REPORT | SOUTHEND UNITED 3-0 WEALDSTONE

Wealdstone dropped into the bottom four after defeat to Southend United at Roots Hall.

Ben Goodliffe opened the scoring inside 10 minutes, heading past Dante Baptiste.

Charley Kendall doubled the hosts advantage after 63 minutes, curling into the far corner before Macauley Bonne sealed the deal in the 95th minute.

Neil Gibson made two changes to the side that drew against Maidenhead last week with Adrian Mariappa and Max Kretzschmar replacing Alex Dyer and Will Randall.

The visitors started in total control of the match, almost taking the lead within two minutes when Jack Bridge headed narrowly wide.

It wouldn’t take long for the hosts to take full control when Gus Scott-Morris crossed into Goodliffe, who headed past Dante Baptiste to give his side the lead.

With Southend controlling the majority share of possession, it seemed like set pieces would be important for the Stones. Harrison Sohna and Max Kretzschmar both looked tried to find a Stones body in the box, leading to solid defending from Southend.

With the Stones holding strong, Southend looked to double their lead from range, Scott-Morris forced a strong diving save out of Baptiste before Tom Hopper also tried to bend one in, which Baptiste was able to hold.

Again, knowing set pieces would be key, the Stones best chance of the half fell to Sohna, 35 minutes in, who fired agonisingly over the bar with the ball falling to him from a corner inside the area.

Growing into the half the Stones once again came close to an equaliser when Mustapha Carayol cut inside but fired the wrong side of the post and into the side netting.

The hosts looked to double their advantage straight from the restart when Bridge looked destined to score in a goalmouth scramble.

Keeping the Stones in the game, Baptiste was called upon once more in the 51st minute, making an outstanding reflex save to deny the hosts from point blank range.

But after an onslaught to begin the half, Southend finally had their second goal of the game when Kendall curled into the far corner, 65 minutes in.

It was one way traffic for the remainder of the half. Southend sealed the win in the fifth minute of added time when a fortuitous bobble off Baptiste fell into the path of substitute Bonne to tap home.

Wealdstone face a tough test in the form of Halifax Town on Monday 5th May at Grosvenor Vale in the final Vanarama National League game of the season.

WEALDSTONE XI: Baptiste, Mariappa Woodman (Omole 84'), McAvoy, Boldewijn, Carayol (Hutchinson 72’), Sohna (Obiero 72’), Kretzschmar, Grant, Cesay, Reid.

Unused subs: Gunter, Scott, Dyer, Cook.

Attendance: 9677 (364 Stones fans)