SOUTHEND United manager Phil Brown saw his side trounce MK Dons 3-0 on Saturday and then urged them to keep on smiling.

A brace from Anthony Wordsworth and a well taken effort from Simon Cox secured the Shrimpers all three points at Stadium:mk.

And Brown feels Blues are reaping the benefits of remaining positive in their approach to the game.

“I’ve got a smile on my face again and I think that’s really important,” said the 57-year-old.

“I blame myself when things don’t go right and I had been looking at what I could do better when we had some bad results.

“I had a think about things and ever since then I’ve been making sure I’ve got a smile on my face because I’ve probably been bringing a lot of doom and gloom to the changing room.

“We need to be positive and it’s the same with how we’re playing now too.

“The handbrake is off and the players are expressing themselves.

“It’s been a pleasure to watch and this was no different.”

The victory - which followed a 1-1 draw at Bradford City and a 1-0 victory at home to Chesterfield - moved Blues up to 15th in the League One table.

And Brown felt the final score-line was a fair reflection of the game.

“I think 3-0 is about right because we had some excellent opportunities to score a few more,” said the Shrimpers chief.

“Will Atkinson had a good chance and Stephen McLaughlin only just failed to make contact with a cross from the right hand side.

“Mark Oxley made a crucial double save but other than that it seemed as though all of MK Dons’ efforts were coming from long range which was great to see because it showed we were well organised.”

That also resulted in Blues’ keeping a second clean sheet in three games.

And Brown is certain improving fitness levels have also helped his side rediscover their form.

“We have some big strong characters in the team which is playing a part but so too are the fitness levels,” said Brown.

“We had a half a dozen or so players coming in late without a pre-season under their belt and it takes time for them to get their fitness up.

“We’re seeing that now with Anton Ferdinand, Nile Ranger and Simon Cox, while Anthony Wordsworth has come back in too.

“It’s been a really good week with seven points from nine and I thought this was a superb performance from everybody.”