Wealdstone 1 – 1 Southend Utd

Josh Walker opened his account for Southend United with a last gasp equaliser in a 1-1 draw away at Wealdstone this evening.

The Stones looked certain to have won the three points when Callum McFarlane beat Collin Andeng-Ndi with a header as the game entered injury time, but Blues responded with substitute Josh Walker scoring a stooped header from a Gus Scott-Morriss delivery.

The line-up remained unchanged from the impressive win over Solihull Moors at the weekend; Walker returned to the matchday squad for the first time since Hartlepool away last month..

Kick-off

It was a first half that won’t live long in the memory for fans of either side, a tame Elliot Thorpe attempt from distance that was straight at Collin Andeng-Ndi was the closest either team came to an opening goal in the first 30 minutes.

Ten minutes before the break the Stones really should have tested Andeng-Ndi, but Jack Cook could only glance his free header wide from a Thorpe corner to sum up what was a poor half of football.

HALF-TIME: Wealdstone 0-0 Southend United

Southend’s first notable opportunity of the game came ten minutes into the second half when a George Moncur corner was only headed away as far Keenan Appiah-Forson on the edge of the box who lashed over.

Wealdstone responded a few minutes later with a free kick from Sam Howes being flicked on by Jack Cook to Jaydn Mundle-Smith who let fly from six yards out, but a combination of Andeng-Ndi and Gus Scott-Morriss did enough to block the ball behind for a corner.

As the game entered its final half hour Southend began to up the pressure with Scott-Morriss glancing a header agonisingly wide before George Moncur dragged a shot just wide from inside the area.

Late on a brilliant drop kick from Andeng-Ndi released Appiah-Forson in behind, and he lobbed the ball over Sam Howes but the Wealdstone ‘keeper did well to back pedal and the claw the ball off the line.

At this stage it looked as though Southend were the more likely of the two sides to find a winner, however at the death Wealdstone snatched the lead.

A freekick from deep was flicked on by Cook and Mundle-Smith to McFarlane who beat Andeng-Ndi to the ball to head into an empty net.

Despite this set-back, Kevin Maher’s side regalvanised and got an equaliser four minutes into injury time.

Scott-Morriss cut inside onto his left foot from the right-hand side and whipped in a dangerous cross where Walker was on hand to nod home from close range with a stooping header.

FULL-TIME: Wealdstone 1-1 Southend United