On the hour, Jessie Lampey met Jess Ronan-Cooper’s cross at the near post and Lauren Johnson kept it out with her feet. Southend’s captain was playing in goal, protecting a lead Darcy Drewitt had given them just before half-time.
In the Toby report I wanted Southend to make the other end harder work. I had not envisaged that requiring an outfield player in goal.
The work in front of Johnson
Robert Craven’s club report describes Johnson taking the gloves with goalkeepers Molly Lee and Libby Mason both absent from the squad; no reason was given for their absence. Johnson is a defender who joined Southend’s girls’ programme in 2015. Southend made five starting changes from Toby. Georgia Hyland and Abbie Rex returned, with Drewitt, Maizie Kelly and Isobel Boyd also coming in.
Lilly Gubby hit the outside of a post in the eighth minute after Johnson misjudged a looping ball from the right. Five minutes later, Johnson dived left to keep out Ronan-Cooper’s shot from eight yards on the goal-line. Jodie Murphy forced Lampey wide for an effort Johnson held, then later tackled her inside the penalty area. Johnson also saved from Wormley captain Aimee Burling before the break.
Tilly Jones’s left-wing cross was pushed out by Wormley goalkeeper Rachel Daltrey. Southend recovered the clearance and worked the ball back to Drewitt, who finished in the 45th minute.
Kelly tracked back to her own goal line to prevent Ronan-Cooper collecting a chipped ball. She needed treatment after colliding with the perimeter fence. That is the help a goalkeeper needs when the first intervention has not settled the attack. In added time, Katie Burbridge blocked Lampey’s shot for a corner. From it, Burling hooked wide.
The win was Southend’s fifth in six games across league and cup football, and their fifth clean sheet of the season. They are third on 15 points from nine league matches, with 12 scored and 12 conceded. Chelmsford City have the same points from only six games, while leaders Leyton Orient have 19 from eight.
In September Wormley were 2-0 up inside 17 minutes at Garon Park. This time, with an outfield player in goal, they didn’t score at all.
Walker starts against Rayleigh on Sunday
Adam Walker was appointed manager last week after coaching at West Ham United Women and managing Hutton. The UEFA B-qualified coach has already led training, but the club confirmed that Sunday’s home cup tie against Rayleigh will be his first appearance in the dugout. His stated aim is “creating a clear identity and way of playing”. Walker inherits a side third in the league and on that run, so his changes should build on the resilience this group has already shown.
Rayleigh Ladies First are unbeaten in Essex County Division Three, with four wins and a draw from five games. They won 5-1 at Chelmsford City Women Development in the previous county cup round.
Next match: Southend United Ladies v Rayleigh Ladies First. BBC Essex Women’s Cup, second round. Sunday 15 November 2026, 2.30pm GMT. Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre, Garon Park.
Match details
Score: Wormley Rovers Ladies 0-1 Southend United Ladies. Half-time: 0-1.
Competition: Eastern Region Women’s Football League Division One South. Date: Sunday 8 November 2026. Kick-off: 2pm GMT. Venue: Wormley Sports Club, Church Lane, Wormley.
Goal: Southend: Darcy Drewitt (45).
Southend: Lauren Johnson (captain, goalkeeper), Georgia Hyland, Abbie Rex, Katie Burbridge, Hannah Warner, Abbey Dell, Maizie Kelly, Jodie Murphy, Darcy Drewitt, Tilly Jones, Isobel Boyd.
Substitutes used: Niamh Carpenter, Morgan Fletcher, Zoe Tryfonos, Sophie Stack.
Substitutions: Carpenter for Hyland, Fletcher for Warner and Tryfonos for Dell (46); Stack for Drewitt (57); Warner for Carpenter (73); Drewitt for Boyd (76); Dell for Jones (80); Boyd for Kelly (87).
Attendance: Not published.
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