The Fleet’s Boxing Day trip to Roots Hall and the final match of 2024 ended in defeat as Southend fired four past the visitors, two goals in each half doing the damage.
Josh Wright made four changes to Saturday’s defeat against Gateshead – Rakish Bingham, Franklin Domi and Craig Tanner dropping to the bench while Jez Davies missed out. Toby Edser, Callum Harriott and Todd Kane returned from illness while Aaron Cosgrave earned his first start under Wright.
The Shrimpers were hungry for the breakthrough early and applied the pressure from the opening stages. And they were rewarded with a goal inside eight minutes when Fleet were opened up by a Gus Scott-Morriss delivery and Oli Coker shot from the edge of the area, neatly finished past Mark Cousins.
Cousins kept out Noor Husin and new Blues signing from Woking Charley Kendall forced an excellent stop from the Fleet keeper.
The Fleet ventured forward in the 13th minute when Todd Kane’s free-kick was blocked by the wall but Alex Aroaha arrived for the rebound to send in a tempting ball. Tom Dallison was able to get a head to it but appeared to have fouled his marker in the process.
Wright was forced to make an early substitution as Lewis Page went down in an off-the-ball incident, leading to the introduction of Pape Souaré.
A nervy header by Harry Taylor was an awkward one for Southend keeper Collinn Andeng-Ndi but he outjumped Dominic Poleon as the Fleet man tried to steal ahead of him to the ball and Kane also tried his luck from an acute angle but that effort ran across goal and was wide of the mark.
Southend appealed for a penalty when a perfectly timed challenge from Tyler Cordner on Kendall saw the Fleet defender win the ball cleanly.
The closest chance of the half and of the match for the Fleet came just before half-time. Kane delivered into the area where skipper Luke O’Neill arrived at the far post. His effort clipped the woodwork but the chance wouldn’t have counted anyway as the assistant waved for an offside offence.
Past the allotted added time heading into the break, the hosts went further in front. It was a well-executed curling effort from Aribim Pepple who turned and shot quickly leaving Cousins little chance.
Southend headed into the second-half with plenty of confidence shooting towards an expectant crowd. And just a few minutes in, Pepple grabbed his second of the afternoon as he latched on to a low pass from Kendall to stab the ball home.
A fourth goal arrived from top scorer Scott-Morriss on 56 minutes as he headed home a corner at the back post to give the hosts a more than comfortable lead.
There was little the Fleet could do to find a toehold and only Harrtiott’s shot from out wide that Andeng-Ndi gathered gave Southend any anxiety, while substitute Maxx Manktelow had a couple of runs at goal.
Southend tried for a fifth but couldn’t beat a strong Cousins who denied Pepple a hat-trick from a long-range shot and turned away another couple of chances.
EUFC: Cousins, O’Neill, Cordner, Dallison, Page (Souare 20), Kane (Tanga 59), Edser (Domi 71), Aoraha, Harriott, Cosgrave (Manktelow 46), Poleon (Kwame Thomas 59). Subs not used: Bingham, Tanner.
SUFC: Andeng Ndi, Scott-Morriss, Ralph, Bridge (Gubbins 80), Husin (Appiah-Forson 80), Taylor, Miley (Morton 86), Golding, Pepple (Bonne 71), Kendall (Walker 71), Coker. Subs not used: Jeacock, Wind.
Attendance: 8,408 154 (away).
Photos: © EUFC/Ed Miller
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