SHRIMPERS ON GO-SLOW BUT GET THE JOB DONE

SOUTHEND United boss Kevin Maher saw his Shrimpers saunter past Maidstone United but insistsed they had ‘gone back into their shells’.

Goals from Jack Bridge and Gus Scott-Morriss saw Southend beat their already relegated opponents at Roots Hall.

But Maher was more pleased with the result than the performance.

“In the last two games we haven’t performed footballing wise as well as we probably wanted to but we’ve got results and that’s the most important thing,” said Maher.

“Credit to Maidstone, they put up a good fight and showed a bit of quality as well.

“We got the first goal early on which we wanted to do we hoped they would crack a bit more but we seemed to go into our shells a bit which we have done lately.

“I’d have taken 2-0 before the game though.

“The confidence has obviously been dented a bit but you’ve got to find a way to win games and we did.

“I think we could’ve been better on the ball but to win two games in a row with clean sheets after the run we had been on is really, really important.

“We’ve done the job and let’s move on.”

Ninth-placed Blues are now five points below the play-off places and opened the scoring after just eight minutes when Harry Cardwell was denied by Maidstone goalkeeper Yusuf Mersin when clean through on goal before Bridge volleyed home the rebound.

Maidstone replied with Roarie Deacon having a shot tipped over the crossbar by Southend goalkeeper Collin Andeng Ndi before the Kent club came even closer to drawing back level with Regan Booty curling a 25-yard free-kick against the right hand side of the crossbar.

Andeng Ndi then fumbled a deep left wing cross from Kevin Berkoe just wide of his own right post before doing well to push another long range effort from Booty over the bar.

The second half was less eventful but Southend made sure of their win in the 76th minute when Callum Powell sent a close range volley against the left post before Scott-Morriss’ follow up effort squirmed past Mersin.

Bottom of the table Maidstone have now gone 21 league games without a win.

But boss George Elokobi felt his side were on top for large spells against the Shrimpers.

“The players stood tall and we couldn’t have asked anymore of them,” said Elokobi. “In the first five or 10 minutes of the game we gave Southend something to hold onto but after that we controlled the game and tried to create the better chances in the first half.

“We created a lot of chances but it’s about putting them in the back of the net and it wasn’t to be.”