SOUTHEND United continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-1 win at Canvey Island tonight.

A penalty from Conor Hubble put the Gulls in front before the Shrimpers fought back with Harry Cardwell heading home and Josh Walker scoring from the spot to secure a second win in the space of four days.

Canvey broke the deadlock in the 18th minute with skipper Hubble on target from the penalty spot.

Referee Lloyd Wood awarded the spot-kick after young Blues goalkeeper Charlie Brown brought down Gulls’ summer signing Finlay Dorrell.

And Hubble made no mistake from 12 yards as he sent a confident effort into the right hand side of the net.

Blues replied with Cav Miley firing over from long range before the visitors equalised in the 28th minute as a right wing corner from Oli Coker found the head of Cardwell who scored with a neatly taken-effort from close range.

Two minutes later, the Shrimpers went ahead with a penalty of their own after Walker won and converted a spot-kick for his first goal in a Southend shirt.

Walker was brought down in the box by ex Blues defender Jimmy Wallace and fired his resulting spot-kick into the bottom left hand corner of the net.

The Shrimpers came close to making it 3-1 just before the break when James Morton teed up Walker but the striker’s left footed shot was smartly saved by Canvey goalkeeper Bobby Mason.

Blues made two changes at half-time with Jack Wood replacing Morton in midfield and trialist Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo coming on for Joe Gubbins.

But it was hosts who threatened first with their trialist striker seeing a low, left footed shot well saved by Brown.

The Shrimpers hit back with Scott-Morriss delivering a dangerous free-kick from the right flank across the face of goal before Kevin Maher made a whole host of changes in the 68th minute with Beau MacDonald, Mikey Faulkner, Ronnie Blake, Louis Bragg, Piers Hatcliff, Olu Shobowale and Thato Mloefi all entering the action.

After the changes, Blues came close to extending their lead with Waldron sending an inviting left wing cross from Wood wide of the right post before the striker saw a long range effort easily saved by Mason before the game petered out late on.

Southend United: Brown, Scott-Morriss, Crowther (Bragg 68), Kensdale (Mloefi 68), Gubbins (Otseh-Taiwo 46), Ralph (Shobowale 68), Miley (MacDonald 68), Morton (Wood 46), Coker (Faulkner 68), Walker (Blake 68), Cardwell (Waldron 61).