Before, during & after Southend
Basildon midfielder Lewis Gard had been part of Southend's youth system since the age of eight and made his Football League debut against Oldham Athletic in April 2018. Serious knee-ligament damage in an EFL Trophy game interrupted his progress, but he fought back and scored his first senior Southend goal against Oxford United in February 2020.
Loans at Aveley and Heybridge Swifts provided further experience before he left in 2022 for Tonbridge Angels. The club records differ by one game on his final Southend appearance total.

