SOUTHEND United’s under-23 team continued their pre-season preparations with a 4-2 win at Lowestoft Town.

Sewa Marah bagged a brace for Blues, while Lewis Gard and Norman Wabo were also on target against the Evo-Stik South Premier Central Division side.

And coach Kevin Maher was pleased to see his side make it five wins out of seven in their warm-up matches.

“I thought it was another very good performance and I was pleased with the way it went and what we got from it too,” said Maher.

“It was good to take on a strong men’s side and I felt as though we were quite dominant.

“We had a couple of defensive lapses which let them back into it but, on the whole, I thought we did well.”

Lowestoft twice equalised before Blues made sure of their latest victory.

And Maher is happy with how things are shaping up ahead of the forthcoming season.

“I think pre-season has been very encouraging,” said the former Shrimpers midfielder.

“Obviously you can’t read too much into pre-season and you can’t get carried away but there have definitely been encouraging signs.

“We’ve been working on our defending and the organisation is much better than it was now.

“The shape is good too, although the fact we conceded twice shows there is still more to work on.

“But with the attacking players we have I do always feel as though we’re going to create chances and score goals and we did against Lowestoft to win the game.

“We’ve won five out of seven pre-season matches now and I’m happy with that.

“However, it’s obviously all about what happens once the season gets going for real.”

The Shrimpers’ under-23 side continue their pre-season preparations with a trip to Stevenage on Tuesday. 

Southend United: Bexon, Howard, Curran, Kyprianou, Humphreys, Bedford, Batlokwa, Gard, Hutchinson, Wabo, Marah