SOUTHEND United were beaten 4-1 by Ipswich Town in a behind closed doors friendly this afternoon.

The game was divided into four quarters of 30 minutes and saw most of the Shrimpers squad play for an hour.

And Blues boss Phil Brown was pleased to see his players get another good work-out, “It was a good run out for us,” said Brown.

“We had four 21s in the first half and five in the second so it was a mismatch of a game at times.

“But it’s just about fitness and the game was played on a really good surface,”

Young midfielder Dru Yearwood was on target for the Shrimpers.