LEAVING Roots Hall on Sunday following the completion of another season for Southend United, it was tough not to feel disappointed and dejected.

Just one more point during the course of the campaign or another goal from Bristol Rovers against Millwall on a dramatic final day would have seen the Shrimpers secure the final place in the play-offs positions.

But, although missing out on a top six finish by the narrowest of margins was tough to take, there remains plenty for Blues to be proud of.

For, if anyone had suggested during the first three months of the season that Southend would be licking their wounds right now it would not have come as a surprise.

Only at that stage it would have been odds on that the Shrimpers were dropping back down into League Two rather than just missing out on a chance to make the Championship after securing the club’s highest league finish in nine years.

Watching Blues from November onwards, it is now easy to forget just how shambolic Southend were at the start of term.

In truth, the rot had set in the season before which ended with five successive defeats before the 2016/17 campaign got underway with just 12 points from a possible 36 in the opening 12 fixtures.

The poor run of results – which included three heavy setbacks on the road – saw the Shrimpers slump to 22nd in the standings.

And, at that stage, Blues were a side with no set formation, no style, no settled line up and no character.

It seemed, back then, that Southend must score first to be in with a chance of avoiding defeat but that only shows just how far Phil Brown’s side have come in the second half of the campaign.

Blues now boast a team of far greater quality and commitment and can certainly enter next season with genuine optimism.

But, with that in mind, lessons still need to be learned from the start of this campaign and the Shrimpers simply cannot afford to play catch up once again.

Points in August are equally as important as points in April and Blues must make their signings far sooner this summer.

Last time around, the team was late in being put together and the opening few fixtures seemed to be an extension of pre-season as players short of fitness were given minutes to get up to speed.

And, while that ultimately resulted in them coming good, that kind of work needs to be completed during July if the Shrimpers are to have another real crack at promotion.

Key performers, including Adam Thompson and Anton Ferdinand, will also need to be kept at the club while more cover and creativity will need to be added in certain areas.

However, unlike this time last season, this Blues side needs slight tinkering rather than a huge transition and that could well lead to this time next year being far less painful.