WHAT a difference a week can make in football.

For prior to taking on Portsmouth at Roots Hall just little more than seven days ago, Southend United were struggling to find the right formula for success.

The team had gone five games without win, were struggling to score goals and found themselves sitting in mid-table.

However, the Shrimpers got themselves back on track with the win against Portsmouth before also seeing off Cheltenham Town just three days later.

Their 3-2 win at York City, which was far more convincing than the score-line suggests, was therefore their third in succession.

And everything is suddenly rosy again for the Roots Hall outfit.

In truth, there was very little wrong in the first place and Blues should have secured more points during that frustrating winless streak.

However, a few slight changes have been behind the improved run of results, including the inclusion of the experienced Gary Deegan.

The midfielder was a surprise selection what he first came in to the team against Portsmouth.

But since then his aggressive style of play has enabled Blues to get on top in the centre of the park and his presence also enables Jack Payne to move further forward.

Payne has now bagged four goals in his last five games and was fantastic once again at York on Saturday.

The attack minded midfielder has added a much needed creative boost to Blues and provides a genuine, goal scoring threat which had previously been missing.

Payne again showed against the Minstermen that is a very special talent and had a hand in all three of Southend's goals.

He must remain at the heart of the Shrimpers side if they are to secure success this season.

And Blues must also stay strong at the back.

At Bootham Crescent they conceded two sloppy goals to make for an unnecessarily nervy conclusion to the contest.

But, despite being breached twice, the centre-back pairing of Adam Thompson and Luke Prosser was again impressive.

The duo were thrown together when Cian Bolger served a suspension after being sent off at Plymouth Argyle.

Yet they have responded in fine fashion to give Blues a solid platform to build from.

Thompson's spell at the Shrimpers has so far been disrupted by a number of niggling injuries.

However, he has now started the last four matches and is enjoying his best run of form since joining the club, initially on loan from Watford, at the start of last season.

He has played a major part in the upturn in fortune but the breaks are also now starting to go Blues' way.

Barry Corr's goal against Portsmouth came after a fortuitous rebound while refereeing decisions have also gone Southend's way against both Cheltenham and York.

Goalkeeper Michael Ingham dropped a cross right at the feet of Kevan Hurst at the weekend and that was also a major moment for Blues.

Because not only did the error allow the Shrimpers to get back in front but it also handed Hurst a morale boosting first goal of the season.

Hurst, who created more goals than any other player in League Two last season, had made a bizarrely below par start to the current campaign.

But if he can now build on Saturday's display and rediscover his best form then Blues will become even more of a threat in the final third.

That area of the pitch and the goalscoring capabilities of the strikers remains the biggest concern and will ultimately decide the Shrimpers' destiny this season.

Progress is being made and the league table now makes for far happier reading.

However, nobody will be getting carried away just yet as there is still an awful long way to go.

And a lot can happen, even in just one week, at this level.