Ahead of tonight's game, Southend caretaker manager Gary Waddock has revealed that duo Charlie Kelman and Simon Cox will miss tonight's game with Brighton U23s.

17-year-old Kelman and 32-year-old Cox both limped off with ankle injuries before half-time in their weekend defeat at home to Accrington Stanley, losing 0-1 through Colby Bishop's close-range strike.

Kelman has currently made 14 league appearances for Southend since making his debut earlier this year, and Republic of Ireland international Cox has made 133 league appearances since signing for the Shrimpers in 2016.

Reported by the Southend Echo, Waddock said: "We will have to wait and see how long both of them will be out. We have to wait for the injuries to settle down before any decisions can be made.”

With Kelman and Cox now ruled out indefinitely for the future, a chance now beckons for other forwards Brandon Goodship, who signed in the summer from Weymouth after a prolific season in the Southern League, and Tom Hopper, the former Leicester City youngster, will be looking to grab his chance of first-team football comes his way after being out of favour since signing in 2018.

The Verdict

Southend will be looking to bounce back to winning ways from their weekend defeat, and with two of their main forwards now ruled out, tonight's game comes as the perfect chance for Southend's chosen strike force to step out onto the pitch and make a claim for the shirt.

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