 White was part of a group of players who were being frozen out under Lambert, and he moved on a one-month loan deal to Essex rivals Southend for the start of the 2009–10 campaign along with Matt Heath.White started every game of his spell at Roots Hall and admitted to having "no idea" where his future would lie, but during his spell with Southend, Lambert left the U's to join Norwich City, allowing White to force his way back into the Colchester team under new manager Aidy Boothroyd, going on to make 39 league appearances that season.He expressed his gratitude to Boothroyd for resurrecting his career, explaining how Lambert had left him to be forgotten