SOUTHEND United’s first home pre-season friendly of the summer ended in defeat as Championship side Ipswich Town triumphed 2-1 at Roots Hall tonight.

Kevin Bru opened the scoring for the visitors before Myles Weston made it 1-1 with his first touch of the game.

But Anthony Wordsworth won it for the Tractor Boys with the last kick of the match, scrambling home a loose ball inside Blues' penalty area.

The excitement before the game has focused on Southend legend Freddy Eastwood lining up for the Shrimpers one last time.

He started the game in attack but almost immediately departed to a standing ovation with Lee Barnard taking his place.

Barnard joined trialist Jordan Chedozie in attack, while fellow trialist – ex Northampton Town man - Gary Deegan was alongside Ryan Leonard in the centre of midfield.

However, the first chance of the game fell to the visitors’ Frank Nouble, but his effort was well blocked by Adam Thompson before the striker saw another effort well saved by Paul Smith.

In reply, Barnard then had Blues’ only real chance of the first half flicking a header over the crossbar after a good ball in to the box from Kevan Hurst.

More trialists entered the action for Southend at the break with defenders Ben Richards-Everton and Mats Ibenfeldt, who featured at Concord Rangers last week, coming on the back.

The changes allowed the game to become a bit more open and the visitors took advantage by opening the scoring just before the hour mark.

The Shrimpers were unable to clear the ball on the edge of their own penalty box and it fell to substitute Bru who curled the ball home past Smith.

But Southend soon levelled in the 70th minute, through a substitute of their own, Weston.

Substitute trialist Craig Fagan played in new signing David Worrall down the right and he crossed perfectly for Weston who found the bottom corner.

Trialist Patrick Cregg went close to making it 2-1 with a curling effort from the edge of the box which Bartosz Bialkowski did well to push away.

And Ipswich made the most of the left off by snatching a late winner with Wordsworth working his way on to the score-sheet.

Young goalkeeper Ted Smith, who had come on moments before to replace his namesake, made a strong save from David McGoldrick.

Blues: P Smith (T. Smith); White, Prosser (Richards-Everton), Thompson (Ibenfeldt), Coker (Jenkins); Hurst, Leonard (Payne), Deegan (Cregg), Worrall (Williams); Chedozie (Fagan), Eastwood (Barnard (Weston)).