 58, Goal Difference –24, Points 19, Position 12th (out of 12)
TLG Youth Player of the Year
Tom Byrne
Despite a late surge from Michael Kightly, who impressed greatly in the second half of the season, Tommy Byrne wins The Little Gazette youth Player-of-the-Year award for his astounding thirteen goals in a season in which the Shrimpers youth teams struggled in all competitions. Most important was his goal at Dean Court, which almost handed Blues an unlikely victory, and all in all he managed to find in each different age group from Under-17s to Under-19s (the latter on the last day of the youth season). Still only a first-year scholar, Byrne will be one to look out for next season.
Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com