Town fell to their second pre-season defeat in two games as early goals saw Southend to a 2-1 victory at Roots Hall. Kane Ferdinand had already spurned one opportunity when he opened the scoring in the sixth minute, the Republic of Ireland U19 international heading in the second off Luke Chambers’s knee five minutes later. The Blues’ reply was a Bryan Gunn-esque own goal from Mark Phillips after the break.
Blues boss Paul Jewell named an almost full strength side with only Lee Martin missing due to his thigh injury. Josh Carson lined up on the left of a five-man midfield with Massimo Luongo sitting behind Andy Drury and Luke Hyam in the centre and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on the right.
The Shrimpers should have been in front in the first minute, Ryan Hall crossing from the right and Kane Ferdinand, strongly linked with Town a year ago, headed over the bar when he really should have scored.
But it took the home side only five more minutes to go in front. Hall swung in a left-footed freekick from the right and this time Ferdinand made no mistake with his header across Scott Loach and into the net. Paul Jewell will have been less than impressed to see the third goal conceded from a set piece in two games.
The Hall-Ferdinand combination was giving the Blues all sorts of problems and in the 11th minute they put their side two goals in front. Hall sent in a deep cross from the right and Ferdinand nodded the ball against Luke Chambers’s knee, the ball beating the wrong-footed Loach and creeping over the line.
Town looked to recover from their woeful start, keeping the ball for spells but without creating anything of note.
On 24 Carson scuffed a shot from the edge of the area, then moments later Edwards sent in a dangerous cross which was put out for a corner as the Blues finally started to get going.
Emmanuel-Thomas lashed over from distance on 28, but in the 35th minute Southend came close to a third, again from a set piece. Hall whipped over a corner from the right, Neil Harris flicked across goal and Edwards cleared off the line.
In the 40th minute Luongo sent Edwards away on the right and the Trinidadian whipped in a low ball but just too far in front of Drury, who moments later saw a cross-shot claimed by Southend keeper Daniel Bentley.
The whistle went soon after without the Blues having come any closer to reducing the deficit with manager Jewell having a fair bit to think about, most notably the ease with which the League Two scored their two goals and could have scored one or perhaps even two more. At the other end, 19-year-old Southend keeper Bentley had hardly been tested.
At the break Jewell swapped Drury for Ryan Stevenson, the Scot joining Chopra up front. Luongo hit a shot which Bentley claimed two minutes after the break, then at the other end Chambers did well to take the ball off striker Gavin Tomlin as he bore down on goal.
Edwards crossed far too far in front of Stevenson and Chopra on 50, Carson just reaching it at the far post but putting it wide.
Two minutes later, Town’s Aaron Cresswell’s dangerous cross from the left was diverted over by Southend’s Ryan Cresswell. From the corner, Chambers’s header was blocked on the line, then Bentley did well to block from Stevenson.
But the home side were still looking dangerous from set pieces and in the 58th minute, after a Hall corner had been half-cleared, Ryan Leonard crossed from the left and Mark Phillips headed over.
Luongo wasted a decent chance on the edge of the area, the ball falling to him after a Hyam strike had been blocked. The on-loan Spurs man failed to make the most of another opportunity soon afterwards when he tried to chip the keeper from a very tight angle on the right inside the area when he should have cut it across the six-yard box to a number of waiting team-mates.
The Blues were handed a lifeline in the 71st minute when Mark Phillips passed the ball back to keeper Bentley from distance. There seemed little danger until the ball hit a bobble and bounced over his foot Bryan Gunn style and into the net. As the Shrimpers lined up for the restart, Jimmy Bullard replaced Hyam in the Blues midfield.
Soon after, Stevenson came close to getting Town on terms with a powerful strike from the edge of the area which rattled the angle of post and bar.
Bentley went some way towards making amends for his earlier error on 77 with an impressive save from Chopra. The Blues striker twisted and turned inside the area before unleashing a shot which the Basildon-born glovesman did well to block to his left.
As the game entered its final 10 minutes Bullard lashed across the face of goal, then Emmanuel-Thomas curled an effort just wide.
But the Shrimpers weren’t to be denied a victory which seemed certain after they went two goals in front so early on in the game.
As at Luton, the Blues improved after the break but overall in addition to the failings at the back, they didn’t create enough going forward until the very late stages.
Town: Loach, Edwards, Cresswell, Chambers, Delaney, Luongo, Hyam (Bullard 71), Drury (Stevenson 46), Emmanuel-Thomas, Chopra, Carson. Unused: Lee-Barrett, Ainsley, Scotland, Murray, Kourouma, Whight.
Southend: Bentley, Clohessy, Straker, Ferdinand, Cresswell, Phillips, Hall, Leonard (Brogan 80), Harris (Eastwood 69), Tomlin (Benyon 69), Hurst (Martin 82). Unused: Barker, Prosser, Brogan, Martin, Benyon, Eastwood. Ref: Mick Russell. Att: 1,009 (Town: 177).