Southend United Ladies 4-2 Wormley Rovers: Boyd changes the game at Garon Park

Southend were 2-0 down after 17 minutes and the afternoon was slipping away. By half-time, they were 3-2 up.

The change began at the first-half drinks break. Isobel Boyd and Abbey Dell came on in the 28th minute, and within seconds one had created a goal for the other. Boyd then helped make the equaliser before Maizie Kelly completed the turnaround on the stroke of half-time.

There is a simple comeback story in the scoreline, but the more useful one is about a Southend side responding to a poor start and a pair of substitutes changing the match.

Wormley find the clearer route

Southend did not begin without attacking intent. Kelly tested Dara Griffin with an early volley and Darcy Drewitt had an effort blocked after a short free-kick. The problem was what happened when Wormley played through the other end.

Jessie Lampey broke down the left in the move which produced the opening goal. Her cross reached Jessica Ronan-Cooper, whose effort was blocked into the path of Phoebe Ware. Ware finished into the bottom corner from around 14 yards.

Molly Lee then kept Southend in the contest with an important one-on-one save from Ronan-Cooper. It delayed rather than removed the warning. In the 17th minute, Lilly Gubby worked the ball in from the right and Ronan-Cooper’s first-time effort from the edge of the area looped over Lee into the top corner.

At 2-0, Southend needed more than possession. They needed a way to get at Wormley before another clean attack made the afternoon even harder.

A double change with an immediate return

The drinks break gave Southend a chance to reset. Boyd replaced Morgan Fletcher for her debut and Dell came on for Zoe Tryfonos. It was an early double change, but it had an immediate effect.

Boyd drove into the area and squared for Dell, who swept home in the 29th minute. Southend had a route back into the game, and it came from direct running and a teammate arriving close enough to finish the move.

Nine minutes later, Boyd was involved again. A sharp passing move between Boyd, Georgia Hyland and Kelly ended with Boyd slipping Hyland through. Hyland’s finish into the top corner brought Southend level.

The comeback was completed before the interval. Lauren Johnson cut out a Wormley cross, Drewitt carried the transition forward and Kelly finished into the bottom corner.

From 2-0 down to 3-2 up, Southend had turned a worrying afternoon into a winning position. The pace and purpose of their play after the changes made the difference.

Still looking forward

Taking the lead did not make Southend retreat. Kelly released Boyd five minutes after the restart and Griffin made a strong save. That chance carried the same qualities as the comeback: an early forward pass, a runner attacking space and Wormley forced to turn towards their own goal.

Southend needed that ambition because the visitors had not disappeared. Lampey tested Lee from a tight angle and Ronan-Cooper threatened again, while Ware forced another save later in the half. Abbie Rex helped hold the line together, including a stoppage-time header which took Ruby Ball’s effort away from danger.

The match remained open, but Southend kept playing for the fourth rather than trying to protect the corner flags for an entire half. Dell had an effort blocked and Tryfonos tested Griffin after returning to the action.

The reward finally arrived in the sixth minute of added time. Boyd was pushed in the area and Drewitt sent Griffin the wrong way from the penalty spot.

More than a debut cameo

Boyd did not score, but Southend’s afternoon bent around her introduction. She made Dell’s goal almost immediately and unlocked Wormley again for Hyland. Much later, with the win still only one goal clear, it was Boyd’s run that drew the push and allowed Drewitt to settle it.

Dell gave the side an immediate lift and scored with her first meaningful opening. Lee’s save at 1-0 deserves its place in the story too. Without it, Southend might have been chasing two goals even earlier.

The opening 17 minutes cannot be ignored. Southend allowed Wormley two clear routes to goal and needed their goalkeeper to prevent the damage becoming worse. Against stronger opposition, there may not be enough time to repair that sort of start.

But this was not a win built on one lucky break. Southend changed the game, attacked with greater speed and put runners close enough to the ball to turn pressure into chances. The substitutions delivered and the side kept looking for another goal after going ahead.

Four matches have now brought two wins and two defeats, with seven scored and seven conceded. The next test is Enfield Town at Garon Park on Sunday.

Before then, this comeback deserves to be enjoyed. Southend do not want to make a habit of needing rescues. They should make a habit of the direct, committed football which produced this one.