SOUTHEND United manager Phil Brown believes it is ridiculous the Shrimpers have been fined for his team selection in the Checkatrade Trophy.

Blues must pay £1,500 after breaching the competition’s guidelines which require five players to be in the starting line-up immediately before or after a Trophy clash.

But Brown feels the fine underlines how complicated it is to stick within the rules.

“I think this emphasises and highlights almost the impossibility of picking a team,” said the Shrimpers boss.

“I think you should be able to pick the team you want to pick because players that are not getting games need to get games and under 21 matches can only serve so much of a purpose.

“Jason Williams couldn’t start because of this five player rule but the thought process of my Stevenage selection was the five players I thought I would pick against Bury.”

But the return to full fitness of Nile Ranger ultimately led to the Shrimpers being punished.

“I didn’t have five who had played the previous game as Jason Demetriou was away, Anthony Wordsworth had a suspension coming and Ryan Inniss was injured, “explained Bury.

“Marc-Antoine Fortune was one of the five that was going to stay in and start at Bury but then all of a sudden Nile Ranger came to the party.

“I wanted to pick my strongest team and without disrespectful to Marc-Antoine I went with Nile.

“All of that sounds ridiculous but it’s part and parcel of the team selection and we’ve been fined for picking Nile Ranger at Bury who won us the game with two goals.

“It’s just ridiculous.”