CRAIG Calver rescued a point for Southend United’s under-18 team on Saturday as they drew 1-1 against Dagenham and Redbridge at Boots and Laces.

Calver’s second-half strike arrived five minutes after Dagenham took the lead with a freak goal from a corner kick delivered to Nathan McDonald’s near post.

Blues’ youths have dropped points in only two league fixtures this season and both have been against the Daggers.

Dagenham counteracted South-end well in a goalless draw at Victoria Road earlier this term and this match began in a similar vein.

The visitors stayed tight to the young Shrimpers and did not allow them space to get in behind the defence, while keeping play compact in the centre of the pitch to thwart Southend’s wide threat.

As the fixture approached the half-hour mark, Blues enjoyed their best spell of possession, culminating in a fine ball down the left from Merrick James-Lewis that set Calver free.

The front man picked out Fredrik Ljungström, who had unfortunately slipped as the ball came in and could not control comfortably.

He did get a shot away, but this was blocked and neither the Swede nor Jamie Dennis could turn in the loose ball.

If the ending to the half, Calver heading a Reynolds free-kick wide, hinted that Blues were finding their feet, then the beginning of the second period saw Southend pushed firmly onto the back foot.

First a set-piece from 30 yards out on the right touchline swirled wickedly in the breeze and Nathan McDonald managed to clutch the ball just inside the far post having initially been deceived.

Then, from a flag-kick crossed by the same left-back, Daggers took the lead on 54 minutes.

The corner was swung in to the near post where, among a flurry of flying feet and sliding bodies, McDonald failed to grasp possession and the assistant referee adjudged that the ball had crossed the line.

But the perceived injustice of falling behind, shown by cautions for Ronnie Jones and Ljungström in the immediate aftermath, played its part in Southend’s determined response on the hour mark.

The goal arrived from a familiar source, Calver cutting inside his marker to collect a right-wing pass and drive a clinical finish from 15 yards into the bottom right-hand corner for his 12th goal of the season in all competitions.

The equaliser galvanised Blues, who almost took the lead two minutes later.

Hazell fired a dipping shot from the edge of the penalty area that rebounded off of the bar, with Ljungström smashing the follow-up into the side-netting.

But that was as close as the home-side came to conjuring up a late winner.

Southend: McDonald; Folkes, Jones, Osifuwa (Whittaker 61), Reynolds; Abbey; Dennis, James-Lewis (Asante 61); Hazell, Ljungström (Crawford 72), Calver.