Wealdstone v Southend United: Wembley was wonderful, but it's time we learned how to see games out

Match preview | Enterprise National League | Saturday 31 October 2026

Another away game, another opportunity to extend our unbeaten record on the road. But after the extraordinary 3–3 draw at Worthing, I'm beginning to wonder just how many goals Southend United need to score before I can enjoy the final ten minutes without worrying.

We travel to Wealdstone on Saturday sitting third in the National League, with 29 points from 15 matches and the second-highest goals tally in the division. On paper, a visit to the side sitting 19th should be an opportunity to strengthen our position.

Unfortunately, football isn't played on paper. And if there's one thing this Southend side has demonstrated, it's that being the better team for large parts of a match doesn't necessarily mean we'll finish with three points.

There is also the small matter of Wembley. Wealdstone haven't forgotten what happened there in May, and I doubt their supporters will need much encouragement to remind us that Saturday is another opportunity to settle a score.

Six goals at Worthing, and I'm still wondering how we didn't win

Tuesday night at Worthing should have been a celebration of Southend's attacking football.

We led 2–0, played some excellent football and looked capable of putting the game beyond the home side. We even regained the lead at 3–2, only to finish with a point.

Oli Coker, Promise Omochere and debutant Tyreece Simpson found the net. Kyle McAdam was excellent during the first half, and new arrival Omari Patrick offered another glimpse of the attacking possibilities available to Kieron Dyer.

Yet the final whistle brought that familiar feeling of frustration.

For all the quality going forward, we simply couldn't stop Worthing coming back at us. Three goals scored away from home should be enough to win most football matches. Instead, we're discussing another two points dropped.

The numbers are becoming uncomfortable.

Southend have scored 36 league goals in 15 matches, an average of 2.4 per game. That's promotion-challenging attacking form. But we've also conceded 24, keeping just one clean sheet.

We've scored in every league match, yet there's rarely a moment when I feel we're completely in control.

Dyer has spoken about the distances between players, possession being surrendered too readily and the problems created when the side becomes stretched. His analysis of the Worthing game suggested the effort was there, but the way Southend were using that energy was creating difficulties.

That distinction matters. It's easy to accuse players of not working hard enough when the opposition come pouring forward. It's another thing entirely to recognise that a team can run itself into trouble by continually giving the ball away.

I don't particularly care whether we have 60 per cent possession at Wealdstone. I care what we do with it, how quickly we recover it and whether we can defend properly when we haven't got it.

A comfortable 2–0 would do me nicely. I'm not sure I remember what one feels like.

Wealdstone's league position doesn't tell the whole story

Gary Waddock's side sit 19th with 15 points from their opening 15 matches. They've won four, drawn three and lost eight, scoring 20 goals and conceding 27.

Their home form is particularly troubling from a Wealdstone perspective. Just one victory from seven league fixtures at Grosvenor Vale, with 18 goals conceded, hardly suggests a fortress.

But I'd be very careful about arriving in Ruislip expecting the Stones to roll over.

Earlier this month they were thrashed 6–0 at home by Yeovil Town, a match in which they finished with nine players. That sort of result can destroy a team's confidence.

Instead, Wealdstone responded with three successive victories and clean sheets across three different competitions.

They beat Worthing 3–0 in the FA Cup, defeated Nottingham Forest Under-21s in the National League Cup and then travelled to Aldershot Town and won 1–0.

That victory at Aldershot was particularly impressive. In difficult conditions, Wealdstone created chances, defended with determination and secured the points through Olufela Olomola's second-half header.

Their recovery came to an end on Tuesday when Solihull Moors won 3–2 at Grosvenor Vale.

The Stones were two goals behind after twenty minutes, with a deflected free-kick and a corner doing the damage. They fought back late through Aaron Henry and Fejiri Okenabirhie, but Solihull's third goal ensured the comeback wasn't enough.

There are two lessons in that match for Southend.

Firstly, Wealdstone can be vulnerable, particularly when defending set pieces and dealing with quick attacks. Secondly, they aren't a side that gives up simply because things have gone wrong.

We've seen enough late goals recently to know precisely why that second point matters.

The Wembley connection gives this one an extra edge

It's only five months since Southend United and Wealdstone walked out at Wembley for the FA Trophy final.

That afternoon finished goalless, before Collin Andeng-Ndi became our penalty-shootout hero and Gus Scott-Morriss converted the decisive kick to give The Shrimpers a 4–2 victory.

For Southend supporters, it was a wonderful occasion. A trophy, a trip to Wembley and another reminder of how far the club had travelled from its darkest days.

For Wealdstone, it was heartbreak.

I'm sure the Stones would happily exchange Saturday's three points for that Wembley trophy, but they'll be desperate to get one over on us.

There's another familiar connection in the home dugout. Gary Waddock had a brief spell as Southend's caretaker manager in 2019 and knows something about life at Roots Hall.

We shouldn't mistake their current league position for a lack of motivation.

Nor should we forget that we haven't won on our last three league visits to Wealdstone. They beat us 3–2 at Grosvenor Vale in September 2025 and have been awkward opponents on their own ground.

The Wembley result belongs in the history books. It doesn't give us a head start on Saturday.

