THERE can be no denying Southend United should have been awarded a penalty towards the end of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Bury.

But that moment of controversy should also not be allowed to hide what is becoming a worrying trend for Blues.

For, once again after working their way into a lead, the Shrimpers chose to sit back to protect their narrow advantage rather than attempting to grab a second goal to kill the game off.

That intention was shown by the formation being changed to 4-5-1 midway through the second half when Blues were still in front and it was also typified by Southend bizarrely keeping a first half corner close to the quadrant in order to waste time just before the break.

The lack of an attacking mindset was also shown by the fact the Shrimpers failed to register a single shot on target in the second half.

And Barry Corr’s well taken volley was in fact Blues’ only effort on goal in the entire game.

Corr retained his place in the team and, after recent criticism, it was a huge relief to see a striker work their way back on to the score-sheet.

The Irishman impressively volleyed home from close range and initially seemed set for a more pleasing battle with Bury having been sent off in the corresponding fixture last season.

But Corr and Lee Barnard alongside him had very few chances in front of goal and, in truth, whoever Blues had in attack would have found it hard to score given the defensive minded line-up in the second half.

The negativity invited Bury back in to the game and led to substitute Craig Jones netting an equaliser which ensured the match ended in a draw for the fourth season in succession.

As a result, the Shrimpers have still not won since the end of September and have gone five games without a win, picking up just two points from a possible 15.

A lack of goals has gone alongside the lack of points and Blues have scored just three times in their last six games.

In total, the Shrimpers have bagged 14 goals in 15 league outings and only four teams in League Two have now scored fewer.

That is certainly something which has to be sorted if Blues are to be anywhere near pushing for promotion this season.

At present, Southend sit ninth in the table and are still just one point and two places below the play-off positions.

And that could have been even less had referee Darren Drysdale awarded what seemed to be a clear cut penalty on Saturday.

David Worrall appeared to be blatantly pulled back by Bury left-back Tom Kennedy inside the area.

But Drysdale angered the Shrimpers by opting to wave play on.

There is no foregone conclusion that Blues would have netted the penalty as they have missed two of the four spot-kicks they have been given this season.

However, it would certainly have given them an excellent opportunity to retake the lead and avoid another frustrating share of the spoils.

This game can now go alongside ones against Oxford and Exeter when Blues were pegged back at home after taking the lead and eventually had to settle for just a point.

The Shrimpers also sat back to protect a 1-0 lead against Shrewsbury Town but were able to see that one through to the final whistle.

However, just twice in nine attempts have Southend managed to score more than one goal at Roots Hall this season.

For that to improve more attacking intent needs to be displayed and coming up is the perfect opportunity for that to happen.

Blues’ next four league games are all against teams currently in the bottom eight positions.

And how those matches conclude will show whether or not the Shrimpers are currently enduring just a blip in form or something far more serious.