Tyreece John-Jules, Greg Leigh and Freddie Ladapo were on target as what was essentially a Town second XI beat Southend United 3-1 at Portman Road in the final friendly of pre-season. Arsenal loanee John-Jules gave the Blues the lead on seven, Leigh made it 2-0 on 58, then Ladapo completed the scoring two minutes from time after Callum Powell had pulled one back for the National League side in the 77th minute.
Town named an entirely changed XI with Vaclav Hladky in goal with a back four of, from the right, Kane Vincent-Young, Corrie Ndaba, Cameron Burgess and Leigh ahead of him in a 4-2-3-1 system.
Rekeem Harper and Cameron Humphreys were the central midfield pair with Kyle Edwards, Sone Aluko and John-Jules behind lone central striker Kayden Jackson.
There was no place for new signing Leif Davis, who only returned from Leeds United's pre-season tour of Australia at the weekend, while everyone else aside from Dominic Ball and Idris El Mizouni were on the bench.
National League Southend, whose players had no numbers on the back of their shirts, were skippered by former Town academy scholar Nathan Ralph.
In the seventh minute Shrimpers midfielder Cav Miley was shown a yellow card for a foul on Vincent-Young and from the resultant free-kick, the Blues, wearing their red and black away kit, went in front.
Aluko sent the ball to the near post and John-Jules volleyed his second goal of pre-season past visitors’ keeper Steve Arnold.
Town, with former loanee and local boy Macauley Bonne sitting in the crowd, went close to a second in the 11th minute when John-Jules sent Edwards away on the right and crossed low and Aluko diverted it past the far post with Jackson at the back of the box appearing to have been who the winger was trying to pick out.
The Blues had been completely dominant from the start and as the game passed the quarter-hour mark were camped permanently around the Southend box winning a succession of corners.
On 21 Edwards won the ball on the Town right, brought it forward and inside before hitting a low shot which keeper Arnold did well to push past his left post.
Four minutes later, another sharp move down the right ended with Vincent-Young crossing and the ball being cleared ahead of John-Jules.
The on-loan Arsenal man went close to his second of the evening in the 33rd minute with a shot across Arnold from the right of the box which the keeper push past his right post.
Three minutes later Edwards again brought the ball in from the right and hit a shot straight at Arnold which the Southend man almost allowed to squirm between his legs. On 39 Aluko struck a low 25-yard effort which was too close to the Shrimpers keeper.
Southend had their first chance of the match in the 41st minute. Ralph appeared to take a dive as Vincent-Young made a challenge and the loose ball ran to Jack Bridge whose effort was blocked by Hladky and in any case the linesman’s flag had been raised.
Bury St Edmunds-based referee Chris Pollard’s whistle ended the half without further incident with the Blues having been in complete control from virtually start to finish.
Town had passed the ball around confidently and at pace and had created enough chances to be more than the single goal in front with John-Jules finishing deftly and putting in an impressive 45 minutes.
The Blues swapped Jackson for Tawanda Chirewa at the break with the youngster moving to the left of the three behind John-Jules.
Southend made 11 changes at the break, although that wasn’t immediately obvious due to the lack of shirt numbers.
The second-half Shrimpers struck the period’s first shot, but Jack Wood’s effort flew well into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.
But Town soon restored the control they had shown in the second half and in the 56th minute Harper curled a shot over from the edge of the box after being teed-up by Edwards.
Moments later, Aluko burst through the middle but Southend sub keeper Collin Andeng Ndi was quickly off his line to clear.
And in the 58th minute, Town made it 2-0. John-Jules sent Edwards away down the right and the winger crossed low for the unmarked Leigh to slam his second goal of pre-season into the net.
On 62 Callum Powell hit a shot straight at Hladky for the visitors, then at the other end Aluko almost played in Harper after a lovely series of one-touch passes on the edge of the box.
The Blues made three substitutions in the 68th minute with Conor Chaplin, Marcus Harness and Ladapo taking over from Aluko, Chirewa and John-Jules.
Hladky saved from Wood as the game moved into its final 20 minutes and on 77 the Shrimpers pulled a goal back. Chris Wreh played the ball forward for Powell who beat Hladky to his left as a challenge came in from Burgess which injured the goalscorer.
Town immediately made more changes with former Southend loanee Christian Walton, Luke Woolfenden, George Edmundson, Matt Penney, Janoi Donacien, Wes Burns, Sam Morsy and Lee Evans replacing Hladky, Ndaba, Burgess, Leigh, Vincent-Young, Edwards, Harper and Humphreys.
Powell came close to levelling in the 81st minute, cutting in from the right and hitting a low shot which smashed against Walton’s left post and away. Moments later, Morsy was shown Town’s first yellow card for a shirt pull.
Town, unsettled by all the substitutions, quickly recovered their composure and in the 88th minute made it 3-1, Burns floating a cross from the right and Ladapo rising high and placing a header past Andeng Ndi to his right, the striker’s third goal of pre-season.
As the game entered injury time, Burns turned a corner from the right into the side-netting, then saw an effort from the right of the area blocked by Andeng Ndi having been played in by Morsy.
Penney shot through to the keeper from the resultant corner before referee Pollard’s whistle ended proceedings.
A comfortable win for Town who confidently controlled the game against the National League side and wouldn’t have been flattered by a greater margin of victory.
The lack of a clean sheet may be a minor irk, however, it came at a time when substitutions were being made en masse.
Few if any clubs in League One will be able to field a second XI as strong as Town this season, illustrating the strength in depth available to manager Kieran McKenna once the campaign proper gets under way on Saturday when Bolton Wanderers visit Portman Road.
Town: Hladky, Vincent-Young (Donacien 79), Burgess (Edmundson 79), Ndaba (Woolfenden 79), Leigh (Penney 79), Harper (Morsy 79), Humphreys (Evans 79), Edwards (Burns 79), Aluko (c) (Chaplin 68), John-Jules (Ladapo 68), Jackson (Chirewa 46 (Harness 68)).
Southend first half: Arnold, Ralph (c), Hobson, Kensale, Bridge, Husin, Dalby, Clifford, Taylor, Miley, Mooney.
Southend second half: Andeng Ndi, Crowhurst, Davis, Reeve, Demetriou, Fonguck, Benton, Coker, Wood, Powell, Wreh. Referee: Chris Pollard (Bury St Edmunds). Att: 4,616 (Southend: 278).