SOUTHEND United's under 18 side completed their 2022/23 EFL Youth Alliance Merit League Two campaign with an extraordinary 8-7 defeat at Newport County on Friday evening.

Blues led 5-2 at half-time, and 7-4 with 25 minutes remaining, but contrived to concede four late goals to slip to an astonishing defeat at the Cardiff University Sports Ground in Llanrumney.

Max Fiddes bagged a hat-trick, but he was overshadowed by home forward Tom Stokes in the final reckoning as the home marksman contributed four for the Exiles.

And Blues lead youth development phase Coach Danny Heath was furious after the final whistle.

“It’s not acceptable for this football club," said Heath.

"At half-time we were coasting and it could’ve been six or seven goals up.

“The two goals they scored in the first half weren’t through good attacking play, which has been the story of our season defensively.

"At 5-2 up, the second half was not acceptable.

"The first half was a massive positive, but the second half was chalk-and-cheese.”

“I said to the boys at half-time that, if teams are going to score against us, it has to be through good attacking play, and we haven’t defended our box with heart.

"For the last 20 minutes of that game, there was no heart to stop them scoring, so I’m disappointed."

Heath was able to name a squad comprised entirely of scholars, including Henry Sandat, who returned to the youth team squad after his exploits with the first team in the National League.

However, with the first attack of the game, Newport took the lead in the second minute as Stokes seized on an opportunity to fire into the bottom left-hand corner of the net from 10 yards out.

It took just two further minutes for Blues to respond and level the scores through Fiddes, who scored in the fifth of six personal Merit League Two appearances following pressure from Kaan Sezgin.

That work enabled Sandat to win possession and, when his effort was palmed out by County goalkeeper Ben Haines, Fiddes was on hand to turn into the empty net.

The see-saw nature of the scoring continued in the sixth minute when the hosts restored their lead.

This time a long ball over the top was misjudged by Ibrahim Kamara and that led to Ryan Shallis steering the ball between Harvey Gluckstead and the left-hand upright to make it 2-1.

Again Southend hastily restored parity as they equalised for a second time in just the ninth minute of the match.

Sandat was influential once again, making progress towards the goal-line down the right-hand side of the penalty area and picking out Ronnie Blake for a simple close-range finish.

Mo Amir screwed an effort wide from 25 yards out and Gluckstead made a smart stop at his near post, but the scoring continued apace and Blues hit the front for the first time in the 18th minute.

Quick-thinking from Max Fiddes with a right-wing throw released Sandat and he got the better of a defender before finding Omari Williams, who beat Haines with a neat finish delivered by the outside of his left foot.

The visitors were on top now and Amir’s strike was gathered by Haines before Sezgin flashed an effort across the face of goal.

On 27 minutes they extended their advantage through Sandat, who beautifully deceived Haines from the edge of the penalty area after collecting a pass from Sezgin.

Fiddes saw a curling shot saved by Haines after being set-up by Sandat shortly after the half-hour mark, but the first-year forward managed to net his second goal of the game eight minutes before the break when Amir’s deep free-kick was inadvertently nodded into his path by a Newport defender and he turned home from inside the six-yard box.

Blues may have felt comfortable at the interval with a three-goal cushion, but County served notice that they were still in the game within 60 seconds of the restart when Fin Coleman rose to meet a right-wing free-kick and he sent a dominant header into the bottom right-hand corner of the net to make it 5-3.

Despite that setback, Southend wasted no time in bouncing back and Fiddes completed a well-deserved hat-trick in the 50th minute.

There was only one thing on his mind once he had collected Jacob Bland’s pass and he tracked across the penalty area before dispatching his shot into the bottom left-hand corner. It was his 21st under 18goal of the campaign, from 32 appearances.

Kamara got an important touch to a fierce strike to deflect it wide and Jake Huet – in his first start of the season following a long-term injury – also made a crucial block.

But in the 54th minute Newport made it 6-4 when Stokes beat the offside trap to steer beyond Gluckstead.

Blake snatched at a shot from an Omari Williams pass and sent it into the side-netting, but Blues were three goals clear once again in the 63rd minute of a staggering fixture when Sezgin was brought down and Bland smashed the penalty past Haines.

Williams sent a skidding shot inches past the right-hand post in the 65th minute before Gluckstead was forced into a fingertip save at the other end, with Kamara diverting the follow-up wide.

However, from the resultant corner, Coleman again jumped highest and powered a close-range header into the net for 7-5.

Sezgin nodded wide in the 69th minute and, moments later, Fiddes saw his low finish blocked by the legs of Haines, and that stop grew in importance seconds later as the Exiles raced up the other end and narrowed their deficit to one with Stokes tapping in from a right-wing centre after substitute Romeo Ebondo had been beaten to the ball.

Suddenly Southend’s lead looked precarious, and their edginess was enhanced when Sandat was thwarted by the legs of Haines. T

he former Eastwood School pupil then saw his finish from a Fiddes pass ruled out for offside before Gluckstead made a good save one-on-one in the 78th minute.

Bland fired narrowly over at the end of a good team move shortly afterwards, and instead Newport drew level at 7-7 with five minutes remaining as Stokes twisted one way and then the other on the edge of the penalty area before sending a precise finish from 15 yards out inside the left-hand upright for his fourth goal of the game.

The home side, who hadn’t led since the ninth minute at 2-1, then dramatically stole all three points with just two minutes remaining as Noah Preston-Watkins squeezed his effort from a right-wing centre inside the far post to score the 15th goal of a remarkable game.

Blues had scored seven goals in the match but came away empty-handed, leaving Heath frustrated with the side’s defending.

The squad have conceded 70 goals in 19 games since Christmas and 35 in nine Merit League Two fixtures.

“I don’t know how you can score seven goals in a game of football and not win, but it’s because we haven’t defended, and we haven’t defended well enough all year,” said Heath.

“Players were walking out to press the ball for the last goal.

"That has allowed the ball to come into our box, and they just had more determination to get to the ball first.”

“The attacking play was impressive but teams haven’t had to work for opportunities against us all season.

"If the boys don’t start learning, they won’t step up into the first team.

"It’s all very well looking good going forwards, but you won’t push on in this game if you don’t have the heart to defend and make it difficult for teams to score goals against you.”

Southend United U18s: Gluckstead, Kamara, Williams, Bland, Huet (Ebondo, 65), Bolarinwa, Sezgin, Amir, Sandat, Bland, Fiddes.