Agree with you about FGR, would have preferred them as it would have been like a home game for us against their small following - and I didn’t think much of them when they played at BP earlier in the season. Southend have momentum and that’s always difficult.

But suddenly so have we - three wins on the bounce, two in high pressure games. I think having a very experienced team now is a massive plus for us and I’m leaning towards us grabbing the win but it will be tense and tricky (but then I said that for the Halifax and York games and we won them both convincingly).

I think we have to give credit where it’s due. I’m not MMs biggest fan and was critical of some of his decisions, formations and tactics but (and whether he has lucked on our best team or players have suddenly found some better form), all the players interviewed after both games have talked about how MM set them up and gave them very detailed instructions on how he wanted them to play (watch Pett’s interview after the York game). They aren’t saying it for effect or to curry favour, he has obviously found the team structure, the players to fit this formation that has us playing really well. He has also found a gem in Yoganathan. Plus Garner is hitting a purple patch, Monthe is back, and for me the key, Evans (who we all criticised as a poor ‘sicknote’ signing) has made a massive difference to our midfield.

We can’t have it both ways - and I didn’t think he had it in him to be fair - MM has done a great job in the last two games and we should recognise that. Maybe it was his master plan to lull the other teams into a false sense of security…. if it was, he could have let us in on the secret (would have made watching that dross earlier in the season more palatable!).

COYB