SOUTHEND United’s under 21 coach Kevin Maher was happy to see his side continue their pre-season preparations with a 2-0 win at Lowestoft Town.

Goals from Michael Klass and Nico Cotton saw the Shrimpers come out on top at Crown Meadow.

And Maher was pleased with the performance.

“I thought we played very well,” said the former Blues midfielder.

“We probably could and should have won by more, especially with the chances we created in the first half but it was the attitude which pleased me most of all.”

And Maher was also quick to praise goalscorer Klass for another fine display.

“Michael is showing a lot of promise,” said Maher.

“It was another good performance from him and he took his goal well too.”

Blues made a quick start to the encounter and Klass served notice of his intentions when he cut inside from the left flank to fire narrowly over in the third minute.

Moments later, the Shrimpers’ trialist striker Amadou latched onto a long Nathan Bishop clearance, only to shoot straight at Ben Dudzinski in the Lowestoft goal.

But the visitors continued to control the early stages of the encounter, and they took the lead through a familiar figure to the Crown Meadow faithful.

Cotton, who scored four goals in 15 games for the Suffolk side during a loan spell last season, was on hand to tap into the net from close range when Dudzinski spilled Amadou’s right-wing centre into his path.

It was a second goal in as many nights for winger Cotton, who had also netted at Bishop’s Stortford but Blues were not content to relax. Amadou, who showed a good turn of pace, smashed over from Renei Batlokwa’s cut-back after a quarter-of-an-hour, and in the 19th minute Klass exhibited excellent technique to stroke a 20-yard effort against the crossbar with Dudzinski beaten.

In between, Bishop easily claimed Shaun Bammant’s header as Lowestoft briefly sought an equaliser, but their task was made all the more difficult on 24 minutes when Klass made it 2-0.

Batlokwa had just seen an effort deflected wide when the former QPR youngster was picked out by a chipped Sonny Coutts pass and he exquisitely lobbed the ball over the stranded Dudzinski from 25 yards out to double the advantage.

Harry Phillips then warmed Dudzinski’s hands with a rasping long-range effort, and the over-worked shot-stopper produced heroics in the 41st minute when he tipped over the playmaker’s 25-yard attempt.

When Lowestoft did attack, Coutts watched Jake Reed closely before stepping in to tackle three minutes before the break.

Klass, in particular, had been impressive during the first half, and Maher resisted the urge to make wholesale changes to the team and Southend started the second half front foot with Phillips finding Klass with a quickly-taken free-kick, only for the midfielder to steer his shot at Dudzinski.

Bammant angled a header narrowly wide of the far post from a left-wing cross shortly afterwards, but it was Phillips who came to the fore in the second period, and he linked up with Tom Clifford on the left before striking a dipping, swirling traffic inches over in the 54th minute.

Ten minutes later he combined with Klass to set up full-back Elvis Bwomono, but his effort lacked the power to test Dudzinski.

Norman Wabo entered the action in the 69th minute and Lowestoft’s replacement goalkeeper had to be alert to save a Phillips free-kick three minutes later, with Cotton nodding the follow-up over.

Blues’ under 21s return to action at Thurrock next Wednesday.