Southend United v Wealdstone Prediction: 3/4 Shrimpers primed for Wembley glory

Southend United and Wealdstone will meet for the fourth time this season when they clash in Sunday's FA Trophy final at Wembley.

The Shrimpers are bidding to lift the trophy for the first time in their history and will be hoping to shake off the disappointment of their defeat to Scunthorpe United in the National League play-offs, a loss that condemned them to a sixth straight season of fifth-tier football.

Wealdstone have tasted FA Trophy success before, beating Boston United in the 1985 final, but they finished nine places and 25 points below United in the National League and head into this cup showpiece as very much the underdogs.

Southend United v Wealdstone Tips Summary

Best Bet - Southend to win @ 3/4
Alternative Bet - Correct score: Southend 2-1 Wealdstone @ 9/1
Bet Builder - Southend/Southend - Half time/Full Time & Over 3 goals @ 9/2

Southend United v Wealdstone Prediction

Best Bet: Southend to win @ 3/4

Southend would have had high hopes of ending their EFL hiatus when they entered the National League play-offs, as they came into them off the back of winning six of their final eight regular-season games.

That run included a 2-1 victory over Wealdstone at Roots Hall on the final day, when goals from Keenan Appiah-Forson and Charley Kendall ensured a sixth-place finish for Kevin Maher's side.

The subsequent defeat to the Iron would have been a bitter pill to swallow, but the Shrimpers have had the best part of three weeks to lick their wounds and should come out firing in front of what is likely to be a strong following at Wembley.

Wealdstone have not played since their defeat at Southend on the final day, but they will take confidence from the two other meetings between the sides this season, as they won both.

They followed up September's 3-2 league success at Grosvenor Vale with a 1-0 FA Cup win at the same venue two months later.

Sam Cox was in charge for both those victories and, although the Stones did enjoy an initial uplift when Gary Waddock replaced him as manager in February, results then tailed off and they ended the league season winless in four.

With 25 points separating the sides in the league standings, the gulf in class is clear, so if both teams are firing on all cylinders at Wembley, it is hard to look beyond a Southend victory in 90 minutes.

Alternative Bet: Correct score - Southend 2-1 Wealdstone @ 9/1

It finished 2-1 to Southend when these two met on the final day of the regular season and history could be set to repeat itself at Wembley.

The Shrimpers were involved in plenty of tight games over the second half of the season, with 16 of their last 19 matches across all competitions being decided by a maximum of a two-goal margin.

That run includes scoring twice in victories over Forest Green Rovers, Yeovil Town, Aldershot and, of course, Wealdstone in the league, as well as Horsham en route to the final of this competition.

Wealdstone scored in all three meetings with Southend this season and can extend that sequence at Wembley, but in what could be a tight cup final, the Shrimpers are fancied to win by the odd goal in three.

Southend United v Wealdstone Bet Builder Tip

• Southend/Southend - Half time/Full Time

• Over 3 goals

  Pays 9/2

Southend came racing out the blocks when the teams met on the final day, establishing a two-goal advantage inside the opening 34 minutes, and leading from the front has become a handy trait for the Essex outfit over recent months.

Of their final eight victories in the National League season, Maher's team led at the break in seven of those, while they would have finished fourth in the standings had matches finished at half time.

In the same table, only relegated Braintree Town were below Wealdstone, who were in front at the interval in just eight of their 46 league matches during 2025/26.

Backing Southend to be winning at half time and full time forms the bedrock of this bet builder, with the goals also expected to flow at Wembley.

There were three or more goals scored in both league meetings between the sides this season and only the top four in the final standings found the back of the net more often than Southend's total of 83.

Wealdstone were not shy in the final third either, scoring a more than respectable 67 goals despite their 15th-place finish, but it was at the other end where they struggled, conceding 74 times which was more than bottom of the table Truro City.

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Key Match Stats

• Southend finished nine places and 25 points above Wealdstone in the National League standings

• The Shrimpers were 2-1 winners when these sides met on the final day of the regular season

• Wealdstone won the two other meetings this term, triumphing 3-2 in the league and 1-0 in the FA Cup

• Southend are through to their first-ever FA Trophy final

• Wealdstone will be contesting their second final, having beaten Boston United to lift the trophy in 1985

• If they win on Sunday, Wealdstone will become the 15th multiple winner of the FA Trophy

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.