SOUTHEND United's under 18 side were unable to prevent Northampton Town from claiming the EFL Youth Alliance Merit League Two title with a week of the season to spare as the Cobblers recorded a 5-0 victory at Boots & Laces.

Neo Dobson and James Owen both netted twice and Jacob Scott was also on target for the visitors as a dominant first-half performance underpinned a comfortable victory against Danny Heath’s side.

Blues improved after the break, but a four-goal deficit was too much to overcome.

“Full credit to Northampton,” said a magnanimous Heath after the conclusion of the fixture.

“Full credit to Shane [Goddard], their coach; he’s a great coach and a great lad and congratulations to them on winning the title.”

“From our perspective I’m disappointed.

"It’s too easy for teams to score against us.

"It would be interesting to see how many goals have been scored either from crosses or an opponent attacking the centre of our goal.

"It’s all about development, and if teams are scoring the same way too often, we’re not learning.”

Heath was able to call upon Mo Amir and Max Fiddes after the conclusion of their loan spells at East Thurrock United, but Jacob Bland, Ibrahim Kamara and Omari Williams were all involved in Great Wakering Rovers’ unsuccessful Inter-League Play-Off against Quorn later in the day.

With the championship in their sights, Northampton started the game on the front foot and Scott powered a header towards goal in the fifth minute that goalkeeper Harvey Gluckstead brilliantly parried away at point-blank range.

Sixty seconds later another Owen corner was met by Leo Jenkins, but Blues managed to scramble the ball to safety.

Fiddes was presented with a half-chance in the tenth minute when Cobblers custodian Marcus Bald miscued a clearance into his path, but the forward screwed his 30-yard attempt to catch the goalkeeper out of position wide of the left-hand upright.

Amir also sent a searing strike inches wide of the right-hand post from 25 yards out after a quarter-of-an-hour, but Dobson passed up an excellent opportunity to open the scoring when he prodded Jamari Hart’s centre straight at Gluckstead, who then grabbed Harry Guess’ attempt from the left-hand apex of the penalty area at the second attempt.

Dobson was thwarted again from close-range in the 21st minute, but a couple of moments later he finally broke the deadlock as he controlled an excellent pass just outside the line of the left-hand upright and coolly converted beyond Gluckstead.

Louis Bragg stabbed over for the teenage Shrimpers when Zak Hammond fed a Ronnie Blake free-kick back into the penalty area in the 27th minute, but Northampton swiftly doubled their lead as Dobson flicked on Hart’s left-wing cross and Owen was on hand to fire home from six yards out.

On 33 minutes it was 3-0.

This time Scott was on target after advancing unchallenged from the left-hand side to a more central position before dispatching a fine finish into the bottom right-hand corner of the net from just outside the penalty area.

Blues were powerless to prevent their visitors from creating further chances, with Reuben Wyatt curling a free-kick narrowly over, Romeo Ebondo dispossessing Dobson in the penalty area and Josh Tomlinson heading wide before Owen threaded a fourth goal between Gluckstead and the right-hand post after the goalkeeper had initially parried out a fierce Guess strike.

“Northampton are a good side and they put the ball into good areas,” Heath reflected.

"The difference between them and us is that when we did get the ball into a shooting opportunity, they had two or three players swarming around the ball to block the shot.”

“We don’t do enough near our goal to block shots or stop shots near our goal.

"Too often the player can shift the ball. You should enjoy going forwards, but you’ve got to enjoy running backwards and stopping a team from scoring.

"It looked like they had a spare man in midfield and they didn’t.”

“You have to play the game from the heart.

"There’s a difference between liking playing football, enjoying playing football, and loving the game. I didn’t see enough heart to stop them scoring.

"You have to have a desire, as a defender to stop them scoring, as a midfielder to track runners. It’s disappointing to lose the game in the manner that we did in the first half,” he added.

Heath made a change with schoolboy Mesach Olabyi replacing Ebondo at half-time, and Blues were aggrieved early in the second half when Piers Hatcliff went to ground but the referee ignored their pleas for penalty.

Five minutes later Hatcliff was brought down again as Bald stretched to reach the ball, but he was adjudged to have got a touch and he recovered to save from Fiddes following-up.

On 55 minutes, Northampton stretched their lead from the penalty spot as Olabyi prevented Hart from progressing by handling a bouncing ball and Dobson stepped up to locate the very bottom left-hand corner of the net.

Dobson was denied his hat-trick by Gluckstead, who threw himself to his left to tip a rising shot away, and Scott then headed over from a right-wing corner on the hour mark. Wyatt also styabbed wide of the right-hand post for the ruthless Cobblers.

On 71 minutes there was a positive moment for Blues as first-year defender Jake Huet made his first appearance of the season after a long period out injured.

He was also handed the captain’s armband by Amir to mark the occasion.

Fiddes – who had scored on each of his previous Merit League appearances this season – saw an effort charged down on 75 minutes following Bragg’s right-wing cross, but Northampton continued to press forwards and Gluckstead made a smart stop from substitute Aleks Jevterevs before the shotstopper managed to tip Charlie Carroll’s effort onto the right-hand post.

Blake did drive a shot into the gloves of Tom Ladyman, who had taken over from Bald in the Northampton goal, but Gluckstead was then called upon to turn away Josh Rayfield’s thumping effort.

Hatcliff nodded wide from a Fiddes cross in the final minute, but Blues will be seeking an improved performance in their final fixture of the season away to Newport County on Friday.

“In the second half we asked the boys to work on their shape," said Heath.

"They played the shape we worked on Tuesday night, but we couldn’t do that with the starting eleven and we had to reinforce the message at half-time.

"A change was needed to get a reaction, and the boys have got to use the second half as a springboard, not just for next week but next season."

Southend United: Gluckstead, Bolarinwa, Molefi (Huet 71), Bragg, Hammond (Sezgin 71), Ebondo (Olabyi, 46 (Poxon, 79)), MacDonald,  Amir, Fiddes, Blake, Hatcliff.

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