Wealdstone players to watch

Olufela Olomola

Olomola is the player I would be most concerned about.

Five league goals make him Wealdstone's leading scorer going into the weekend, and his winner at Aldershot demonstrated exactly what he does well.

Jack Wells-Morrison delivered a corner towards the near post, where Olomola found the space to head home.

There was nothing particularly elaborate about it. Good movement, an accurate delivery and a striker getting there before his defender.

That's precisely the sort of situation Southend have to manage better.

He also offers strength and movement in open play. If we allow the ball to reach him too easily, or fail to track his runs into the penalty area, we could be making another difficult afternoon for ourselves.

Luke Norris

Norris provides a different sort of problem.

He's a useful focal point for Wealdstone's attacks, capable of holding the ball up and bringing runners into play.

Against Solihull, he had an effort ruled out for offside and continued to cause problems as Wealdstone attempted to recover from their poor start.

If Southend's defenders allow him to bring long passes under control without pressure, there's a danger that the supporting midfielders will find the space we keep leaving between our lines.

That is something Dyer's team must recognise early.

Aaron Henry and Ronan Maher

Henry demonstrated his shooting ability against Solihull with a superb late strike from outside the penalty area.

Maher, meanwhile, has been an important creative presence, particularly when running at defenders and finding pockets of space around the box.

He was forced off during Tuesday's defeat, so his availability remains uncertain.

If he plays, we need to make sure he spends more time worrying about our attacking movement than finding opportunities to hurt us.

Dyer has options, but finding the right balance is the challenge

There was plenty to be encouraged by in the attacking performances of the new arrivals at Worthing.

Omari Patrick looked lively on his debut, while Tyreece Simpson announced himself with a goal from the bench.

Promise Omochere continues to give defenders a difficult afternoon, and Leon Chambers-Parillon, Ryan Colclough and Sahid Kamara provide further attacking possibilities.

Harry Cardwell's return to availability would also give Dyer another option.

But simply throwing more attacking players onto the pitch isn't necessarily the answer.

I want Southend to have a midfield capable of controlling the tempo. Oli Coker, Anthony Hartigan and Darren Oldaker have the ability to move the ball intelligently, but they must also recognise when to slow things down and protect possession.

We don't need every attack to be a race towards the opposition goal.

Sometimes keeping the ball for another thirty seconds is every bit as valuable as trying to create a chance.

The defensive selection will be interesting too. Ben Goodliffe was caught up in the substitution controversy against Halifax, and Dyer must decide how best to organise his back line after the disappointment at Worthing.

There are also restrictions on the number of loan players who can be included in the matchday squad, so availability doesn't automatically mean selection.

Whatever the starting eleven, I want to see a team that looks connected from the first whistle to the last.

The away record deserves credit — now let's make it count

Here's the extraordinary thing about Southend's season.

Despite everything I've just written about the defending, we're unbeaten away from home in the National League.

Eight trips, four victories and four draws.

We've scored 21 goals on our travels, more than any other side in the division.

That's an impressive record, particularly when you consider some of the difficult grounds we've already visited.

Yet we've also conceded in every one of those eight away games.

I don't want to sound ungrateful. There have been some terrific afternoons following The Shrimpers, and the attacking improvement is something we should celebrate.

But if we genuinely want to challenge for automatic promotion, we can't keep relying on our forwards to rescue situations that should never have become dangerous.

Boreham Wood are setting a remarkable pace at the top of the table, and Harrogate are ahead of us in second. Every dropped point makes the task a little harder.

The encouraging thing is that the problems aren't beyond correction.

We don't need to abandon the attacking football that's taken us into third place. We just need to make better decisions when we're ahead.

Against Wealdstone, that means recognising the danger of their direct play, defending set pieces properly and keeping our shape when the full-backs push forward.

And if we get ourselves two goals ahead, perhaps we could try staying there.

My prediction: Wealdstone 1–2 Southend United

I'm backing Southend to win, although recent performances make it difficult to predict anything comfortably.

Wealdstone have been vulnerable at home, and our attacking players should create opportunities against a defence that has conceded 18 goals at Grosvenor Vale this season.

Omochere's form, the arrival of Patrick and Simpson, and the quality we have in midfield give me confidence that we'll find the net.

But Wealdstone have shown character in their recent matches, and their attacking options are capable of punishing our defensive weaknesses.

I would love to predict a clean sheet. At the moment, I'd feel more confident predicting that somebody will score in stoppage time.

A 2–1 victory would be a decent return, particularly after the frustration of Halifax and Worthing.

More than anything, though, I want to see a Southend side that understands how to finish a match.

We have the goals. We have the talent. We have an excellent away record.

Now it's time to show we can manage a game properly.

Up the Shrimpers.

Matchday details

Fixture: Wealdstone v Southend United
Competition: Enterprise National League
Date: Saturday 31 October 2026
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: Grosvenor Vale, Ruislip
Referee: Jason Richardson
League positions before kick-off: Wealdstone 19th (15 points), Southend United 3rd (29 points)
Previous league results: Wealdstone 2–3 Solihull Moors; Worthing 3–3 Southend United

Follow the match through The Shrimpers-online Live Match Centre, explore the latest National League statistics in our Football Hub, or revisit our Worthing match report.