Southend Collegians Reserves picked up their first win of the season with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Old Southendian B in gusty wind and heavy rain.
SCFC Reserves were looking to bounce back from an extremely disappointing result the week before, and they did just that! Collegians dominated proceedings in the first half where they controlled the territory, created the better chances, and opened the scoring through Harrison Marshall heading into the far bottom corner from a free kick.
After going a goal down, Old Southendian’s started to get some success with their direct running. They equalised late in the first half through a swerving, long distance shot that the goalkeeper unfortunately parried straight to their striker. The first half finished 1-1, with Collegians ruing their missed opportunities.
Southendian’s started the second half well, but Collegians soaked up their pressure and hit the opposition with quick, devastating counter attacks. Jesse Halpin’s pace was used effectively when he timed a clever run beyond the back four to neatly finish into the bottom right corner to put SCFC back in the lead.
Collegians added to the lead quickly after through another quick counter attack. This time it was Alex Casal who saw his firmly hit volley inside the 18-yard box squeeze past the keeper. That would be the last meaningful attack from Collegians, who would have to battle the elements to try and keep Southendians at bay.
As Collegains struggled to clear the ball in the hurling wind, Southendians took control of the game for the remaining 20 minutes. The home team managed to pull one goal back when they won the ball with a questionable tackle inside the Collegians box. Late in the game, Kieran Coughlin made a vital goal-line clearance to keep his side in the lead, which they held onto until the full time whistle.
After the match, Southend Colleagians Reserve’s manager, Bob Ormston said:
"Every player in the squad played their part today. It was a full team effort, and the boys did fantastically well.”
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