SOUTHEND United’s stuttering form continued with a frustrating share of the spoils against lowly Torquay United at Roots Hall on Saturday.

All seemed well when Freddy Eastwood put Blues ahead inside the opening 10 minutes, but Joss Labadie equalised for the Gulls on the stroke of half-time to ensure the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

And that leaves Paul Sturrock’s side six points behind the play-offs with just eight games to go.
Such a margin maybe would  not be quite so daunting for a team in good form with some momentum behind them.

But Southend have now taken just 15 points from the last 42 on offer and, with that in mind, a top seven finish seems incredibly unlikely.

That is down to a number of contributing factors including injuries, team selections and woeful home form, while some also believe that next month’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final against Crewe Alexandra at Wembley has cost Blues dear in the league.

However, since setting up their appearance at the home of English football, Southend have taken 10 points out of 18 on offer and have been beaten just twice in six games, and only the players themselves will know if they have lost their focus.

But the additional fixtures the JPT has brought has definitely affected Sturrock’s side, with Mark Phillips, Chris Barker and Michael Timlin all picking up long-term injuries in that competition.

Added to that, Marc Laird and Gavin Tomlin have also endured lengthy spells on the sidelines and Tamika Mkandawire, another influential performer, returned to Millwall when his successful loan spell came to an end.

Since then, Sturrock has been forced to chop and change his starting line-up with several players drifting in and out of the side.

Five changes were made at the weekend alone yet when Blues enjoyed their best spell of the season just two alterations were made throughout an unbeaten run of nine league games.

Having a settled side certainly helped Southend hit top form and that is something they must somehow  try and get back to if they are to end the season in good form.

Blues must also get to the bottom of their terrible home results after going six games without a win at Roots Hall and triumphing just once at their own ground since Christmas.

More risks may well need to be made to get Blues back to winning ways at home, but the poor results ultimately seem set to stop Southend securing a lofty league placing.

But, despite the result not being good enough against Torquay, there were signs of encouragement.
Mkandawire and Ben Reeves coming back to the club on loan have brought additional quality to the team, while Tomlin looked bright after coming off the bench on his return to action from a thigh injury.

Freddy Eastwood also bagged a well-taken goal during a rare start and Daniel Bentley looked very assured between the sticks on his return to the starting line-up.

But his display also proved that his recall should have happened sooner in the season.

For the more experienced Paul Smith may have made some good saves in matches this term, but he has also looked quite shaky in a number of his outings and an inability to come off his goal-line has caused uncertainty among the defence.

In comparison, Bentley commanded his penalty area well at the weekend and also launched counter attacks with his kicking.

He therefore deserves to stay in the side and while his tender years may lead to the odd error, Bentley looks a safer bet and brings more confidence to those in front of him.

In truth, Sturrock should have spotted that before now, but it now seems unlikely his side will make the play-offs.

And, above anything else, that is down to the team — and those available to play in it — not being consistently good enough.