Tamás Priskin and Lee Martin (pen) netted as the Blues' second string drew 2-2 with Southend at Playford Road on Wednesday afternoon.

Town started the game brightly and in the first 15 minutes, Lee Martin and Reggie Lambe both saw shots saved, while Tamás Priskin also went close.

On 21 the Hungarian broke the deadlock when he headed home a Martin cross.

After the goal, Southend came more into it and in the 29th minute, a Bruce slip let in Scott Spencer, who equalised.

The Shrimpers went in front in the 38th minute when Jamie Dennis's low shot beat keeper Ian McLoughlin.

Town gradually took more and more control of the game as the second half wore on.

In the 84th minute, with the Blues keeping the visitors under pressure, Martin was bundled over inside the area and converted the spotkick himself.

Town should really have won the game, having had most of the chances. Southend scored with two of their rarer opportunities.

Strike pair Martin and Priskin were lively throughout but were not clinical enough, often overplaying in and around the area.

The returning Ben Thatcher did well at left-back in the first half, as did Shane O’Connor, who replaced him at the break in what looked like a pre-planned substitution. Both players have been out with knee ligament injuries.

Ed Upson and Jack Ainsley were also impressive in what was an unusually full-blooded reserves encounter with Alan Quinn and Alex Bruce particularly committed.

Reserves: McLoughlin, Ainsley, Brown, Bruce, Thatcher (O'Connor 46), Lambe, Upson, Quinn, Brandon (Lavery 63), Priskin, Martin. Unused: Ranieri, McKeown.

Thanks to Andy Pearl for the report.

Photo: Action Images

mightytown added 21:27 - Jan 20 I completely agree with the above, the reserve league is not a high standard of football and players with the ability of priskin and martin should be showing their class and aiding those growing and earning around them. keane wont suffer fools gladly nor will he molly-coddle out of form players who are low on confidence. i am not a 'boo-boy', i support these players wholeheartedly but they are professionals and it is up to them to show they are too good to be playing for the reserves and deserve a place with the first team squad. priskin could learn from connor wickham, i understand he's 16 and plays without the pressure and burden of expectation and is a long way off being the finished article but he is showing how working hard, playing with confidence and taking your chances can help you progess as a footballer, if his head is in the right place the football will take care of itself.

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matt_the_blue added 21:27 - Jan 20 parkinshair - Quite right, the booing itself is absolutely no good. brockleyblueboy - Berbatov scored 14 in all competitions last season (which is actually the same as Priskin according to his stats on the club site, so I was wrong with my earlier post of 16!) plus 10 assists putting him joint 2nd with Fabregas, Gerrard and Lampard on that list. He's scored 7 this season in comparison to Priskin's 2 (although to be fair he's played more games than Priskin). He's also the all-time top scorer for Bulgaria with 48 goals from 74 caps. Not necessarily prolific but pretty damn good I'd say. My point was that I saw a similarity between the two but no potential from Priskin to put them away or be the catalyst for somebody else to score. There's a difference between being lazy but turning it on for a goal when the opportunity presents itself and just being lazy. My hope is that Priskin has been working hard enough to get back into the first team and show that he can start taking opportunities. And before anyone asks NO, I'm not saying he's the next Berbatov, just of a similar style.

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jas0999 added 21:41 - Jan 20 Result irrelevant. I am more pleased that Roy yet again travelled with the Under 18's and showed his support in the youth cup. JM never bothered. The idiots that moan about Roy should take notice. Give Priskin a run at Southampton.
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Blue4life added 09:29 - Jan 21 David healy has sent out a plea to championship clubs to sign him up, so y dont we! we wanted him b4
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Surco72 added 09:36 - Jan 21 Has anyone thought the reason we struggled earlier in the season was because Martin,Priskin,Trotter,Healy,Quinn and Bruce were playing rather than say they havent been given a chance in a good side ? And Jas who would you drop for Priskin ? Walters who works his socks off, Counago who scored last week ,John who scored last week ,Wickham who is only getting better ? On the hope that Priskin gets it together !!

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yarmoblue added 09:50 - Jan 21 with a team like that we should of won to be honest
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Blue4life added 09:57 - Jan 21 Who would like to see david healy here? I no i would, i think he would be a good championship striker and better than what we have got. What ya think?
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brockleyblueboy added 10:14 - Jan 21 Mat_the_blue - I totaly agree with you in that for bulgaria Berbatov has been great and that he has a lot of assists. But when you pay in excess of £30million for someone to get you goals and they give you the return that he has, its disapointing. I also agree with you that he has this lazy style (a bit like Ian Marshall) but like priskin, and I know its worlds apart, but both were bought for a hefty fee (£30m for utd is a lot of cash and so is £1.7 for a team like Ipswich) so it is all about confidence. You just wish they would show some passion on the pitch and do some bloody running. Healy would be a great shout btw.

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superblueflude added 10:49 - Jan 21 Can I ask why people are saying that due to the likes of the opposition that Priskin and Martin should be walking it? We've seen the way Garvan has come back into the team and played superbly well, but his reserve games left a lot to be disired, so for me these reserve games might not be that great for players but gives Keane a chance to assess certain areas of someones game, for example with Garvan - although his reserve games weren't that impressive, maybe Keane was looking directly at his main weakness - he's will to run and tackle - I know by watching him that although he never set the reserve team alight with the passing skills we know he has, he certanly did crack into a few hard tackles which he never used to do. So for me, im happy to see Priskin hit the net and Martin gettig games, and in regards to Surco - when Stead's back i'd start with Stead and Counago first half and rotate John, Priskin and Wickham for for the second to partner stead. Walters on the right.

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matt_the_blue added 11:17 - Jan 21 brockleyblueboy - Agreed. While I did state Berbatov's stats I do maintain he is a lazy sod and constantly rip one of my Utd supporting good mates for it. I can't stand seeing footballers just ambling around on a pitch, especially when a lot of them get paid more in a month than I do in a year!
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brockleyblueboy added 11:27 - Jan 21 Bang on Matt_the_ble. I don't know about any one else but when you see players like Leaedbitter tearing round the park winning balls and showing passion, whether you win lose or draw you know they have tried to give you value for money. It seems that that is what Roy keane is trying to implement and, just speculating, it seems that Priskins "lazy style" isn't washing. I really really want him to do well, I want any town player to do well, but I know if he can get a goal by an means, a hit off his back side or a rebound of the shin, his confidence will grow and he will be a great player for us. Fingers crossed for you Tamas.

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Surco72 added 11:58 - Jan 21 Brockley his confidence didnt grow when he scored against peterboro he missed a penalty ,and a number of chances in other games ,and if your confidence is low and you are not scoring work hard in other areas ,he simply has not done this which is why Roy is willing to loan him out . And agree with the ethic of workrate even if we are losing to show their effort but what about players like Le Tissier who did nothing most of the game but could create a moment of magic worth the entrance fee alone ? If Priskin was scoring goals like Le Tissier,Mick Quinn or Berbatov at Spurs nobody would be complaining at all And Superflude Stead and Counago all the way for me been saying it all season

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superblueflude added 12:19 - Jan 21 Defo Surco - just wandering maybe at home a 4-3-2-1, LB Ros, Mcaul,Del,Peters Walters,Leadbitter,Colback Garvan,Counago Stead?
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matt_the_blue added 13:46 - Jan 21 Surco - You've hit the nail on the head, he's NOT scoring goals like Le Tissier, Quinn or Berbatov. If he was then he'd still be in the first team and we wouldn't be having this discussion. LOL
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