A tough test for Woking’s Elite Development Squad saw them end the year with a defeat against top-of-the-table Southend United.

“When you play against sides who are excellent, you’ve got to be close to your best,” reflected academy manager Matt Winter at full-time. “Unfortunately, we made some key errors at key moments in the game.”

An early chance in the affair fell to Jalil Page, who, in the third minute, found himself one-on-one with Southend’s goalkeeper Luca Sorrentino. Page got his effort away, despite being forced wide, but Julius Nwike cleared from the goalmouth.

Woking were then forced to soak up the pressure throughout much of the first half. A ninth-minute free kick, positioned in front of the corner flag, invited a dangerous header from Prince Chinedum, who left the woodwork shaking. Joe Poxon also missed by a narrow margin, as his 21st-minute effort dragged just wide of the left post.

Poxon did get his goal, breaking the deadlock in the 34th minute. Sisanda Maguranyanga found him in the box, with the Southend captain taking a touch before slotting in on Sam Saward’s right.

Denis Travin went close to levelling with a free kick in the 42nd minute, but the effort, which searched for the bottom left-hand corner, deflected wide. Travin had another chance to level before the break, this time as Lucas Boxall threaded the ball through to him in the box. Sorrentino, however, was there to make the block, and the Cards went in at half-time trailing.

A golden chance to equalise fell in the 57th minute, with a penalty kick awarded to the Cards, but Quincy Patterson’s spot kick went wide of the target.

The hosts doubled their advantage in the 68th minute. A quick turn of play following a Woking free kick saw Harrison Lamb drive forward for the hosts, and he found Ronnie Durussel in the box, who netted from six yards out.

Woking continued to look for a way back into the game, but several tactical fouls saw them struggle to break forward. Leo Christophers had a clear chance to get one back in the 86th minute as he received the ball inside the box, but he could not direct his shot away from substitute Joshua Barrett, who had replaced Sorrentino in Southend’s net.

In the second minute of injury time, Malachy Mpoy forced a good save from Barrett, who pushed the substitute's effort out for a corner. Mpoy then nodded Kooshan Hayati’s corner in at the back post to get one back for the Cards.

The Cards pushed for an equaliser, but the remainder of injury time slipped away, and the full-time whistle confirmed a defeat at the hands of the league leaders.

“We gave away some sloppy goals, particularly the first one,” reflected Winter. “At the other end, we didn’t show enough quality when we did counter.”

Elsewhere in the academy, the under-17s lost 6-0 away from home against Kingstonian in the Isthmian Youth League Central Division on Monday, December 8. On Wednesday, December 10, the under-18s exited the National League Alliance Cup in the third round with a 2-1 loss on the road to Chatham. On Thursday, December 11, the first years, playing as Westfield, lost their away tie 2-0 against Cove in the Allied Counties Youth League.

By Holly Porter