SOUTHEND United could soon be requesting the Football League to cram even more matches into the month of November.

Saturday's 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic extended the Shrimpers unbeaten league record in the 11th month of the year to an incredible 24 matches.

And it also means Blues have now gone six years without losing a league game in November.

Their last defeat in the month came at Tranmere Rovers back in 2009 and since then Southend have secured 16 wins and eight draws, taking 56 points from a possible 72.

The latest of those came against Wigan at the weekend in an open encounter which was again played in difficult windy conditions.

Apart from an early long range effort from Ryan Leonard which smashed against the crossbar, the Shrimpers rarely looked like scoring at Roots Hall.

At the other end of the field, Wigan mostly threatened from set pieces with centre Leon Barnett having an effort cleared off the line by Will Atkinson before he also sent an injury time effort against the crossbar.

But such was the closeness of the clash that the game played between the oldest and youngest managers in League One fully deserved to end all square.

And the lack of goals made it a special day to remember for Shrimpers shot-stopper Daniel Bentley who recorded his 50th clean sheet for the club.

Bentley reached the landmark quicker than any other goalkeeper in Blues' 109 year history to again underline his huge potential.

The 22-year-old had made one or two uncharacteristic errors between the sticks towards the end of October.

But November has also brought the best out of Bentley who is rightly regarded as one of the best young goalkeepers in the country.

The youngster did well to deny both Leon Barnett and Reece James on Saturday to secure the shut-out which will certainly have caught the attention of clubs elsewhere.

Speculation will soon start to mount once again surrounding Bentley's future as the January transfer window edges even closer.

However, for now, Blues can boast a brilliant talent who has helped them pick up seven points from a possible nine during a demanding and difficult week.

As a result, they remain well placed in the table, sitting just two points and two places below the play-off positions.

Saturday was another indication of how far the Shrimpers have come as they more than matched a Wigan side who just two years ago won the FA Cup and were lining up in the Premier League.

But Blues' progression in the opposite direction means they are now capable of challenging these types of teams.

And Phil Brown's side could soon be even stronger with the likes of Michael Timlin, Noel Hunt, Stephen McLaughlin and Gary Deegan all nearing returns from injuries.

With that in mind, the Shrimpers' 10 day break without a game has come just at right the time as it will enable the squad to rest and recuperate before the start of a busy December.

The next time Blues' play - against Millwall in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy - Brown could well have more attacking options at his disposal, something he seems to still need at Roots Hall.

Only two teams have scored fewer goals at home in League One than the Shrimpers so far this season and resolving that conundrum remains the final piece of the jigsaw.

Somehow or other Southend will need to find more of a creative edge at Roots Hall if they are to push for a second successive promotion.

Or failing that, they could just keep on pretending it is still November!