SOUTHEND United's stuttering form continued with a 1-1 draw against struggling Oxford United on Saturday as they paid the penalty for being unable to build on a promising first half performance.

The lively Jack Payne fired the Shrimpers in front at Roots Hall.

But the visitors, who have yet to win so far this season, were the dominant side after the break.

And, although their equaliser was shrouded in controversy when Danny Hylton went down easily to win a spot-kick he also converted, there could be no denying the U's fully deserved their share of the spoils.

Oxford's fightback extended Blues' winless streak to five matches and meant they have now collected just two points from the last 12 on offer.

The point pushed them up to 13th in the League Two standings and it is still very early days in the season.

However, while not wanting to over-react, it is imperative Blues improve and learn from Saturday's stalemate.

Their attacking prowess remains the biggest concern and Phil Brown's side have netted just five goals in their opening six league games.

The emergence of Payne has given them an extra dimension in attack and his long overdue opportunity in the side has resulted in him scoring three goals in his last two starts.

He was at the heart of everything good about the Shrimpers going forward at the weekend but a long term role that can bring the best out of him and the team still needs to be found.

Payne is not a winger, a central midfielder or a striker and he operates best just behind the strikers, similar to Ben Reeves who shone while on loan with Southend a couple of seasons ago.

He needs to be in the team and that was again shown on Saturday, but the formation used to accommodate him lacked width and Blues created far fewer opportunities than in recent weeks.

Payne could be tried in a front two, slightly withdrawn from a main striker, to allow a more solid shape and better balance in the midfield just behind him.

That kind of structure was what Brown was seeking when he unpopularly substituted Payne just past the hour mark in a bid to stem Oxford's pressure.

But their dubious penalty changed the face of the game and, in truth, the Shrimpers never looked like scoring once Payne had been taken off.

And, there lies the biggest problem for Blues, securing goals from the strikers.

Shaq Coulthirst has not netted in eight games since coming to the club on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, Myles Weston has scored just once in the same number of appearances and Barry Corr has yet to hit the back of the net this season.

Lee Barnard, Blues' other main option in attack, has not netted from open play since coming back to the club in January and it is tough to see where Brown will turn to next.

Corr, given the right service, seems the most likely to score.

But the fall-out from Saturday could well pose problems in other areas of the pitch.

Midfielder Conor Clifford, Blues' best player so far this season, was struggling with an ankle injury towards the end of the game, while consistent left-back Ben Coker was forced off with an elbow problem.

They both look set for a spell on the sidelines which would significantly weaken the Shrimpers.

And it does not get any easier for Blues either as they host highly-fancied Portsmouth at Roots Hall this weekend before making tough looking trips to both Cheltenham Town and York City.