SOUTHEND United winger Kevan Hurst is eager to rediscover his best form when he heads back to Carlisle tomorrow.

The 28-year-old, who made 50 appearances in two seasons with the Cumbrians, has been below par so far this term.

And he is desperate to put that right at Brunton Park this weekend.

“I’d be the first to admit that I haven’t reached the levels that I set myself last year so far,” said Hurst.

“I’m not where I want to be but it’s still early days in the season and I won’t stop working until I get back to that level.

“I get frustrated with myself, even though I’m an experienced player, because I want to be doing my bit for the team.

“But hopefully I soon get off the mark both in terms of goals and assists and I’m sure that would give me more composure.

“On Tuesday night I snatched at a couple of chances, probably because I’m so eager to get on the score-sheet.

“However, Saturday is another chance to do better. It’s a big pitch which I think will suit us and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Blues head in to the game looking to bounce back from their first league defeat of the season.

Phil Brown’s side were seen off 1-0 by AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night having previously recorded two successive victories.

But Hurst insists confidence is still high among the players.

“We did more than enough to win against AFC Wimbledon, we just couldn’t score so we’re all still feeling very positive,” said Hurst.

“Confidence is high but we know we’re in for another real test tomorrow.”

Carlisle have yet to win this season following their relegation from League One last season.

However, Hurst soon expects them to turn things around.

“The way their manager (Graham Kavanagh) is I’m sure things will start to go their way again soon,” said the winger.

“I think they have quite a young side at the moment and when you have that it can sometimes take a bit of time for a team to find that edge you need.

“It’s a long old slog of a journey and I know that myself from personal experience as I used to live in Leeds and travel up from there when I played for them.

“I don’t want to be doing that again in my career but we need to treat this like any other game and make sure we get ourselves back on track after losing on Tuesday.”