Southend United are targeting a loan move for Bristol City youngster Joe Duncan as they look for a replacement for Collin Andeng Ndi.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper was sold to Peterborough United after his heroics in the FA Trophy final, in which he saved two penalties against Wealdstone to seal the Shrimpers their first trophy in over two decades.
Dyer Lands On Duncan
It has been a summer of change for the Roots Hall side, with Kevin Maher sacked due to their underperformance in the National League, in which Southend failed to progress past the Eliminator stage of the playoffs.
Former Newcastle United player Keiron Dyer was brought in as his replacement, and has already begun building his squad, signing Darren Oldaker from Swindon Town and Anthony Hartigan from Barnet, among others.
Now, according to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Southend have landed on Bristol City goalkeeper Joe Duncan to solve their goalkeeping vacancy after a successful spell at Farnborough.
The 19-year-old moved to the National League South side in March as part of their battle against relegation, putting in crucial performances to aid the Hampshire-based club in avoiding the drop by 10 points.
He played 11 times in the sixth tier, keeping three clean sheets, including one on his debut against Bath City, and conceded 19 goals across his tenure in net.
Can Duncan Make The Step Up?
Joe Duncan has had a promising opening loan spell after emerging in senior football at Farnborough, and is deserving to have a season-long loan move elsewhere this upcoming season.
With Sam Tickle moving to Bristol City as their new first choice under Michael Skubala, opportunities at the Robins will be limited for Duncan, meaning that they will likely sanction a move away.
Southend United may not be the right destination at the moment, though, with the Shrimpers likely in need of a more experienced head to play between the sticks as they look to try and break back into the EFL.
However, the same could have been said for Collin Andeng Ndi upon his emergence into the first team at Roots Hall, and perhaps giving the youngster a chance to prove himself in the National League could set him on a similar path to the Peterborough-bound shot stopper.
