Quite frankly, the goalscoring situation is the only one at the club that really needs to be addressed now. Manager Steve Wignall has sorted out his two goalkeepers, Carl Emberson and Ryan Robinson, and both have shown already in the short time they have been at the club that they are an improvement on the old school of Darryl Flahavan and Danny Gay, at least in terms of influence, command of area and stature. In front of them, a back four of Duncan Jupp, Leon Cort, Mark Warren and Jamie Stuart is not going to sit down and roll over at all, and Blues will surely have one of the best defensive records in the Third Division should this group stay injury free.
The midfield, too, has grown. The recent acquisition of Leke Odunsi has put real pressure on last year's club captain Kevin Maher. Although Kev has the ability to be one of, if not the most influential player in the side, he has often not quite delivered, This year, with Odunsi and Jamie Fullarton both snapping at his (and their opponents') heels, he cannot afford to relax. Wide on the flanks are Mark Gower and Jimmy Corbett, and that pair will get quality balls into the box as a regular occurrence.
However, up front, Southend are still lacking. Drewe Broughton will set plenty of goals up, and he may even get into double figures himself, but he is more of a provider than a finisher. Michael Husbands is a good two-year signing, but not because he is a proven goalscorer, but because with the work that Wignall, Stewart Robson and Steve Tilson will do with him, he will develop into a very good striker, with his outlandish pace and his skilful trickery.
But most worrying of all is the current form of Tesfaye Bramble. Tes has had his problems - family troubles, personal problems and injury worries. At the end of last season, his career at Roots Hall lay firmly in the balance. New boss Wignall kept faith in the Ipswich-born man, and also his own ability, and gave Tes a two-year deal. To put that in perspective, Leon Cort, the clean-sweeping Player-of-the-Year, was only given, or at least only accepted, a twelve-month contract (with a view for a second year).
But this faith is simply not being repaid at the moment. Tes looks somehow jaded at times, and although there is little doubt that he is still working reasonably hard - he made a number of good sliding challenges in wet and blustery conditions tonight - he is lacking any kind of potency in front of goal. Too many shots are what former England cricket captain Geoffrey Boycott would describe as "powderpuff". The worst miss of the entire match befell the former Cambridge City marksmen, as Husbands cut the ball back to him five yards out and, unmarked with the goalkeeper committed to his near post, with an open goal in front of him, Tes side-footed horribly wide at the back stick. It was a truly awful miss, and one that will cause great concern to Wignall and Shrimpers supporters.
All in all, this United victory will not go down as one of the best - the number of chances missed put paid to that thought - and it will not inspire confidence. But it does show that Blues are willing to grind out results. Had this have been Rob Newman's side last season, and with no disrespect intended to the ex-Norwich City utility man, then they would simply have sat back on the 1-0 lead and ended up conceding. Maldon, admittedly at a low level in the football pyramid, could not create any worthwhile opportunities. Indeed, they managed just two attempts on goal all evening, and the only one on target looped easily into Ryan Robinson's hands.
It was the type of 1-0 victory that the Seasiders will get this year - the whole team working hard for each other and creating chances from the back, and through the midfield. Gower and Corbett (although Steven Clark is an able substitute, and played today) will get good crosses in, and the only element missing is that potency, that killer instinct, in front of goal. There will be plenty of 1-0 wins, and probably a lot of 0-0 draws as well, so we'd better get used to it while the season has not yet started.
The only goal of the match came after just a matter of five minutes, after a typically bursting Husbands run ended with the former Aston Villa man being nudged to the floor. Mark Gower, captain in the absence of Maher, stepped up to take the free-kick, and after that had been cleared he curled a right-footed corner out to Cort, who rose highest and nodded a simple header past Paul Cattley and into the Town net for 1-0. The floodgates might have opened, but they did not.
A fantastic curling Gower set-piece again caused problems, and Michael Husbands could not control a side-footed effort, which he tapped tamely at the right-hand post, although whether it would have dribbled in anyway is contentious. An amazing run from the 19-year-old then saw him beat three defenders for pace - with a ten yard head start - before calmly striking across the face of goal, only to see Cattley touch it past the left upright with the outside of his left boot. He then chased down a seemingly lost cause, but ended up shooting wide, even though it seemed as though defender Shaun Bell may have pushed it past the post himself.
The second period, although just as dull for the spectators, also had its moments, starting with Bramble's incredible miss and ended with another. This time it was Gower, alone in the box after excellent work on the left by Clarky, who just scuffed an easy chance out of play for a throw-in, the ball ending up further than the eight yards away that he hit it from. In between Leon Cort thudded a header against the side of the post and Bramble and substitute Michael Kightly could have anticipated a loose ball from a flag-kick better, but in all honesty, a 1-0 win was all Southend deserved. Roll on Saturday - everyone will be up for it, and there's bound to be a few fireworks, hopefully with a Shrimpers win at the end.
Player Ratings (4-4-2):
Ryan Robinson 6 - capable performance against the part-timers. Did not have a great deal to do. Did make one decent save early on, but was redundant for most of the evening, and had just one lapse in concentration when Leon Cort could have cleared but stuttered and left the shotstopper exposed.
Che Wilson 6 - playing a right-back the former Bristol Rovers captain did nothing wrong defensively. At times his distribution could have been better, but the tendency overall was to pump balls up for Husbands, and the responsibility does not lay firmly with him.
Leon Cort 7 - decent enough at the back, and scored a much-needed goal (for the team at least). Comfortable apart from the one moment documented above, he was a threat up front and did not have any trouble aerially at the back.
Dave McSweeney 6 - easy enough to adapt to playing football again after his break from action, caused by Warren's arrival, Macca had nothing much to do, and what he did he did quietly and efficiently.
Jamie Stuart 6 - hardly noticeable, Stuart was quiet, but got the job done throughout the match. No errors, save for the fact that he too liked to give Husbands a little too much to chase. Did well supporting Clark on the left.
Mark Gower 7 - good game as captain on the right. Maybe not everybody's choice, but he did play well without being outstanding. Got good balls into the box, and his set-piece delivery, overall, was good. Missed a sitter, which automatically loses him one mark.
Leke Odunsi 6 - typical Leke in his first match as a Southend-contracted player. Got stuck in, made sure the tackles flew in and moped everything up nicely in midfield. Was never fully extended, though.
Jamie Fullarton 8 - this man will break up a lot of opponents play on tonight's showing. He makes good challenges, will never shirk a tackle, and keeps everything ticking over, not trying anything over extravagant but at the same time ensuring that play progresses. Could be the unsung hero of the season. Replaced by Kevin Maher (6) on 80 minutes, who barely got involved at all.
Steven Clark 7 - Clarky still lacks the confidence to get in good quality crosses. It has been noted a number of times on the terraces of the country that he would rather get a deflection out for a corner than get a simple ball into the box. There were signs that this was changing against Maldon Town, but will that be the case against Northampton Town in Division Three?
Michael Husbands 6 - is so full of pace, but rarely has the finishing touch to go with it. His shots on target ratio to runs on the ball must be very low, but he is not the complete article and the coaching staff will have time to work on him. Gets into good positions, must now learn to finish. Replaced by Michael Kightly (6) on 73 minutes for his mandatory fifteen minutes, when the whole of the second half was needed to get him into the game really.
Tesfaye Bramble 5 - missed THAT sitter and otherwise did not threaten. Tes will have to work hard, else he will find himself frozen out of the action with Broughton and Husbands ahead of him in the pecking order.
Subs not used: Carl Emberson, Stuart Williams
Robert Craven
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