What a game! This deserved to be watched by more than the small crowd huddled together while the sun shined on Roots Hall and this latest match in the Totesport.com Combination Eastern Division.
It started as it finished as well, with Ronan Murray heading home from a corner for the visitors as early as the third minute.
Striker Scott Spencer, making a welcome return in a Blue shirt after Luggy tried to ship him out on loan to any team that wanted him, al la Matty, also still at the club, and Cardiff loanee Nathaniel Jones, still to start a first team game, both shot well over as the Shrimpers set out to draw level.
And in the 29th minute Harry Crawford duly delivered when Screech found the young forward after a good run, and he poked the ball past Ian McLoughlin in the Ipswich goal via the post.
The Spencer and Crawford show continued throughout the opening period with Harry also shooting high and wide, but centre-back Mark Phillips, getting some welcome match time along with Luke Prosser, both having returned from injury, headed a corner which, once again, went over the crossbar. Lower boys! Lower!
It was the Suffolk-based club though that decided to show the Shrimpers seconds how it should be done with only a quarter hour left on the clock.
First, a classic left foot shot on the edge of the area from Shane O'Connor beat the home keeper Rhys Evans with ease; then, with what seemed only seconds later, another low shot, this one from Reggie Lambe, found the right-hand side of the net for 3-1 to Ipswich and what everyone in the ground believed victory as well.
However, it was not to be in a thrilling finale.
Reserve boss Graham Coughlan immediatly brought on Duane Ofori-Achempong and Hicham Abdellah, and the youngsters didn't waste any time, Ofori-Achempong's powerful header beating McLoughlin with only a minute of normal time left.
It was all set up for a Johnny herd long throw deep into the Tractor Boys 12-yard area, oh how we've missed them, Prosser nods on, there's Crawford alone in the box, bang, a stunning volley, 3-3, the final whistle!
If all reserve games could be guaranteed to have this much action the crowd might grow and the club open up another stand!
Well done Coughlan's boys against a good second eleven from a Championship club, and with last season's mainly youth side shipping five nearly every other week, including once to to-day's opposition, it's great to see some fighting spirit.
Southend United: Evans, Ferdinand, Phillips, Prosser, Herd, Woodyard, Bouzid (Smith 70), Jarvis (Ofori-Achaempong 84), Spencer (Abdellah 84), Crawford, Zaaboub.
Subs not used: Nesbitt, Chambers, Furlonge.