SOUTHEND United's journey towards getting its new Fossetts Farm stadium has seen thrills and spills aplenty - and it's not over yet.

In an extraordinary move, on the eve of the public inquiry into the scheme, the club has suddenly and drastically reduced its scale.

Chairman Ron Martin describes this as "a slight finessing" of the scheme. To outsiders, a reduction by nearly a third looks rather more high-impact.

Still, if Mr Martin is unruffled, there is no reason Southend at large should feel undue concern. The stadium itself remains unaffected. The changes only affect proposals for homes and shops linked to the ground.

Mr Martin clearly feels the scheme remains financially viable, even with a reduction in the retail side of things.

So it is conceivable the club knowingly overplayed its hand at the outset, in order to maximise development.

The exact motive for this latest move is likely to remain a secret, but its consequences in terms of reduced traffic and pressure on town centre businesses can only be benign.

The overriding concern remains that the Fossetts Farm scheme should not be delayed yet again.

Thankfully, this latest change of course, while unexpected, does not seem to have blocked the road.