SOUTHEND United manager Phil Brown is to urge his team to go at Bury this weekend.

The seventh placed Shrimpers will be hoping to finish in the top six with victory against the Shakers on the final day of the season.

And Brown wants that to happen by producing an improved attacking performance.

“I want us to go out there on Sunday and have a real go at Bury,” said the Blues boss.

“I’ve watched and analysed the recording of the Shrewsbury game along with the statistics that went with it and I don’t think we played enough football.

“I can understand the temptation to go long when you have someone of the size of Nile Ranger in attack and I would probably have done the same when I was playing as a full-back.

“But Nile’s touch is as good as anyone and we need to get back to utilising that.

“If we do then Simon Cox and Stephen McLaughlin will come into the game more rather than being forced to feed off scraps.

“Feeding off scraps has never worked since I’ve been here and it was the same when we had Barry Corr.

“But we want to get back to playing more football.

“We’ve taken our play-off hopes into the 46th and final game of the season and if we’re to fail then it won’t be without a real fight.”

Blues are currently a point behind sixth placed Millwall who travel to Bristol Rovers on Sunday.

However, the Shrimpers will go into the game having suffered four defeats in their last five games.

The latest setback came at Shrewsbury on Saturday as Blues slipped to a 1-0 defeat at the Greenhous Meadow.

But Brown’s side could now be boosted by the return of left-back Ben Coker who has missed the last five games with a knee problem.

“Ben was out with the fitness staff training yesterday and is making the kind of progress we expected so fingers crossed he will be back for Sunday,” said Brown.

“It’s been three or four weeks now which is what we expected and he would certainly be a welcome addition to the squad because he’s a big player for us and this is obviously a big game.”

Bury will head into the clash sitting 19th in the League One table but their safety will be secured this evening if Port Vale fail to win at Walsall.

>More than 6,000 tickets have been sold for Sunday’s game which kicks off at 12 noon.

For more details on how to get your ticket visit southendunited.co.uk or contact the club’s ticket office on 08444 770 077.