Southend’s young Shrimpers beat Romford 2-0, with Nikolay Zlatev and Brandon Dadson named as the scorers. One goal arrived in each half, but the available reports do not support attaching either scorer to a particular minute, so the names and the timing should remain separate.
In Chris Phillips’s report, Danny Heath explains just how young the group was: 11 second-year scholars, five third-years and two under-23 players. Every player was under 20.
That age profile is the essential context. This was a group of teenagers stepping into senior opposition, not a first-team dress rehearsal.
Romford made them work
The 2-0 score did not describe a one-sided afternoon. Romford hit the woodwork twice before half-time and forced further interventions from Southend’s goalkeeper after the break.
Those moments gave the visitors a proper problem to solve. Young defenders had to respond when the ball came back off the frame of the goal, the goalkeeper had to stay involved after the interval, and the group had to protect its lead while still looking for a second goal.
Southend did find that second goal and completed the clean sheet. Zlatev and Dadson can take the credit for scoring; the rest of the side can take credit for surviving the periods when Romford threatened.
The clean sheet matters as much as the two goals. Romford created enough to test the young side, yet Southend stayed organised through those difficult spells and finished the afternoon without conceding.
A result for the young Shrimpers
An entirely under-20 side faced adult opposition, scored in both halves and won without conceding. Heath described the performance as a base to build from, according to Phillips’s report, keeping the emphasis on the work ahead.
That is a useful standard for the next stage of preseason. The players now have a win to remember, but also clear moments when Romford exposed them to the speed and pressure of senior football.
The Romford win belongs to this group on its own terms: two named scorers, a clean sheet earned under pressure and experience against older opponents. It was a positive start for the young Shrimpers and a useful afternoon for the players trying to turn academy progress into the next step of their careers.