Southend Rugby Club's Chris Green demands improved display at Bournemouth (From Echo)

Southend Rugby Club's Chris Green demands improved display at Bournemouth

10:00am Friday 26th October 2012 in Sport By Chris Phillips

SOUTHEND’s Director of Rugby Chris Green is demanding an improved display from his team at Bournemouth tomorrow.

The Seasiders go in to the game on the back of three successive defeats.

And Green is keen to bring the bad run of results to an end.

“We need to play better, it’s as simple as that,” said Green.

“We could hide behind having a young side and having injuries to key players after a good pre-season but we’re not going to do that.

“Instead, we need to go out there and improve.

“We need to go through our phases of play better, we need to show more application, a better attitude and more maturity if we are to win and that’s against whatever team we’re up against.”

However, that will be particularly important tomorrow as Bournemouth are just one place higher than third from bottom Southend in the National Two South standings.

They have played a game more than the Seasiders and have won just two of their eight games so far this season.

But Southend bid to heap more misery on their hosts they have again been hit by injury problems.

“Lee Guess, who has been superb for us, is unlikely to play after cracking a toe and that’s a real blow for us,” said Green.

“Mark Billings is still out and Harry Branch and Sam Cook will both face late fitness tests. “

We’re up against it at the moment and our backs are against the wall which is when I think you find out more about your players.

“You would like to think we would respond to this kind of situation against a team just above us in the table and we do need to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.”