Grosvenor Vale was the stage for a National League encounter that saw Wealdstone secure a 3-2 victory over Southend United in a match packed with incident, featuring five goals and the dismissals of both managers.
Wealdstone drew first blood in the 22nd minute, Enzio Boldewijn finding the net to put his side ahead. Southend responded ten minutes later when Slavi Spasov, assisted by Oliver Coker, levelled the score. The first half concluded with the teams on even terms, setting the stage for a dramatic second half.
The second half ignited in the 66th minute when both managers, Wealdstone’s Sam Cox and Southend United’s Kevin Maher, were shown red cards for foul and abusive language. The dismissals appeared to galvanise Wealdstone, who were then awarded a penalty. Sean Jordan Adarkwa converted the spot-kick in the 67th minute, restoring Wealdstone’s lead. Just three minutes later, Adarkwa extended Wealdstone’s advantage, assisted by Daniel Nkrumah.
Southend, however, refused to concede defeat. Gus Scott-Morriss scored in the 84th minute, setting up a tense final few minutes. Despite their efforts, Southend were unable to find an equaliser, and Wealdstone held on to claim a hard-fought victory.
Referee James Oldham issued a total of eight yellow cards in addition to the two managerial red cards. Ben Goodliffe, Cavanagh Miley, Tom Hopper, and Gus Scott-Morriss were cautioned for Southend, while Nathan Tshikuna, Jack Cook, Dylan Kadji, and Micah Obiero received yellow cards for Wealdstone.
Southend made a series of substitutions in the second half, with Tom Hopper replacing Slavi Spasov early in the half, followed by James Morton and Keenan Appiah-Forson coming on for Cavanagh Miley and Oliver Coker respectively. Jack Bridge and Leon Chambers-Parillon were later introduced for Sam Austin and Joe Gubbins as Southend sought to get back into the game. Wealdstone responded with substitutions of their own, bringing on Micah Obiero for Daniel Nkrumah, Moussa Diarra and Dominic Hutchinson for Anthony Georgiou and Enzio Boldewijn, and finally Omar Mussa and Junior Tiensia for Dylan Kadji and Sean Jordan Adarkwa late in the match.
The win sees Wealdstone climb to fifth in the National League standings with 12 points, while Southend United remain in third position with 14 points.
