SOUTHEND United’s Nile Ranger continued his comeback by scoring in a behind closed doors friendly this afternoon.

Ranger - who came off the bench in Tuesday night’s 2-0 win at Oxford United - played the full 90 minutes in the game which saw the Shrimpers squad divided into two teams.

Harry Phillips was also on target for Ranger’s side who triumphed 2-1, with Frank Nouble netting for the other team.

And Blues boss Phil Brown was happy for his players to get some much needed minutes.

“It was a proper game with kits and officials and it was a worthwhile exercise because I felt as though we had quite a few players who needed the 90 minutes,” said Brown.

“Obviously Nile is included in that category so it was good for him to get back out there.

“But it was also good for the likes of Zavon Hines, Frank, Luke Amos, Jack Bridge, Ryan Inniss and Adam Barrett to play.”

And Brown was also happy to see David Mooney back in action after a fourth month spell on the sidelines with an ankle problem.

“It was good to see David back out there for an hour or so,” added Brown.