AFTER starting the season with extreme highs and lows, Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle saw Southend United on far more of an even keel at the final whistle.

Having suffered a dire 5-0 defeat in their previous outing at Rotherham United, the Shrimpers were desperate to shine against the Pilgrims at Roots Hall.

And there could be no denying Phil Brown’s side produced a vastly improved performance, especially during the opening 45 minutes.

Blues broke the deadlock early on when Sonny Bradley diverted Jermaine McGlashan’s right wing cross into his own goal and they remained on top for the majority of the first half.

The Shrimpers enjoyed more of the pressure and possession but were unable to score a second while on top and that ultimately cost them the victory.

Plymouth – who are settling in well at League One level following on from last season’s promotion – made two changes at the break and were far more of a threat in the second period.

That resulted in the Pilgrims equalising just past the hour mark and only an outstanding late save from Shrimpers shot-stopper Mark Oxley stopped Derek Adams’ side returning to Devon with all three points.

The stalemate represented a significant improvement on last Saturday’s sub-standard showing against the Millers.

But there are still areas to work on, most notably in both penalty areas.

Going forward, a Blues player has not found the back of the net in their last three outings and they have netted just once from open play in their opening four fixtures.

At the weekend, the Shrimpers struggled to turn their pressure into clear-cut chances and goalkeeper Luke McCormick was not forced into action too often.

Blues strikers Simon Cox and Marc-Antoine Fortune were also short of opportunities in front of goal and that is certainly something which must be sorted if success is to be secured this season.

At the other end of the field, the Shrimpers also need to tighten up having conceded nine goals in the first four games.

Blues have yet to keep a clean sheet and boss Phil Brown was quick to express his defensive disappointment at full time.

However, perhaps the biggest concern on Saturday was the state of the pitch.

For many seasons now the Roots Hall surface has been among the best in the division but that is certainly not the case at this stage.

The pitch began cutting up in the warm-up and Plymouth boss Derek Adams did not hold back in his criticism when talking to the media after the game.

The Scotsman claimed the surface was more suited to rugby than football and ultimately led to his side having to adopt a far more direct style of play.

Of course, the Pilgrims will only play at Roots Hall just once in the League One season but Blues will obviously be featuring on it far more regularly and it must be improved somehow or other if their promotion hopes are not to be hindered.

Several members of the squad have revealed the surface zaps their energy and it is certainly not conducive to a passing style.

Shrimpers chief Brown said after the game how it was hoped the pitch would be far superior by the time Rochdale visit at the start of September and it is critical that is the case.

Blues’ previous head groundsman Ken Hare was dismissed after 27 years following a postponed fixture against Bolton Wanderers back in January.

But for the pitch to be such a strong talking point so early in a season does not bode well.

A two week break should enable improvements to be made or for more resources to be made available but if not then the Shrimpers may also have to alter their style of play.

However, attention will now turn away from Roots Hall as Blues face two away games at Gillingham in quick succession, looking to build on Saturday’s far more solid showing while also adding the necessary improvements at both ends of a much better pitch!