SOUTHEND United goalkeeper Mark Oxley will be hoping to keep his close friends quiet at Sheffield United tonight.

The Shrimpers shot-stopper was brought up in the Steel City.

And Oxley is desperate to secure his first Blues win on his return there this evening.

“It will be good to go back up there. My family are all from Sheffield so it will be good to have them there watching and hopefully they can bring us a bit of luck because we want this first win,” said Oxley.

“A few of my friends are also Sheffield United fans so it would definitely be good to get one over them.”

Oxley - who joined Blues after leaving Hibernian in the summer - has started all three of Southend’s games so far this season.

And the 25-year-old does not feel the Shrimpers are far off recording their first victory of the campaign.

“We haven’t been getting hammered by teams and we’ve had periods when we’ve been on top in all three games,” said Oxley.

“We had the better of the first two halves in the Gillingham matches and we were on top against Port Vale to start with too.

“But if you don’t take your chances then you’re inviting pressure from the other team.”

Oxley now wants the Shrimpers to learn from their setbacks and believes they must improve in both penalty areas to get back on track.

“We need to stay together and be more ruthless at the back and up top,” said the custodian.

“We need to learn quickly to put it right.

“But apart from the results I’m loving it here. It’s been easy to settle in and the lads have all been great.”