THERE was some debate pre-match on Saturday as to whether or not Southend United’s FA Cup clash at Yeovil Town was important or irrelevant.

But ultimately it ended up being pretty much impossible, even for this spirited Shrimpers side who have overcome the odds several times already this season.

Kevin Maher and his squad have had all kinds of hurdles thrown in their direction this season.

However, the fourth qualifying round clash at Huish Park proved to be a step too far.

And one look at the availability problems underlined why.

Blues were without the services of nine players at the weekend due to a variety of reasons.

Noor Husin was away on international duty with Afghanistan, Mauro Vilhete and Brooklyn Kabongolo were both cup tied while the on loan Daniel Kanu was denied permission to play by his parent club Charlton Athletic.

Five others missed out through injury – including the influential Cav Miley for the first time since signing last summer – while even some of those in action were far from fully fit.

Wes Fonguck has featured in recent weeks despite an injury while Dan Mooney attempted to play through an illness on Saturday.

Jack Bridge has also played through the pain at times this season and Nathan Ralph was selected among the substitutes against the Glovers despite not being fit enough to play.

It is a sorry situation which again exposed just how badly the Shrimpers have been run and just how deep lying their problems really are.

With Justin Rees and his consortium having agreed terms to buy the club, there has – at last – been reasons to be positive around Roots Hall recently.

But, until due diligence on the deal is completed and it is all officially agreed, Blues will continue to battle against the odds.

And that was exposed in harsh fashion at Huish Park.

The Glovers deserved their victory and certainly looked a far stronger team than the one beaten by the Shrimpers towards the end of last season in the National League.

The hosts took an early lead with Jake Wannell firing home after Blues failed to properly clear a free-kick and that gave Mark Cooper’s side something to protect.

Their plan was to seemingly pack men behind the ball before launching quick counter-attacks and, in truth, it worked.

The Shrimpers enjoyed long spells of possession but without ever really forcing Yeovil goalkeeper Joe Day into a serious save.

However, Yeovil were able to make the most of their own entries in the final third and in Jordan Young boasted the best player on the pitch.

Young bagged the second goal of the game to seal victory for the hosts and, put simply, there was little else Blues could have done.

Boss Maher raised the issue of player welfare before and after the kick-off on Saturday.

And it is certainly something which needs to be looked into.

Squads like Saturday are no good for anyone but at the same time there does need to be some kind of punishment for not paying footballing debts.

Any club falling foul should be hindered but perhaps not to extent the Shrimpers had to deal with at the weekend.

The fault of course, lies at the feet of chairman Ron Martin, and this defeat will forever be remembered for just how far the club fell during his tenure.

But there was one ray of the light at the weekend which also offered hope for the future as 16-year-old Beau MacDonald made his first team debut off the bench.

MacDonald only finished his GCSEs in the summer but showed an eagerness to get on the ball and give his all for his home-town club.

It be will be an afternoon he will never forget and, while he knows there is plenty of development needed for him to become regularly involved in the senior set-up, it was a positive first foray into first team football.

Hopefully further opportunities will follow in the future for MacDonald and by then Blues will be in far more of a sustainable position both on and off the pitch.

But, until this club is run properly and Maher has the freedom to focus on football rather than finances and finding enough players to play, the Shrimpers will continue to be hindered in their search for sustained progress.