For the second season in succession, Southend United will host Brentford in the second round of the FA Youth Cup at Roots Hall tonight.

Blues beat the Bees 3-0 last time around.

But the club’s head of youth Ricky Duncan is expecting a far tougher test this evening.

“Brentford have changed a lot in the last 12 months,” said Duncan.

“They used to be more direct but they like to pass the ball around more and Ose Aibangee has changed their style since he came in.

“That said, I went to watch them in the previous round against Lewes and I thought 3-0 flattered them because the first two goals were their first two shots on target.

“We will, however, need to be aware of their quality, but we have nothing to fear.”

Blues set up the rematch by beating non-league Corinthian 4-0 in the first round at Roots Hall.

And Duncan is now hoping for another professional display against tonight’s West London opponents.

“The first goal settled us down against Corinthian and we did a good job after that,” said Duncan.

“Now we must have that same approach against Brentford if we are to get through.”

The winners of tonight’s tie will travel to Hull City in the third round and Duncan would love Blues’ fans to come and cheer his side on.

“I’d like to thank all the people who came out to support us last time around and I hope that a few more supporters will come out this time,” said Duncan.

“I can guarantee you that you’ll see a good game of football and it will definitely be entertaining, so it would be great to see some new faces at the match as well as those who have seen us before.”

Tonight’s game at Roots Hall kicks off at 7.30pm with adult tickets costing £3 and concessions £1.