SOUTHEND United manager Phil Brown insisted the Shrimpers’ 1-0 win against Hartlepool was the perfect tonic for his flu virus.

The Blues boss had been suffering with the illness in the build up to the game at Roots Hall.

But he was buoyed by seeing his side bounce back from last weekend’s humiliating FA Cup defeat to Conference club Chester.

“Nobody can stand near me because they might get what I’ve got but this victory has certainly made me feel much better,” said Brown.

“I’m not going to say I have man flu because that will get me fined and it’s just a bit of a cold, “But this was a massive win for us after the disappointment of the FA Cup.

“I thought the score-line flattered Hartlepool too because we were fairly comfortable out there.

“But we got the win and it was also nice to get a clean sheet because we had gone far too long without one for my liking.”

David Worrall bagged the only goal of the game in the 65th minute when he charged through to impressively net his third goal in his last five outings.

And Brown, whose side remain seventh in the League Two standings, was pleased to see a week of hard work rewarded with a narrow win against the bottom of the table Monkeyhangers.

“It’s been a tough week and it started 9am on Sunday when we brought them in,” said Brown.

“It wasn’t a punishment for the Chester game and I just wanted to explain one or two things about the campaign and where we were going to go as a club and as individuals.

“The players bought into that, we’ve been on the training ground every day and worked at a lot of things which they carried out in the game.

“That’s why we won and it was one way traffic for most of the game.”

However, it was only Worrall’s goal which proved to be the difference between the two teams.

And Brown was full of praise for the in-form winger.

“He’s playing well at the moment and it was a great goal too,” said the 55-year-old, who was facing one of his former sides.

“Jack Payne deserves credit for the run he made to create the space but Wozza needs to keep believing in himself.

“If he does that then who knows how far he could go.”