SOUTHEND United manager Phil Brown is currently in training for the London Marathon and his side’s push for automatic promotion now also looks like going the distance after Saturday’s 3-1 win at Dagenham & Redbridge.

The Shrimpers slightly shaded what was a fairly even first half before they completely dominated the second to deservedly come out on top.

The victory moved Blues to within three points of automatic promotion and, with just 10 games of the League Two season remaining, an exciting conclusion to the campaign now seems on the cards.

Southend are still playing catch up on their rivals and have less room for error but the events that unfolded at the weekend certainly pushed them right back in to contention.

With Shrewsbury Town losing at promotion rivals Wycombe Wanderers, Blues were able to close the gap to the top three.

And their attempts to narrow that margin even further will be boosted by having a settled starting line-up which is now close to being established as the Shrimpers’ best.

Earlier on in the campaign, Blues chopped and changed in certain areas of the side with eight centre-backs, seven central midfielders and seven strikers all being tried.

But Shrimpers boss Brown now seems to have found the best possible partnerships in all areas of the pitch, aside from perhaps the left hand side of midfield where Kevan Hurst and Will Atkinson will continue to do battle for a starting berth.

However, Blues now look far stronger in both boxes with Adam Thompson and Luke Prosser forming a decent partnership at the heart of the back four and Barry Corr and Joe Pigott doing likewise at the other end of the pitch.

Corr and Pigott were among the goals at Dagenham with Corr making it six goals in six games with a well taken penalty.

Pigott also netted with a clinical effort which will do wonders for the youngster’s confidence.

The on loan Charlton Athletic striker has been a huge hit since signing for the Shrimpers.

But, prior to the weekend, Pigott had gone three games without a goal and had looked short of confidence when wasting a couple of excellent chances to score against Wycombe.

He was certainly back to his best against Dagenham and it was not just the striker whose confidence has now been restored.

For in midfield, Ryan Leonard – who had received criticism for some below par displays in recent weeks – bagged one of the best goals of the season when he netted a long range volley on the stroke of half time.

Behind him, Daniel Bentley was also able to confirm his return to form and fitness after making a stunning late save to stop Jodi Jones from scoring.

Bentley had missed four of the last five games with a groin problem and had also endured a couple of shaky moments, amid criticism on Twitter, before being forced to the sidelines.

But he impressed at the weekend which is a huge bonus for Blues as they bid to secure automatic promotion and a return to League One.

For that to happen, the Shrimpers need to catch one of the three teams above them during what is bound to be an eventful run-in.

With that in mind, Wednesday’s trip to table-topping Burton Albion will be of huge significance for both sides.

The Brewers have by far by the toughest remaining fixtures as they still have six of the top 10 to play while, in stark contrast, third placed Shrewsbury have what the league standings suggest would should be the easiest run in coming up against six of the bottom 11 sides.

Southend’s own fixtures are somewhere inbetween but arguably their two toughest remaining games – away at Burton and Bury – are coming up in their next three outings.

And, if Blues can remain in touch with the top three after those tricky away trips, then there could well be a successful ending to Blues’ very own marathon efforts.