HARRY Phillips is determined to kick on at Southend United after regaining full fitness.

The attacking midfielder - who was instrumental in the Shrimpers’ 5-2 win at Harlow Town in the Essex Senior Cup on Tuesday night - saw his start to the season disrupted by a thigh problem.

But Phillips is now delighted to be back in action.

“It’s been a frustrating six months for me with two injuries which were nearly back-to-back,” said the Wickford-based 21-year-old.

“The latest was a quad strain which I now feel is strong and repaired and it’s really good to be back now.

“I’ve had two weeks of training and two games where I’ve played a good number of minutes.

“It was nice to play the full game against Harlow and I felt good.”

Phillips shone brightly for Blues as they fought their way back from 2-0 down to win the third round tie with five unanswered goals in the second half.

The former Beauchamps School pupil scored the Shrimpers’ third goal of the night and also contributed two assists.

And the youngster was pleased with the win.

“It was a good game because it was different to the teams we normally play,” said Phillips.

“They were a strong, physical side but it was good to come back from being two goals down and I was happy to play a part in that.”

But Phillips is now aiming for more.

“I want to keep working hard in training,” said Phillips.

“I want to get as many minutes as possible under my belt to get even fitter.”

However, coach Kevin Maher has already been impressed.

“Harry has obvious quality and he’s getting his fitness back now, which is good,” said Maher.