Barrett: 'We're really scrapping for our lives now in League One'
The Shrimpers captain and all round legend Adam Barrett moved out to left back last Saturday against Tranmere, allowing Pat Baldwin and Jean-Yves M'Voto the chance to get used to playing together in central defence, though he's made it very clear in the past he prefers centre back.
Another sacrifice by the selfless Barrett for his team as he approaches the 250 game mark for Southend.
He now expects to see the same hardwork and fight for the badge that he puts in every game from everyone going out in a Blue shirt on Saturday in the stadium:mk, something Adam admits he hasn't seen in the past, the previous game against the Franchise for a start.
Captain Adam told www.echo-news.co.uk: "Last time we went there, in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy earlier on this season, I think we had some people in the team who didn't want to play for us and we lost 2-0. We produced one of our worst — if not the worst — performance of the season that night and plenty of words were spoken after the game."
Who could he mean? (Team from that game below).
Anyhow, back to the present, and the skipper is under no illusion that the next three games, against Dons, Norwich, and Charlton, is going to be tough to get anything from, let alone a vital three points for the first time since Orient away on December 28th.
Until Barney's last minute penalty winner against Milton Keynes back in November we'd never beaten the Bucks side since their outrageous move for South London in 2004, bogey team was a term invented for sides like them. (In fact, we hadn't beaten them in any form since 1983!)
The Shrimpers skipper continued: "We're really scrapping for our lives now in League One and every point is vital, so it's a huge game for us at MK Dons on Saturday. We need to get stuck in to try and get a result, but it's a very hard place for us to have to go."
However, the Shrimpers seem to raise their game against the teams in the top half and Barrett doesn't hide behind the excuses for the tough season they've endured so far.
Adam concluded: "The problem we have is that the team has changed since those last games and has kept on changing all year. We can't do anything about that though and just have to work as hard as we can to get the points and results we need to avoid relegation."
The JPT Game
Well Adam if your blaming that awful performance on Roy O'Donovan, still struggling in Sunderland reserves, and Lee Sawyer, playing for League Two Barnet on a short term contract, that seems a bit tough, that's a strong line-up down there.
Still, if you were there, you'd have some sympathy for the skippers words. Johnstone's Paint Trophy (Associate Members), Tuesday, 6th October 2009 @ 19:00; stadium:mk 
Doran 18
Carrington 45
Starting Line-ups 12 Gueret 5 McCracken 25 Swailes 3 Lewington 10 Johnson 13 Carrington 22 Leven (Gobern 80) 21 Howell 9 Wilbraham 8 Easter (Baldock 63) 33 Doran (Morgan 79) Substitutes 17 Searle 23 Powell, D 29 Gobern (Leven 80) 24 Morgan (Doran 79) 11 Baldock (Easter 63) 16 Goal Attempts 2 10 On Target 0 5 Off Target 2 1 Hit Woodwork 0 3 Offsides 1 11 Corners 4 16 Fouls 17 Starting Line-ups 1 Mildenhall 2 Francis 15 Sankofa 6 Barrett 18 Herd 4 Christophe 14 Moussa (O'Keefe 69) 28 Sawyer 9 Barnard (Freedman 74) 26 Laurent 17 O'Donovan Substitutes 24 Joyce 22 O'Keefe (Moussa 69) 8 McCormack 16 Freedman (Barnard 74) Referee O Langford, W Midlands Attendance 4792 Milton Keynes Cards Wilbraham 87 dissent Southend Utd. Cards Christophe 78 unsporting behaviour Francis 90 unsporting behaviour Sawyer 90 unsporting behaviour