Southend United held Championship side West Ham United to a 1-1 preseason draw in front of 10,462 at Roots Hall. The crowd included 2,753 travelling supporters, and both goals arrived before half-time.
Harry Cardwell put Southend ahead from the penalty spot in the 15th minute. Dinos Mavropanos replied at 45+1, heading in Jarrod Bowen’s corner just before the interval.
Cardwell strikes first
Southend earned the opening chance when a foul inside the area brought the penalty. Cardwell took responsibility and converted, giving the home side a 1-0 lead against opposition preparing for the Championship season.
The advantage held through most of the first half. West Ham’s response finally came from Bowen’s set-piece delivery in stoppage time, with Mavropanos meeting the corner to send the teams in level.
That late equaliser changed the mood of the interval but not the strength of Southend’s first-half work. The hosts had taken their opportunity and made West Ham wait until the final action of the half for a reply.
A goalless second half
The match opened up to personnel changes after the break. West Ham replaced their entire starting XI after 65 minutes, bringing a fresh side into a game Southend had kept level.
Neither team found a winner. Southend shared minutes across their group, the visiting replacements pushed for a second goal and the score stayed at 1-1 through the final whistle.
For Southend, the afternoon brought a competitive home test and a result that kept the 10,462 crowd involved until the end. Cardwell’s penalty gave them the lead, Mavropanos answered from Bowen’s corner and a goalless second half completed the draw.
The result added another useful game to the preseason schedule and gave supporters their first large Roots Hall occasion of the summer. Two first-half goals settled it: Southend 1, West Ham 1.